Autumn at Caddo Lake Cypress Swamp Photo Tour (November 5-8, 2025)

Registration is now open

PRICE: 

Early Registration: $1175 NANPA/ASMP Members, $1375 non-members by July 1, 2025

After July 1, 2025: $1275 NANPA/ASMP Members, $ 1475 non-members 

If you are not currently a member, you may want to consider joining NANPA to take advantage of member pricing on all NANPA photo tours (1 year membership $100)

Price includes the charter of a pontoon boat exclusively for our group on Caddo Lake.

Maximum number of attendees: 8 per leader / boat

Last date to register: July 15, 2025

DATES:

• Wednesday November 5, 2025 at 6 pm to Saturday November 8, 2025 at noon
• July 8 7-8 pm (Eastern Time) Pre-Event Webinar for Participants (optional)
• November 18  7-9 pm (Eastern Time) Post event Image Sharing and Feedback Webinar for participants (optional)

Registration and Meet & Greet
November 5^th, 2025 at 6:00 pm
(Sunset is at 5:30 pm so you have time to catch it nearby).
Short orientation meeting/slide show, eat before or after, on your own.

EVENT OVERVIEW: 

Join Cathy Illg for an exciting Autumn trip to photograph Caddo Lake in Texas, one of the most scenic and beautiful lakes in the South. Caddo Lake is the home of the largest Bald Cypress Forest in the World. It consists of approximately 26,000 acres of swamps, bayous and river ways that create a one-of-a-kind experience. Caddo Lake contains 71 species of fish and over 200 species of birds. Abundant wildlife combined with Spanish moss draped scenery, creates an atmosphere that you will never forget. The event is timed to take advantage of Fall colors and morning mists.

© Cathy Illg

YOUR TOUR LEADER:

Cathy Illg

Cathy, along with her husband Gordon, has been working as a full-time professional nature photographer since 2000. Their work appears in nearly every major nature and travel publication, including numerous covers of magazines like Backpacker, Defenders, National Geographic Young Explorer, National Geographic Kids, National Wildlife and Ranger Rick. In the extreme print category, several of their images decorate the tails of Frontier Airlines’ jets. She has also placed in BBC’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year as well as other well-known contests. Cathy has served as a NANPA Board Member.

WHAT TO EXPECT: 

The first two days will have one morning and two evenings exploring Caddo Lake State Park and National Wildlife Refuge aboard a chartered pontoon boat.  Other times will be filled with traveling the roads and trails of the Caddo Lake State Park.  The last morning will have the group repeating one the locations they like the most, this time without a boat.

NEAREST AIRPORT:

• Shreveport Regional Airport, Louisiana (SHV), about a one-hour drive to Caddo Lake
• Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) about at three-hour drive to Caddo Lake
• Baton Rouge (BTR) and New Orleans (MSY) Airports would also work

EVENT TRANSPORTATION:

Transportation to and from the hotel and during the event is not included and is the attendees’ responsibility. A rental car is necessary for this event and can be rented from the airport. A regular vehicle is sufficient, a 4×4 or high clearance vehicle is not necessary.

Ride Sharing: We will depart daily from the hotel. Ride sharing is recommended. You are welcome to either drive or ride with someone. This is a great way to meet and have fun with fellow photographers during the event. If you are a passenger in another participant’s car it is customary to offer the driver some gas money and chip in towards the daily vehicle admission fee as a courtesy.

Note that NANPA, and Cathy Illg, do not have insurance for carpooling arrangements and assume no liability for them. Carpooling, ride sharing or anything similar is strictly a private arrangement among participants. Participants assume the risks associated with this travel.

LODGING:

We will be based in Karnack, Texas during this photo tour.

Lodging is not included in the event fee, but NANPA is holding a block of rooms for event participants at a 10% discount off rack rates ($99 – $150/night). Event accommodations are located at the marina where participants will be picked up by the pontoon boat operator. The room rate does not include breakfast. All rooms have at least a fridge and microwave, some units have a kitchen / kitchenette. There is a cafe across the street that is open Thursday-Sundays (Breakfast and Lunch).

Hotel details and reservation procedure will be shared with registered participants.

The last day to register in the NANPA room block is July 15, 2025

MEALS:

Saturday lunch, included in your registration, will be at 11:00 am on November 8.

©Cathy Illg

PHOTOGRAPHY LOCATIONS:

Your leader is familiar with the areas that you’ll be visiting, and locations will be based on what’s most photogenic at the time, wildlife activity, weather conditions, etc.

Some of the locations that we will most likely photograph include:

• Caddo Lake State Park
• Historic Jefferson, TX

The time of year should offer wonderful fall color and beautiful misty mornings.

The town of Jefferson has quite a few historic properties and available tours for photography also.

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE:

Please note schedules are fluid due to weather conditions, recent wildlife sightings and other variables.

Wedneday November 5

• “Meet and Greet” at 6:00 pm
• There will be a brief slide show and discussion of the trip.
• Dinner on your own (plan to eat before or after the meet and greet)

Thursday November 6

• Morning- Driving the roads and trails of the State Park
• Mid-day lunch and photography on your own in historic Jefferson, TX
• Afternoon – Boat Tour on Caddo Lake State Park and Wildlife Refuge (included in fee)

Friday November 7

• Morning- Boat Tour on Caddo Lake State Park and Wildlife Refuge (included in fee)
• Afternoon – Boat Tour on Caddo Lake State Park and Wildlife Refuge (included in fee)

Saturday November 8

• Morning-Repeat a location the group liked that wasn’t on the boat tour
• Final Lunch (included in fee)

HEALTH AND FITNESS

Please note a moderate fitness level is required.  Walks at parks and preserves may be up to 2 miles.

WEATHER

The Caddo Lake Bayou is near sea level with temperatures in early November being in the 60’s during the day and 30’s in the evening.   For reference, November average temperatures are listed below:

• Average High 67 F
• Average Low 38 F
• Average Precipitation          1.88in

CLOTHING

It is preferable to dress in layers starting in the early morning and shed through the day as needed for rising temperatures.  Be prepared for rain/snow this time of year so a waterproof shell and waterproof boots/shoes are highly recommended as well as a hat, insect repellent and sunscreen.  Since it will be cool morning weather, bring shooting gloves.

CAMERA GEAR:

Camera – DSLR or mirrorless, full frame or cropped sensor.  Also, bring the camera manual should you need to consult it. Cellphone camera as backup is better than no camera and good for snaps of your group.

• Lenses – There will likely be photo opportunities for your full range of lenses, from extreme wide angle to telephoto and macro. We will use lenses in the focal length range from 14 – 600mm.
• Lens Cleaning Cloth and Wipes.
• Tripod – Sunrise, sunset, twilight and nighttime light levels are too low to photograph properly without a sturdy tripod. A lightweight carbon fiber tripod with a ball head is recommended. If needed, a monopod is a better choice for shooting from the boat.
• Memory Cards for 1/2 day to full day of shooting in the field.
• Camera Battery Charger and Extra Batteries.
• Sensor Cleaning Tools
• Polarizing filter(s) to fit each of your lenses.
• Shutter Release – You can use a locking cable release, a wireless remote, or the camera’s self-timer (except in BULB).
• Rain Covers – For camera and lens protection
• Laptop Computer – for downloading, processing and viewing your images.
• Image Processing Software – Good choices include Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, or Elements.
• Back-up device – Such as an external hard drive.
• Flash Drive – For sharing images.

ADDITIONAL ITEMS:

• Small flashlight or head lamp
• Battery-powered Alarm Clock/Watch – In case cell phone service isn’t available. It’s better to bring your own alarm than miss a morning shoot!
• Cell Phone
• Water bottle/snacks/medicine
• Energy bars or other snacks

GENERAL:

This event is designed for nature photographers at all levels of experience. For the best experience, please know your camera before you arrive, and bring your manual in case we need to look up something.

Assistance will be available in the field for those who wish to improve their photographic skills. If you already have plenty of photography experience, Cathy will ensure you get to the best locations at the best times to capture those perfect shots.

Please keep in mind this NANPA Event is designed to be a photo tour, not a photo workshop. In other words, there are no formal instruction sessions planned, there are no assignments, you will not be receiving any handouts or the like. Your leader, Cathy, has experience as a photography a workshop leader and is available to answer questions and give you guidance. If you need help, please advocate for yourself and speak up and ask for help – Cathy is happy to help. Be aware that many of your fellow participants may also be accomplished photographers and may be able to help you too.  Part of the NANPA photo tour experience is the camaraderie that comes from sharing experiences and lessons learned among participants. If you notice someone with the same or similar camera, perhaps they can help you with an issue you’ve been wondering about, and maybe you can return the favor.

Attendance and participation at NANPA Photo Tours is limited to registered attendees only.  Anyone wishing to participate in any portion of, or travel with a registered attendee during the group event must contact the NANPA office and pay the full registration fee.

©Cathy Illg

NANPA Photo Tour Cancellation and No Refund Policy:  

NANPA will not offer any refunds for registrations for this event regardless of when the cancellation is made or the reason for the cancellation. NANPA reserves the right to cancel any event or activity due to insufficient registration or any unforeseen circumstances. NANPA will offer refunds if NANPA must cancel the event. It also has the right to substitute presenters if those originally scheduled cannot attend. Registrants may purchase event insurance as part of the registration process through NANPA’s partner, Allianz. More information on this option will be shown during the checkout process for the event registration.

NOTE:  If you do not purchase event insurance at the time that you pay for your registration, you will NOT be able to go back and purchase it with Allianz later.

If you choose to purchase travel insurance separately, you can do so with your own insurance carrier, or NANPA members can receive a special travel insurance rate through USI Affinity/Travel Insurance Services.