Why I keep coming back: The heart of teaching photography around the world

Something brings me back.

Back to the same cliffs in Newfoundland
Back to the same desert winds in Namibia.
Back to the same faces in Mongolia.

It’s not a habit.
It’s not comfort.
It’s an attempt to be a single source of knowledge on the locations I love to visit.

It’s the belief that to truly teach something well, you need to know it with your whole being—not just the light and land, but the rhythm, the behavior, the people, and the silence between moments.

Teaching through experience, not guesswork

In this business, anyone can plan a route, hire a guide, and lead a group through a foreign place. But that’s not what I do here at Akari Photo Tours.

I return to the same places year after year because the first visit only scratches the surface. You can’t truly teach what you don’t deeply understand. And I want my clients to benefit from the knowledge that only comes with time.

By the third, fifth, or tenth time I lead a workshop somewhere, I’m not just reacting but anticipating. I know how the light falls on a specific ridge in Namibia after a late afternoon windstorm. I know which eagle hunter in western Mongolia is most comfortable being photographed up close and which needs a little time to warm up. And I know the names the local guides call the specific wild elephants, leopards, and lions.

That’s the difference. That’s what you’re getting when you travel with me.

Learning to see—not just to shoot

What I teach isn’t just f-stops and focus points.

It’s how to see like a photographer—slow down, watch longer, and act at the right moment. It’s the art of recognizing that millisecond before a bear lifts its nose to the wind, or when the light shifts from ordinary to electric.

We talk gear. We talk technique. We laugh. But mostly, we talk about what it means to be patient. To read a landscape. To connect with your subject before you press the shutter.

Because photography isn’t about taking—it’s about receiving.

The way I teach: Patient, present, and personal

I’m not the kind of instructor who’s off chasing my own shots. That’s never been my style. I’m there for you—from the first sunrise to the last edit back at camp.

My job isn’t to impress you. It’s to support you.

I’ll help you find the frame, spot the subject, refine the settings—and I’ll do it with patience and respect for where you are in your journey. Whether it’s your first photo tour or your fiftieth, you’ll feel seen, supported, and challenged.

And if your tripod legs are crooked, I’ll notice and fix them before you even have to ask.

Attention to detail is the standard

Sure, I have made mistakes, but I learned from them. Every detail has been considered from the moment you land—because you shouldn’t have to think about logistics. You should be thinking about light, composition, and what choices you will make at dinner.

I handpick lodges and camps not because they look good on paper, but because I’ve stayed there. I know the chef. I know the best room for photographing the sunrise without leaving your balcony.

I work with local guides who don’t just know the roads—they know the wildlife by name, the customs of the community, and the unseen rhythms of their homelands. That’s the kind of access you can’t fake.

Why familiarity breeds better photos

Some people say you should chase variety. And you should… But I prefer to chase depth, and that’s why you’ll enjoy traveling with me.

When you know a place well, you don’t just visit—you listen. You wait. You notice the subtle things: where the ibex cross at dawn, or how the sand in the Gobi changes tone after rain. And when you bring that awareness into your photography, your work changes.

It stops being just beautiful.
It starts being meaningful.

That’s what I offer—not just new locations, but familiar ones, revisited with fresh eyes and a teacher who’s already made the mistakes so you don’t have to.

New ground, same commitment

While I return to many of the same locations year after year, it doesn’t mean I’ve stopped exploring. I’m always looking for new opportunities—places that stir something in me, where I see photographic potential and cultural depth worth sharing.

But I don’t add a new tour lightly.

Before a single client joins me, I’ve already been there—on my own time and my dime. I research the region, meet with locals, test the logistics, and photograph the location myself. I’ll scout sunrise angles, check road conditions, sample meals, and ask every question you might someday have.

When I invite you to a new destination, I want you to feel the same confidence as you would during one of my tried-and-true workshops, which have been thought through so that you’re in good hands, that the magic you’re chasing is real, and waiting for you.

Every new trip we take together is grounded in the same foundation: care, curiosity, and a relentless commitment to getting it right.

Final thoughts

I don’t lead tours. I build relationships with people, places, and light. I try to bring that depth of connection to every client I work with.

So if you’re looking for more than just a bucket list trip…
If you want to truly learn how to see, wait, and create…

Then come with me on one of my photography workshops.

Let’s return to the wild, again and again—until it becomes familiar, and your photography becomes unforgettable.