IainD
Well-known member
Matt Shetzer in Colorado is excellent. I have had three perfect trips with him. Haines for eagles, Lake Clark for bears and Costa Rica for hummingbirds. I recommend him very highly.
Guided Wildlife photography Vacation suggestions?
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Hey Doug! I live in N TX and hadn't heard of them so thank you for the link. I am curious did you do the Galveston migration? I didn't see any others that are in TX. I just spent a day at Laguna Seca Ranch and was mind blown by the amount of next level images I came back with in just a day. For $280 plus tip it was worth a lot more than that. I was also spoiled that there wasn't supposed to be anyone shooting the ranch this last weekend but with a scheduling issue the owner opened it up for just me and him. It was really awesome!Just finished a trip to the Texas hill country with these folks and I am extremely satisfied with all aspects of the trip:
Bird & Wildlife Photography Tours | Trogon Photo Tours
Join our photography tours and capture stunning images of birds and wildlife. Experience the thrill of small group photography tours in the USA and the world.www.trogontours.net
Are guided photography trips Ike Pangolin more geared towards established professional photographers or any skill level? I am improving but new and still working out things like low light ISO settings to limit noise.
ricardo00
Well-known member
I have not gone with Pangolin but have done many guided tours. They are not for "professional photographers" (they do their own trips) but are for people exactly like you. On Pangolin's website they even state: "At Pangolin Photo Safaris we pride ourselves on catering for wildlife photographers of all levels of experience and ability". You will find that on some trips there are more experienced people as well as less experienced people with all levels of gear. A good guide can help out all the participants no matter what their level of expertise (to be honest, I have had some terrific guides but others have left a lot to be desired).
I'm glad to hear this as I've signed on to go to Lake Clark for bears with him in August this year.
I didn’t do the Galveston trip but my friend did and had a great experience. The hill country trip isn’t currently listed on the Trogon site but if you email Nate I’m sure he will give you the info for 2023. Glad to be of help!
IainD
Well-known member
I cannot recommend him highly enough. I would be seeing a lot more of him except for a certain nasty virus. He is great.
What kind of subjects and locations did you shoot in the hill country? Hill country tends to be around Austin but is a rather broad area.
Fredericksburg, Bracketville and Uvalde. The Thiele Ranch, Transition Ranch and La Lomita Ranch. Orchard, Bullock’s and Hooded Orioles, Green Jay, Pyrrhuloxia, Scrub Jay, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Hermit Thrush, Long-billed Thrasher, Black Crested Chickadee, Field Sparrow, Painted Bunting, Black-throated Sparrow, Cardinals, Rio Grande Turkey, House Finch, Lazuli Bunting, Spotted Towhee,Summer Tanager, Ladder-backed Woodpecker and Yellow-breasted Chat. I was more than pleased with the variety as my previous hill country trips were pretty uneventful.
WOW that sounds amazing!!!
Yes, I highly recommend it. The best part is that the guides are there to help you and not add to their portfolios. Also, Trogon’s prices are about 30-50% less than many other offerings I have seen.
I have become a lot less active since getting my total hip replacement, I better try and get back to my pickleball tournament endurance before trying a guided photography trip I imagine.
I assume most of these companies doing photography packages do not include daily hotel and food?
ricardo00
Well-known member
It varies according to the trip. Some do and some don't.
Most of the Trogon Tours include lodging but not meals.
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IainD
Well-known member
Matt Shetzer has all food and accommodation included.
Remember that when you go can be as important, if not more so, than where you go.
Like anything else, there are some excellent workshops, and some not so good. I've been on both kinds. Road Scholar (https://www.roadscholar.org/find-an-adventure?query=Photography) used to have several very good photo workshops at very affordable prices (one in particular, in Chincoteague, VA), but the pandemic shut some of those down. If you were to be interested in the one to Costa Rica, make sure your guide is Eric Guzman - a phenomenal naturalist. I've also had good luck with Backcountry Journeys (https://pages.backcountryjourneys.com/home), which has a number of excellent photo workshops to terrific destinations, and their guides are very knowledgeable, and very nice people. Another good organization is Yellowstone Forever, if you're interested in that part of the world - they have a number of "field seminars" that are run by professional wildlife photographers. Josh Merrill and Dusty Doddridge (https://joshmerrillphotography.com/) also work together on mostly landscape workshops, and do a good job. And don't forget our very own Steve Perry - he's an amazing educator and wildlife photographer, although I've not yet had the opportunity to take one of his workshops (I was enrolled to go to Botswana, then the pandemic hit
).I've generally found that it's best to find quality organizations, and stick with them to ensure the best experiences. Typically, I'll take a workshop if the area is unfamiliar, then return on my own at a later time, once I'm oriented.
Good luck!
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How “in shape” should you be to do such trips? I had a total hip replacement a few years ago, but until COVID I used to do several pickleball tournaments every year, but now other than local wildlife photography I have become pretty sedentary.
ricardo00
Well-known member
Each trip is different. The best way is to talk to the leader of a trip you are interested in (I know old school). In fact, I often find that talking to the person running a trip is the best way to gage whether I want to do a trip by trying to assess the personality of the individual running the trip, how organized they are, etc. I have decided at times not to do a trip if the person is just not available and has others (ie. an office assistant) who haven't even done the trip try to answer your question. There were a few times I haven't listened to this warning and regretted it.
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Having been to both South Padre Island and Laguna Seca Ranch on a guided trip, I am returning to Laguna Seca in early February and may return to South Padre Island without a guide.
In the case of Laguna Seca Ranch, I was able to make a direct reservation for two in February, the winter season. I was there in May which was the summer season this year and plan to also book a migration season later. I fly Southwest so I flew into HRL. I will do the same for my February trip. Fly Monday, take Tuesday to acclimate to the time change, shoot at the ranch Wed-Thurs-Fri and fly home Saturday. I took 12K pictures in 3 days at the ranch.
For South Padre Island, you need to be there for the migration season. I was a good month late in early May this year. Still, I had lots of good opportunities at the SPI Birding Center and the Conference Center boardwalks. In my case I will fly into HRL and stay on SPI.
In the case of Laguna Seca Ranch, I was able to make a direct reservation for two in February, the winter season. I was there in May which was the summer season this year and plan to also book a migration season later. I fly Southwest so I flew into HRL. I will do the same for my February trip. Fly Monday, take Tuesday to acclimate to the time change, shoot at the ranch Wed-Thurs-Fri and fly home Saturday. I took 12K pictures in 3 days at the ranch.
For South Padre Island, you need to be there for the migration season. I was a good month late in early May this year. Still, I had lots of good opportunities at the SPI Birding Center and the Conference Center boardwalks. In my case I will fly into HRL and stay on SPI.
Think the first thing is to decide if you want a trip (location and the tour leader takes to to great locations, but gives minimal instruction) or a workshop ( lots more instruction). Then cost, time, etc. Without a passport, Yellowstone in winter is a possibility as is Alaska for birds, bears and more - but probably not at winter. Then there are some great bird trips and workshops. Then there are trips and workshops for not just nature but also landscapes and night sky photography.