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We are delighted that our clients enjoy their experiences with us and often decide to return for future Visionary Wild workshops and expeditions. In fact, our programs typically include 50% to 100% returning clients. As an expression of our appreciation to our loyal clients, we offer discounts and specials for returning guests.

Discounts for multiple trips within one year

After booking one Visionary Wild workshop or expedition at the published rate (qualifying workshop or expedition), you are eligible for a  discount on subsequent workshops or expeditions that you book and participate in within a 12-month period:

• Save $100 off US-based trips and $250 off international trips when you book and participate in a second workshop or expedition within a 12-month period.
• Save $250 off US-based trips and $500 off international trips when you book and participate in a third (or more) workshop or expedition within a 12-month period.

To take advantage of this discount, enter the name of the qualifying workshop in the “Notes” section of your registration. The discount will be applied to the final balance. If you are paying the registration fee in full, please contact us at (202) 558-9596 or by email at info@visionarywild.com for instructions.

The start date of the discounted workshop(s) or expedition(s) must begin within 12 months of the end date of the qualifying workshop or expedition. Discounted workshops are not qualifying workshops or expeditions for future discounts. If participation in the qualifying workshop is cancelled, the registration rate for the discounted workshops will be adjusted to the published rate.

The timeframe for multi-trip discounts has been extended to start dates before December 31, 2021 for participants in any of Visionary Wild’s 2020 programs.

4×10 Club

As a special thank you to our loyal clients, we will offer special discounts on certain itineraries for clients who have participated in 4 or more Visionary Wild programs. These will be announced in our email newsletters, on this page, and on the trip page. To take advantage of this discount, enter coupon code 4ORMORE when you register. Trips currently eligible for this discount include:

• 5% discount on Blackwater Falls Workshop, September 27 – October 1, 2021

Clients who have participated in 10 or more Visionary Wild programs are eligible for a 5% discount on all future bookings. Contact us for information on how to book with this discount.

Please note that all discounts apply to new bookings only and are subject to verification. Discounts cannot be combined, and only one discount can be used per registration. If you are eligible for multiple discounts, the most generous discount will be applied.

We are very appreciative of the fact that Visionary Wild benefits from a great deal of positive word-of-mouth promotion. Our clients consistently tell us that they love what we do, and they are typically eager to share their experiences with friends and fellow passionate photographers. As a gesture of thanks, and to encourage further word-of-mouth referrals, we have created a Referral Rewards Program. Here is a description of the process, how to become eligible, etc.

What is the referral reward?  Visionary Wild offers a $150 discount code to existing clients or e-newsletter subscribers whose recommendation to a friend results in a first-time enrollment for a VW workshop or expedition. The referred first-time client also receives a $100 discount on the program for which they have enrolled. Referrers’ discount codes are cumulative over the calendar year, but must be redeemed within the following calendar year. The discount for first-time enrollment may obviously only be taken once.

Who is eligible?

• Referrers: Only subscribers to the Visionary Wild email newsletter and/or those who have already participated in a Visionary Wild workshop or expedition (participants) are eligible to earn discounts in appreciation for referring new clients. Referrals are only valid if they come from a person who is already in our database at the time of the referral. For the sake of simplicity, we refer to eligible referrers as existing clients. It’s easy to become an existing client – just subscribe  to the Visionary Wild e-newsletter, enroll for a workshop, or join the waiting list for a sold-out workshop.

• Referred Parties: Only first-time Visionary Wild workshop or expedition participants who have been referred by an existing client are eligible for the one-time enrollment referral discount.

• Non-Participant Existing Clients: Those who are on our mailing list but who have never participated in a Visionary Wild workshop or expedition are eligible for discounts as either referring existing clients, or as referred parties. For example, if a newsletter subscriber who has yet to participate in a Visionary Wild program chooses to enroll in one based on a referral from a regular VW workshop participant, both the enrolling first-timer and the referring established client would receive a discount. No one may refer themselves.

How does it work?

1. An existing client refers a friend who has never taken a Visionary Wild workshop or expedition.
2. The referred friend enrolls for a Visionary Wild workshop or expedition.
3. Upon enrollment, the referred friend enters the existing client’s name in the online enrollment form.
4. Visionary Wild confirms that the referral is eligible, and then sends discount codes to both parties.
5. When making payment via our website for either the initial deposit or balance due, just enter the provided code to receive the discount!

For those who prefer to enroll over the phone, we can handle this process manually.

Note: Discount codes earned through the Visionary Wild Referral Rewards Program are valid only for discounts on Visionary Wild photo workshops and expeditions, and have no cash value.

We happily accommodate and welcome participants’ guests who are traveling with them during workshops when we can, to a limited extent, and with certain restrictions.  It is typically not possible to accommodate non-participant guests on expeditions. Click the “more” tab for details.

Many of our clients travel to workshops in the company of their spouse, a family member, or friend, and we do everything we can to welcome and accommodate them, short of gratis participation in the workshop, involvement that negatively impacts the experience of our clients, or provision of services, meals, etc. at Visionary Wild expense.

Lodging: At most workshops where single-occupancy lodging is included as part of the package, one additional guest may stay in the participant’s room at no extra cost. If there is any additional cost to Visionary Wild for lodging, transportation, or anything else due to the presence of the non-participant guest, that cost is the responsibility of the hosting participant.

Meals: During workshops, we are also often able to accommodate one guest per participant at some meals (most commonly at dinner, and particularly with advance notice so we can include them in reservations), though the guest or hosting participant would be responsible for arranging to pay separately for the guest’s meals and drinks.  Participants wishing to dine with larger numbers of non-participant friends or family should plan to do so apart from the group, which may simply mean at the next table.

In the Field: Non-participant guests are also welcome to be present at field locations (except in circumstances of access requiring special permits, restricted capacity, the services of a guide, special group transportation, etc.). Note that we don’t say that non-participants are welcome to join our field sessions per se, but if we are visiting a public place, they are welcome to be there at the same time.

That said, we do have a few guidelines that we ask are followed out of courtesy to the other participants:

1. We prefer that participants who bring a non-participant guest into the field with them either drive their own vehicle or make absolutely certain that the guest is present and ready to leave the field location when it is time for the group to depart. Non-participant guests are expected to make every effort to avoid impacting the group’s itinerary and movements. Transport of non-participant guests in vehicles provided by Visionary Wild may not be possible, should not be expected, and is at our sole discretion.
2. We expect any non-participant guests joining us in the field to make a deliberate effort to avoid imposing on the group, getting in their way, scaring off wildlife, disturbing natural features of the landscape, etc. In other words, we expect the guest to show courtesy and respect the fact that they are in the presence of a group of people who have come there to focus on serious photography.
3. We expect that non-participant guests will make every effort to avoid the appearance (or reality) that they are participating in the workshop. Non-participants might find it interesting to stand by and listen to the instructors giving demonstrations or advice in the field, but doing so on anything more than a very limited and incidental basis can be disruptive and upsetting to the actual participants.
4. We are not able to extend an invitation for non-participant guests to join us during lectures, critiques, or other private workshop activities.

Note regarding participants with special needs: Special accommodations can typically be made for participants who require a non-participant personal assistant due to disability or other factors beyond their control, though all costs associated with the assistant’s presence are the responsibility of the participant in question. Please contact us to discuss arrangements prior to booking.

That’s about it. In a perfect world, we would prefer not to have to set rules, but experience has taught us that it is best to do so for the benefit of the overall group workshop experience.

Our cancellation and refund policy is outlined in the Terms and Conditions of participation.

Visionary Wild workshops and expeditions are typically packaged inclusive of single-occupancy lodging, all meals, and all beverages, including wine and beer at dinner. Many include transportation during the session. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect: Click “more” tab at below right to read on…

Lodging: The accommodations we select are chosen to best serve the goals of the program in question. In some cases, this could mean a world-class luxury resort that provides exclusive access to a location. In others, it could mean a well-located and beautifully renovated historic hacienda or chateau featuring modern amenities. When overnighting in wilderness areas, we camp out under the stars. It all depends on the scenario that best facilitates the photography we have come to do and the format of the experience. Most of our programs feature accommodation in highly regarded lodges or hotels (typically ranging from two-star to as high a five-star), selected for their high standard of customer service, comfort, and responsiveness to our particular needs.

Since a majority of our participants prefer single-occupancy lodging, our programs are generally packaged and priced that way by default (though prorated fees for double occupancy are usually available). This is in contrast to most of our competitors, who generally do not include lodging or list a price based on double occupancy that requires payment of a single supplement.

Meals: We feel that group meals are a critical part of the experience, and as with all that we do, we take good care of our clients in this respect. Meal times and formats are subject to the particulars of each workshop or expedition, but we always provide breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Depending on our photographic goals and what the itinerary permits, we will either offer a sit down breakfast or continental breakfast on the go. Lunches are typically catered by local delis or similar eateries, and dinners are usually fine dining at high-quality restaurants and bistros.

Beverages: We do our best to keep our clients well hydrated both for their health and comfort, but also to to keep their energy levels up and minds sharp. At our nature photography workshops, we typically have a support vehicle carrying water, juice, and soda into the field. Arrangements are made to keep classrooms stocked with coffee, juices, iced water, and soft drinks. Beverages are of course included at all meals, and at dinners, beer and wine are on us.

Transportation: Some Workshops and all Expeditions are packaged inclusive of transportation during the session itself, beginning at an initial meeting point in the area. Please see each program’s webpage for details.

Visionary Wild offers four types of experiences as part of our scheduled program: Creative Core, Advanced, and Vision Workshops, and Expeditions. Each is designed with specific goals and expectations of participants. Our workshop descriptions provide some detail about topics to be covered and recommended level of experience. Of course, since no one is issuing black-belts in photography, “level” is subjective and hard to define. If you have any questions at all about whether you will feel at home in a given workshop, please let us know. We are more than happy to chat with you and to help match you to the experience that will be most personally rewarding.

Creative Core Workshops (two instructors, 10–12 participants)

These four or five-day programs deal heavily with composition, working with different qualities of light, exposure control, essential gear and creative tools, fundamentals of digital workflow, and introduction to digital exposure blending and stitching. It’s an intense schedule of photography in the field followed by projected lectures, constructive group critiques, and discussion. These are outdoor photography workshops, and the emphasis of any individual participants’ work is up to them, whether they wish to focus on landscape, macro, wildlife, abstraction, color, black and white, HDR, panoramics, multiple exposures, or all of the above. Any enthusiastic photographer will feel right at home in a Creative Core workshop. In our experience, most participants at this level are solid intermediates with a couple relative beginners and a few rather advanced photographers thrown in the mix. We have over two decades of experience successfully accommodating a range of experience levels.

Very often, we are amazed by the way in which the beginners teach the advanced students a thing or two about unrestrained creative openness and serendipity, while the expertise of the more advanced students can be a welcome resource for the rest of the class. We supply materials in advance of the session to get newcomers up to speed with basics having to do with digital camera set-up and techniques, essential equipment recommendations, and other guidelines to ensure that everyone is ready to make the most of the experience.

Advanced Workshops (two instructors, up to 10 participants)

Our Advanced workshops offer the next step for those who feel they are photographing competently, with a good grasp on the technical fundamentals of digital cameras, exposure, essential tools, and a functioning digital workflow, and who are ready to focus on more specialized areas of study. These might include visual storytelling, developing personal style, advanced digital techniques, dedicated wildlife photography, fine digital printing, shooting for conservation campaigns, targeting a participant’s work to specific markets, or intensive fieldwork with a planned outcome, such as an exhibit or book.

Vision Workshops (three instructors, up to 10 participants)

These intensive, small-group, four-day workshops with Jack Dykinga, John Shaw, and Justin Black feature a dual focus, first on field work aimed specifically at developing your vision to a higher plane of creativity to find unexpected and overlooked compositions and, second, on mastering a smart, logical, and comprehensive digital workflow from RAW image capture in the field to a final master file ready for output as a fine print. Vision workshops are open to photographers who are competent with the essentials of composition and exposure control, very comfortable with their equipment, and familiar with a basic digital workflow.

Expeditions (typically two or three instructors, 4–10 participants*)

Expeditions are about photography with a purpose. From one to three weeks in duration, usually international, they feature an emphasis on field work in optimal conditions. In addition in guidance and instruction in the field and during critique sessions, we offer direction to those who are interested in finding outlets for their work to photograph with particular applications in mind. These may include gallery exhibition, magazine or book publication, conservation campaigns, a blog, etc. Participants are expected to be comfortable with the fundamentals of photography, their equipment, and basic digital workflow. To ensure that instruction can be maintained at a high level throughout, Expeditions are for intermediate to advanced photographers, and their companions.

* Most groups number 4 to 10 participants, though some expedition models may accommodate a larger group well, always with a generous supply of instructors relative to the group size.

Drawn from among the very best and most experienced photographers working today, all of our instructors are proven professionals who have earned the respect off their piers with bona fide career tracks that include diverse and extensive assignment, publication, and exhibition histories. Each has been selected for his or her excellence as a teacher and expedition leader, gregarious nature and professionalism, and generosity and attentiveness as a mentor. All Visionary Wild instructors have been vetted by respected picture professionals, such as editorial photo editors, gallery curators, book publishers, art directors, conservation communicators, etc. We have found that this thorough vetting yields an authentic professional who has a meaningful understanding of what it takes to produce strong photographs on demand that deliver on high expectations and move beyond predictable clichés to reveal the photographer’s own unique and personal vision.  Each one of them is simply a good-natured, responsible person, and a pleasure to spend time with. Each has certain specialties and strengths in particular, of course, some of which may be gleaned from their biographies and portfolios. If you would like personalized guidance in choosing an instructor, we encourage you to contact us to discuss matching you to a photographer who will best suit your personal goals.

Yes, we supply a list of required equipment and recommended equipment for every workshop and expedition.

Lenses are at the discretion of the photographer. However, here are some general guidelines for different types of photography. The lens focal lengths mentioned below assume a 35mm format as found in “full-frame” digital SLRs. You may need to refer to your camera’s manual for the conversion multiplier. Also, some of the specialty optics described below are very expensive and may only be useful to you for specific trips or projects. When you have short term need for specialty lenses, we recommend renting. Lensrentals.com provides a discount to Visionary Wild clients and offers a vast selection of lenses and cameras of various makes.

Landscape: 20mm to 200mm. We could shoot landscapes happily forever with nothing more than that (even 24mm to 135mm does a splendid job most of the time), but wider and longer is fine. Perspective control (tilt-shift) lenses like those from Nikon and Canon are excellent for landscape work, so long as they help you find solutions to make the images you want, rather than imposing unnecessary complexity into the process – this is personally subjective.

Macro: Longer is commonly better in the macro world. If you have a 180mm or 200mm macro, use it. Otherwise a 105mm macro, or 70-200 zoom with extension tubes or a quality accessory close up lens will do the trick.

Wildlife: For serious wildlife photography, a versatile and super-sharp solution are the 200-400mm f/4 zooms from Nikon and Canon. Add a teleconverter (in the case of the Nikon; on the Canon it is built in) and/or a “crop-format” camera to extend the range for smaller, shyer species, and this lens becomes incredibly versatile. Otherwise, a 500mm f/4 is a good compromise of focal length, size, weight, and speed. 600mm f/4 lenses are beasts that are difficult to carry and travel with, but they serve their purpose in the right situation.

Those seeking a more compact, lighter weight long-lens solution are spoiled for choice. Nikon’s 80-400m and 200-500mm f/5.6 zooms are very popular, as are the Canon and Sony 100-400mm lenses, Fujifilm’s XF 100-400mm (the equivalent of a 150-600mm on their X-Series cameras), and 150-600mm lenses from Sigma and Tamron.  Of course, if you can find clever ways to make intimate, close-up photographs of truly wild animals (without stressing them) using lenses in the wide to short telephoto range, you are entering the realm of the very best wildlife photographers.

Cultural documentary (AKA travel and people): 20mm to 200mm. Keep your kit relatively lightweight, simple, and compact, and leave the big glass at home. Get close with your feet, not with your longest lens. As one of our instructors says, “At least keep it under 200mm!” Image stabilized lenses (or cameras with in-body stabilization) are great, as tripods are often less practical in this type of work.

Filters: In the film days, we carried lots of filters to control color casts, black and white film contrast, extreme variations in brightness in a composition, etc. With digital cameras, the only filter that could be considered a necessity across photographic genres is the circular polarizer. Unlike virtually any other filter, the effect can’t quite be replicated in digital cameras or in the computer. Graduated neutral-density filters can still be useful to control areas of different brightness in some situations, as are standard neutral density filters that cut back light universally, forcing longer exposures or allowing the use of wide-open apertures in bright light. When selecting screw-in filters we recommend getting the size that matches the largest diameter among your lenses, and using step-up rings to adapt the filter to the others.

At the end of the day, keep in mind that lenses and filters are only tools to help you achieve your vision. They don’t make photographs – photographers do. As always, please feel free to contact us with questions.

The simple answer is that we recommend the camera that you are comfortable working with and that will help you to achieve your photographic goals. For most of the photographers we work with these days this means a digital SLR or interchangeable lens mirrorless camera, simply because these offer the most flexibility and creative control for your photography. Compared to compact digital cameras, they tend to offer the best image quality, the best low light performance, and the greatest range of lenses and accessories, which is useful if you wish to pursue a range of genre from wide-angle landscape to life-size macro to wildlife action with long telephotos.

That said, we have seen some more advanced students use digital point-and-shoot cameras and even smart phones to stunningly good effect. We do recommend using a camera that can at least be made to shoot in RAW mode, but you may use whatever camera you prefer.

Film cameras are absolutely welcome at Visionary Wild workshops. If you are a large format landscape photographer or enjoy shooting Tri-X with your old Nikon, we will happily share our decades of film photography expertise with you. We do not arrange for film processing during workshops, however, so film users will only be able to participate in critique sessions if they bring a portfolio of digital image files or a box of prints.

Please feel free to contact us about the specifics of your gear situation and suitability for the session you are interested in joining.

11Yes. Unless you will be using film cameras exclusively during the workshop (which is fine, by the way), you will need a laptop computer with software suitable to download, edit, and adjust images. We recommend Adobe Lightroom, but Apple Aperture or some combination of Photo Mechanic or Adobe Bridge, and a recent version of Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements will do the trick. Make sure you’ve updated whatever software you will use to convert RAW image files to ensure that it will work with your camera (especially if you are using a camera that you aren’t yet familiar with).

NIK Software plugins are excellent resources and fun to play with too. You may find that they become an essential solution for certain technical challenges and aesthetic preferences.

Make sure you bring your charger with wall plug and a card reader appropriate for the type of memor0y cards used by your camera. A USB flash drive can be helpful in a workshop context as well. External portable hard drives (primary plus backup) are a really good idea.

We supply a list of equipment recommendations for every session, but please feel free to contact us with any lingering questions.

Yes, recommended, but not required.  Every participant will be supplied with a recommended reading list prior to each workshop, and the list will include selections targeted to the focus of the workshop. We even provide, in advance and as part of the package, reading materials that we consider particularly useful for a given session.

For each workshop or expedition, we provide guidelines for what you’ll need in terms of apparel, footwear, outerwear, and the like. In general, however, we like to dress in relatively lightweight layers that compress and pack compactly – cotton when it’s hot and dry, a mix of synthetics and cotton when it’s hot and wet, and synthetics or wool when it’s cold and wet. Of course, this is subjective and a matter of personal preference to some degree. We always recommend sunglasses, and hats for warmth and/or shade.  Warm, windproof gloves for chilly mornings, a bandana or “Buff” for wind in sandy areas, but don’t overdo it unless you are driving to the workshop. You’ll need the baggage space for your photo gear. The key thing is to think twice before packing anything.

In general, footwear should be suitable to provide support and good footing on rugged, uneven terrain. Depending on your personal foot and ankle support needs and the predominant weather conditions we’ll face, this could mean lightweight trail running shoes, rock climber’s “approach” shoes (Salewa and Five-Ten make great ones), lightweight waterproof hiking boots, or more heavy-duty hiking boots (the latter most likely only if you require significant ankle support). In some cases, sport sandals or Keens may be the way to go. Please feel free to contact us if you are uncertain how to pack.

Yes. Most workshops and expeditions will involve at least some short hikes ranging from up to half a mile to two miles round trip, and on occasion these may involve fairly steep or rugged sections. You’ll want to be comfortable carrying your photo gear on trail and working on rugged terrain. Ship-based trips typically involve wet landings from Zodiacs onto beaches or rocky shorelines. Some more advanced sessions may involve longer hikes, horseback riding, high elevations, etc., which will be addressed in the description for the workshop in question. If you have any fitness or health concerns, please feel free to contact us to discuss whether you’ll be comfortable participating in a particular experience.

Absolutely! We would be happy to have a chat about your goals and provide some suggestions.

Yes! We have a great deal of experience organizing special one-on-one training, custom workshops, and expeditions. Whether it’s private guiding to make the most of photographic opportunities at exciting locations around the world, working in the field to refine specialized techniques and vision, hands-on training in Photoshop and digital workflow skills, or a workshop for a select group of friends with personalized set of instructors, we can and will put together an excellent program for you. The photographers we collaborate with are exceedingly well-traveled, so when you desire a private professional guide (or two) for your dream trip, we can accommodate you. Please contact us to discuss details.