MYSTICAL SWAMPS of LOUISIANA
October 29 - November 2, 2024
Experience a world of mystery and beauty that will make you feel like you've traveled back in time to the Jurassic Era. Primeval, captivating, and mystical, the swamps of Louisiana (and Texas) are exciting to photograph . Early morning mist is commonly seen lying low to the water especially at this time of year, and autumn colors mix with the greens of summers and it's particularly beautiful in October. Alligators are a common sight here, and birds are as well. Herons and egrets are often poised beautifully among the giant, Spanish moss-covered cypress trees. Most of the photography is done from low-to-the-water boats, and each outing is as relaxing as it is breathtaking. Included in the this photo tour are 19th century classically beautiful ante-bellum plantation homes that make stunning photographs.
ITINERARY
Day 1, October 29, Tuesday
Fly or drive to New Orleans, Louisiana and navigate your way to La Pavillion Hotel. This hotel is in the heart of the French Quarter, and it's really elegant. Jim will give you an orientation to the trip, and he'll discus capturing long exposures as well as using HDR when shooting at twilight and night.
Day 2, October 30, Wednesday
We depart New Orleans after breakfast, and on our way to the first swamp destination we stop
and photograph the historic 19th century ante-bellum home, Oak Alley. Extending in front of the beautiful facade are two rows of live oak trees that were planted in the early 1700's. This is a good time to practice obtaining complete depth of field byusing focus stacking. Forty minutes further on we stop at another stunning 19th century plantation home, Nottoway. The mansion's architecture is Greek Revival and Italianate and extremely photogenic. We then continue on to nearby Houmas House, another stately ante-bellum home. There is a restaurant adjacent to the property and here we'll have lunch. Then we continue to Lake Martin near Lafayette. Giant bald cypress trees grow out of the swampy lake, and in our small boat we can maneuver through the trees for sensational shots. We stay through sunset to capture rays of golden light streaming through the Spanish moss. When we are back on solid ground, we
will do night photography of the swamp and Jim will demonstrate how to do painting with light. It's also quite possible our flashlights will reflect in the eyes of nearby alligators. Overnight Lafayette.
Day 3, October 31, Thursday
For sunrise, we have another spectacular boating experience on Lake Martin. We see a different part of the lake, and the sun illuminates the swamp, the incredible Spanish moss, and the bald cypress trees from a different direction. This is a photographers' paradise. We'll have more opportunities to photograph herons and egrets in flight (Jim will tell you the best camera settings for photographing birds in flight) as well as frame-filling encounters with alligators. Backlighting, reflections, and
incredible compositions make this a highlight of the trip. Following this, we drive northwest toward Caddo Lake. Stopping for lunch, we arrive in the afternoon and, after checking into our hotel, we take another boat trip to explore this remarkable and enchanting lake that straddles both Louisiana and Texas. When sunset light streaks through the trees, the effect is magical. The Spanish moss is translucent, and the backlighting is simply dazzling. We will have another chance to do night photography here. Overnight in Marshall, Texas.
Day 4, Nov. 1, Friday
Caddo Lake is such a stunning place to photograph that we have two additional boat outings to explore the best stands of bald cypress trees in different lighting scenarios. We go out at sunrise to capture low angled light mixed, hopefully, with fog. We can also find egrets and herons fishing in shallow water amongst the giant trees, so you want both a wide angle and telephoto lens for these excursions. In the midday, Jim will conduct a critique of pictures you've taken thus far, and then in the afternoon we return to the lake for a tour at sunset and twilight. It will be an exciting day full of awesome photography, and one of the most unique landscape environments you've ever seen. Overnight Shreveport, Louisiana.
Day 5, Nov. 2, Saturday
We depart for home from Shreveport, knowing we've taken some of the best landscape images ever. Please note: This photo tour begins in New Orleans and ends in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Tour cost: $3350. Includes all hotels based on double occupancy, all breakfasts, welcome and farewell dinners, five boat outings, ground transportation, and photo instruction.
Single supplement fee: $430
Not included: Transportation to New Orleans, 2 dinners, all lunches, trip cancellation insurance, and items of a personal nature.