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Women Only Nature Photography: Caddo Lake & Big Cypress Bayou, Texas

Behind the lens with all women photographers

The breathtaking Caddo Lake in East Texas serves as an ideal setting for the next addition to our well-received Women Only Nature Photography tour series—trips open exclusively to women of all photographic skills. This trip is designed with the same attention to detail found in all other Van Os Photo Safaris but with an added element—it offers a unique opportunity to explore this extraordinary region in the company of other women photographers.

P3A4375 - caddo lake

Straddling the borders of Texas and Louisiana, Caddo Lake and the Big Cypress Bayou comprise an extensive 26,800-acre maze of channels, meandering bayous, sloughs, and cypress thickets. This misty primordial swampland adds a new wild and haunting dimension to “fall color” photography. Here, in the Deep South, majestic bald cypress trees reflected in tranquil dark tannin-rich waters are transformed with color in autumn, with an exuberant explosion of fiery burnt orange, red, gold and russet.

Thick ghostly drapes of Spanish moss hang from every branch as fog drifts amidst gnarled and buttressed cypress trunks. Abstract shapes of cypress knees protrude above mirrored water as herons and egrets use them from which to hunt amidst the giant trees.

We are out in the predawn hours making our way to locales of graphic intensity. We visit the most stunning groups of trees and cypress corridors prior to the golden hour, hoping to photograph tree reflections and ethereal mist before sunrise. Then we continue as dappled golden light filters through the canopy above. In the afternoon we return to these backwaters in our flat-bottomed jon boat, hopeful for beautiful colors of the sky and tree silhouettes at sunset.

A277837 1 - caddo lake

In October 1993, Caddo Lake was designated a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention—an international treaty which seeks to conserve wetlands throughout the world. The area protects a wealth of wildlife and is an important migratory stopover for birds prior to their continuing journey southward on the Central Flyway, as well as for those that overwinter here.

Embark on a journey with Melissa Scott on our Women Only Nature Photography tour, a week-long program designed to boost your photographic skills. This tour is a unique opportunity to connect with female nature photographers from across the country. Enjoy the company of a vibrant group of friends and immerse yourself in the stunning autumn hues of the bald cypress trees. Our goal is to capture a series of evocative and stunningly beautiful images of these ancient trees of the southern swamps. This trip offers an exceptional landscape photography experience, luminous fall colors, and a touch of wildlife photography to complete the adventure.

Tour Itinerary

Day 1 (Nov 11, 2025)
Plan to arrive at the Shreveport, Louisiana Airport by 11 AM where the group assembles for a short drive to our accommodations in Marshall, Texas. It is recommended that participants with tight airline schedules arrive in Shreveport a day earlier and stay at a nearby airport hotel and take the hotel airport shuttle to our airport meeting place to be announced. Following orientation at our hotel, we grab our gear and head out for our first afternoon photo session. (D)

Day 2
These next three days we are up and out before sunrise—with breakfast snacks onboard our boat—to be in position at those iconic photo locations known to our local boat captain. Early morning is the best time to find mirror-smooth water and ethereal mist before the sun rises and the breeze follows. We remain on the water photographing through golden hour and later as the light and weather dictates. Then we head to a restaurant for a late breakfast. Middays are flexible allowing us to visit Caddo Lake State Park on one day and photograph close-up cypress swamp details, from a fishing pier and using tripods, that are not easily attainable from our boat. Potentially, we may be able to attract a closeup barred owl or two. We also have time for optional image reviews and critiques of your new images following a day or two of shooting. In these afternoons we are out on the water again to get in position for areas of strong fall color, golden hour, and hopefully to silhouette these graphic trees against a fiery sunset. (BLD)

Day 5 (Nov 15)
We experience our final sunrise photo shoot from our boat this morning. After breakfast, we collect our luggage and return to Shreveport by noon. (B)

Van Os Photo Safaris is an Authorized Permittee of Caddo Lake State Park

Tour Details

Nov 11 2025 – Nov 15 2025
Register Now
Fee: $6,195 from Shreveport, Louisiana
Deposit: $1,500
Limit: 4
Activity Level: Easy
Single Supplement: $412

Tour Highlights

  • Travel on a photo tour created exclusively for women by women, including all participants, leader, and boat captain
  • Participant group is limited to 4
  • Create graphic imagery of iconic fall-colored cypress trees at this premier Texas location and refine your landscape photographic skills
  • A new “fall color” photo destination with a totally different ambience than northern deciduous forests
  • Our boat captain navigates us to the best backwater areas, perfectly timed for optimal photography
  • Trip fee includes all meals, lodging, state park entrance fees, boat and ground transportation, photo guide and instruction

Tour Highlights

  • Travel on a photo tour created exclusively for women by women, including all participants, leader, and boat captain
  • Participant group is limited to 4
  • Create graphic imagery of iconic fall-colored cypress trees at this premier Texas location and refine your landscape photographic skills
  • A new “fall color” photo destination with a totally different ambience than northern deciduous forests
  • Our boat captain navigates us to the best backwater areas, perfectly timed for optimal photography
  • Trip fee includes all meals, lodging, state park entrance fees, boat and ground transportation, photo guide and instruction

Tour Details

Nov 11 2025 – Nov 15 2025
Register Now
Fee: $6,195 from Shreveport, Louisiana
Deposit: $1,500
Limit: 4
Activity Level: Easy
Single Supplement: $412
  • Tour Description

    Tour Description

    The breathtaking Caddo Lake in East Texas serves as an ideal setting for the next addition to our well-received Women Only Nature Photography tour series—trips open exclusively to women of all photographic skills. This trip is designed with the same attention to detail found in all other Van Os Photo Safaris but with an added element—it offers a unique opportunity to explore this extraordinary region in the company of other women photographers.

    P3A4375 - caddo lake

    Straddling the borders of Texas and Louisiana, Caddo Lake and the Big Cypress Bayou comprise an extensive 26,800-acre maze of channels, meandering bayous, sloughs, and cypress thickets. This misty primordial swampland adds a new wild and haunting dimension to “fall color” photography. Here, in the Deep South, majestic bald cypress trees reflected in tranquil dark tannin-rich waters are transformed with color in autumn, with an exuberant explosion of fiery burnt orange, red, gold and russet.

    Thick ghostly drapes of Spanish moss hang from every branch as fog drifts amidst gnarled and buttressed cypress trunks. Abstract shapes of cypress knees protrude above mirrored water as herons and egrets use them from which to hunt amidst the giant trees.

    We are out in the predawn hours making our way to locales of graphic intensity. We visit the most stunning groups of trees and cypress corridors prior to the golden hour, hoping to photograph tree reflections and ethereal mist before sunrise. Then we continue as dappled golden light filters through the canopy above. In the afternoon we return to these backwaters in our flat-bottomed jon boat, hopeful for beautiful colors of the sky and tree silhouettes at sunset.

    A277837 1 - caddo lake

    In October 1993, Caddo Lake was designated a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention—an international treaty which seeks to conserve wetlands throughout the world. The area protects a wealth of wildlife and is an important migratory stopover for birds prior to their continuing journey southward on the Central Flyway, as well as for those that overwinter here.

    Embark on a journey with Melissa Scott on our Women Only Nature Photography tour, a week-long program designed to boost your photographic skills. This tour is a unique opportunity to connect with female nature photographers from across the country. Enjoy the company of a vibrant group of friends and immerse yourself in the stunning autumn hues of the bald cypress trees. Our goal is to capture a series of evocative and stunningly beautiful images of these ancient trees of the southern swamps. This trip offers an exceptional landscape photography experience, luminous fall colors, and a touch of wildlife photography to complete the adventure.

  • Itinerary

    Tour Itinerary

    Day 1 (Nov 11, 2025)
    Plan to arrive at the Shreveport, Louisiana Airport by 11 AM where the group assembles for a short drive to our accommodations in Marshall, Texas. It is recommended that participants with tight airline schedules arrive in Shreveport a day earlier and stay at a nearby airport hotel and take the hotel airport shuttle to our airport meeting place to be announced. Following orientation at our hotel, we grab our gear and head out for our first afternoon photo session. (D)

    Day 2
    These next three days we are up and out before sunrise—with breakfast snacks onboard our boat—to be in position at those iconic photo locations known to our local boat captain. Early morning is the best time to find mirror-smooth water and ethereal mist before the sun rises and the breeze follows. We remain on the water photographing through golden hour and later as the light and weather dictates. Then we head to a restaurant for a late breakfast. Middays are flexible allowing us to visit Caddo Lake State Park on one day and photograph close-up cypress swamp details, from a fishing pier and using tripods, that are not easily attainable from our boat. Potentially, we may be able to attract a closeup barred owl or two. We also have time for optional image reviews and critiques of your new images following a day or two of shooting. In these afternoons we are out on the water again to get in position for areas of strong fall color, golden hour, and hopefully to silhouette these graphic trees against a fiery sunset. (BLD)

    Day 5 (Nov 15)
    We experience our final sunrise photo shoot from our boat this morning. After breakfast, we collect our luggage and return to Shreveport by noon. (B)

    Van Os Photo Safaris is an Authorized Permittee of Caddo Lake State Park

  • Tour Leaders

  • Testimonials

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Van Os Photo Safaris uses the information you provide to contact you about our upcoming tours, special offers, and trip reports. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time.
For more information, check out our Privacy Policy.