The trip of a life time, expert guide service and advanced photography education all rolled into a week long experience that people travel from all over the world to see. Truly one of America’s best kept secrets.

I will show you how to keep your expensive gear safe and dry. have no fears.

Don’t worry about the gators or snakes in this region. I have never had problems with either and I spend a lot of time in the swamps.

“The beauty of this place is breathtakingly beautiful as anyone who has been their can attest to”

Doug H.

“Waking up at 4 a.m. to kayak into the swamps of Louisiana in order to greet its unknown inhabitants probably isn’t on your bucket list, but it should be!  It certainly wasn’t on my bucket list either--I just went on a whim and can’t say enough about how glad I am.  Being alone in the early hours on the still waters of the Atchafalaya Basin as the mist rises was possibly one of my most enchanting photography encounters, almost surreal in its effect. The historic cypress, many over 1000 years in age, appear to be carved by artists of nature, draped in moss that comes alive in the early sunlight. Under the expert direction and tutelage of Doug Hansgate, award- winning photographer, we captured images of birds and plant life I’d only ever seen before in photographic magazines.  Doug went above and beyond my expectations in making this photographic journey one to put at the top of my book.  Doug's gentle guidance and patience, helping each person at his or her own level of ability, was a major part of what made this experience appropriate for the novice to expert.  Every person in our tour came away with a feeling of having learned new skills while undergoing an adventure that was nothing short of magical!”

Katie Stankey

"I attended Doug Hansgate’s autumn in the bayou workshop in early November of 2019. I honestly didn’t know what to expect from him or the workshop since I’d never heard his name mentioned among my landscape photographer friends or the people I followed on social media. Having attended the workshop I can say that this is one of the best photo workshops I’ve ever attended. Many photographers offering photo tours use the term “workshop.” But this was truly a workshop. In between shooting sunrise/sunset, Doug led us on a 2-3 hour editing session every day. I’ve been using Lightroom and Photoshop for 4-5 years now, but I learned many tips and tricks from him during these sessions, and I really appreciated his artistic and creative perspective on the images he edited.

As a guide Doug really knew his locations, and he took us to the best locations according to the weather conditions we received. Many photo guides will take you to a location and simply turn you loose to do your own shooting. Doug allows you the freedom to do so, but he was constantly pointing out possible compositions and nuances with the light that made you see scenes in a way that you would probably never see on your own. To me this is the real value of a photo guide. Not just pointing out good locations but helping you to see it and photograph it properly.

As a bonus the food in Louisiana was amazing. I felt like I got a twofer - a photo workshop and a food tour of the south! Fairfax House was very comfortable and had a lot of character. It reminded me of one of those antebellum houses in the south during the Civil War, and the lady who runs the place was very attentive and accommodating to our needs.

I’ve photographed many well known locations around the world, including Iceland, Lofoten Islands, Greenland, New Zealand, China, Patagonia, the Canadian Rockies and Namibia. I have to say that photographing mossy cypress trees in the swamp during the golden hours and especially in the fog rivals any of the above locations, and should be on every serious landscape photographer’s bucket list. If you’re thinking about joining this workshop in the near future, I would not hesitate. Doug is a great landscape photographer and just an all around nice guy!"

Hilton Chen, Seattle, Washington