NORMANDYS HISTORIC LANDSCAPE
WITH PHOTOGRAPHER HANS STRANDCOUNTRY: France PHOTO TYPE: Landscape TRIP LENGHT: 4 days DATES: Oct 14-17, 2023 SIZE: 7-14 guests
Normandy is perhaps best known as the site of D-day, the historic invasion and the beginning of the end of World War II. But Normandy also offers a stunningly beautiful and photogenic landscape. So take this opportunity and join us in Normandy this autumn!
Photographer Hans Strand
On this photo tour we combine landscape photography with exciting history, all under the guidance of Hans Strand, Hasselblad Ambassador, and a very famous landscape photographer, as well as a historical guide who will tell us the story of D-Day.
Normandy is perhaps best known as the site of D-day, the historic invasion and the beginning to the end of World War II. But Normandy also offers a stunningly beautiful and photogenic landscape. On this photo expedition, which is done in collaboration with photo magazine Amateur Photographer, we combine landscape photography with history, all under the guidance of Hans Strand, Hasselblad Ambassador, and a very famous landscape photographer as well as a historical guide who will tell us the story of D-Day.
Normandy’s landscapes have plenty to offer, beautiful beaches and historic sites. During the trip Hans will take you to a number of photo locations and give you tips on how to capture the image in the best way. Normandy is largely associated with D-day, the invasion of June 6, 1944. During the trip, you will get to hear the interesting and touching history of the different places we visit. You will be able to document the dramatic coastline with Gold and Sword Beach, the beaches where the British forces landed, Utah Beach and Omaha Beach, the two bloodiest beaches at the time of the invasion, the famous Pegasus Bridge and Pointe du Hoc with its bunkers and where you can still see craters from where bombs were dropped. We will also visit gripping war cemetery with their white crosses and the village of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, famous for the church tower where an American paratrooper was trapped. The programme also includes a visit to some interesting museums.
If you want to experience a different kinda of photography tour where landscape photography is mixed with photography of historical places, then this is the trip for you.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
- Normandy’s amazing landscapes.
- The hilly beaches near Longues-sur-Mer.
- Gold, Sword, Omaha and Utah landing beaches.
- Arromanches with the artificial “Mulberries” ports.
- The German Cannon battery at Longues-sur-Mer.
- The American War Cemetery at Omaha Beach.
- Two British war cemeteries, Bayeux and Ranvill.
- Pointe du Hoc, Pegasus Bridge and Sainte-Mère-Eglise.
- Overlord Museum and Airborne Memorial Museum.
- Participation from photographer Hans Strand.
- Lectures and image processing with Hans Strand.
- Participation from a historical guide.
- A reporter from Amateur Photographer will participate.
- A field report with pictures from the participants will be published in Amateur Photographer
COUNTRY: France
PHOTO TYPE: Landscape
TRIP LENGHT: 4 days
DATES: Oct 14-17, 2023
SIZE: 7-14 guests
Normandy is perhaps best known as the site of D-day, the historic invasion and the beginning of the end of World War II. But Normandy also offers a stunningly beautiful and photogenic landscape. So take this opportunity and join us in Normandy this autumn!
Photographer Hans Strand
On this photo tour we combine landscape photography with exciting history, all under the guidance of Hans Strand, Hasselblad Ambassador, and a very famous landscape photographer, as well as a historical guide who will tell us the story of D-Day.
Normandy is perhaps best known as the site of D-day, the historic invasion and the beginning to the end of World War II. But Normandy also offers a stunningly beautiful and photogenic landscape. On this photo expedition, which is done in collaboration with photo magazine Amateur Photographer, we combine landscape photography with history, all under the guidance of Hans Strand, Hasselblad Ambassador, and a very famous landscape photographer as well as a historical guide who will tell us the story of D-Day.
Normandy’s landscapes have plenty to offer, beautiful beaches and historic sites. During the trip Hans will take you to a number of photo locations and give you tips on how to capture the image in the best way. Normandy is largely associated with D-day, the invasion of June 6, 1944. During the trip, you will get to hear the interesting and touching history of the different places we visit. You will be able to document the dramatic coastline with Gold and Sword Beach, the beaches where the British forces landed, Utah Beach and Omaha Beach, the two bloodiest beaches at the time of the invasion, the famous Pegasus Bridge and Pointe du Hoc with its bunkers and where you can still see craters from where bombs were dropped. We will also visit gripping war cemetery with their white crosses and the village of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, famous for the church tower where an American paratrooper was trapped. The programme also includes a visit to some interesting museums.
If you want to experience a different kinda of photography tour where landscape photography is mixed with photography of historical places, then this is the trip for you.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
- Normandy’s amazing landscapes.
- The hilly beaches near Longues-sur-Mer.
- Gold, Sword, Omaha and Utah landing beaches.
- Arromanches with the artificial “Mulberries” ports.
- The German Cannon battery at Longues-sur-Mer.
- The American War Cemetery at Omaha Beach.
- Two British war cemeteries, Bayeux and Ranvill.
- Pointe du Hoc, Pegasus Bridge and Sainte-Mère-Eglise.
- Overlord Museum and Airborne Memorial Museum.
- Participation from photographer Hans Strand.
- Lectures and image processing with Hans Strand.
- Participation from a historical guide.
- A reporter from Amateur Photographer will participate.
- A field report with pictures from the participants will be published in Amateur Photograph.
DESTINATION INFO
DESTINATION INFO
NORMANDY
Normandy is located in the northern part of France along the English Channel and has about 3.2 million inhabitants and an area of about 30,000 km2. For many traveling to Normandy, day D and the history about it is the big draw, but Normandy also offers magnificent nature, picturesque villages with cobblestone streets and Gothic churches, monuments and buildings. Normandy is also known for its excellent food with lots of fish and seafood, its calvados and its famous Camembert cheeses
Normandy is the site of the allied invasion of mainland Europe, early in the morning of June 6, 1944. The landing took place on five beaches where the largest fleet in world history with a total of 6,939 ships transported the invasion force. In addition to this, more than 400 aircraft and 867 gliders transported three airborne divisions to secure the flanks. Nearly 1,200 planes provided air support and bombed the German defences. The exception was Omaha Beach where the Germans’ defence facilities were largely intact when disembarking, resulting in huge losses for the allies.
TOUR ITINERARY
TOUR ITINERARY
October 14-17, 2023
Under Hans’ guidance, we will devote a lot of time to shooting in the field during this trip. This will give us plenty of time for individual photo tips and advice. During the trip, Hans will also show us pictures and give inspiring lectures to give you ideas on how to better your photography skills. There will also be image discussions, image editing and we will go through and evaluate each other’s images, all in order for you to develop as a landscape photographer.
When we arrive at the various historical sites, you will hear the story of the place told by a local guide who will participate during the trip.
PLEASE NOTE! Since we are on the Atlantic coast, the weather can change very quickly, from rain and storm to sunshine in the same day. The order of the places we visit will therefore be decided out based on the weather and wind and what the photographic opportunities will be on a given day.
DAY 1, (14/10) – PARIS TO BAYEUX
In the morning we will gather at Charles de Gaulle Airport outside Paris where we are met by Hans Strand and a host from Zoom Photo Tours. In the coming days they will show you around the beautiful Normandy coast and visit historical sites and photograph the beautiful nature. From the airport we have about 220 km to the village of Bénouville where a local history guide will meet us.
Located in Bénouville on the banks of the river Orne is the bridge that has gone down in history as Pegasus Bridge. This was the code name of the bridge that was first to be secured by allied gliders in the early morning of D-Day. Adjacent to the bridge is the ”Café Gondrée”, which was the first French house liberated on D-Day. This is where we begin our historic photo tour by hearing the story of the Pegasus Bridge in connection with lunch at Café Gondrée.
After lunch, we will take pictures of the bridge followed by the British War Cemetery in Ranvill with 2,235 graves, after which we proceed to Sword Beach one of the two British landing beaches on D-Day. The main objective of the landing at Sword Beach was to quickly reach and capture the key city of Caen as well as the nearby airfield in Carpiquet. A total of 30,000 British soldiers landed, 700 of whom were killed or wounded. Juno Beach is located between Sword Beach and Gold Beach and was called ”the Canadian beach” as Canadian soldiers had the task to take it. In the first hour of landing, the Canadian Forces suffered losses of about 50%.
We continue thereafter to the city of Bayeux where we check in at Hotel Campanile Bayeux which will be our base during the trip. We end the day with dinner at a nice restaurant in Bayeux. (B, D)
DAY 2-3 (15-16/10) – PHOTO TOURS ALONG THE COAST
During these days we will drive along the coast and photograph many of the historical sites related to D-day as well as the beautiful coastal scenery. We will eat lunch along the way (not included and paid for on site). We will have dinners in Bayeux. The last night of the trip will be a nice farewell dinner. (B, D)
Places that we will visit and photograph during the days include;
Golden Beach was the code name for the middle landing site and is located between Omaha Beach and Juno Beach. The British troops faced hard resistance on this beach despite the fact that their losses were relatively few. In less than a day, 24,970 British soldiers had landed on Gold Beach.
Along Gold Beach is the city Arromanches, which is associated with the huge artificial harbours, so-called ”Mulberries”, which were a prerequisite for the success of the invasion. Out on the sea line you can still see a number of wave-breaking pontoons that have survived 75 years of winter storms, even though the port was only built to be used for a few months.
The German Cannon battery at Longues-sur-Mer. This very well-preserved German Cannon battery with its large 155 mm cannons still stands as an eerie memory of Hitler’s “Atlantic Wall”.
The American War Cemetery at Omaha Beach. The cemetery, with its 9,388 white crosses in perfect rows, honours the American soldiers who died during the invasion. Located with a lovely view of Omaha Beach, the cemetery is a beautiful and peaceful place.
Omaha Beach is one of the two beaches where American troops landed. Here they were subjected to the greatest and most demanding trials of the landing. The landing at Omaha Beach resulted in the death of about 5,000 American soldiers. In the first hours of the attack, nearly 3,000 men were lost. Despite this, the survivors managed to reorganize and press on inland. It’s the landing at Omaha Beach that’s portrayed in a very realistic way in the film Saving Private Ryan with Tom Hanks. At Omaha Beach we will, among other things, photograph the landing monument “Les Braves” in the sunset.
Overlord Museum. This is the museum that better than any in the world depicts the landing. Here you will find displays of tanks, amphibious vehicles, weapons and personal belongings of the soldiers who fought in Normandy.
Pointe du Hoc. The American 2nd ranger battalion was tasked with climbing the 30-meter-high cliff using ladders and climbing ropes to destroy the fortifications and its cannons. All this under enemy fire. The battalion’s losses amounted to almost 50%. Even today, the large bunker facilities look exactly as they did after the invasion and you can still see plenty of grenade holes and blown bunkers everywhere.
Utah Beach. This beach is about 5 km long and located at the westernmost of the five landing sites during D-Day. Here, 23,250 soldiers landed along with 1,700 vehicles. Only 200 men were killed during the landing operation at Utah in contrast to the bloody fighting at nearby Omaha Beach.
Sainte-Mère-Eglise. Paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st parachute divisions landed here early in the morning of June 6, 1944, to take the village. Sainte-Mère-Eglise thus became the first village to be liberated. They encountered fierce resistance though. Among other things, the paratrooper John Steele landed in the church tower in the middle of the village and remained hanging in the tower for several hours and could only watch as the fierce battles went on under and around him. Miraculously, he survived by playing dead. To this day, he is commemorated in the form of a handing doll as a memory of one of the most talked about episodes of the invasion. In Sainte-Mère-Eglise we will also visit the Airborne Memorial Museum which tells us about the landing of the airborne troops.
DAY 4 (17/10) – BAYEUX TO PARIS
The next morning we will be photographing Bayeux War Cemetery where more than 4,000 soldiers from the British Commonwealth are buried. After checking out we will also visit La Ferme De La Sapiniere which produces calvados and various cider varieties. Here we will taste the vineyard’s various products with a chance of buying some of them. We will then depart for Paris for a flight home in the evening. (B)
TOUR ITINERARY
October 14 – 17, 2023
Under Hans’ guidance, we will devote a lot of time to shooting in the field during this trip. This will give us plenty of time for individual photo tips and advice. During the trip, Hans will also show us pictures and give inspiring lectures to give you ideas on how to better your photography skills. There will also be image discussions, image editing and we will go through and evaluate each other’s images, all in order for you to develop as a landscape photographer.
When we arrive at the various historical sites, you will hear the story of the place told by a local guide who will participate during the trip.
PLEASE NOTE! Since we are on the Atlantic coast, the weather can change very quickly, from rain and storm to sunshine in the same day. The order of the places we visit will therefore be decided out based on the weather and wind and what the photographic opportunities will be on a given day.
DAY 1, (14/10) – PARIS TO BAYEUX
In the morning we will gather at Charles de Gaulle Airport outside Paris where we are met by Hans Strand and a host from Zoom Photo Tours. In the coming days they will show you around the beautiful Normandy coast and visit historical sites and photograph the beautiful nature. From the airport we have about 220 km to the village of Bénouville where a local history guide will meet us.
Located in Bénouville on the banks of the river Orne is the bridge that has gone down in history as Pegasus Bridge. This was the code name of the bridge that was first to be secured by allied gliders in the early morning of D-Day. Adjacent to the bridge is the ”Café Gondrée”, which was the first French house liberated on D-Day. This is where we begin our historic photo tour by hearing the story of the Pegasus Bridge in connection with lunch at Café Gondrée.
After lunch, we will take pictures of the bridge followed by the British War Cemetery in Ranvill with 2,235 graves, after which we proceed to Sword Beach one of the two British landing beaches on D-Day. The main objective of the landing at Sword Beach was to quickly reach and capture the key city of Caen as well as the nearby airfield in Carpiquet. A total of 30,000 British soldiers landed, 700 of whom were killed or wounded. Juno Beach is located between Sword Beach and Gold Beach and was called ”the Canadian beach” as Canadian soldiers had the task to take it. In the first hour of landing, the Canadian Forces suffered losses of about 50%.
We continue thereafter to the city of Bayeux where we check in at Hotel Campanile Bayeux which will be our base during the trip. We end the day with dinner at a nice restaurant in Bayeux. (B, D)
DAY 2-3 (15-16/10) – PHOTO TOURS ALONG THE COAST
During these days we will drive along the coast and photograph many of the historical sites related to D-day as well as the beautiful coastal scenery. We will eat lunch along the way (not included and paid for on site). We will have dinners in Bayeux. The last night of the trip will be a nice farewell dinner. (B, D)
Places that we will visit and photograph during the days include;
Golden Beach was the code name for the middle landing site and is located between Omaha Beach and Juno Beach. The British troops faced hard resistance on this beach despite the fact that their losses were relatively few. In less than a day, 24,970 British soldiers had landed on Gold Beach.
Along Gold Beach is the city Arromanches, which is associated with the huge artificial harbours, so-called ”Mulberries”, which were a prerequisite for the success of the invasion. Out on the sea line you can still see a number of wave-breaking pontoons that have survived 75 years of winter storms, even though the port was only built to be used for a few months.
The German Cannon battery at Longues-sur-Mer. This very well-preserved German Cannon battery with its large 155 mm cannons still stands as an eerie memory of Hitler’s “Atlantic Wall”.
The American War Cemetery at Omaha Beach. The cemetery, with its 9,388 white crosses in perfect rows, honours the American soldiers who died during the invasion. Located with a lovely view of Omaha Beach, the cemetery is a beautiful and peaceful place.
Omaha Beach is one of the two beaches where American troops landed. Here they were subjected to the greatest and most demanding trials of the landing. The landing at Omaha Beach resulted in the death of about 5,000 American soldiers. In the first hours of the attack, nearly 3,000 men were lost. Despite this, the survivors managed to reorganize and press on inland. It’s the landing at Omaha Beach that’s portrayed in a very realistic way in the film Saving Private Ryan with Tom Hanks. At Omaha Beach we will, among other things, photograph the landing monument “Les Braves” in the sunset.
Overlord Museum. This is the museum that better than any in the world depicts the landing. Here you will find displays of tanks, amphibious vehicles, weapons and personal belongings of the soldiers who fought in Normandy.
Pointe du Hoc. The American 2nd ranger battalion was tasked with climbing the 30-meter-high cliff using ladders and climbing ropes to destroy the fortifications and its cannons. All this under enemy fire. The battalion’s losses amounted to almost 50%. Even today, the large bunker facilities look exactly as they did after the invasion and you can still see plenty of grenade holes and blown bunkers everywhere.
Utah Beach. This beach is about 5 km long and located at the westernmost of the five landing sites during D-Day. Here, 23,250 soldiers landed along with 1,700 vehicles. Only 200 men were killed during the landing operation at Utah in contrast to the bloody fighting at nearby Omaha Beach.
Sainte-Mère-Eglise. Paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st parachute divisions landed here early in the morning of June 6, 1944, to take the village. Sainte-Mère-Eglise thus became the first village to be liberated. They encountered fierce resistance though. Among other things, the paratrooper John Steele landed in the church tower in the middle of the village and remained hanging in the tower for several hours and could only watch as the fierce battles went on under and around him. Miraculously, he survived by playing dead. To this day, he is commemorated in the form of a handing doll as a memory of one of the most talked about episodes of the invasion. In Sainte-Mère-Eglise we will also visit the Airborne Memorial Museum which tells us about the landing of the airborne troops.
DAY 4 (17/10) – BAYEUX TO PARIS
The next morning we will be photographing Bayeux War Cemetery where more than 4,000 soldiers from the British Commonwealth are buried. After checking out we will also visit La Ferme De La Sapiniere which produces calvados and various cider varieties. Here we will taste the vineyard’s various products with a chance of buying some of them. We will then depart for Paris for a flight home in the evening. (B)
PHOTOGRAPHER
PHOTOGRAPHER
HANS STRAND • Landscape Photographer
Hans Strand is Sweden’s most internationally famous and successful landscape photographer. Over the years he has won many prizes and earned many awards, such as Hasselblad Master Award and BBC Photographer of the Year Award. His characteristic photographs, showing razor sharp, peacefully well-composed landscape sceneries and more narrow concentrated cutouts, reveals his personal and elaborate ways of describing both the beauty and complexity of nature. He explains what photographing means to him with these words: ”I’m never as much alive as when I’m photographing.” Among other things Hans has published two books about Iceland: ”Iceland Above & Below” 2014 and the magnificent volume ”Island” 2018.
PORTFOLIO: hansstrand.se
ACCOMMODATION
ACCOMMODATION
PRICES, FACTS & BOOKING
PRICES, FACTS & BOOKING
PRICE
Price per person: £ 1 850 or USD 2 250
Included:
- Transportation according to the programme.
- Accommodation with a share in double rooms in the presented hotels.
- Meals according to programme (indicated by B= breakfast, L=Lunch, D=dinner).
- All photo activities according to programme.
- Historical guidance during the trip.
- Fee of admission to various museums.
- Participation from photographer Hans Strand.
- Lectures and image discussions
- Image processing and image criticism.
- Travel documents and practical travel information before the trip.
- Hotels and other local taxes.
Excluded:
- Flights to Paris.
- Single room supplement: £ 230 or USD 275
- Lunches during the trip. These are paid on site by everyone separately.
- Costs of a personal nature, such as drink with your meal, etc.
- Cancellation protection / travel insurance. For more information, see our web under “other”.
FLIGHTS
Transport to Paris on your own. You should not arrive in Paris later than 10.30 on 14/10 and not book your return trip earlier than 18.00 on 17/10.
If you want help with booking your flights, we are more than happy to assist you with this. You are welcome to call us by phone +46 470 466 40, or let us know when you book with us.
INFORMATION
Target group: landscape and nature photographers as well as photographers with an interest in culture. To get the most out of your trip, we recommend some photography skills.
Min/max number of participants: 7/14
Languages: Swedish and English
Other: for more information about Zoom photo tours, delivery conditions, etc. see our website under Other.
GROUP SIZE
In order for you to get personal photo guidance and the best experience with our photographer, our groups are always small. On this tour, the minimum and maximum number of guests are 8 / 14.
LANGUAGE
English, Swedish
PHOTO GEAR
- A DSLR camera.
- Telephoto zoom lenses up to a 200 mm.
- Wide angle lenses, at least 24 mm.
- Sturdy tripod.
- A laptop computer with any of the Photoshop or Lightroom software.
TOUR LEADER
Apart from an award winning photographer, our tours are always accompanied by a tour leader from Zoom with good photo knowledge. Our tour leader will handle all logistics and general matters and make sure you’re having the best possible experience in Iceland.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
For more information about Terms & Conditionsclick here.
BOOKING
Use the online booking form below and you will receive a booking confirmation right away or you can give us a call on +46-470 466 40 or send an email to info@zoomphototours.com
Photo: Hans Strand and Hans Elmqvist
PRICE
Price per person: £ 1 850 or USD 2 250
Included:
- Transportation according to the programme.
- Accommodation with a share in double rooms in the presented hotels.
- Meals according to programme (indicated by B= breakfast, L=Lunch, D=dinner).
- All photo activities according to programme.
- Historical guidance during the trip.
- Fee of admission to various museums.
- Participation from photographer Hans Strand.
- Lectures and image discussions
- Image processing and image criticism.
- Travel documents and practical travel information before the trip.
- Hotels and other local taxes.
Excluded:
- Flights to Paris.
- Single room supplement: £ 230 or USD 275
- Lunches during the trip. These are paid on site by everyone separately.
- Costs of a personal nature, such as drink with your meal, etc.
- Cancellation protection / travel insurance. For more information, see our web under “other”.
FLIGHTS
Transport to Paris on your own. You should not arrive in Paris later than 10.30 on 14/10 and not book your return trip earlier than 18.00 on 17/10.
If you want help with booking your flights, we are more than happy to assist you with this. You are welcome to call us by phone +46 470 466 40, or let us know when you book with us.
INFORMATION
Target group: landscape and nature photographers as well as photographers with an interest in culture. To get the most out of your trip, we recommend some photography skills.
Min/max number of participants: 7/14
Languages: Swedish and English
Other: for more information about Zoom photo tours, delivery conditions, etc. see our website under Other.
GROUP SIZE
In order for you to get personal photo guidance and the best experience with our photographer, our groups are always small. On this tour, the minimum and maximum number of guests are 8 / 14.
LANGUAGE
English, Swedish
PHOTO GEAR
- A DSLR camera.
- Telephoto zoom lenses up to a 200 mm.
- Wide angle lenses, at least 24 mm.
- Sturdy tripod.
- A laptop computer with any of the Photoshop or Lightroom software.
TOUR LEADER
Apart from an award winning photographer, our tours are always accompanied by a tour leader from Zoom with good photo knowledge. Our tour leader will handle all logistics and general matters and make sure you’re having the best possible experience in Iceland.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
For more information about Terms & Conditions click here.
BOOKING
Use the online booking form below and you will receive a booking confirmation right away or you can give us a call on +46-470 466 40 or send an email to info@zoomphototours.com
Photo: Hans Strand and Hans Elmqvist
OUR NEWSLETTER
Be the first to hear about new tours, offers and travel inspiration from Zoom Phototours.
Newsletter
CONTACT
E-mail: info@zoomphototours.com
Phone: +46(0) 470 – 466 40
Follow our photo adventures on social media.
Foto: Hans Strand
OUR NEWSLETTER
Be the first to hear about new tours, offers and travel inspiration from Zoom Phototours.
Newsletter
CONTACT
E-mail: info@zoomphototours.com
Telephone: +46 (0)470 – 466 40
Follow our photo adventures on social media.
Photo: Serkan Gunes