Quick Details
Ideal for any nature lover, this swamp and wildlife tour doubles as a Louisiana swamp photography workshop. Your guide, an experienced nature photographer, helps you capture some of the most beautiful landscapes and enticing wildlife in the region.
Most photography workshops are multi-day experiences that are costly and locked into set dates years in advance. Our workshops are set up for private groups and can be booked on a daily basis. We have the flexibility to run sunrise and sunset trips all year long. If you are a nature photographer in New Orleans and want to get out into the swamps but don’t want to be locked into a set workshop schedule, this is the trip for you.
What to Expect
The cypress swamps of Louisiana are beautifully scenic but can be difficult to photograph by car or on foot. You need a boat to access most of the photogenic areas and an experienced guide to get you there. We use high-quality kayaks and small mud boats to get you into some of the most backwater areas of the swamp. We can run trips for either sunrise or sunset.
Our Louisiana swamp photography tours run for 2-4 hours in the field. Weather conditions are the main factor in determining trip availability.
Setting Up Tripods From The Boat
The Result Is A Moonlit Swampscape
Shooting out of boats and kayaks the majority of the time you will be shooting hand held. There are opportunities to setup a tripod in shallow water either from the boat or standing in the water with boots. If you have knee high water boots we recommend that you bring them, but they are not needed, as we can setup the tripods from a boat in certain locations.
The wind is one of the biggest determining factors on our ability to shoot in the swamp. In order to get to good sunrise and sunset locations for isolated cypress trees in the water, low wind is generally the conditions we are after. While there are locations to shoot during windy conditions, generally we will opt not to go out on high wind days so clients can get the most out of their trip. When booking we will try and coordinate with you the best weather days for shooting.
Guides
Our guides can help with camera settings and composition if needed, but it is not a focal point of the trip. Our main goal is to get you into the most scenic areas and accommodate you as you set up the shots you are after. If you have concepts for different images, it is best to reach out to us before your trip to discuss your ideas. Different times of the year allow for accessing different areas and can determine how different shots can be taken.
Wildlife like egrets, herons, turtles, snakes, owls, and alligators can be common sightings in the swamp. You will want to bring a variety of focal lengths from wide angle to telephoto to get the most out of your trip.
During the winter(Mid Dec- Early March), cypress trees lose their leaves. The swamp will have more of a grey appearance. The weather can be quite cool and fog is a possibility.
Spring(Mid March-Early June) is ones of the best times in the swamp. The weather is still mild, and wildlife is abundant. Wildflowers like iris and spider lilies can be a subject as well as abundant birds and alligators in the green cypress swamp.
The swamp is still green and lush but temperatures can be hot. Wildlife is less abundant as they seek shelter from the warm weather. Calm days and nice cloud activity is regular in the summer months.
Fall (Late October- Mid December) is another great time in the swamp. Wildlife prepares for winter and is active and abundant. The cypress trees can take on a rusty appearance and fog can be common in the mornings.
What We Provide on Your New Orleans Photo Tour
What is Not Provided on Your Louisiana Swamp Photography Tour
We cannot provide you with photo gear. you must bring your own. If you have any additional questions, feel free to email or call to discuss your trip. We also offer a week long fall cypress workshop to the virgin cypress forests of the Atchafalaya Basin. If you would like to join us on this in-depth New Orleans photo tour experience, you can learn more about it here. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you on a tour!
Wild Louisiana Tours is happy to offer a 7-day photo excursion into the old-growth cypress swamps of Louisiana. This cypress swamp photography tour explores scenic swamp and bayou ecosystems. Landscape swamp photography is the focus of this photo tour.
The Manchac Magic kayak swamp tour is one of the best eco swamp tours in New Orleans. Beginner friendly and open to all ages, this tour explores the swamps near New Orleans by kayak with local guide!
If you have been looking at going on a swamp tour, and the large crowded boats are not your thing, this is the trip for you! This is one of the most unique swamp tours in Louisiana. We use a mud boat called a “Go Devil” to get you into areas of the swamps even air boats cannot go.
