Part of the fun of going on holiday is coming back with a camera full of pics to reminisce over and share with everyone back home.
Travel photography courses and holidays are the perfect way of learning on the job, as it were. Professional photographer David Newton runs wildlife and studio photography workshops. He explains, "There are two types of photography course – those you go on before you go on holiday, which focus on technique and how to get the best out of your camera. These may suit people who know what they want to do with their camera but are not sure how to go about it.
"Then there are residential courses, which are more about being in the location and how to get good pictures once you're there. These may focus on composition and how to get close to the subject."
The type of course you choose will depend on whether you want to focus on learning about the camera and the technique or, if you want to travel to a specific location, to get shots of particular animals or landscapes.
Here are David Newton's recommendations:
1) If you want to shoot like an expert, why not train with an expert? World-renowned wildlife photographer Andy Rouse runs wildlife photography safaris, capturing gorillas in Rwanda and tigers in Madhya Pradesh, as well as trips to the Galapagos isles. andyrouse.co.uk
2) Guy Edwardes arranges landscape and wildlife photography workshops in Europe and the UK. Trips for 2008 include Slovenian mountain landscapes workshop and photographing seals on the east coast of England. guyedwardes.com
3) Light and Land organise landscape and wildlife photographic tours throughout the UK, led by a range of specialist photographers. New trips for 2008 include Snowdonia and Yorkshire. lightandland.co.uk
4) Lakeland Photographic Holidays has been established for over 20 years. John and Gail Gravett run recommended courses in the Lake District. lakelandphotohols.com
Other suggestions:
5) Join acclaimed landscape photographer Joe Cornish on his very popular, small-group workshops in Whitby Bay. joecornish.com
6) Responsible travel offer a range of trips, from exploring the Scottish island of Harris in the company of a professional photographer to wildlife photography in India and an underwater guided course in Indonesia. responsibletravel.com
7) For those with a special interest in underwater photography, you may want to join a diving trip such as these offered by Divequest.
8) Travel writer and photographer Steve Davey leads tours with Intrepid Travel to Morocco and to India to take in the Sonepur Mela festival. Stevedavey.com
9) Point 101 photography holidays arrange full-board group trips to Abruzzo in Italy and Marrakech, which include tuition, local guides and excursions. point101.com/artholidays/
10) National Geographic photographer Antonio Boccaccio runs workshops in Rome. Book through Select Itlay
· David is technical editor of CPN (Canon Professional Network) and EOS Magazine, a professional photographer and photographic tutor. photopositive.co.uk
· For more tips, see the Guardian guide to photography, free in tomorrow's paper.
