My trip to NYC has been canceled

For those who are registered for either my Calumet or B&H talks on the 26th and 27th in NYC, I won't be able to make it to NYC for these talks. My mother has been battling cancer for more than 7 months now, and we are gathering the family to say goodbye to her. I apologize if this is an inconvenience, however I trust that you understand why I won't be able to make it.

The Calumet event is so a 'go', and my friend Andrew Darlow will be filling in for me. The B&H event has been canceled and we will hopefully reschedule it for another time later in the year.

Thank you for understanding. It is a very difficult time for the family right now, and home is where I need and want to be.

**Update Jan 24. Thank you for all of your private emails and prayers. My mother passed away this morning, and is now in heaven with her Lord. Please pray for peace for my father, as the coming days and months are going to be very difficult.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year disqualified

The winner of the 2009 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition has been disqualified. Why? The competition organizers have learned that the winning image was a trained wolf and not a wolf in the wild. This is a major deal, and one that tarnishes the reputation of all wildlife photographers. It really frustrates me to see captive wildlife being photographed for competitions, and José Luis Rodríguez should be ashamed of himself for the deceipt.

There is a great writeup about the background of why the wining image was believed to be under suspect circumstances. Here is a link.

Read this article on the subject at BBC News.

Andy Rouse, a wonderful wildlife photographer in his own right, has some very pointed comments here

As you may recall, I have had two winning images in the past few years in the competition. In 2008 I won the Landscape category with my aerial image of the Skeleton Coast off of the Namibian cost of Africa. The recent events really ticks me off, and I hope the photographer goes and crawls into a hole and never comes out. It puts all of us hardworking photographers that have morals into a position where we have to defend our images as people may suspect that they were taken in circumastances that are not so honorable.

Really pisses me off. Way to go, 'winner'. You need a kick in the ass. Big time.

Upcoming lectures at Calumet

I have a couple of events coming up at two different Calumet locations. Here are the two events below. Both of the events have fees that Calumet is charging, however I understand these fees are to guarantee that people that have registered will attend. I absolutely love doing these kinds of events, and I hope that if you live in either NYC or in the San Francisco bay area that you will come out and say hello. Oh, and listen to me blab on about digital printing. I spend a ton of time on digital workflow and inkjet output, and hopefully it is something that you are interested in as well.

Digital Printing A-Z presented by Andy Biggs and Moab Paper

Topics covered: ICC Profiles, demystifying color management (dos and don’ts), how to choose inkjet papers, types of printers and building the ideal digital print studio.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Calumet New York

22 W. 22nd Street

Fine Art Printing Workshop with Andy Biggs and Moab Paper

Topics covered: ICC Profiles, demystifying color management (dos and don’ts), how to choose inkjet papers, types of printers and building the ideal digital print studio. Includes Moab sample pack ($25 value).

Saturday, February 6, 2010 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Calumet San Francisco

2001 Bryant Street

Update on Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 08:38PM by Andy Biggs

Update: I will not be able to attend my NYC talk on Tuesday, as my mother is extremely sick and is not expected to live much longer. I need to be with my family during this time, and my friend Andrew Darlow will be filling in for me.

Namibia Workshop announcement

Namibia Photographic Safari

September 20-30, 2010

 

In September 2010 John Paul Caponigro will lead a private group of photographers into Namibia's untamed wilderness areas. The goal of this safari is to photograph the breathtaking desert landscapes of Namibia. This will be a flying safari and we will maximize the time out on safari by flying from location to location. This will enable us to carry an adequate amount of camera baggage, do some aerial photography of scenic locations, and eliminate time-consuming, long drives. This will be a serious instructional safari with a strong focus on teaching in the field.

Safari Highlights

• This private flying safari covers fascinating attractions in Namibia, while enjoying much of the stunning landscapes from the air.
• We will fly to three amazing destinations in central and northern Namibia: Kolmanskop, The Namib Desert / Sossusvlei, and the incredible Skeleton Coast.
• Kolmanskop is a famous ex-diamond mining ghost town which today is fighting a losing battle against the winds and sand dunes that are enveloping it... the photography here is striking and we will make two separate visits to the ghost town to make images. Truly a photographer's dream location.
• The Namib Desert may well be the world's oldest desert. The apricot-colored dunes at Sossusvlei are some of the most beautiful landscapes on earth. Herds of mountain zebra, gemsbok and springbok roam the area.
• The Skeleton Coast is one of our planet's most remote locations. It is wild, desolate, uninhabited and stunningly beautiful. This is a place the will rival anything in Africa for those who enjoy the excitement of wild and remote places.
• In all the areas we visit, you will have the opportunity to spend quality photographic time.
• Personalized instruction with John Paul throughout the safari.
• Safari is limited to 11 participants.

For more detailed information on this workshop, click here. If you are interested in this exciting safari, please email me at info@andybiggs.com.

Here are some images from the locations that will be visited:

Kolmanskop deserted diamond mining town

Namib desert from our private charter plane

The dead trees at Deadvlei (Sossusvlei)

The towering dunes of Sossusvlei

Driving over and through the dunes at Skeleton Coast N.P.

Running down the dunes at Skeleton Coat N.P.

B&H Lecture on January 27, 11am-1pm (Canceled)

Update on Jan 21: I will not be able to make it to NYC for my talk, because my mother is in the final battle with her cancer. She is not expected to be with us much longer, and I made the decision to cancel my talk at B&H on the 27th. I apologize for the inconvenience, however I need and want to be with my family right now. Thank you for understanding.

My friends at B&H have invited me again to do a talk on January 27 from 11am - 1pm. The title of my talk will be "A Year in the Life of an African Wildlife Photographer", and we are going to have a blast going through some of the places I have photographed, the experiences I have accumulated and also talk through some of the photographs I came away with. From the B&H web site:

Come and share two hours with renowned African wildlife photographer and workshop instructor Andy Biggs. Andy will share a typical year in his life as a wildlife photographer by discussing the myriad safari locations he travels to in Africa. From the wide open savannah of the Serengeti in Tanzania to the seasonal waters of the Okavango Delta in Botswana, Andy will tell you how he travels from jet planes to bush planes and helicopters to Land Rovers. Receive practical advice about how to photograph wildlife and discover how Andy travels internationally to hard-to-reach locations. Andy will share his award winning photographs, along with the stories behind each image, and what equipment he used to create beautiful images.

You have to register for this event, and it may fill up very quickly as B&H is already marketing it. Here is the link:

A Year in the Life of an African Wildlife Photographer

My 2010 and 2011 schedule

I started jotting down my 2010 and 2011 schedule for my workshops and other travel obligations, and the next 2 years are going to be atrociously exciting. Here is a quick summary:

February 25 - March 9, 2010 = Tanzania photo safari (sold out)

March 6 - 19, 2010 = Tanzania photo safari (a few spots left)

April 28 - May 2, 2010 = Arches and Canyonlands workshop (spots available, but not many)

May 15-23, 2010 = Galapagos islands workshop (sold out)

July 21-August 1, 2010 = Botswana photo safari (sold out)

August 3-12, 2010 = African Wildlife Photography Boot Camp (sold out)

October 2011 = private trip to Ethiopia (tentative)

February 20 - March 4, 2011 = Tanzania photo safari (open for booking. Please inquire)

July 4-12, 2011 = Botswana photo safari (open for booking. Details will be posted shortly)

July 12-21, 2011 = Botswana photo safari (open for booking. Details will be posted shortly)

September 2011 (dates not set yet) = Rwanda's mountain gorillas and Kenya's Masai Mara (planning stages right now)

November/December 2011 = Antarctica on a private charter with friends Seth Resnick and John Paul Caponigro. (planning stages right now. Please inquire to be put on a notification list.

Wow. Looks like my next 24 months are going to be crazy. Crazy. Crazy. And this is only my schedule. I also have safaris and workshops that are being led by other people.

What are you doing in March? How about a trip to Tanzania.

I got a really late start announcing my March 6, 2010 Tanzania safari, and as a result I still have some spots available for this photographic safari. Here are some bullet points:

Dates: March 6-18, 2010

Where: Tanzania

Parks visited: Serengeti National Park (2 camp locations), Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Park

Tanzania, south of Kenya on the African continent's Indian Ocean coastline, lays claim to the title Home of the Safari, since the word itself is taken from the Swahili word that means "journey." While Tanzania's Kenyan neighbors may dispute that claim, there is no doubt that Tanzania offers one of the best environments in the world for an enriching wildlife experience. The country's game viewing opportunities are considered by many to be the best in Africa. Its game parks are populated with many of the world's most exotic creatures, including all of the "Big Five." Its lakes are huge and bountiful with fish. Its cities are relaxed and friendly. Yet, to a greater degree than is true of many of its neighbors, this sprawling county, the largest in East Africa, remains untouched by the vacationing hordes.

It's About Photography — Lots of it

This workshop will be very informal and fun. I will be shooting alongside you at all times. We will have discussion and assistance on specialized topics such as, for example, long lens technique, projection flash usage, action shooting, wildlife observation, field craft and east African animal behavior. Advanced techniques will be constantly discussed, demonstrated and put into practice.

This workshop is about shooting. Lots of shooting. There will be no classroom sessions, no lectures, no slide shows, and most importantly, no unnecessary egos. We will all work closely together, sharing our knowledge and experience.

Because of the unique location of this workshop, and the luxury accommodations, this workshop adventure is open to spouses as well as photographers. Even non-photographers will find the locales visited and the wildlife viewing opportunities to be thrilling. The cost for non-photographers is the same as for active participants.

For the complete schedule and more details, you can click on this link for more information.

Please email me at andybiggs@gmail.com if you have an interest in this safari. There are only a few spots left!

2009 in Review, and a look at 2010

As I look back at 2009, I realize that it was a jam-packed year with tons of different types of activities. Here some of the high points:

• I spent 11 weeks out on safari, splitting my time between Tanzania, Namibia and Botswana. 11 weeks is a significant amount of time to spend away from home, however I did come home with amazing photographs and memories.
• Hiking and photographing with wild chimpanzees in Tanzania's Mahale Mountains National Park. Wow. Talk about a fun trip! Mahale Mountains is an extremely remote area of Tanzania, and borders Lake Tanganyika. Lake Tanganyika is the second largest fresh water lake in the world, and borders many different countries. Photographing wild chimpanzees is an experience that I will never forgot, however I am working on returning again in the next few years.
• John Paul Caponigro and I co-led a trip to Namibia, and it was my first time to visit the Skeleton Coast National Park. Although I had been to Namibia before, it was my first time to visit this very unique park. I also ran another trip in Namibia that same month to some other locations.
• I had excellent African wild dog sightings in Botswana in July, and witnessing 13 pups was a wonderful experience. I also came home with photos that I am happy with.
• Michael Clark and I teamed up for a workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico and combined field shooting at the Hot Air Balloon Fiest with indoor lectures on Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and fine art digital printing (we are doing another one in October, 2010).
• I continued my consulting work for Moab by Legion Paper, and had some lectures at places like B&H were I met new friends.
• Gura Gear really took off in 2009, and we are happy that we have many many happy customers using our first product, the Kiboko bag.
• I gave the keynote speach this year for the PDN Virtual Trade Show on digital printing, all conducted over the web.
• Troy Covey started working for Gura Gear and also my photo business, and he is an excellent sidekick and all around great guy.
• I expanded my offie space to 1,000 square feet, and now the place really looks like a better place to work.
• I setup a scholarship fund, and have already sent my first recipient to college. His name is Boniface Dallan, and he is attending wildlife management college in Tanzania. He will graduate in 18 months, and I couldn't be more proud of everything he is doing for he and his family.
• I added new technology to the studio, and now print on Epson, HP and Canon printers.
• I started offering one-on-one digital printing and workflow sessions in my studio. I had numerous appointments in the first month that I offered it, and I already have repeat customers.
• I watched our oldest son, Christian, successfully make it through potty training. :-)
• I watched our youngest son, Will, start walking and talking.
• I had my 40th birthday. Yes, I am now officially over the hill, even though I don't feel like it.

2009 was an excellent year for me, despite all of the world economy doom and gloom. All of my African photo safaris were completely sold out, my other workshops also had waiting lists and I leave behind a year that I am quite happy with. Gura Gear really surprised me, as we had a difficult time keeping up with demand for our bags. 2010 will be a great year for Gura Gear, as we have been working on some more exciting products that we will be bringing to market.

Here are some specific items that I want to accomplish in 2010:

• Spend more time with Leslie and the boys. I want to do a better job creating memories that will last a lifetime. I think I do a good job already, but I know that I can always do better.
• Expand my African photographic safari business to include new destinations. 2011 is already being planned, and I have some new locations on my schedule!
• Push my print sales business higher and higher and attract more art buyers and interior decorators.
• Write more, both for the blog and also try to get a few e-books published. I have some great knowledge and experiences that I need to share.
• Continue to learn new technologies and push myself and my own boundaries.
• I still need a personal project that I can sink my teeth into. I don't feel like I am creating much these days, and I need to make the time to create something more long-term.