We bring the big telephotos so you don’t have to.
Etosha – Chobe – Victoria Falls, and more…
Over the last year, we have packaged a unique wildlife photography safari for a small group of five passionate photographers, visiting Etosha National Park in Namibia, Victoria Falls, and Chobe National Park in Botswana. Scheduled for June 3-20, 2013, in the early part of the winter dry season, we will enjoy comfortable temperatures and dramatic concentrations of diverse wildlife at the watering holes of Etosha. Black rhinos, giraffes, lions, elephants, and numerous antelope species are common here, and cheetahs and leopards are often seen as well.
At Chobe, animals congregate along the river in the dry season to drink and feed on the lush greenery on the banks and flood plain. In addition to Chobe’s population of over 50,000 Kalahari elephants, opportunities include hippos (with young at this time of year), Nile crocs, buffalo, waterbuck, kudu, impala, giraffes, fish eagles, lions, hyenas, African wild dog, baboons, and numerous bird species.
At both locations we have arranged use of new photo safari vehicles with innovative custom features that deliver an ideal photographic experience. The two 4WD vehicles we will use at Etosha seat three photographers each, and the custom-built photo boat at Chobe comfortably accommodates our whole group. Both on land and on the water, each photographer will have his or her own photographer’s chair with fully adjustable Wimberley-equiped telephoto lens mount. Included at no additional cost is loan of Nikon super-telephoto lenses (600mm f/4, 500mm f/4, and 200-400mm f/4 plus teleconverters) and pro camera bodies, so there is no need to carry big glass to Africa.
Click “read more” below right for the itinerary, photo gallery from Chobe and Etosha, and more information…
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Magical places with towering red sand dunes, ancient withered, desiccated forests, and storm-ravaged coastline make Namibia unique. Rare desert lions, gemsbok, elephants, and giraffes inhabit the area, with the colorful Himba people carving out a life in this arid region.
In all my travels, I have never seen such amazing and colorful dune formations. The colors ran from black to garnet to peach and red colored…sometimes bathed in coastal fog. The Namib Desert has a timeless quality that calls to me. –Jack Dykinga
Experience the haunting beauty of Namibia – Africa’s desert gem – with renowned landscape photographers Jack Dykinga and Justin Black. We will explore the striking quiver tree forests and geological formations, a ghost town abandoned to drifting sands, the rugged beauty of the coast, culminating with three days of intensive photography among the elegant forms of the thousand-foot red dunes of Sossusvlei. With warm tints of apricot, orange, red and maroon, these dunes offer abstract beauty unseen anywhere else in the world. This special place is also home to the ancient sun-blackened skeletons of camel thorn trees at the white clay “dead marsh” of Deadvlei.
A string of colonial port towns dot the coast, trapped between the South Atlantic and the dunes. Lüderitz, on the edge of the diamond-rich Sperrgebiet area, is a fascinating relic of Germany’s late 19th-century imperial aspirations. Nearby is the otherworldly and sand-bound abandoned mining town of Kolmanskop, where dunes have invaded the abandoned buildings. The photographic potential of this place is astonishing. Further north, Swakopmund and Walvis Bay bracket the southern end of the Skeleton Coast. Both possess a welcoming resort town atmosphere, with ample photographic opportunities along the coast.
Awe-inspiring and unrestrictive, this diverse geography leaves an impact you won’t soon forget.
Our itinerary has been designed to take maximum advantage of the best landscape photography opportunities that Namibia has to offer. In addition to attentive photographic instruction throughout by Dykinga and Black, our group of up to ten photographers will be led by two excellent local guides. This trip includes excellent lodging, in-Africa flights (Johannesburg–Windhoek–Johannesburg), transfers and group ground transportation from start to finish, and all meals, snacks, and beverages.
Namibia is a very safe and welcoming country, and a tourist visa is not necessary for citizens of the USA and most developed nations.
We hope you will join us! To sign up, click the “REGISTER” link above right.
Click “read more” at below right to continue to the itinerary and image gallery…
Renowned landscape photographer Marc Muench and Visionary Wild’s Justin Black have teamed up to lead a trip to the dramatic granite spires, alpine lakes, and meadows at the Cirque of the Towers in Wyoming’s Wind River Range. “The Winds” are the most alpine range in the Wyoming-Montana-Idaho complex, with soaring granite peaks reminiscent in many ways of the High Sierra Nevada but less well known and more lightly visited. The alpine wildflowers in the meadows and nearby lakes and streams offer excellent foregrounds for photographing the east-facing Cirque and other nearby peaks, which catch spectacular alpenglow at sunrise.
This is one of North America’s great mountain wildernesses, but don’t take our word for it. Following a summer 1999 horse pack trip into the Winds, internationally acclaimed mountain photographer Galen Rowell wrote the following in his April 2000 column for Outdoor Photographer magazine:
“The Wind River Range is my favorite in the Rockies. Warm, relatively dry summers create a paradise for backpackers, climbers, and photographers. Hundreds of peaks rise over 12,000 feet above glaciers and snows that last late into summer. Melt waters cascade into alpine basins filled with meadows, open pine forest, and countless lakes before joining into rivers separated by the Continental Divide.”
Our itinerary begins with a group orientation and dinner at Diamond 4 Ranch in Dickinson Park, Wyoming, on the east side of the Wind River Range (Lander is the closest large town). Our first night will be spent at an elevation of 9,200ft. in the ranch’s rustic cabins, which will serve to help acclimate us to the elevation. After an early breakfast the next morning, the experienced wranglers of Diamond 4 Ranch will lead our group on a horseback ride to camp at Lizard Head Meadows. No prior horseback experience is necessary. The horses are docile and very familiar with the trail to our camp, our base for five nights at an elevation of 10,000ft. – where a camp manager and backcountry chef will take great care of us. This is a “drop” or “spot” trip, meaning that all of our gear, coolers of fresh food, etc., will be carried in on horseback, and our camp will serve as our base for short hikes to explore the Cirque’s rich photographic opportunities.
Click “read more” below right for more information and the image gallery…
The Brazilian Pantanal, the world’s largest continental wetland, is a luxuriant forest-savannah mosaic in central-western Brazil that is home to the highest density of jaguars in the world. It is also simply the greatest wildlife spectacle of Latin America. In addition to its jaguars, which happen to be far more accessible to photographers here than anywhere else in their range, it harbors the world’s largest parrots (hyacinth macaw), the world’s largest snake (anaconda), the world’s largest otter, and many other species of wildlife, often in incredibly high densities.
Rivers and channels provide easy access by boat to water’s-edge locations frequented by the big cats in the dry season. This is the closest thing to an East African photo safari in the New World, but without the crowds and malaria.
Award-winning nature photographer and film maker Jeff Foott – a Pantanal veteran – and Justin Black of Visionary Wild look forward to sharing this expedition with six passionate photographers. The small group size will ensure ample space to maneuver for photography from the boats.
Our floating hotel is anchored right in the middle of the best jaguar action. This privileged location permits us to spend up to two hours extra time per day with the cats, and at the best times of day for quality of light, comfortable temperatures, and scenic beauty in the Pantanal. We have secured enough space on the “Flotel” for each of the six participants to have a private en-suite room if they wish (double-occupancy clients save $650 per person; single-occupancy rate is $9,400).
Click “read more” below right for the itinerary, photo gallery, and more information…
Our first Jaguars of the Pantanal trip proved so popular, we’ve added a second itinerary immediately after the first, with brand new upgraded accommodations.
The Brazilian Pantanal, the world’s largest continental wetland, is a luxuriant forest-savannah mosaic in central-western Brazil that is home to the highest density of jaguars in the world. It is also simply the greatest wildlife spectacle of Latin America. In addition to its jaguars, which happen to be far more accessible to photographers here than anywhere else in their range, it harbors the world’s largest parrots (hyacinth macaw), the world’s largest snake (anaconda), the world’s largest otter, and many other species of wildlife, often in incredibly high densities.
Rivers and channels provide easy access by boat to water’s-edge locations frequented by the big cats in the dry season. This is the closest thing to an East African photo safari in the New World, but without the crowds and malaria.
Award-winning nature photographer Daniel Beltrá – a veteran of a dozen Brazil expeditions; fluent in Portuguese – and Justin Black of Visionary Wild look forward to sharing this expedition with six passionate photographers. The small group size will ensure ample space to maneuver for photography from the boats.
Our floating hotel is anchored right in the middle of the best jaguar action. This privileged location permits us to spend up to two hours extra time per day with the cats, and at the best times of day for quality of light, comfortable temperatures, and scenic beauty in the Pantanal. We have secured enough space on the “Flotel” for each of the six participants to have a private en-suite room if they wish (single-occupancy rate is $9,600; double-occupancy clients save $650 per person).
Click “read more” below right for the itinerary, photo gallery, and more information…
Here are some impressions that our friends from our last two trips have shared:
It’s difficult not to heap superlative praise on Jack Dykinga and Justin Black for their photographic expertise and their absolute willingness to share that expertise with the rest of us. They are truly visionaries in the landscape photography world, and their love of the Grand Canyon is infectious, and are a lot of fun to be around.
Having traveled to 5 continents, I can honestly state the Grand Canyon river trip was the best photo trip I have ever taken.
Seeing the Grand Canyon from the bottom is a visual and spiritual experience that is not to be missed by any photographer. This was my second trip down the Colorado River with Justin and I expect that it won’t be my last.
My mind is still in the Canyon. Thanks to you, Jack and Justin, for putting together this amazing experience. The Canyon is past wonder. I am sitting here working on the images and can’t seem to leave the river.
While I think I’ve finally gotten the sand out of all of my clothes, equipment and person, it will most definitely be a long time before I get the Grand Canyon sand out of my soul. I think Jack said it best when he said that the Grand Canyon was a special temple. It is awe-inspiring. I really enjoyed my time with you all, and hope to see all of you again on another Jack and Justin adventure.
About two days into the trip…I realized that I should enjoy the trip because it was just about as good as it gets. It was indeed. At this point, maybe it’s enough to say that I actually miss the sand and I hope we all will continue to keep in touch.
Designed by Jack Dykinga and Justin Black, this trip absolutely maximizes photographic potential and overall quality of experience that can be had during ten days on the Colorado River in the mile-deep Grand Canyon.
* Note: Please click the “read more” tab below right for all the details, the image gallery, and National Park Service compliance information.
Boulder Mountain rises to the west of Capital Reef National Park in the picturesque Aquarius Plateau of South Central Utah. It is the highest timbered plateau in North America, with over 50,000 acres of rolling forests of pine, spruce, fir, and aspen, as well as expansive meadowlands. The area features the dramatic red rock canyons and sculpted formations for which southern Utah is famous, but it is a little known and refreshing alternative to more heavily trafficked southwestern locations.
Situated immediately adjacent to the majestic Grand Staircase descending toward the Grand Canyon and the canyons of the Escalante, this place is a creative photographer’s dream come true.
The author and desert wilderness advocate Edward Abbey once astutely observed:
There are more hills, holes, humps and hollows, reefs, folds, domes, swells and grabens, buttes, benches and mesas, synclines, monoclines, and anticlines than you can ever hope to see and explore in a lifetime.
We’ll add that the quality of light and atmosphere here are superb.
Click “Read More…” below right to read on and see the image gallery…
Exotic Birds – Poison Dart Frogs – Monkeys – Waterfalls – Wild Pacific Beach
All of this and more is to be found in one of the most biologically exciting places on Earth – Coast Rica’s remote Osa Peninsula – and we’d like to share the best of it with you. Envision original primary rainforest rising up a low ridge from a pristine and entirely undeveloped Pacific beach, stretching as far as the eye can see. Native toucans, scarlet macaws, and four species of New World monkeys cruise through the trees, while dramatic waterfalls roar in the jungle. Numerous species of visually striking frogs inhabit the area, including three species of colorful poison dart frogs, red-eyed tree frogs, masked tree frogs, and massive cane toads in their native habitat. Hundreds of exotic bird species abound. In addition to the toucans and macaws, long-tail hermit hummingbirds, elegant and violaceous trogons, blue-capped manakins, crested caracaras, ibis, various raptors and myriad other species are readily photographed. The forest itself is stunning, with old-growth trees full of character and beautiful graphic compositions just waiting to be discovered.
Instructors Daniel Beltrá and Justin Black will share their creative approaches to photographing rainforest fauna and flora, as well as the dramatic landscape. Hands-on in the field, we will cover long-lens and macro wildlife techniques, control of composition and light, fill-flash, control of focal plane and perspective with tilt-shift lenses, panoramic stitching, and other techniques that can be used to great effect in this amazing place.
CLICK HERE to read Justin Black’s article “Frogs of the Osa” in Outdoor Photographer magazine
Click “read more…” below right for more information and the photo gallery…
Pastel pinks and blues reflect from the sky at dawn and dusk, painting gypsum dunes that roll elegantly across the landscape. The tapestry of light and shadow, form and texture inspires the creative mind. Yuccas punctuate the landscape, rising in striking graphic isolation against the sand and sky. This is New Mexico’s White Sands National Monument, home of the world’s largest gypsum dune field, covering 275 square miles, set in a high desert basin with a dramatic mountain backdrop. This will be our outdoor classroom for this Vision series workshop, a special program of advanced instruction designed and presented by world-renowned photographers Jack Dykinga and John Shaw. Jack is recognized as one of the greatest practitioners and teachers in the history of landscape photography, and John is a natural photographic educator who is relied upon by some of the most successful photographers in the business to keep them current on digital workflow practices and Photoshop techniques. The combination is a uniquely effective and enjoyable experience.
Our fieldwork during this workshop will emphasize the search for elegant, carefully crafted compositions while anticipating the flow of light over the landscape each morning and evening. Opportunities abound, from classic near-far compositions that use yuccas to anchor foreground design, to abstracts harnessing the tones, curves and colors of the dunes, to broad panoramics and macro subjects.
The creation of a truly great finished photograph is part of a process from initial concept and vision through execution in the field to digital workflow and creation of a high-quality, final master file ready for printing or publication. Vision workshops with John Shaw and Jack Dykinga address the two greatest challenges faced by photographers as they advance. The first of these is the tendency for original creative vision to reach a plateau in development, and the second is a digital workflow in need of streamlining and refinement to make the most of your images.
Click the “read more” button below right to continue…
The majestic Santa Catalina Mountains will be our backdrop in a landscape containing over 5,000 saguaro cactus – our outdoor classroom for this workshop, part of our Vision series, a special program of advanced instruction designed and presented by world-renowned photographers Jack Dykinga and John Shaw.
The creation of a truly great finished photograph is part of a process from initial concept and vision through execution in the field to digital workflow and creation of a high-quality, final master file ready for printing or publication. Vision workshops with John Shaw and Jack Dykinga address the two greatest challenges faced by photographers as they advance. The first of these is the tendency for original creative vision to reach a plateau in development, and the second is a digital workflow in need of streamlining and refinement to make the most of your images.
Click the “read more” button below right for more information and the image gallery…
Nevada’s Valley of Fire derives its name from the firelight glow of red sandstone formations reflecting the sun’s magic-hour rays. Swirling “wave” formations, majestic arches, wind-eroded pocket caves, water-polished slot canyons, layered beehives, hoodoos, and layered ridges catching sunset like flickering flames are among the incredible array of landforms here. The color of the rock ranges from oranges, yellows, and pinks to magenta and blue. Mesozoic petrified trees and cryptic petroglyphs left behind by ancient cultures are found at several sites around the park. The elegant desert primroses typically bloom in March as well. It’s the southwest in microcosm, conveniently located just over an hour’s drive from Las Vegas.
This workshop is a camping trip limited to a small group of ten. Towering red rock formations rise right in the middle of our private group base camp, conveniently located to allow us to focus on photography in the field, making the most of the potential of this stunning landscape. Instructors Jeff Foott and Justin Black will lead the group on photo excursions to capture the best of morning and evening light. During mid-day hours, we will gather in the shade of camp to discuss photographic techniques and digital workflow, and to download, edit, and critique images together. There will also be some free time each day to take a nap, make use of the hot showers, or just relax.
Jeff and Justin will guide participants through the process of conceiving, planning, and creating inspired photographs among the wind-chiseled, swirling formations. There will be plenty of time in the field for personalized instruction, discussion, and Q&A. Those who are interested can even take advantage of the clear desert air to photograph the night sky and the landscape under the stars.
The workshop is operated under permit issued by Valley of Fire State Park.
Click “read more” below right for the image gallery, Jeff Foott’s thoughts on Valley of Fire, and a client testimonial from our March 2013 trip:
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