What to expect on a women-only photography retreat

What if you could travel somewhere beautiful, learn something you love, meet a group of women you instantly connect with – and come home wondering why you didn’t do it sooner?

That’s really the feeling I want to create with my women-only photography retreats.

Because yes, there will be photography. There will be beautiful destinations, wonderful food, cultural experiences and plenty of opportunities to take photographs.

But underneath all of that is something I think is even more important:

belonging.

A little community of your own

There’s something quite special about a group of women travelling together.

Perhaps it’s because women are often natural connectors. We talk to people, we share stories, we encourage one another and, very often, we make friends surprisingly quickly.

Think about the women-only communities that have existed around the world for generations — from women’s circles and creative communities to female-led cooperative and tribal communities. There is something powerful about women creating spaces where they can support one another, share knowledge and simply feel comfortable being themselves.

I want to bring a little of that spirit to my retreats.

Not in a formal or exclusive “you have to belong to this club” kind of way.

Quite the opposite.

The invitation is open. Come as you are.

You might be confident and outgoing. You might be travelling alone and feeling slightly nervous. You might know everything about your camera, or barely know which button does what.

It doesn’t matter.

You’ll be joining women who have all said yes to the same thing: I want to do something different. I want to experience something. I want to learn. I want to have fun.

And that can be a wonderfully powerful thing to have in common.

You might arrive alone, but you won’t feel alone

I suspect many of the women who join me will be travelling solo.

And I completely understand why that can feel like a big step.

But there’s a difference between travelling solo and travelling alone.

You can make the decision to go entirely for yourself while knowing that, when you arrive, there will be women waiting to share the experience with you.

Someone to sit beside at dinner.

Someone to wander around the medina with.

Someone to laugh with when something goes slightly wrong.

Someone to show your photographs to.

Someone who might become a friend.

And I think there’s a particular camaraderie between women who have travelled somewhere on their own. There’s often an openness and willingness to connect because everyone knows that feeling of stepping outside their comfort zone.

You may arrive not knowing a single person.

You may leave wondering when the next reunion is.

A group – but a small one

I’m deliberately keeping my retreats intimate.

My Morocco retreat will have a maximum of eight women.

That matters.

Eight people feels very different from forty.

It means we can get to know one another. We can be flexible. We can have proper conversations. We can laugh together. And as your photographer and host, I can give you much more individual attention.

I want you to feel like a guest, not a number on a tour.

And perhaps, by the end, it will feel less like you’ve joined a retreat and more like you’ve joined a little community that didn’t exist before you arrived.

Photography is our common language

Of course, photography is at the heart of everything.

But you don’t have to be a “serious photographer” to belong here.

You might be an experienced hobbyist wanting to push your photography further. You might have bought a lovely camera but never really felt confident using it. You might photograph everything on your phone.

Wherever you are, you’re welcome.

We’ll explore composition, light, portraits, street photography, movement, people and different ways of seeing.

But I don’t want you worrying about getting the technically perfect photograph.

I want you to become more confident in trusting your eye.

To experiment.

To try something different.

To look at a familiar scene and find your own photograph within it.

And imagine doing that surrounded by seven other women who are doing exactly the same thing.

That’s where the magic happens.

A holiday, not a photography boot camp

There will be plenty of photography, but I don’t want you spending every minute with your eye glued to a viewfinder.

We’ll explore the destination, eat wonderful food, experience the culture, laugh, chat and have time simply to enjoy being somewhere beautiful.

On my Morocco retreat, we’ll explore Essaouira, Sidi Kaouki and Marrakech, with experiences including a Moroccan cookery masterclass, cultural experiences and photography in a variety of settings.

And there will be time to breathe.

Because sometimes the best photograph happens when you aren’t looking for one.

Time that’s completely yours

This might sound like a small thing, but I think it’s incredibly important.

You don’t have to be “on” all the time.

If you want to wander off with your camera, go.

If you want to sit by the pool with a book, go.

If you want to have a quiet coffee and watch the world go by, absolutely.

For many women – particularly those who have spent years juggling careers, partners, children and everyone else’s needs – having uninterrupted time that belongs entirely to you can feel like a luxury in itself.

This is your time.

And yes, there will be laughter

Lots of it, I hope.

Because I don’t want these retreats to feel worthy or overly serious.

I want them to feel joyful.

I want us to discover places together, get excited when we find a great photograph, share stories over dinner, encourage one another, laugh at our mistakes and celebrate each other’s successes.

There is something incredibly liberating about being around women who don’t know your history.

You don’t have to be someone’s mum.

Someone’s partner.

Someone’s boss.

Someone’s carer.

You can simply be you.

The woman who loves photography and creativity.

The woman who wants to see the world.

The woman who wants to learn something new.

The woman who wants to have some fun.

The bit you can’t really put on an itinerary

You can plan the hotels.

You can plan the photography workshops.

You can plan the meals and the experiences.

But you can’t really plan the friendships.

You can’t schedule the conversations that go on much later than you expected.

You can’t put “laugh until your stomach hurts” on an itinerary.

And you can’t guarantee that you’ll come home feeling like you’ve found your people.

But I hope you do.

Because ultimately, that’s what I want these retreats to be about.

Photography will bring us together. Travel will give us the setting. But the women will make the experience.

And I’d hate for you to look back afterwards and think, “I wish I’d gone.”

Sometimes the best adventures begin with simply saying yes.