Fred Kurtz

This is my 25th NE tour and second Canadian Rockies tour, the first being 2010. This was an amazing group of old friends and new friends and we all clicked right off the bat. The thing about NE tours is that it is a nice balance of shooting and socializing. We have so much fun and Dan and Tanya are the best in the business. Looking forward to my 26th, 27th, 28th……. and many thanks to Dan for letting me borrow his car so I could shoot trains around Jasper (one of my favorite subjects to photograph).

First post Covid trip. I have not seen my photo family in over two years. What a trip to reunite. Dan and Tanya knocked it out of the park. Another trip of a lifetime. Polar Bears are magnificent creatures and I am so thrilled to photograph them for my 24th Natural Exposures trip.

August 2017 my cousin Jo Borton asked to go on a photo trip with me. She wanted to see mountains. Two years later her dream became a reality with this tour. It was her first time out of the country. This tour was incredible and my cousin had a smile on her face the entire time. The group was one of the best ever and having Tanya with us was the icing on the cake. And Luka, Andrej, and Miro are the best. Of course my very good friend Dan – you are special.

This was my first time visiting the Asian side of the world. It was a very diverse trip with Temples, Komodo Dragons and Orangutans. From very luxury resorts to wave rocking boats this trip had it all. All the people we met from resort staff to village residents were friendly. We got to spend a lot of time in the muslim culture and that is a very positive eye opening experience. For the first time ever, we were asked to be photographed many times. Talk about reversing roles! Another plus is the fantastic food plus the best chocolate desert ever (unanumously agreed to by all of us) on the boat part of the trip. And of course I will never ever forget my very first and second massage at the SPA at Plataran Borodour given by Tari – wow. Dan and Tanya created another masterpiece of a journey and I highly recommend it.

Madagascar is the most third world country I have visited. Poverty is everywhere however I have never seen such happy children. They love to have their photos taken and when you show it to them they squeal with delight. The variety of Lemurs is vast and the photo opportunities are endless. Catching Lemurs in flight is a challenge for any photographer. The cutest image is of a one week old Lemur buried in its mother’s fur with the head barely visiable (see last image). Another Dan and Tanya trip of a lifetime.

New Zealand was my 20th NE trip. It was also my good buddy Joel Kleiner’s 20th NE trip. We are the first explorers to reach this milestone. To our great surprise, Dan and Tanya celebrated our milestone at the welcome dinner and presented us with hand made cards (thanks Jill), a Canada Goose jacket and a 20 trip patch. We had no idea this was coming and were stunned. And what a great trip for our 20th trip. Landscape photographers would love this trip and so would wine lovers. Many thanks to Dan and Tanya for 20 wonderful trips.

This is my first experience snorkeling and using an underwater camera. Quite a challenge but I was very happy with the results. Shooting the fire dancer hand held in the dark and with movement while keeping the face somewhat in focus was another challenge but I think met. The accommodations – a bungalow over the water was the best ever. What a very nice relaxing NE vacation / photo trip. Well done Tanya!

Lavender fields, Camargue Horses, Flamingos, beautiful landscapes, wonderful hotels and food – what is there not to love about the France trip. This trip was beyond expectations. Dan and Tanya hit it out of the park once again.

The Namibia / Botswana / Zambia tour is the most diverse tour I have ever taken. From sand dunes / deserts / very small desert creatures / Ghost town / Himba people / safaris / wildlife / waterfalls this tour offers it all. Tanya did an incredible job with logistics and Dan provided expert teaching to all levels of explorers. I highly recommend this tour.

I first met Dan and Tanya on my very first photography trip to Iceland / Norway. How appropriate we meet again in Iceland for our 10 year anniversary. This was a trip with lots of rain but that did not stop us from shooting or having a great time. The landscape opportunities were amazing and unique and we had northern lights that Dan said were equal to or better than any he has seen.

The first 2-12 days were solid rain but we shot for hours a day anyway. It was the harshest conditions I have ever shot in but guess what? It was a lot of fun doing it! Then the sun came out for the last three days and it was spectacular. We got to shoot Puffins twice and that was the most difficult shoot ever as there are thousands of them and they fly so fast and unpredictable so when you get a good shot you are very satisfied. This was a very different trip for me and was so much fun. Another fantastic NE trip!

While all N.E. Invitational Photo Tours are great, this one was epic. I loved every second of it and all the guests were wonderful. We had so much fun interacting together and the photo opportunities were endless. If you like photographing wildlife, this is the trip for it. Birds in flight are the most difficult thing to photograph and this place was a mecca for birds. And we had endless Jaguar encounters too. This is a highly recommended trip.

This was my second trip to Ireland with NE. Ireland is a beautiful country with very nice people and yummy food. This time we got to stay two nights in Ashford Castle – our very own dreamland. This was the first trip with the new Panasonic Lumix 100-400 lens and it did not disappoint. This was my lucky 13th trip with Dan and Tanya and it was spectacular as ever.

This was my first repeat tour having done Yellowstone in 2008 (my very first N.E. tour). Yellowstone in Winter is very magical and the photographic opportunities are endless. This tour satisfies both the landscape and animal enthusiasts. My personal favorite in Yellowstone is shooting the steaming river beds with morning sunlight. Dan and Tanya are the perfect hosts and I love them to pieces.

This trip was totally relaxing. 21 outstanding game drives, fantastic food and over the top accommodations in three different safari camps. All I can say is fun fun fun. D&T put together another stellar adventure. This was my 11th NE trip and I never ever get tired of them. If you want a top notch photo adventure you cannot get any better than Natural Exposures.

Patagonia was my 10th Natural Exposures trip. I really don’t rank my trips as they are all good but if I did, this one would be right at the top. Patagonia was every bit as wonderful as New Zealand. This is a landscape photographers paradise. Our group was one of the best ever and we had loads of fun. It goes without saying that Dan and Tanya are the best in the business and I am very much looking forward to my next 10 adventures with them.

Romania, what can I say. I was pleasantly surprised on this trip. The photographic opportunities on this trip were very diverse. From cities to very poor towns. My favorite part of the trip was being invited into people’s homes and farms. The Romanian people have suffered so much under two world wars and communism but they are among the friendliest people I have met. Natural Exposures is the first photo tour company to go to Romania (that I am aware of) and Dan and Tanya did another top notch outstanding job. Thank you.

The beauty of Italy is incredible. The food of Italy is incredible. Natural Exposures tour of Italy is incredible. That about sums it up – incredible. All these images were taken with the brand new Panasonic GH4 and the 2-35 and 35-70 professional lenses – incredible camera.

Many of my photographer buddies have already visited Cuba and everyone of them had nothing but great things to say about it. Cuba was not on my radar but I thought I might as well go. I went in with no real expectations of what I would think. The first night in Miami, Vicki (our Cuba tour operator) said this will be a unique trip that will change us forever. Well Vicki, you were correct. I loved every second of this trip. I felt like I was back in the 50’s and the Cuban people are incredibly nice and fun to photograph. This was Dan and Tanya’s first trip too and what another first rate adventure this was. When I got back, I had Jill put me on the 2015 interested list. I have never gone back to a country twice yet as there is so much to see in the world but this one I would go back to in a heartbeat. A final note, this embargo needs to end. It us just hurting a wonderful people.

After going to Kenya and the Galapagos with Dan and Tanya earlier this year I thought Ireland would be more like a vacation (which I was looking forward to). I was wrong. Ireland is a wonderful country and the photographic opportunities were endless. Every Dan and Tanya trip stands on its own. They are impossible to rank as they all have been great.

This trip was like being on another planet with every island being totally different. It also created a new passion for me – bird photography – which is very hard. Another epic trip.

Wow what a spectacular tour. Epic in everyway. This should be on everyone’s bucket list.

This was my first third world country and it was wonderful. Loved the OSA. Dan taught us off camera macro flash and the results were spectacular.

Canadian Rockies in the fall was incredible. The fall colors could not be any better for this trip. Tanya cooked breakfast lake side at the foot of mountains. It does not get any better than that.

This was my very first trip with Natural Exposures and what a great trip it was. Yellowstone in Winter is breathtaking. The weather was perfect and the snowfalls were up to the tops of street signs. I have now traveled with Dan and Tanya many times and cannot rate them high enough. They do the best job of any photo tour operators.