Rainbow Photo Tours of
"Even though the roads are rough, and a little hair-raising at times, the drivers are obviously well experienced professionals, safe, courteous and capable. "
—TripAdvisor Reviews of Rainbow Photo Tours
My wife and I have been on photography tours to China, Peru, SE Asia, Scotland, and in the USA. Without question, Rainbow Photo Tours to Bhutan with Robin Smillie is both professional and uniquely personal. Robin was usually available to assist if you needed help and because he has been there many times before he would get you ready to catch a developing shot. Our drivers and guides were also able to suggest shots. Remember to just say “STOP – PHOTO” and your vehicle will be stopped in about 10 seconds. Don’t say “that looks like a good shot,” because the drivers and guides are conditioned to hear “STOP – PHOTO”. We have every confidence in recommending this trip to anyone interested in maximizing their experience in Bhutan. Feel free to contact us at purcellsphotos@ bellsouth.net or view some of our photos from Bhutan at www.hjpurcell.smugmug.com.... Harry Purcell
Canon 60D with a 17-85 mm, IS –USM macro. Back-up Canon body SXi.
Canon Rebel T1i with a 2.8 70-200 mm IS USM; I carry 2 cameras and I don’t change lenses, so I have no dust problems. If you swap lenses, know the details of how to swap and minimize dust, because you will get dust if you switch lenses.
Benro carbon fiber tripod, packable in 22 in. suitcase with head off.
Polarizer filters, graduated neutral density filter, star filter, Photoflex reflector disk, 4-16 gig # 10 speed SD cards.
Up-strap, and R-strap for cameras--these straps are must have! Rain camera covers. And an umbrella.
Laptop with 500gig HD with a backup portable 500 gig HD (be sure to have it empty). I usually shoot 350 raw shots per day but in Ugen Choling I shot 1200!
Camera manual. Never leave home without it.
Intl. extension cord with built in surge protector. Two – ( 2 prong Asian plug adapters). Mini roll duct tape because the plugs do not fit snug! If anything is new, you must test it before you leave home.
Complete familiarity with all your cameras and equipment. Understand your equipment; do not rely only on Robin. If you are in a dark corner of some temple, be prepared to get the shot all by yourself. I really loved having my tripod and shooting lots of shots at ISO 1600+. One minute you are shooting outside at ISO 125 and a few minutes later you are inside a temple shooting ISO 1600. I never shot a single flash photo. If you don’t have Photoshop Elements, Photoshop, or Lightroom, I would suggest you look into these programs. Picasa is a reasonable alternative.