SENJA PHOTOGRAPHY TOURS 2027

You will require a moderate level of fitness. Some locations require a short hike of up to 45 minutes. You must be able to walk on uneven ground, beaches and sometimes steep steps & slippery surfaces. We will also be walking in deep snow at times.

You will fly to Tromsø (TOS) airport via a transfer at Oslo Gardermoen (OSL) airport. We will transfer all guests to and from the airport for the workshop.

On location tuition

Compositional guidance

Understanding the exposure triangle

Advantages of shooting RAW

Understanding light & reacting to the conditions

Capturing panoramas and focal blending

Using Neutral Density, Graduated Filters and Polariser

Understanding depth of field for maximum sharpness

Choosing the correct shutter speed for various results

The importance of composition, leading lines and texture

Histograms explained

After you complete your booking we’ll email a full packing list. We’ll also set up a workshop WhatsApp group chat where all questions can be answered.

For this workshop we’re staying in 2 beautiful self catering lodges for 6 nights.

Our lodges are located in the beautiful town of Mefjord and each contains 5 bedrooms (3 bedrooms with twin beds that can be combined to double, 1 bedroom with single bed and 1 bedroom with bunk bed). Room allocation will be on first come first serve basis.

Both lodges have 2 large bathrooms, a spacious living room with cable TV and wireless internet and fully equipped kitchen. Because the house is located on a wooden pier, our group can enjoy the huge terrace with seating area and amazing views - perfect for capturing the northern lights.

Cancellations with less than 30 days notice will be refunded their fee minus their booking deposit. If we’re able to fill their place the participant will also be refunded their booking deposit.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first photography workshop with Richard in northern Norway. Senja and the surrounding area is a beautiful and relatively untouched place and it was such a privilege to be able to explore the landscapes and scenery with a knowledgeable and experienced guide.

I particularly wanted to join the tour to learn about photography from a professional and understand more about how I can get the best from my photos and experiences. Richard made this happen through his 1-1 and group guidance on how to create a photograph through composition and framing, while ensuring that we all still maintained our own unique perspectives. Every photography location was thoroughly researched and communicated to the group in advance, taking into consideration golden hour/blue hour times, tide times, wind and rain/snow forecasts, aurora forecasts etc. We also made the most of less favourable conditions through editing sessions at our idyllic lodge on a pier overlooking the snowy mountains.

I learned so many valuable lessons from the tour and also had an amazing time while learning. Richard is both a consummate professional and also great craic, an ideal combination for the tour.

Norway and the Northern Lights have long been on my bucket list and I decided 2025 was the year for it. I stumbled across Senja in my research and Senja quickly led me to Richard's photography workshop and before I knew it, I had signed up! Senja truly offered all the drama and wildness I'd hoped to see in Norway, with stunning vistas literally around every corner, stunning coastal scenery on our doorstep and was the perfect backdrop for witnessing the Northern lights. The weather varied on a daily basis from blue skies and sun, to cloud and snow, to stormy winds - and we learned how to adapt to all situations to get the best images. Highlights of the trip for me included the snowy monochromatic peaks and valleys of the Anderdalan National Park and, of course, the stunning display of Northern Lights we were fortunate enough to witness at Tungeneset.

But what really made this trip so amazing was Richard himself and the amazing people on it. Richard was our intrepid leader for the week, a consummate professional in his field. He came equipped with a wealth of knowledge, an unending enthusiasm for light and landscape and a willingness to share it all. Watching him leap from rock to rock at Tungeneset, as sure footed as a reindeer, as he searched for the perfect light, angle and composition became infectious and challenged me to look at the landscape from perspectives I wouldn't have thought of before.

At the numerous locations we visited, he always ensured plenty of individual attention was given. As a novice with a very basic understanding of photography, this was a fantastic experience for me to learn about various techniques such as bracketing, how to find the most interesting compositions in the surrounding scenery, how best to photograph the wild waves and so much more.

He looked after all the logistics of the trip, ensuring everything ran smoothly. Each day's plan was discussed the evening before and locations were based on the weather expected and where best to capture the sunrise, the sunset, the northern lights. Richard had clearly spent a vast amount of time researching Senja in order to be prepared for all situations. The accommodation was lovely with beautiful views of sea and mountains, and our very own private jetty to watch them from! A very cosy space to come back to after a day spent in the cold outdoors. The evenings were spent chatting over dinner or discussing photo editing or the plans for the next day. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to experience Senja with! 

Overall, this was an absolutely amazing trip. This was my first photography workshop but it definitely won't be my last. I can't wait to join Richard on another one in the near future!

I highly recommend the Senja photography tour because Richard, as a talented professional, passionate about photography, will challenge you to approach the landscape with a fresh perspective and will motivate you to get outside of your comfort zone.

Richard was great at planning and researching all the best shooting locations and came up with very creative ideas, trying to make the most of every moment on our tour, no matter the weather.

On another note, I also appreciated the fact that Richard is kind, generous and has a sense of humour - I consider all these ingredients necessary for a very pleasant atmosphere during a photo tour. Can't wait to join Richard again in Kyrgyzstan 2026!!

Having joined Richard in 2024 on his Kyrgyzstan expedition I decided to sign up to his Senja winter photo tour and it was an incredible experience. From rugged mountains to wild coastal scenes, he took us to many iconic locations including many hidden gems - we even had aurora at the iconic Devil's Jaw. We also faced 2 days of tough 50mph storms and relentless rain, where most would have just given up. But thankfully Richard's guidance stayed focused on capturing the stunning beauty around us. His patience and expertise taught me that even in harsh conditions, there were amazing shots to be had. Richard's ability to find photo opportunities in the most challenging weather was inspiring and taught me the art of persevering through the elements to capture something extraordinary - leading to two of my favourite images from trip. Senja in winter is simply beautiful. Highly recommended. I've already signed up to Richard's Faroe Islands tour in November !

"Life-Altering Experience"

If I had to sum up my recent journey to Kyrgyzstan in a few words, I'd go with "life-altering." Before this trip, Kyrgyzstan was just a name I'd never heard before, let alone locate on a map. Yet, I can't express how thrilled I am that I embarked on this adventure with Richard. Planning a trip to a place halfway around the world can be incredibly nerve-wracking, but Richard made it a breeze. All I had to do was get there.

Right from day one, Richard's deep knowledge of the country became evident, and it stayed with us throughout the entire ten-day journey. He had a knack for taking us to the most remote and breathtaking corners of Kyrgyzstan, something that would have been quite challenging to pull off on our own. No need to fret about travel logistics, finding camp spots, or even worrying about our next meal; Richard and the expert guides he had picked had it all covered.

As a professional photographer who usually shies away from photo tours, I can confidently say that I'd jump at the chance to book this tour again without a second thought. It truly was an unforgettable experience that left an indelible mark on my photography journey.

Kyrgyzstan – and Richard Watson’s Kyrgyzstan in particular – is a sight, an experience and an opportunity unlike any this avid traveller and hobbyist photographer has had the pleasure of before.

The country – one only recently opened up with any kind of convenience or real access – still has the remoteness and unfamiliarity that travellers and photographers both crave. “There must be reasons why tourists generally, and particularly those from the West, don’t travel to central Asia, this vast area of the globe”, I remember thinking – in fact it was a main driver of why I wanted to visit. But believe me, I found none. Quite the opposite.

In one day, you can see arid, desert-like canyons and rippled, rocky waves of untouched, folded geometric rock formations that would go on forever were it not for the vast snow-capped mountains that rise to meet the horizon. In the same day, you can be up among those same mountains, with the mood and feeling of the place changing minute by minute as the sun plays with unpredictable beauty on the saw-like edges of the surrounding mountains.

In such a small country and in such a relatively short space of time, experiencing desert, arid rock, alpine, temperate, high mountain and lake-side yurt camps which feel like a brief beach holiday sojourn, is simply remarkable. Some of it is hard work, some of it feels a million miles away from home, and all of it is remarkable.Were it not for Richard’s experience – both as a photographer, his familial connections via his long-term Kyrgyz partner to the country and his many trip there – doing all this in 10 days would be impossible.

Personally, I am not a tour-group kind of traveller. I either go on holidays with friends, with family or ‘travel’ on my own. This has changed my mind. With a group of seven – from six different countries – you expect people pulling in different directions and each with different ideas of what they want. While this inevitably happens, none of it is negative. Each has their own vision, experience and ideas of what they want to see and capture, and Richard was always there – how, I’m still not quite sure – to lend advice and to suggest his idea of the best way of doing things.

The country, tour and set-up is incredible. If you want to see somewhere different, fit in all of the above within 10 days and have the time of your life, I wouldn’t look past this tour. It will change the way you look at photography, central Asia and – quite possibly – the world, and leave you with an insatiable hunger for more. Do it.

I’d highly recommend Richard’s Kyrgyzstan tour. The country itself is epic. White peaks glitter off in the distance as soon as you arrive off the plane. Just emerging onto the Western radar there isn’t really the infrastructure here to facilitate independent travel to remote and spectacular areas. With his knowledge of Kyrgyzstan Richard’s put together a tour that visits some exceptional locations. The organisation of the tour, facilities and food provided when in civilisation and when camping was fantastic. Richard is also great at offering his experience and skills to help participants with composure, conditions, settings etc. I’ll treasure my memory of the sun rising over the mighty peak of Mount Karakol forever.