I’m not a great photographer or I have a cheap digital camera, is that ok?
Absolutely! The ‘Digital Age’ has made it easy and inexpensive to capture great photos on a small camera. Great shots depend less on the hardware than the passion of the photographer. An adventure tour is a great place to learn photography tips as many adventure travelers are also accomplished photographers. Any digital camera today is capable of taking photos of high enough quality for our Adventure Albums. Make sure you use the highest quality setting and don’t use date-stamp (the feature that puts the date on the bottom corner of every photo.)
Will only my photos appear in my book?
No. We receive the photos from your entire group and choose from the best. This is to your advantage, often multiple riders will take the same shot, from the same vantage point and end up with drastically different results. Most individual riders (even those with advanced photographic skills) can’t be everywhere at once and someone else may have got the shot you missed. In fact if it’s raining on a particular day along Cape Town’s stunning Chapmans Peak Drive, or you witness Alaska’s Mt. McKinley shrouded in clouds we’ll dig into our archive of adventure photos to find a stunning view. Your book therefore reflects the best possible memory of the journey.
How do I place an order?
Decide which Adventure Album is right for you and place your order when you reserve your tour with Ayres Adventures. It’s best to let our tour leaders know before the trip begins – especially if you’d like the Exclusive version. Your tour staff will be especially attentive to insuring that they capture a lot of good photos for the album. If you decide you would like an Album after the tour has started, don’t worry, you can still order one later. Just be sure to fill up plenty of memory cards during your Adventure.
If you use my photos will I get credit somewhere?
Of course! Every book credits the photographers who contributed. If you take a particularly amazing shot it may be used in a future Adventure Album and you will receive credit as a photographer in that book as well.
How many pages will my book have?
The average 17-day tour Album can range from 75 - 100 pages. Books for shorter tours are a minimum 30 pages long.
How many photos can I submit?
For a 17-day tour it is not uncommon to end up with a few hundred, to a few thousand photos. We request each rider submit less than 3000 photos each.
What photo/file formats do you accept?
Our accepted format is a simple .jpg.
Sorry we cannot accept RAW format files, photo prints, slides or other printed photos.
Should I sort, enhance or crop my photos before submitting them?
You may choose to cull blurred, poorly composed or other shots you deem unworthy. Don’t worry about adjusting your photos, we have equipment calibrated to display in accordance to our print specifications. Each photo is adjusted individually. How a photo looks on your monitor is very different from how it looks printed, so leave the fine-tuning to us. Cropping is also discouraged. Basically, just submit your photos let us do all the hard stuff!
How long does it take to make a book?
We strive to deliver your book within 30 days of receiving the photos.
What shipping method do you use?
We use Express Post, a low cost, insured, trackable courier. You will receive a tracking number when your order is shipped. The customer is responsible for all shipping costs.
What is the difference between the Classic and Exclusive Adventure Albums?
First see our examples.
The Classic Adventure Album focuses on your tour group experience. Each rider is represented equally throughout the book with emphasis on group shots.
The Exclusive Adventure Album is all about you. Specifically, your image and bio will appear in the inside flap of the front cover as well as on the back cover. Emphasis is placed on images of you and your experience. Photos from other group members will appear in your book.