What a Tasmanian photography tour should include: a buyer's guide for 2027

A good photography tour in Tasmania gives you a small group, real teaching time, a room of your own, local guides and a price that covers everything that matters. Most tours look the same in the photos. The difference is in the detail. Here are the ten questions I would ask before paying a deposit.

1. How many guests are there per instructor?

This is the number that decides how much you learn. One instructor with a big group means you spend most of the tour waiting your turn. Ask for the ratio, not just the group size.

On our tours it is six guests and two instructors. That means there is always someone beside you when the settings are not doing what you expected.

2. What does the price actually include?

"All inclusive" means different things to different operators. Ask for the list in writing. Accommodation, meals, transfers, park passes and tuition should all be on it. So should the things that are not included, so there are no surprises.

Our tours include accommodation, three meals a day, private transfers from Hobart, all park passes and permits plus tuition from two local photographers. Not included: getting to Hobart, alcohol and your travel insurance.

3. Do you get your own room?

Four days of pre-dawn starts, late nights chasing stars and long days in the field. Sleep matters. Ask whether a room of your own costs extra.

Every guest on our tours gets their own private room. Twin share is available if you ask for it.

4. Is there editing time, or only shooting?

Shooting well is half of it. Knowing what to do with the file is the other half. A tour that only takes you to locations sends you home with a card full of raw files and no idea how to finish them.

We run dedicated editing sessions in Lightroom Classic and Photoshop on big screens. One instructor teaches while the other moves from person to person. You go home with finished photographs, not just files.

5. Do the instructors live here?

Tasmanian light changes in minutes. Tides, wind and cloud decide where you should stand. People who live here and shoot these places all year know when to go and when to wait.

Unless we are hosting a professional photographer, our instructors are Tasmanian photographers who shoot these locations year round.

6. Is the operator licensed?

Guiding paying guests in Tasmania's national parks needs a licence from the Parks and Wildlife Service. Ask to see it. If something goes wrong, it matters. Our Public Liability insurance requires a permit to be held in every location we operate (if required) without this our insurance is void. If a tour operator is working without a permit or public liability insurance and you are injured or an accident occurs, it is highly likely that you are not covered. CHECK THIS!

We are a government-registered and licensed operator. The license required to enter Tasmanias National Parks and operate a tour is called a Nature Based Tourism License.

7. Are the price and dates published?

You should not have to fill in an enquiry form to find out what a tour costs. If the price is hidden, ask why.

Every one of our prices and dates is published on our website.

8. Is it right for my level?

Most tours say "all levels welcome". Ask how the teaching is structured. A good tour starts with the basics so beginners are not lost, then gives experienced photographers room to push their own style.

Day one on our tours includes practical technical sessions to set you up for the days ahead. By day two you will be reading the conditions and choosing your own compositions, which is the point.

9. What happens when the weather turns?

In Tasmania it can. A good tour plans around the light and the conditions, not a fixed timetable. Ask what the guide does when the forecast changes.

We plan every day around the light, weather and conditions and change plans when a location calls for it.

10. How early should I book?

Small groups fill fast. With six places, a tour can sell out months ahead. Our Fungi and Fagus tour for 2027 is already sold out. If the dates you want are gone, register your interest. When enough people ask, we add another date.

Before you pay a deposit, ask

• How many guests per instructor?

• What is included? What is not?

• Do I get my own room? Does it cost extra?

• How much editing time is there?

• Do the guides live here?

• Can I see your Parks and Wildlife licence?

• Is the full price published?

• How is the teaching structured for my level?

• What happens if the weather changes?

• How many places are left?

If you want to see how our tours answer each of these, every detail is on our tours page.