Welcome.
Prepare yourself for a captivating journey through the vibrant and diverse cultures of Asia. Get ready to be fully immersed in the enchanting beauty of extraordinary people and places while honing your photography skills, regardless of whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro.
Our photography tours will take you across India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Indonesia, representing the culmination of Nathan's three decades of technical expertise, artistic passion, and cultural understanding.
At the heart of our tours lies a dedication to professionalism, authenticity, and responsibility. These core values shape our relationships with you, your photography, and the individuals and locations you'll encounter along the way. We are committed to offering you a deeper, more meaningful, and ethically conscious exploration of local cultures throughout the region, an experience that surpasses the typical tourist offerings.
Nathan personally and painstakingly researches and designs every aspect of our tours to provide you with an insider's perspective on these captivating countries from a photographer's point of view. He delights in sharing his wealth of technical, creative, and cultural knowledge, as well as the personal connections he has nurtured.
It's no wonder that 70% of our current bookings come from guests who have previously embarked on a tour with us. This loyalty is a source of great pride and gratitude, a testament to the unique touch that sets us apart.
Nothing but good reviews for a solid 19 years.
What makes us different?
Nathan is a genuine photography expert.
Nathan has been a successful professional commercial, creative and travel photographer for more than 30 years and has made his home in Southeast Asia for more than half of that time.
He graduated with a 2.1 Honours degree in film, photography and video in 1990 and has worked professionally ever since. He has worked in just about every capacity a photographer can work. He has worked as an advertising photographer for some of the world's biggest brands and also as an editorial photographer for some of London's premier magazine titles but prides the work he did for Asian NGO’s and help agencies as the real reason he picked up a camera in the first place.
Nathan knows Asia well because he lives there.
Some guides say they know Asia well, but ultimately, they go back home to another world when the tour finishes. Nathan owns a house, has a family, and has lived and breathed Asia for so long that he gets culture shock in reverse when he returns to the UK. Having inside knowledge and sharing strong relationships with local people have proved invaluable.
Nathan is a good teacher.
It's all very well being knowledgable about photography, but some photographers struggle to share that knowledge either because they can't articulate it or they are too concerned with their own agenda. All too often, the tour leader comes away from a photo tour with the best pictures precisely because they are always standing at the front. After 16 years, Nathan not only teaches very well but we make sure he gets out of your way to let you take the shots you came for. From teaching the art of vibrant, meaningful, and memorable Travel Photography since 2006, he has succeeded in evolving and refining his tours so that they go beyond camera techniques, beyond cultural exploration, and into something more than it’s individual parts. You will come out of it enriched, enthralled, enlightened, and ready to edit dozens of your own spellbinding images.
Nathan wants the best tour for photography.
Some operators treat their tours only like a business. We think about our tours passionately and are obsessed with creating the best experiences for our photographers. Every decision regarding location, transport, accommodation and even food is made with the idea of what works best for the photographer. No corner is cut to save a dollar here or there.
Everything you need from a photography tour.
Engagement.
We believe that our photography tours should open up a country by presenting opportunities to engage with the local people in Asia.
One of our principal objectives is to show participants that the camera can be used as the key to open doors instead of being a barrier between the photographer and the subject.
We aim to show how, when used sympathetically, the camera can establish a vital connection between the traveller and the local people that they meet. This has enabled Nathan, over many years, to develop many great relationships around Asia. In fact, in many of the villages that we visit, the local people welcome him with open arms!
We also go out of our way to teach a few basic phrases of the local language, specific to photography, as we believe these few words go a long way in communicating and breaking down barriers.
Responsible Travel.
Central to our core values is that we should respect cultural beliefs and personal privacy as photographers. Essentially, all of our tours in Asia include instruction and advice on how to take pictures in a manner that does not upset the local people, and is acceptable to the people whose images are being taken.
Nathan and our local tour guides have an in-depth knowledge of acceptable and preferred behaviour, and we will brief you both before and during potentially tricky engagements.
We also have the considerable advantage of forging many great relationships with local people and communities long before you arrive.
Tailored Tuition.
As a lifelong professional photographer, Nathan is fully committed to helping you become a better travel photographer. Great photographers don't always make great teachers, but our TripAdvisor reviews suggest that we’re doing a pretty good job.
Understanding that photographers come on our tours with different expectations, skills and previous experience, we tailor tuition to individual needs on the tour itself. We can also include some optional pre-tour workshops for those who think they need it.
We cover a number of themes during our tours, including:
• Optional pre-tour technical workshops (on request)
• Aesthetic and ethical advice
• Technical practice
• Travel photography advice
• Location advice
• Occasional set-ups
• Creative inspiration
• Lightroom workshops
• Post-production reviews
Well - researched Itineraries.
When visiting any famous site, it's easy to assume perfect shooting conditions - no crowds, ideal lighting and access to the best angles.
Any professional photographer knows it doesn't always work like that without extensive planning and research, and so we have done much of the hard work for you.
A key advantage of our photo tours is to get you to the right place at the right time by researching it in advance for many years. Nailing the logistics means we make sure you are shooting at the right time of day, and travelling or resting at other times, with unrivalled efficiency.
On top of that, we will introduce you to local friends who are either willing models or will make you feel at home. Importantly, we know our locations well enough to have a range of backup plans if something goes wrong. After all, any professional travel photographer also knows that flexibility is an essential part of the equation.
Most of the photographers who join our tours are amazed at how much they have accomplished in two weeks and even more impressed with how many great pictures they have taken during the tour.
Make your own photo book.
Since May 2024, we have been providing our photographers with photo book templates (including suggested text which you can edit) on all of our tours. You can start your own book, we’ll help you upload your own images as the tour progresses, you can then tailor it to your own taste and print it when you get home. Here’s a wonderful example from our recent tour of Ladakh by one of our photographers, Guy P. Larin:
This video gives a general over view of Nathan Horton photography tours using his classic tour of Rajasthan in India as a specific example.
100% 5-star reviews in last 10 years.
Great Hotels.
On every one of our tours, we go out of our way to find charming hotels that reflect something of the country’s culture and hopefully add an extra dimension to your experience. Ideally, we use 4-5 star boutique hotels in bigger towns, but that is not always possible when we take you off the beaten track. Occasionally we use yurts, tents or home-stays with local people. However, you can rest assured that our accommodation is well-researched, safe, clean and comfortable, with private bathroom and A/C even when in remote areas.
Please see our individual tours for more information.
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![Typical-tented-hotel-room-Rajasthan-Classic- Photography-Tour]()
India
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![Typical heritage hotel on Nepal Photography Tour]()
Nepal
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![Typical-tropical-swimming-pool-CambodiaPhotography-Tour]()
Cambodia
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![Typical hotel room on North Vietnam Photography Tour]()
Vietnam
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![Hotel-on-Laos-photography-tour]()
Laos
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![Typical-Balinese-hotel-bedroom-Indonesia-Photography-Tour]()
Indonesia
Safe Transport.
Transport is an essential element of a photography tour. If appropriate, we cut out unnecessary driving by using domestic flights to get to and from our essential itinerary points. When on the ground, we recognise your unique needs as a photographer so we generally travel in a bus big enough to give you two seats: one for you and one for your cameras.
On some tours here in Asia, we encounter some narrow or even off-road conditions that require smaller transport, in which case we use generously seated cars or 4-wheel drives, and always give you a window seat, with no more than three photographers per car.
Small Groups.
On most tours, we set a limit of eight photographers. This allows Nathan and our regular local guides to give everyone the attention they deserve. The intimate group size creates a stimulating dynamic where participants can share their experiences with like-minded people and leave with new friends.
Photographers often find being in a small group with a common interest is a great way to get something extra out of the tour. There may be occasions where we allow non-photographers to join their partners on specific trips. We may also enlarge the group if most participants have been on tour with us before, but only if appropriate transport is available.
Delicious Meals.
Our tours include good international hotel breakfasts within the quoted price and bottled water on bus/car journeys and treks. We tend to eat other meals as a group in well-researched, locally-run restaurants, giving you the chance to taste Asian cuisine at it’s best and get to know each other.
We prefer to let you choose what and how much you eat rather than imposing an all-inclusive buffet or set menu. We know that people have different eating habits, and some are more adventurous than others. Some like spicy food, others don't, and some are vegetarian, so we let you choose from a menu.
You are also free to eat at a restaurant of your choice when available or enjoy room service at the hotel. Nothing is compulsory, but we ask you to pay for lunch, dinner, and other drinks unless otherwise stated.
All of our destinations are often hot or humid by western standards. Most tours also require some walking, and occasionally getting on and off, or in and out of, challenging modes of transport such as small boats, tuk-tuks, Jeeps and so on. With regard to your physical fitness, we hope to give you an indication of the degree of difficulty by grading our tours from 1 to 3.
1. Easy: moderate walking but no longer walks.
Rajasthan, Laos
2. Moderate: more difficult walking, steep hills or many steps.
Cambodia, Nepal, Mustang, Vietnam
3. Difficult: trekking or high altitude making walking strenuous.
Java & Bali, Ladakh, India (Holi Festivals), Kashmir
Tour Grading.
Choose from 13 tours in 7 countries!
