Tours
PORTUGAL with Arthur Meyerson, April 2025
I am so thrilled to announce that I’ll be returning to Portugal in late April of 2025. My friend and colleague, Keron Psillas, will accompany me again and share with all of us the Portugal that is true to tradition while embracing the best of the 21st century.
Portugal has such a wide variety of landscape, culture, city life, and coastal serenity… all in one tiny country. We’re going to leave much of the South alone (European tourist land) and focus on the heart of the country from the majesty of Lisbon, the coastal allure of Cascais, the magic of Sintra, and antiquity of Tomar, 12th-century Obidos, spirit-filled Fatima, and then up to the bustling and fascinating Porto. Yes, there is much more to see, but we would like to give you a deep experience rather than a whistle-stop tour.
Our accommodations will include a stunning boutique hotel in Alcochete (just across the river from Lisbon), convenient to the heart of the city as well as giving us a small local village to stroll in and absorb the flavors of Old Portugal. We will enjoy a luxury hotel in Cascais at Guincho Beach that is home to a Michelin-starred restaurant, a family-run hotel in a great location in Batahla, (halfway to Porto and in the center of the three most important UNESCO sites), and finally, a luxury hotel in Porto right on the Douro. It is the most perfect spot to experience the bustle, commerce and sites of Porto and then relax at the end of the day to drink in the essence of the north.
We’ll travel in a Mercedes small coach, suitable for up to 16 people. But as we are a smaller group we’ll be spread out in comfort! Our longest travel time will be our trip north from Alcobaca/Batahla area to Porto at just about 2 hours.
Portugal has a richly deserved reputation for fine wines and great food. We’ll sample the best of traditional Portuguese cooking but we’ll pay serious attention to the new Portuguese cuisine as well. We will sample the best (and freshest) fish, the delicious Secretos do Porco, amazing shellfish and of course, the regional pastries and ‘pudims’, beginning with the Pastel de Nata. We will be welcomed into our favorite places like family and leave each meal exclaiming “that was the best……”. And we won’t forget about a private, luxurious Port Tasting at Graham’s Cellars in Porto, or the Michelin-starred experience in Guincho.
Oh. Photography. Almost forgot! We’ll have street shooting in Lisbon and Porto, landscape photography, equine photography, architecture, cultural events, and whatever else you would like! Depending on the group’s wishes, we could attend a Portuguese bullfight. They do not kill the bull in Portugal, and the ballet, the choreography between the horse/rider/bull is something you should see once. Keron’s cousin, Ana Batista, is the finest female bullfighter in the world…and she is stunningly photogenic. We’ll visit Ana and her husband Orlando in their home to photograph their training, and then if the group decides, we’ll attend a bullfight.
Great food, marvelous accommodation, gentle travel, and one of a kind experiences with true locals. What’s left? OH…a traditional Fado night just near our base in Alcochete. Keron will welcome us into her home for an intimate evening of music and dining. That’s how Fado music is traditionally experienced by the Portuguese, not in a club in Lisbon. So that is what we’ll do too.
This is a truly bespoke tour of Portugal at the highest standard designed to have you feel the beating heart of the country as I have for many years and certainly as Keron does.
Keron and her assistant, Maria, make certain all our arrangements are seamless. You will be cared for every step of the way. We can’t wait to welcome you to all our favorite places.
Click here for full details.
JAPAN IN WINTER, February 2025, Full… Dates for 2026 coming soon.
I had dreamed of this trip for several years. The February 2023 trip was all I ever imagined! Now, a tremendous opportunity for a few lucky people! 12 (including travel days to and from Hokkaido) days of snow/trees/rolling hills and glimpsed mountainsides…charming lodging, spacious private vehicle for transport (no trains), and a renowned Japanese professional as our guide. This is a bespoke trip, fine-tuned after my experience in February to maximize our camera time. The participants are fewer…which means better shooting! Do NOT miss this once in a life-time opportunity to see this serene landscape in all its silent majesty.
We’ll concentrate on areas that will yield the greatest landscape possibilities. Lone poetic trees, curves in rivers and lakes with silver ribbons of water, the swans and dancing cranes…all of this and so much more will captivate our imagination and spark a flurry of creativity with our lenses! Yes, it will be very cold but we will take every opportunity to ensure your warmth. The beauty of such a small group means flexibility and comfort.
You might consider renting a very long lens (300-400mm with tripod foot) from borrowlenses.com to make the most of your opportunities with the red crowned cranes. You will be assisted throughout the trip with your luggage but as with all international trips I do encourage you to pack, then take 1/2 of it out, and then repack. (That’s my trick). We will have laundry service available at each stop. Just think layers of smart wool or silk long underwear. I’m going to investigate rental for heavy down parkas. And I’ll be supplying snowshoes, glove and foot warmers for everyone each day. More information and suggestions to come in official trip information.
Lodging in 3* or better accommodation throughout. Charming guest houses (Ryokans) with gracious welcomes await! All breakfasts, lunches, and dinners included. We may get a take-along lunch to maximize our time in the field. As days are short in winter we’ll want to be out as much as possible! And of course there will be review sessions during the trip. You need not pack a laptop, you are welcome to plug your external drive into mine to review your work.
Group size, 7 guests
Begin at Sapporo CTS, end at Kushiro for international air arrival/departure
Single, $9,100
Double, $8,200
Deposit required (fully refundable up to 120 days prior to trip) $2000
Trip Insurance is a requirement
My photography trip with Keron Psillas and Charlie Waite to Scotland was a dream come true! They carefully tended to every detail making sure everyone had individual photographic help so we could expand our personal goals. Their styles were caring, organized and very cordial making it such a pleasure to be with them and they set a great tone for the group. The trip was carefully planned with interesting stops to unique places and they were always focused on making sure everyone in the group was engaged. It was such a joy to spend time with these two amazing photographers exploring a fascinating part of our world.
Portugal GROUP sessions 2025
DATES BELOW, 7 nights, transport from and to airport, all meals (with wine) included, local guides and all other transport, entries for UNESCO sites, museums, Fado, Bullfights are included. This trip is truly ALL INCLUSIVE and an incredible value. There is no difference between single and double. There are three bathrooms and three guest bedrooms in the house. We will all share in some form. There is one bedroom that is a single (twin), One bedroom with a king bed, and one bedroom with two twins. There is also a full double ‘day bed’ in the living area that your hostess might use if my own room is needed. In other words, plenty of space!
Sleeping accommodations will be worked out in advance.
$4300 per person
Deposit required (fully refundable up to 120 days prior to trip) $1200
Begin and end at Lisbon airport
Trip Insurance is a requirement
April 13-19 open, or dates are flexible if coming in March
Flexible dates in late June – prior to France trip for horses, lavender, art and villages
I’ve arranged these dates to make it an easy transition for you to come to Europe, relax, learn, recover from jet-lag, and sharpen your technical skills before going on to another destination (with me perhaps!!). It saves time, money, and wear and tear on you to bundle these trips.
The Portugal trip highlights include, in addition to the SMALL GROUP SIZE:
- Exploring Lisbon with local photography guides
- Private Fado performance and catered dinner at home with four fantastic musicians
- Reveling in the majesty of UNESCO sites
- Photographing the glorious Lusitano in new and exciting locations
- Enjoying the coast at sunset for landscape and atmosphere
- Delicious food, catered in my home or meals out in my favorite restaurants
- Daily opportunities for image review and sharing
- Special guest photographers to help you strengthen your composition, lighting, editing and ‘seeing’ skills.
The Portugal trips will fill very quickly. There has been tremendous interest since I first announced my move to the new home. If you have a small group of photo buddies interested in coming at any other time of the year, please contact me to create your specialized opportunity. The weeks throughout the year are already filling fast and of course I will maintain a robust mentoring schedule throughout. Therefore, weeks are limited.
Holland for Flowers, Art, and more Art!
April 12-18, 2026 already half-full! Contact me soon as this trip always fills quickly and there are only 2 spots available.
Once again (if it is marvelous, why change?) we’ll gather at the charming boutique hotel (Vila Beukenhof) that serves as our base to explore all the flower fields and the spectacular Keukenhof garden. Located at the edge of Leiden, birthplace of Rembrandt, we’ll have easy access to the north (Amsterdam) and to the south (The Hague and Kinderdijk…new this year) for a broad experience of Holland. Art museums large and small, iconic windmills, the World Press Photo Debut, and strolling along canals for great night shooting will round out our experience. And if your interests include history, the Dutch Resistance Museum is fascinating and I’ll work hard to procure tickets to the Anne Frank House. But the centerpiece remains the flowers! We’ll have a minimum of three trips to the gardens. Personal instruction for Macro, ICM, and other Creative techniques as needed, along with review and critique sessions will enhance your skill and vision.
All breakfasts, welcome dinner and final night dinner, entrances to two museums and gardens for three visits, and transportation included. Lunch and other dinners not included. To call it simply ‘breakfast’ at Vila Beukenhof is like calling Versailles a house. Trust me. It’s a feast of food and refinement!
Cost: $5850, single $4975, double (per person)
Deposit required (fully refundable up to 120 days prior to trip) $1200
Trip Insurance is a requirement
Trip begins and ends at Amsterdam Schipol Airport
The Lake District Photography Tour for 2026
April 24 – May 2 With special guest: CHARLIE WAITE
It is difficult for us to imagine now, but two hundred years ago the Lake District was thought ugly and quite literally terrible! The English Lake District was one of the birthplaces of our modern Western love of rugged and ‘wild’ landscape. Wordsworth, the great Romantic poet, and a “Lakeman” through and through, lived in Grasmere in the heart of this beautiful region and through his glorious verse did much to change the public perception of the landscape.
This compact National Park is often thought of, by both British and overseas visitors, as the most beautiful region in the British Isles. Surprisingly this iconic landscape is a mere 35 miles across. Lake Windermere, the largest of the sixteen lakes, is just ten and a half miles long.
Our tour has been timed to coincide with what experience suggests is the most likely period for the best that Spring can offer. And there is nowhere in the Lake District to surpass Borrowdale, that narrow defile that drains into Derwent Water, the queen of England’s lakes. Borrowdale’s woodland is mixed and extensive, and while every spring is different, the colour of the landscape is always a feature at this time of year. The colours are often spectacular and provide seemingly never-ending photographic opportunities.
A special advantage of Borrowdale is the sheer variety of possibilities on our doorstep. Whether we walk from the hotel, or drive, it is a matter of minutes to reach a range of wonderful viewpoints. Lakeside views, clifftop prospects, woodland vistas, intimate details… even landscapes recovering from past mining and quarrying activities… there is almost a lifetime of photographic opportunity here in this one valley alone.
We will also use our comfortable minibus to travel further afield, visiting some of the well-known, iconic locations as well as some little known “secret” spots that we have discovered over the years.
This tour is led by Charlie Waite who is really looking forward to getting back to The Lakes again. Charlie has a wealth of experience photographing Lakeland landscapes and is an expert at finding those magical compositions which often elude others. Charlie will be joined by photographer Keron Psillas.
This tour is designed to appeal to all photographers, whatever your ability level.
The tour will be based in the beautifully situated Borrowdale Hotel on the shores of Derwent Water. There will be some walking across rough terrain, so a degree of physical fitness is required.
Charlie will be joined by internationally award-winning photographer and author, Keron Psillas.
South of France
June 30 – July 8, 2025 JUST FOUR SPOTS LEFT!
Trip extended to 9 nights, 10 days (same price!)
Magical white horses of the Camargue? The lavender fantasy of Provence? ART, VILLAGES, FOOD? YES. This trip has it all, often all rolled into one amazing day!
I’ve been photographing the marvelous horses in the Camargue for many years and I never ever tire of it. With a tremendous local guide making all our arrangements, we are assured of great locations and unique opportunities. Patrice is always looking for something new and exciting for us…and he never fails to deliver. We’ll begin in Saintes Maries de la Mer in a charming boutique hotel (with a pool as the afternoons can be HOT). Early morning and late evening shoots with the horses (4 in total…more than any other tour I know…) will have us jump right into the action.
Then off to the plateau where the lavender blooms. It’s about a 3.5 hour drive so we’ll break it up with a stop in a typical provencal village for lunch. We’ll finish the day with our first lavender shoot. We’ll search for tiny stone buildings, sunflowers, and perfect rolling hills to give depth to our images. After two nights and 4 shoots in the lavender, we’ll return to the heart of Provence and stay three nights near St. Remy de Provence.
We’ll explore Avignon, Arles, and a number of other small villages. One highlight here is the Carriere des Lumieres, under the spectacular village of Les Baux en Provence. This immersive experience is so good that we are likely to go TWICE! Cultural festivals, shooting, shopping, and wonderful dining will cap our French idyll. Minimum 4 guests, limit 7 guests. All breakfasts and three dinners included
Price Single $7540, Price Double $6540
Deposit required (fully refundable up to 120 days prior to trip) $1200
Trip Insurance is a requirement
Trip begins and ends in Marseille (airport)
Morocco
It’s happening! April 1 – 11, 2025…..Contact me if you are interested. Several SPOTS LEFT! Maximum participants: 6
I can’t wait to go back to Morocco! I was utterly charmed by the people and entranced by the landscapes. And then there’s the thousand year old (or more) Medinas of Fez and Marrakech. Color, pattern, detail, light, texture, geometry…all making a dizzying feast for the photographer. While my first trip there (though my co-leader, Charlie Waite, had been often), was a resounding success, I’ve identified two key elements to make the next trip nothing short of astounding.
We’ll begin by meeting in Tangier and then departing for the Blue Pearl, Chefchaouen. It’s about an hour’s drive up into the hills. We’ll arrive in time for evening photography and a welcome dinner. We’ll spend another day exploring the Medina and a few sites outside of the city. Each person or couple will have a guide to allow you to explore at your own pace and for your own duration. We won’t be rushed and we won’t have the stress of losing anyone either. These are key components of the trip: NO STRESS, plenty of shooting time! Then it’s off to Fez for two nights, exploring the culture and history of the world’s oldest and largest Medina. Again, each person or couple will be with your own guide. We’ll meet up for dinner to share our stories.
The next day finds us flying to Errachidia, with private transfer to Merzouga. We are skipping the 8 hour drive over the Atlas Mountains and down to the desert… this will have us arriving in our luxury tents with time to spare for our first evening shoot in the dunes. We’ll spend three nights in the desert, shooting at dawn and at dusk each day, with camels one evening and horses another, and we’ll also explore the surrounding area to meet Berber tribespeople and learn a bit about the history and fascinating geology of the area. Our time in the desert will also allow us concentrated review time during the afternoons. This is another integral element of a successful trip.
Then we’re off to Marrakech for three nights (via transfer two hour transfer to Errachidia and then flight to Marrakech) to immerse ourselves again in the cacophony and flurry of activity in the Medina and the various souks. Once again we will fly from Merzouga to Marrakech in order to minimize the long travel days. Our afternoon and evening in Marrakech will be spent at the sublime Majorelle Garden. The next two days we’ll each have our guides and the opportunity to visit the Medina. We’ll also go to Le Jardin Secret and Bahia Palace, as a group, for the antidote to all the activity in the souks. We’ll fit in the Maison de Photographie for fascinating photographs from 1880 until the 1950’s (their cafe is a great high point to look out over the Medina too). Finally, shopping and great food will give us a FULL experience in Marrakech.
All breakfasts, FIVE dinners included
Lodging in authentic Riads chosen for charm, mystery, amenities, and location.
Price Single $7240
Price Double $6170
Deposit required (fully refundable up to 120 days prior to trip) $1200
Trip Insurance is a requirement
Trip begins in Tangier and ends in Marrakech. (Connecting flights to/from Lisbon and Paris are the easiest to book. Please don’t hesitate to ask for assistance)