Kauai Photo Tours Frequently Asked Questions

Our Photo Tours usually begin at 10:30 in the morning and return between 3:45 and 4 in the afternoon. Private Tours can start a little earlier or later depending on when the one booking the tour prefers. Occasionally we will start a group tour at a slightly different time but will let others know this when making their reservation. Check-in is between 10:00-10:15. These times offer the absolute best lighting for photographing Hawaii's beautiful scenery and rich turquoise ocean colors! The higher up the sun is, the more intense those colors will be. And because of Kauai's topography and numerous overlooks and beach locations with tall coconut trees, mid-day shadows are rarely an issue.

Our Tour location and Gallery is located on the east side of Kauai at 4-939 Kuhio Highway, in Kapaa, 96746. We are about six miles north of Lihue airport, three blocks north of Safeway shopping center and right next to Taco Bell directly behind Kauai Pasta restaurant in a green building with a red door. You will see our Kauai Photo Tour signs. You can also call us at 808-823-1263.

2- Is this a Photo Workshop or Training Seminar?

While our guides are experienced, professional photographers that are willing share whatever they know on all tours we provide, we consciously decided not to make this into a formal training, camera-instructional, "worskshop". Throughout the entire tour we take you to beautiful Kauai locations, one right after another, and many places you would never see or even find on your own. We'll happily share with you certain angles and compositions to shoot from. Gladly discuss things like long exposures, ISO, apertures, shutter speeds, composition rules, polarizers, neutral density filters along with too many other things to list here for those interested. In fact many tours have been filled non-stop with, "camera-talk", in great detail the entire time. So while we do not spend any time in a formal classroom teaching seminar/workshop, many visitors do learn quite a bit while seeing and photographing Kauai's most spectacular locations on our Photo Tours. Here is a link to some of our guide's own photography which can be found throughout the Hawaiian Islands: Scott Tylor Photography

For those new to Kauai or who've been here just once (or perhaps a long time ago), our Tour #1 (EZ Drive and Stroll Tour) is very popular and highly recommended. Though we've had numerous people who've been to Kauai several times already take the EZ tour and tell us that they'd never seen most of the locations we had just taken them to. And you absolutely do get out to stroll around, explore and photograph on each stop that we make. Don't let the name fool you ... This is definitely not just a Van tour. You will get out to enjoy every single location! Only shorter walks than what the hiking tour provides, but because of this, you will get to more locations overall in the same amount of time.

Our Tour # 2 (Drive and Light-Hike Photo Tour) is very popular with repeat Kauai visitors because we go to even more secluded places that they likely have never seen before. And the Hiking-Adventure Experience is a great way to get out there and enjoy Kauai's scenery and tropical beauty. Most hikes are relatively short and not all that steep. Usually between 5-12 minutes each way. Though a few locations do have uneven terrain, can be a little muddy and the hikes back up can feel like a decent workout. :)

Our Tour # 3 (Private, Customized Tour) has been very popular with people who've been to Kauai numerous times and who wish to visit only new locations and new parts of the island (including the south-side) as well as those wanting to Tour alone. Nobody else goes but you and your group! You can also start at a different time and get an Experienced Photographer Guide all to yourself for the entire tour. You can also ask about our new Scenic-Portrait tour where a Portrait Photographer Guide takes professional photos of you and your family or group (throughout the entire tour) amongst numerous, beautiful Kauai settings.

We suggest you wear comfortable, loose fitting clothing, and shoes that are comfortable, sturdy and safe for walking or hiking around the island. Flip-flops are not really recommended. While we do provide snacks and drinks throughout the entire tour at no additional costs, we do suggest you bring a little cash for a quick no-host lunch-break at a local north shore Kauai location. Meals usually cost between just $5-$7. Most of these places do not take credit cards but do offer fast, inexpensive and excellent quality, local-style food and fruit smoothies. Which we've been told by many visitors only enhances the Tour Experience altogether!

We do sell a variety of Circular Polarizers in all kinds of sizes for most SLR camera lenses. Very highly recommended for Hawaiian Photography. We also sell memory cards, lens cap straps and affordable tripods. We do provide Digital SLR camera rentals (with wide-angle zoom lenses and a polarizer) for just $34 for the entire tour. We can also burn a CD or DVD for you for $10. If you've accidentally deleted your images on your memory card, we do have software than can often recover them.

All Tour customers also get to take 20 percent off all merchandise in our Gallery and retail store. We have Fine-Art Prints and Giclee, Calendars, Postcards, Photographic Bookmarks, Gallery and Panoramic Magnets, Keychain-Viewers and 18x24 Kauai Posters all available. Also check out our Extreme Discount bin of fine art prints for just a couple of dollars each.

We request a 48 hour cancellation notice for all Private Tours scheduled and for Group Tours of four or more people in the party. And a 24 hour cancellation notice for group tours of 1-3 people making up a party.

In conditions of severe weather or large rain-making systems we will cancel the tour and then offer to reschedule your tour (if possible), and you will not be charged anything. Cancellations have been a very rare occurrence however due to an abundance of beautiful weather year round. In cases where there are some scattered showers (which is a very normal part of the Hawaii weather patterns), we do go out and our guides are well trained to work around them and even with them. Some tours have been enhanced by having an assortment of conditions and different weather to work with. It's not that uncommon to have a quick band of clouds and showers hit us and then five minutes later see blue, sunny skies once again and maybe even a rainbow. We've come to embrace it all with a smile and hope that you will too. The weather in Hawaii is unlike anywhere else, and though not always predictable is almost always great for photography and can make for Spectacular Photo opportunities and Special Kauai Memories!

All of our tours are smaller and more intimate and personal by design. People really do appreciate this. The most we ever take out is just seven and rarely that many. And by choosing one of our private tours you can be sure nobody else goes but your own group or family if preferred.

Most of the places on our tours are off the beaten path and very difficult to find on your own. And some are simply impossible to find without help. You will see spectacular location after location with an experienced, local Kauai photographer as your guide showing you around.

One of the nicer things about these tours is that you don't spend the entire tour in just one small area of Kauai. But throughout the whole Photo Tour itself you will be seeing one beautiful Location right after another after another, all different and unique, the entire time covering large parts of the island itself. You not only see with your eyes the stunning beauty of Kauai, but by 'getting out there' to each new setting, walking around, hiking and Photographing each spot we go to, you will truly be able to ABSORB --with all of your physical senses-- the gorgeous island of Kauai like nothing else. And now that you will know where many of these places are located, you can then return to the ones that moved you the most to completely explore and spend the day on your own. So many have shared with us how much they have valued doing this as well.

One of the most satisfying things for me as the owner and designer of our Kauai Tours is to see and hear the responses after returning from so many people telling us what a great tour and experience they just had. You can just tell that they really meant it. Countless people have said how happy and satisfying the tour was and many have said they did not expect to enjoy it this much. Several have told us it was the best day they ever had in Hawaii. It can seem surreal to visit and experience so many spectacular locations in just one short span of time as we do. There is a true sense of satisfaction and happiness at the end of the tour, shared with us by so many others, that makes us feel good too. You return tired, but it's a really good kind of tired and a great feeling altogether. And then you have all of those beautiful photographs to remind you about your Kauai visit when you finally do get back home.

As a Professional Landscape Photographer myself, who's traveled and photographed some of the most spectacular places on earth, I know all about that incredibly satisfying, good-tired feeling after a full day of shooting and absorbing/experiencing the amazing natural beauty that surrounds us all too. There really is nothing like it. And we hope, after a day of being taken to, walking, hiking, experiencing and photographing Kauai's very best yourself, you will have that same good-tired feeling and satisfaction (along with some great photos and memories) as well!

For other questions not provided on this page please contact us by clicking HERE

Mahalo for your time and interest in our Photo Tours. Aloha from beautiful Kauai!