Namibia's Remote Landscapes by Private Air

Are you interested in shooting the remote landscapes of Namibia with the best photographic equipment on the market? I have teamed up with Phase One and I am running a trip to Namibia alongside good friends Bill Atkinson and Kevin Raber. If you don’t already own Phase One medium format equipment, that’s totally ok, as Phase One will be providing cameras and lenses for all participants for a *very* nominal fee of $500. Here are some bullet points for the trip:

• All Phase One equipment will be provided if you don’t already own Phase One gear
• This trip is all about private airplanes, privacy and breathtaking landscapes
• This private flying safari covers fascinating attractions in Namibia while enjoying much of the stunning landscape from the air.
• We will fly to three amazing destinations in southern, central and northern Namibia: Sossusvlei, Serra Cafema and the deserted mining town of Kolmanskop.
• 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.
• In all the parks you will have the opportunity to spend quality photographic time.
• Finish on a high note in the magnificent northern landscapes along the Serra Cafema mountain range near Angola.

For more information, please visit my informational page about this trip

Namibia’s Remote Landscapes by Private Air

The Skeleton Coast from the air

Flying above the dunes near Sossusvlei

The deserted mining town of Kolmanskop

Photo of the Day - Shooting in Antarctica

Shooting from a Zodiac

Somewhere in the southern Ocean around Antarctica, December 2011

Leica S2, Summarit-S 35mm, 1/4000 @ f/4, ISO 320

Extreme Predators of the Sabi Sands Safari - 2 Final Spaces Available

 I have two back-to-back safaris in the supremely amazing Sabi Sands of South Africa this June, and I only have a couple of spaces available as of this writing. If you have ever wanted to photograph in one of the highest densities of leopards and lions, this is the safari for you. We have three safari leaders on this trip, with Marc Muench, Andy Williams and myself. Each of us will be in a Land Rover, which means there will be plenty of field instruction as well as discussion back at camp. This safari is limited to only 9 people, and the last 2 spots on the trip are here if you are looking for a superb safari in a place that I know well.

The Sabi Sands is world famous for its leopards as well as for its lions, and June is a great time to visit when the weather is cool and the predators are more active during daylight hours. This safari also delivers on all of the other animals that make the area special, from rhinos to elephants, to giraffes to zebras to impalas. I always come home with winning images from the Sabi Sands!

Singita Sabi Sands Photographic Safari

June 10-19, 2012

Leopard and her dinner

 

Rhino in the Sabi Sands

 

 Interior of Singita Castleton

Outdoor dining on clear nights

Hot Air Balloon Fiesta and Adobe Lightroom Workshop, October 2011

Workshop Date: October 7-9, 2011

Workshop Leaders: Andy Biggs and Michael Clark

Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico

About The Workshop

This extended weekend workshop will be a combined classroom workshop with outdoor photographic shoots. The workshop coincides with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which is the world’s largest balloon festival. All classroom instruction will be centered around Adobe Photoshop Lightroom v3.

Workshop Schedule

Day 1 - Afternoon (2pm until dinner time)
Lightroom 3 and the Library module.

Day 2 - Morning
Dawn Patrol: Early morning shoot at the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.

Day 2 - Late Morning  and all afternoon
Lightroom 3 and the Develop module

Day 3 - Morning
Dawn Patrol: Early morning shoot at the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.

Day 3 - Late Morning and all afternoon
Lightroom 3 and the Develop module. Michael and Andy will work with participants to develop images taken over the weekend, as well as will assist in portfolio reviews.

Computers will not be provided but participants with laptops are encouraged to bring them. Following along on your own laptop is a hands-on way of learning what is being taught in the classroom.

The Cost
The cost of this workshop is $495 per person. The same rate applies for each participant regardless of whether they are doing photography and participating in the workshop, or not. A nonrefundable deposit of $125 is required to secure your spot on the workshop. Final balance will be due no later than September 1, 2011.

Accommodations
The classroom portion of the workshop will be held at the Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North, however there are many hotels in the nearby area from which to choose.

Transportation
Most major airlines service Albuquerque, New Mexico. Once in Albuquerque, you can take one of the many shuttles to your hotel. Rental cars are available at the airport.

We do not provide transportation during the workshop. Please plan ahead and reserve a rental car. Of course, we will share vehicles and car pool to make life easier for all of us. We are not responsible for reimbursement of non-refundable airline tickets in the event of a workshop cancellation.

Workshop Materials
All participants will be given a copy of Michael’s e-book entitled Adobe Photoshop Lightroom:
 A Professional Photographer’s Workflow, which details his complete workflow from start to finish. 

You will need to bring the following equipment with you:
• a 35mm digital SLR camera with interchangeable lenses
• a laptop computer with a USB memory key, DVD or external hard drive. Instructors will be using Mac.
• Adobe Photoshop Lightroom software installed on your computer (you can download the 30-day trial version of Lightroom before the workshop if you don’t already have the software.)
• Digital memory cards with a card reader (preferably CompactFlash or Secure Digital Cards)
• power adapters and cables for laptop and digital camera
• camera manual
• batteries and charger for rechargeable batteries

It is expected that you know how to download images from your camera to the laptop, know basic editing techniques using your software, and are able to organize the edited images for critique.

Registration
If this workshop has your name on it, 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.

$125 to hold your place until September 1 with a deposit.

Testimonials from last year’s workshop

“Thanks to Andy and Michael for a wonderful, educational, experienced based workshop in New Mexico. Today I reread my notes from the classroom work and have been amazed at how deeply informative it was. Michael’s Lightroom Book as well as yours about digital printing have given me a whole new level of understanding especially around the Lightroom Develop module as well as on the entire topic of printing and color management. I really appreciate how you and Michael showed your individual processes for image workflow. Comparing and contrasting both methods allowed me to take the best of both and adapt them to fit my needs. My increase in knowledge along with the additional hands on guidance we got in the photo sessions at the Albuquerque Balloon Festival will enable me going forward to make the best photos I’m capable of producing.”

“Andy, I’ve taken several photography seminars over the past few years. Without a doubt your’s has been the most informative, well organized, openly sharing event I’ve attended.”

“Thanks again for all your help and guidance. It’s clear you don’t hold back when teaching and sincerely want all attendees to get as much out of the seminars as we’re able to absorb.”

”..my mind is still spinning and I can’t help but smile every time I think of the wonderful experience garnered from our workshop. Between what I learned from the two of you, as well as from my talented classmates - this was a great experience, and I would do it again.”

Antarctica trip Nov 29-Dec 10, 2011 [update]

Our trip to Antarctica from November 29 – December 10, 2011 is selling out fast. All of the singles are sold out and the male triples are sold out. We have room for two women in a triple and we have 9 double cabins left. If you are interested in this once in a lifetime trip before it is completely sold out, here is how to book:

Please contact Mr. Paul Schuster ASAP at Quark Expeditions. His email address is paul.schuster@quarkexpeditions.com, and his phone number is (877) 768-7957.

When you call or contact Paul Shuster you will need:

• Name as it appears on Passport and Passport #
• Mailing address no P.O. boxes as it is for Fed Ex delivery
• Contact Phone Info.

Please confirm with an email to info@andybiggs.com when you have officially signed up.

All the best,

Andy, Seth and John Paul

Galapagos Islands trip announcement

Galapagos Islands Photo Workshop

June 3-13, 2011
Limited to 18 participants

Trip Leader: Randy Hanna

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. $5495, $5995 or $6395 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
* 3 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
* 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.

Day 20 –Mala Mala Game Reserve, South Africa

Today was the last day of my second safari, and I was very sad to leave Mala Mala. Mala Mala is a very special place, and I plan on spending more time in the Sabi Sands in future years. For me the Sabi Sands area is all about high value photographic subjects in a short amount of time, and it makes for an excellent photographic destination for predators. For that reason I will be back in a few months to run my Leopards of the Sabi Sands trip in early November. I cannot wait to get back.

This morning’s game drive needed to be short, primarily due to the timing of our plane flight back to Johannesburg. We were out by 6:30am, and were back in camp by 8:45. In that short period of time we watched a herd of 36 elephants cross the airstrip, as well as watch the largest male leopard on the reserve, Emsagwen Male, go out on a patrol of his territory. What an awesome way to end the safari. Between our safari group we had 9 sightings of leopards in 4 days. That averages to more than 1 leopard per game drive. What surprised me was that a cold front blew in a few days ago, bringing along high winds, and that typically makes for difficult game viewing. When we have high winds it makes it difficult to hear bird calls, and those calls are one of the things that we rely on to identify and track predators. Additionally, the high winds and cold temperatures cause grazers and browsers to hunker down in the dense woodland, and your prey species are also difficult to locate. It is like somebody stole all of the wildlife. On this safari we relied on good old fashioned visual sightings, as well as using paw prints in the dirt and sand to locate our predators. Even looking for paw prints is difficult, as it is problematic to be able to tell the age of a print when the granules of sand have been swept into the paw print area in a short amount of time.

After our time with Emsagwen Male, we drove quickly back to camp for brunch. On the way back we followed a mother rhino with her baby that couldn’t have been more than 2 or 3 weeks old. A nice parting gift for us! But wait, there is more. It started to rain ever so slightly, and a rainbow appeared over the camp in the distance. And then it happened: a double rainbow. A double rainbow, but not the kind where I sound like I am going to cry and then ask “what does this mean?” as if I were stoned as in the YouTube video.

We departed camp by 11 and headed to the airstrip. We said goodbye to our ranger friends and boarded our plane for Johannesburg. The flight only took 1 hour, and after we arrived the whole group split off into different directions. I have to say that I am honored and privileged to have a business where my customers also turn out to be my friends. I am doing what I believe I was put on this earth to do, which is to share my love of photography, Africa and adventure with other people. I couldn’t be in a better profession for my skill sets, as well as my passions.

Note: All images in these daily blog postings are very very rough edits of the things we have seen, and I often omit the photographs that take too much time to process. I don’t take much time off during the day, as I am working with people with their photographic needs. All of my images in these posts will have to be re-processed when I get back home, and they are only included in these blog entries for illustration purposes only.

A herd of 36 elephants crossed the airstrip this morning. What a sight, but challenging to photograph

The Emsagwen Male leopard

Double Rainbow all the way. What does this mean?

Day 18 –Mala Mala Game Reserve, South Africa

I haven’t been spending much time with my diary in recent days, primarily because of the limited amount of time to keep on top of it all. My apologies if today’s dairy on the shorter end, but I will try to do a better job in future days.

Today we focused on mating lions, sub adult male lions, kudu, birds and a nice sunset. Not bad!

Note: All images in these daily blog postings are very very rough edits of the things we have seen, and I often omit the photographs that take too much time to process. I don’t take much time off during the day, as I am working with people with their photographic needs. All of my images in these posts will have to be re-processed when I get back home, and they are only included in these blog entries for illustration purposes.