Rainbow Photo Tours of
"Even though the roads are rough, and a little hair-raising at times, the drivers are obviously well experienced professionals, safe, courteous and capable. "
—TripAdvisor Reviews of Rainbow Photo Tours
Rainbow Photo Tours is an excellent example of what a tour provider should be. Tyla and I have traveled extensively throughout Asia and we have never been so well provided for as in Bhutan. The luxury of having your own car added a level of flexibility to the tour that could not be experienced any other way. We could race ahead to spend a long time at our destination or fall behind to catch that last elusive shot. Being a lot younger than the other participants didn't pose any problems and our extra requests for trekking and cycling activities were easily met. Despite not being a photographer Tyla was never at a loss for things to do. She really enjoyed learning about Bhutanese culture from our knowledgeable guides and was able to come away with her own unique experiences. Bhutan is the most wonderful place that we have ever been to and we certainly would enjoy repeating the experience with Rainbow Photo Tours. My only advice - stay away from the Ara!
Cameras:
Holga 120s
Nikon F4s
Nikon F90
Lenses:
Nikon 20mm 2.8
Nikon 24-120 3.5-5.6
Tokina 28-70 2.6-2.8
Nikon 50 1.8
Tokina 70 - 200 2.8
Nikon 70 - 180 4.5-5.6 Micro
Nikon 70 - 300 4 - 5.6
Film:
Provia 400f
Provia 100f
Kodak Tmax 100
Kodak Tmax 400 120
Kodak Portra 400 120
No matter what equipment you bring it matters more what you do with it. Bhutan is extremely photogenic and you will get good photos no matter what you bring. More so than any other destination in the region. The people are friendly, approchable and love having their picture taken. The only thing you have to worry about is not having enough film or room left on the CF card. Provia 400f was my film of choice in colour but you need to mind your flash sync speed if you plan on using fill flash. I'm not one to use this technique too much so it wasn't a hindrance and the extra speed suited the ever changing conditions well. The latest digital bodies sync at any speed so this wouldn't have been a problem for most of the other participants who used digital. I don't shoot digital by choice because I'm only interested in taking pictures and 0% interested in working on the computer. However, shooting digital did seem to have one obvious benefit. Those with digital cameras were able to show their subjects a picture of themselves immediately, something I wasn't able to do. Also, some participants brought along the latest in portable dye sublimation printers to make prints immediately for their subjects. This brought innumerable smiles to the people of Bhutan and were infinitely more valuable than gifts of money or pens. The obvious drawback of digital was that, at the end of the day, while I tossed the days film into a zip lock and relaxed those that shot digital stayed up late doing their digital housekeeping. I found that I used my 28-70 lens the most followed by the 70 - 200. 200mm was essential for the candid portraiture that I enjoy the most. Although I did use every lens in my bag, next time I will bring 20, 35, 85 and 180 primes and definately leave the macro lens at home.