Well, he could be making art or doing something else if he wanted. And, in fact, he seems to be taking photography very seriously. Productive is not the same as monetarily rewarding.

But, more importantly, I think most people who despise "do nothing productive" vacations are worried about falling behind. If you've already opted into permanent falling behind I wonder how that changes things.

I wouldn't call being a travel photographer "doing nothing." After all, it's what some people do for a job. Personally, I'd probably get tired of it myself but he doesn't seem to be just laying around a beach all day.

It doesn't seem fundamentally different from taking up sculpture or painting.