Jim Nilsen

Jim has won numerous awards for his compelling travel images. His goal for the tours is to provide you with the photo skills and opportunities to create your own masterpieces.

Jim is a Seattle native. He began pursuing his interest in professional photography during his years fishing commercially in Alaska while also obtaining a degree in Photography from Spokane Falls Community College in Spokane, WA. Jim’s photos of Alaska and the commercial fishing industry were widely published on magazine and book covers, posters, calendars, trade advertisements, and a billboard.

For the past 20 years, Jim has specialized in fine art photography of foreign locations.

Aside from making great photos and leading photography tours to his favorite locations, Jim also loves the intricacies of the post-production process and all its endless possibilities. Jim is also a passionate skier and hiker (he and Magrit completed a 9-day high-alpine hut-to-hut hike in the rugged Italian Dolomites) and loves riding his bike as often as possible.

Artist Statement

My photographs are primarily about color and composition. Color is the first ingredient that stops me when I am working. The subject matter, composition, and quality of light are also important and will determine if the scene is photo-worthy. I walk a lot while I am on a photo trip, often over 10 miles a day, until I find a photographic gem.

Intuition is very important. If a scene does not instill a strong emotional impact, I move on.

I prefer small towns and villages. Ordinary objects and events composed in the viewfinder can turn into something extraordinary and beautiful.

I am now photographing with a digital camera, a Sony a7r 3.

Awards and Honors

• 2015 “First in Photography”, Edmonds juried art show, Edmonds, WA.
• 2013 “Second in Photography”, Edmonds juried art show, Edmonds, WA.
• 2012 “Blue Ribbon”, Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts, Lk. Oswego, OR.
• 2008 “First in Photography”, Edmonds juried art show, Edmonds, WA.
• 2007 “First in Photography”, Edmonds juried art show, Edmonds, WA
• 2000 “Best of Photography”, Bayou City Arts Festival, Houston, TX.
• 1997 “Best of Photography”, Main Street Fort Worth Arts Festival, Fort Worth, TX.
• 1996 “Award of Merit”, Utah Arts Festival, Salt Lake City, UT.
• 1995 “Best Two-Dimensional Art Award” Art & the Vineyard, Eugene, OR.
• 1993 “Award of Excellence” Pacific NW Arts & Crafts Show, Bellevue, WA

Magrit Baurecht Nilsen

Magrit offers her acute and impeccable sense of design and composition, drawing on her training in architecture and graphic design.

She has worked as an architect in her native Austria and as an art director at the Seattle Weekly. For the past 20 years, Magrit has been the principal of Core Creative Team, a boutique design firm offering graphic design for the web and for print.

Magrit feels passionate about photography as an opportunity to be creative on the go and to pay attention to even the smallest details at any given location. For her, photography done with intentionality is a wonderful way to be fully present and lost in the moment. She loves sharing this passion as well as swapping stories over tasty meals of local cuisine with photography tour participants.

Magrit is a long-term yoga babe and loves film, gardening, hiking, and anything Italian, including riding her Italian bike.

Photography Travel Tours is a member of Slow Travel Tours,

an affiliation of small-group tour operators offering personalized trips to Europe. All of us have a very similar travel philosophy of spending more time in fewer places to develop an appreciation and understanding of the countries that we visit. If one of our trips is not right for you, please look at those of others in this group.