Best Photography Tour Ever – By Far!

I am a keen hobby photographer from Brisbane and have always wanted to photograph the cormorant fishermen and rice terraces. My challenge when planning this holiday was not only to find the best photography tour but also to put together a great itinerary to suit my family. Thanks to Mia and her team this challenge was mastered brilliantly. It was like visiting friends in a different country who took care of every aspect of your trip and happen to be very knowledgeable and passionate about photography as well. Mia put together a fabulous 5-day tour to Longji and Yangshuo. During the months leading up to the trip, she never got tired of my many emails and addressed every single question in great depth. Andy wrote for us a statement in Mandarin, so we could advise any restaurant of the food allergy of our daughter. Even though it was not part of our agreement, Mia surprised us by sending a car to pick us up from the station in Guilin. These little things can make a big difference. We were very fortunate to have Gao as our guide. He is passionate about photography and opened doors that otherwise would have always been locked. He took us to places off the beaten track, so I hardly came across any other tourists at all. He has his little trade secrets to guarantee my tripod was always in the best spot. We had days when we got up at 3:30 am for the sunrise shoot and shot the entire day until the last hint of light had disappeared at night, heavenly. Gao’s top priority was for me to get the BEST possible images, under any circumstances. We did not have much luck with the weather, still, Gao’s optimism was contagious. At some stage we were not able to cross the Li River due to flooding, so we executed plan B and C … changed the itinerary around in order not to miss anything. Somehow, due to his local contacts, he later miraculously managed to organize a small ferry to carry us across to have a portrait shoot in fisherman’s house, amazing. This was the best photo tour I have ever done, and despite the ordinary weather conditions, Gao succeeded in guaranteeing I would not leave without some incredible pictures… and fond memories. Thank you so much guys!! The only sad thing was that the five days went too quickly. Thankfully Mia had also organized the next stage of our trip, an excursion to Guizhou province. Gatsby photo tours exceeded my very high expectations – highly recommended … or, as Nick Page put it, you would be crazy not to choose Andy & Mia if you are serious about photography.