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Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 10:24AM 
Marine Iguana, Santiago, Galapagos Islands
Canon 1DsMkII, 70-200mm f/2.8, 1/400 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 800
Please join me on my May 2010 Galapagos trip! Trip details can be found here.
Saturday, June 6, 2009 at 10:12AM
Come join us for an exciting photographic adventure to the Galapagos Islands. We have chartered a private 83-foot motor yacht for 20 people to this exciting location. We will visit many islands and will have the opportunity to photograph up close much of the wildlife on our 8 days and 7 nights aboard the M/Y Eric / Flamingo / Letty. We will have 2 naturalists on board and on shore for our group, which is an excellent naturalist-to-guest ratio! By park rules we are required to have 1 naturalist per 16 people, and we will have 1 per 10.
All other Galapagos trips miss the best light each day, but we will not. We will be on land in the best light, as this is a photography specific trip. This is an extremely important distinction between this trip and others. We also can take our time on our nature walks, allowing us to bring our tripods. Since we have a small and intimate group, we can take the time to get the shots that we need.
The cost of this trip is U.S. $4995, $5395 or $5895 per person depending on cabin level desired, double occupancy (but not inclusive of airfare to Guayaquil, Ecuador from your home). Refer to the boat diagram to determine which cabins will work best for your needs. The same rate applies for each participant regardless of whether they are doing photography and participating in the workshop, or not.
What's Included?
* Air transportation to and from the Galapagos islands from Guayaquil, Ecuador.
* 7 nights and 8 days aboard M/Y Eric / Flamingo / Letty
* Galapagos National Park Entrance Fee of $100
* 2 nights at the Grand Hotel Guayaquil at the beginning and end of islands visit.
* All meals and non-alcoholic drinks while on the ship
* Naturalists on board
* Snorkeling equipment
What is Not Included?
* Additional tips for staff such as guides (estimate around $20 per day per person for all crew members = $175 in total)
* International air to and from Ecuador and your home town
* Alcoholic beverages
* Laundry, phone and other items of a personal nature (yes we have laundry on board the vessel!)
* Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance (highly recommended)
* Meals not mentioned in itinerary (Guayaquil meals)
* Airport departure tax of $25
Click here to read comments from prior travelers and workshop participants.
Click here to read the day-by-day itinerary for this exciting trip, as well as the cabin layout.
What Do I Do Next?
Our groups are small, so space is limited. If this exciting trip has your name on it, if you're excited by the thought of becoming a member of this trip, then now is the time to register. Remember, there will be limited space available for this workshop. When they're spoken for, that's it. If you have any questions before registering, send us an e-mail with any inquiries to info@andybiggs.com.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 02:39PM [Update] My workshop in Santa Fe in October is now 1/3 booked up, so there are still spaces available. Since I was away in Namibia for 3 weeks, I wasn't actively marketing the workshop. If you would like to join me and Michael Clark in Santa Fe in October, please drop me a link or click on the link below for more information. I am also adding a similar workshop in the Monterey / Big Sur, California area for September, and this workshop will be online in the next few days.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at 09:43AM For a number of years I had a lens rental business on the side for my safari customers. I would transport either a 400mm f/4 or a 500mm f/4 to and from Africa for my customers, and then would deliver the lens at the beginning of a safari and then I would collect it at the end. Pretty slick deal if you ask me. The challenge was that I found that people were rarely interested in renting my 400mm f/4 DO lens, and always wanted my 500mm f/4. That put me in a bind, as I would often prefer to shoot with my 500mm on my Tanzania safaris. For my Botswana, South Africa and Namibia wildlife safaris I would prefer my 400mm DO, however most of my time spent in Africa until 2008 was done in Tanzania.
At the end of one of my rentals in 2007, I collected my 500mm f/4 lens to take back home with me. As you can see in the photo, there was some major damage to the lens. This is the sticky part, as I didn't inspect the lens until I got back home. After numerous emails with the traveler about the status of the lens, it was apparent to me that she had no interest in either coming clean or taking any responsibility for the damage of the lens. Contractually I was in a bind, as I didn't inspect the lens when I took it back from her. It was a crazy morning, as we were all boarding a bush plane flight and I didn't have the opportunity or time to do it on the spot. GRRRRRRR. Major GRRRRRRRR.
This is the main reason why I discontinued my lens rental program. Yes, I fixed the lens and sold the lens shortly after getting it back from Canon. I then bought another copy of the lens for good mental health.
If you are traveling with me to Africa, I have teamed up with a lens rental provider here in the USA, as well as one in South Africa. Please let me know if you would like this service available to you, and I can get you in touch with the appropriate party.
