Camargue White Horses Photo Tour Details
• June 30 to July 3, 2024 (3 nights)
• $3,195, single supplement $395
• Group size: min 8, max 12
• Tour starts & ends at Marseille airport
Four action-packed, adrenalin-infused, sessions with the amazing Whites Horses of the Camargue in Southern France. Join us on our Camargue White Horses Photo Tour.
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It does not get any more exciting than this. A group of white horses, in a foot of water, charging at break-neck speed, with water spraying and the horse’s mains flying, coming right towards us with our cameras on rapid fire! Wow! Great big fun!
The timing for our Camargue White Horses Photo Tour is scheduled as an add-on or stand-alone to our popular Provence Lavender & Village Photo Tour. We will team up again with local photographer Patrice Aguilar who has had years of experience working with the horses and their guardians/cowboys. It is so thrilling (and safe) to rapid-fire shoot when the horses come charging toward us and then pet them between runs when they peacefully rest and munch on marsh grasses.
In between the photoshoots with the horses, we have plenty of time to also visit the bird sanctuary to photograph storks, herons, ducks, beavers, and flamingos and explore the interesting medieval town of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
Join us for this three-day Camargue White Horses Photo Tour for an experience of a lifetime!
- Four, action-packed sessions with the amazing White Horses of the Camargue. Two sunrises and two sunset sessions.
- Our local photo guide, Patrice Aquilar, is on hand as the liaison to the French guardians(cowboys) and their horses and offers expert photo assistance to those that need it.
- Chest waders are provided for each participant which allows us great comfort while wading in the shallow, brackish waters of the Camargue region.
- Downtime during the day to process images and explore the quaint village of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
- Afternoon session at the nearby bird sanctuary, Pont de Gau. This wonderful preserve, features storks, herons, ducks, beavers, and flamingos.
June 30, 2024
Our Camargue White Horses Photo Tour participants will meet at the Marseille Airport Best Western Hotel at 1:00 pm. There are a handful of other hotels nearby if you don’t want to stay at the Best Western the night before. We will make our way to Ste-Maries-de-la-mer. The drive will take about 1.5 hours and after checking into our hotel we meet with our expert Camargue horse photo guide, Patrice Aquilar. We will have some time to dial in our camera settings for action photography and to practice outside the hotel on moving vehicles.
July 1 & 2
We will have four action-packed sessions with the white horses running through the surf and marshes. Two early mornings and two sunset sessions. Our local photo guide, Patrice Aguilar, will be organizing the photo sessions with the horse guardians/cowboys, guiding us to the most advantageous and safe spots to shoot from and offering photographic support. Possible excursions during the afternoons to Aigues-Mortes and Pont de Gau.
July 3
Our Camargue White Horses Photo Tour ends after breakfast (sigh!) and you will be transported back to the Marseille airport, departing at 10 am.
Dates: June 30 to July 3, 2024 (3 nights)
Cost: $3,195 | single supplement $395/
Take 5% off of the total costs of any tours when you sign up for 2 or more
A $500 deposit will secure your spot.
Click here to make your deposit
What is included in this Camargue White Horses Photo Tour?
- 3 nights lodging
- 4 sessions with the white horses of the Camargue
- rubber waders for the Camargue photo sessions
- All breakfasts
- Daily van transportation to photo locations
- Round trip shuttle between Marseille airport and our hotels at the beginning and end of the tour.
- All entrance fees and tolls.
- Jim’s & Magrit’s expertise in guiding and photographic instruction
Camargue White Horses Photo Tour Level of physical difficulty: 2 out of 5
During the horse photo sessions, we will sometimes have to walk in our waders for 20 minutes to get to the location. The path can be muddy and uneven.
For Terms & Conditions and insurance recommendations, please click here »
A perfect extension to the Camargue Photo Tour is photographing the charming villages and miles of fragrant lavender fields in Provence.
Take 5% off of the total costs of any tours when you sign up for 2 or more.
Provence Photo Tour | Lavender & Villages
June 24 to 30, 2024 (6 nights)
Idyllic French villages and farmers markets, lavender and sunflowers in full bloom. Join us on our “France at its most charming” Provence Photo Tour.
Click here for details. »
Camargue White Horses Photo Tour Personal Items, Weather Conditions & Camera Equipment Special Notes. *
* Camargue Horses Photo Sessions.
The horses are moving very fast. Therefore we recommend bringing a camera body that shoots at least 5 frames per second (fps) if possible. Magrit and I both had 7 fps in 2017 which seemed sufficient. I used the 100-400 mm on my full-frame Canon and Magrit used the 70-200 mm on her crop-sensor Canon. We were both pleased with the results. I also had a second body with a 24-70 mm ready to use when the horses got closer. Most of my keepers were from the longer lens.
You will want to use the focus-tracking AF system in your camera. For Canons, this is AI Servo and for Nikon, it is Continuous-servo AF (AF-C). We suggest that you find the correct settings before the tour and practice photographing something moving toward you.
For photographing the running horses you will want to have at least a 1/500th shutter speed. To achieve this you may have to bump up your ISO. I used 640 ISO a lot and this is about the minimum you should use. Some photographers like to set the camera to shutter priority to lock in a fast shutter speed. Using Auto-ISO can help here as well. I shot primarily in manual mode and was pleased with my results. Patrice likes to shoot in Aperture Priority at f8 as he likes to make sure that he achieves enough depth of field.
You may also want to try some panning of the running horses where you use a slower shutter speed, 1/15, 1/30 or 1/60. The desired outcome here is relatively sharp horses and a blurry background.
Temperature range for this time of year: 70º to 100º F.
Average monthly rainfall for this time of year: 1″. We have experienced some torrential afternoon showers and thunderstorms.
Pack light, as we will not have room in the van for more than one piece of luggage plus a camera bag for each of us. Restrict your main piece of luggage to no more than 26 inches. Magrit & I both travel for 4-5 months with 25-26 inch Travel Pro Max Lite luggage. Most airlines are now charging for more than one piece of checked baggage. Keep in mind that laundry service is available in most locations.
Two pairs of shoes: One sturdy pair for in the field that you can get wet and muddy. One pair for evenings.
Small umbrella for rain and shade. I use an umbrella often to block the sun from hitting the front element of my lens. Black is best.
Sweater or light jacket for a possible chill on early morning shoots. A light layer underneath a rain jacket can be surprisingly warm.
Hat for sun and rain protection.
Sunscreen and insect repellent.
Bathing suit for the swimming pool at our hotel in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
For equipment recommendations, please click here »