Do you mind sharing where in Spain you will be going. I live in Spain and would love to see them and photograph them
Workshop or Tour Costs
- Thread starter Juliette
- Start date
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Santa Clara Ranch is wonderful. Been there several times. If you are going with Hector Astorga you will get some amazing images. This is a certainty.
Rene
Active member
Fleming as I am facilitating a number of Lynx trips in Spain this year (non profit for 14 photographers over a 3 week period) I can help you to get in touch with the operator whether you want to go solo or with others to one of the best locations in Spain for Lynx. I have sent you a private message so I can give you all details. There is also info about non profit trips on my website to other locations in Spain and Norway.
www.naturepics.co.uk
MikeInMI
Active member
I've also been doing BIF for a bit over 2 years and been on workshops. Seems a bit pricey to me. Mark Smith has a similar workshop for $400/day. (link below). I would also suggest dvwildlife.com near Gainesville, FL, for $200 for a morning (I'm signed up for that one on 1/31 and heard good things about it). You need to understand if you want mostly a tour that gets you to the locations for the opportunity, or mostly a workshop with a lot of instruction.
Fort DeSoto Park near St. Petersburg is a good spot early in the morning for shorebirds, and In Venice, FL, there is an Audubon Rookery that can provide some good opportunities.
And here is a great book about all of the top birding spots in FL. https://www.amazon.com/Florida-Bird...LxhhQDvr7eqdRDClUXH1GfQ31yNqoPvEaAq4vEALw_wcB
Here is the workshop:
Fort DeSoto Park near St. Petersburg is a good spot early in the morning for shorebirds, and In Venice, FL, there is an Audubon Rookery that can provide some good opportunities.
And here is a great book about all of the top birding spots in FL. https://www.amazon.com/Florida-Bird...LxhhQDvr7eqdRDClUXH1GfQ31yNqoPvEaAq4vEALw_wcB
Here is the workshop:
Replytoken
Well-known member
To take it a step further. If time permits after watching some good videos, I would practice at home with birds and squirrels (or some similar subjects), if only to see where you are finding challenges. This will allow you to work with an instructor on these issues at the start of your workshop rather than at the end of your workshop when you would have realized they are a challenge. Practice, whether successful or not, is always helpful.
Good luck,
--Ken
ricardo00
Well-known member
Videos on photographing wildlife are great but, IMO, nothing can compare to a great tour leader when out in the field. I have had several and they are worth the money (they aren't even always the most expensive choice). On the other hand, a poor tour leader can make a trip a waste of money. I have been quite surprised that sometimes these people are extremely popular and have lots of followers (ie. their tours are usually sold out). And when talking to people on such a tour (yep I have had the misfortune of being on such tours), they really don't seem to have a clue on what a good or great tour leader can add to a trip. So obtaining info from others is not foolproof, at least in my experience. Or some people have very different expectations than I do?
TurtleCat
Well-known member
Indeed! That’s who is leading it. It’s limited to 5 people I think for the whole ranch. I’m really looking forward to it. Been trying to practice to make sure I have muscle memory built up.
O
Well-known member
May i ask what is it you are particularly wanting or expecting out of workshops ?
Juliette
Active member
Thank you Daniel. I'm in Atlanta too. I will definitely check out your talk. Thank you!
Juliette
Active member
Thank you all so much! I honestly didn't expect to get so much valuable feedback. I know there's some dissension on the topic but you guys are a plethora of information!
I have decided that because of time constraints on this upcoming trip, this might be a good case for delving more into Steve's videos and literature first. If I feel like I need someone to make things easier for me while I am there, you all have give me two or three people to contact. Thank you again!
I have decided that because of time constraints on this upcoming trip, this might be a good case for delving more into Steve's videos and literature first. If I feel like I need someone to make things easier for me while I am there, you all have give me two or three people to contact. Thank you again!
Sierra de Andujar. I was there with my brother in September 2010 when the lynx population was at its lowest, yet we managed to see one at very close range. It walked by our car as it was coming across the bridge by the dam. However, it was still dark out so I could not get a good photo (just a blurry shot by flashlight - or torch as they say in Europe).
This time I am going back and hiring Jose from: https://iberianlynxland.com/
He recommends hiring for three days but I only have time and money for two days (though I will be staying at a small lodge in the area for three nights). My trip is in two months and I plan on posting a report with photos when I return. He says they have 90% success rate, but that may be if you commit to three days?
I went last November with two friends photographers to Tanzania. We contacted à compagnie and we told them where we wanted to go and how long we wanted to stay in each location. They organized our private 10 days safari for us. the cost was 3260 $ per person. We arrived to Arusha three days prior to the start of our safari. Our guide driver picked up from the airport and took us to our apartment hotel that we booked for the three days, spent the three days with us driving us around and visiting some interesting things in Arusha and we did not have to pay any extra money for the three days. Our safari compagny told us not to worry about that and happy to offere it to us. Our 10 days safari were amazing. Ombeni, our driver, knew everything about the need of a photographer. He would position the car at an angle and in a way to be able to take clear shots of our subjects. He tried hard to find good action for us. We wanted to spent as much time in the field as we can. We use to leave the camp around 5 :30 in the morning and get back around 7:30 in the evening. People at the camp accommodated all our needs, from having our diner late with our food restrictions, to our delicious breakfast and lunch boxes. Everything was organized perfectly.
When I looked at the price of safari to Tanzania with photographers, they ask in the tenth thousands dollars for less than seven days safari with only 4 or 5 days in the field for a group of 8 or 10 people. I know that the leader will give some coaching. It is still to much to pay.
We decided, me and my two friends that we will do it every year with the same drivers.
I do my research, I find my destination an I like to discover myself the area and what it offers. Most of the time I photograph alone with my husband sitting close and reading his book, or with a friend photographer that we share our knowledge and experience
Lina
Where? New York or Florida?
And as far as taking a "tour" (shoot) goes, the most important advice I give myself before I go is to shoot a lot with the camera(s) I'm going to use. Especially if it has been a while since I've used it.
I've also been on a tour where some of the others there didn't know their camera at all, nor the fundamentals of such as the exposure triangle. That wasn't a good day!
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Yep, when I was with Wayne on the Osprey Lake in Floridawith Dick, I remarked it would be the third day before I would be a competent BIF photographer because I hadn't shot BIF in quite a while. true to form all my good photos were the last two days.
Tom
I just found this, If you are Nikon or OM shooter
Bird Photography in Florida wtih Nikon & OM System cameras
Bird Photography in Florida I will be offering instruction for Nikon and Olympus (OM System) users…
events.eventzilla.net
I've been doing photo tours with professional photo leaders for quite a while. I've noticed that the expense of one has dramatically increased in the last few years. Here's the deal. The demand is high and the supply is low. You don't need an economics degree to figure this out. Apparently there are plenty of photographers with plenty of cash. The demand has pretty much elevated the cost of these out of my financial ability. I still do 1 or 2/yr here in Texas, but it's a real financial burden. I've become friends with several tour leaders in Texas and I can tell you that I've had no bad experiences with any of them and would recommend each one without reservation.
Tom, I certainly wasn't referring to you when I mentioned camera operation. In fact, I remember having more issues with not knowing my gear and operating it than you did.
Ha, didn't think you were referring to me, but you post is accurate about me. In fact, I am writing a cheat sheet for Ginnie so she can possibly remember how to adjust the OM-1/100-400 to maximum effectiveness.
And, it is not just the camera settings. Shooting BIF you need to remember how to follow them in the air, how to anticipate when they dive for a fish and how to zoom while following them.
For me, three days minimum.
Tom
I nearly fell of my bed seeing the prices quoted - yes I think some of the prices are hugely inflated but then if you earn US$ that is different to earning South African Rand. I looked at going on a workshop with Gavin Hardcastle in September in Canada - not for the "instruction" part but more for the guiding - to get to nice places and I am sure he knows where those are! I simply cant pay 2 months salary for 3 days that excludes accommodation, transport, food drink. If you can afford it - go for it. Enjoy every minute and make nice memories. I simply am not in that league.
For bird photography - setting up (as per Steve's books) is crucial - watch some videos of Steve's and others - and go practice. Sometimes its more the opportunity and place to go shoot that is the problem than knowing how to do it
For bird photography - setting up (as per Steve's books) is crucial - watch some videos of Steve's and others - and go practice. Sometimes its more the opportunity and place to go shoot that is the problem than knowing how to do it
And made all the more challenging by the movement of the boat!
The dream workshop for many is an African safari. This video really puts things in perspective. A single night in a luxury lodge in Serengeti costs almost exactly the same as the annual salary of the people who live in the country in which Serengeti is located (Tanzania).
ricardo00
Well-known member
Okay, not sure there is much in this Youtube video other than what one gets from the title. I stopped watching about midway when he started talking about hunting in Africa (IMO, never justifiable). I really wish he had done a better job of delving into the economics of eco tourism. Unfortunately, this is not unique to Tanzania or Africa, it is also true in India, South America, etc. For some reason the number of expensive lodges ($1,000 or more per night) has proliferated, often in the most wildlife centric and scenic areas in the world. Part of the reason may be the cost of building (especially a facility that blends into the environment) in these fragile areas? But there definitely is a portion that goes to the local community. And guides in many of these areas are the highest paid workers in these areas (they go for advanced schooling to become a guide). In the case of the Serengeti, part of the fees go to enforcement of non-poaching armed surveillance. And the battle over land for farming etc versus wildlife can be swayed by the presence of the eco tourists spending money in the region. So it isn't clear to me how to balance out all these variables. Diane Fossey (who worked with the mountain gorillas in Rwanda for many years before being killed by poachers) started out against having tourists visit the mountain gorillas but realized that having the tourists visit them was the only way to save them. She then taught many of the guides that take tourists to see them and much of the fee to visit them goes to armed guards to protect them, doctors that take care of them as well as the local community. So not a simple answer to this question.