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After you sign up, we will send you a few things, like our Pre-trip Questionnaire – so we can gather important travel information such as your dietary restrictions (if any), medical issues/allergies, emergency contacts, photographic goals and interests, etc. If you signed up for an international trip, we will also send you an email requesting a picture of your passport bio page.
Yes. When we send you the Pre-trip questionnaire, there will be a question asking about any dietary restrictions and allergies that you may have. We will convey this information to our lodges in advance so they can accommodate those requirements.
At the heart of our photo tours lies an unwavering commitment to immersing you in wildlife rich environments, where you can connect deeply with the remarkable species that inhabit these extraordinary destinations. There is nothing like falling to sleep to the roars of lions or waking up to find friendly lemurs prancing along your deck. We pride ourselves on selecting exquisite, smaller, more intimate lodges that seamlessly blend comfort and sophistication, offering meticulously appointed accommodation and delicious meals that delight the senses. Every aspect of your stay is designed to elevate your experience, making your photographic journey a real pleasure.
In general, our goal is to make your trip as carefree as possible. In fact, we will pick you up at the airport and take it from there. Our tours typically include all lodging, meals, in-country transportation, park/field trip fees, guide fees, tour leadership and instruction. Specific details about what is included in each particular workshop or tour are listed in the booking section of each trip. If you have questions about what is included versus not in any trip, please feel free to ask.
Our clients range in age from 30s to 80s, with the average age being 50s- 70s. Our trips are designed for people who are generally in average fitness and good health. Each of our tours provides a fitness rating with a description of the type of activity to expect.
We maintain a small group size on every trip, consisting of 5 to 8 clients accompanied by two leaders, Steve and Nicole, who handle logistics and assist with your photography. This intimate setting not only allows us to get closer to wildlife but also fosters connections among participants as we share our wonderful experiences together. Additionally, the small group size provides more one-on-one time with you, enhancing your overall trip.
On most trips, we can provide singles, however, because we primarily stay at small, boutique lodges, the number of singles available is limited and may run out. Please inquire as to their availability when you sign up. The cost of the single supplement is provided in the booking section of each trip.
All of our trip prices are based on double occupancy with singles available for an additional charge. If you are a solo traveler, we will do our best to match you up with another guest of the same gender. If we are unable to match you with another guest of the same gender, then the single supplement will apply.
About 8-10 weeks prior to our trip, we will send you our comprehensive Pre-trip Booklet customized and honed specifically for your trip. These booklets are typically 45-50 pages long and include everything you need to know, from climate, to clothing to camera gear and more. Having been to these destinations numerous times, we have honed in on exactly what to bring. Your Pre-trip booklet will have everything you need to get ready for the trip and ensure you have a great experience.
About 6-9 months before our trip, we will book our flights. Once we have done that, we will send you an email letting you know it’s time to book your flights too. Our email will include our flight details in case you want to book yourself on any of our same legs, as well as important arrival and departure details. Once you have booked your flights, please send us your details so we can arrange your airport transfers and other logistics. If a Visa is required for the country we are traveling to, we will send you an email with all the key information you will need to fill out the application.
This is not uncommon for people to do, especially when we travel halfway around the world. We are always happy to make suggestions on additional things you may want to do if you decide to spend some more time on your own. We cannot, however, make arrangements for these additional days for you. This is simply too much for us to handle in addition to our normal workload and schedule. You will need to make your own extra early arrival or late departure lodging and airport transfer arrangements as well as any other special excursions that you’d like to do. Details for the hotel that we will be staying at for both the first and last nights of our tour as well as other key information to help you plan and make these extra arrangements are provided in each of the tour listings.
Yes, of course! We often have non-photographers come on our trips. On some trips, we are even able to offer a non-photographer discount! Those details are provided in the booking section of each trip.
In fact, we have many clients who are not photographers at all but travel with us regularly because they simply love nature and want to be immersed in it. They join our trips because we are not only fun but also spend time with wildlife, watching and enjoying the behaviors and activity, not just jetting around checking off species.
Photo Tours are location based. Photo tours are typically longer than a workshop and are always to amazing photographic destinations. The focus of a photo tour is photography, plain and simple. Tours are about total immersion in a place and your creative process. On a photo tour, our main purpose is to help you get into great situations to make amazing images while we take care of all of the travel logistics and other little details so you can focus on your photography and having a great time. While we do shoot during a photo tour, our images are always secondary to yours. In addition, photography instruction is an important part of the experience and on our tours, you will always have two photo instructors – Steve and Nicole – to assist you with your creative process. To get the most out of a photo tour, participants should have a basic understanding of photography and basic camera operation. We will always be available to answer questions, help solve a problem and give you creative advice and suggestions as you learn new techniques and advance your photographic and creative skills.
Photo Workshops are more instruction-based than a tour. Shorter and more intense, workshops are super-charged with creativity and learning. The main thrust of our workshops is to spend quality time out in the field learning: Learning to see, learning new techniques, learning to identify and solve photographic problems, and of course making great images. Our role during a workshop is to help you find and create great images, and help you see and solve potential problems in the field. We rarely shoot during a workshop and when we do, it is near the end of the workshop or as we demonstrate how we would solve a problem or handle a particular situation.
Our photo tours are designed for photographers of all skill levels, but you should have a basic understanding of how to operate your camera and have an understanding of the basics of photography such as aperture, depth of field, shutter speed, iso, etc. Whether you are a beginner or advanced, you’ll have two instructors, Steve and Nicole, by your side throughout, to advise as you capture images of a lifetime. We are familiar with all of the major camera systems typically used by nature photographers (Nikon, Canon, Sony, Olympus, etc.) and keep up to date with their main features. We highly recommend that you bring your camera manual with you in case some strange setting gets switched. It is always a great idea to download your camera manual as a pdf to your cell phone or travel computer, so you have it if needed.
We totally understand that many of you sign up for our trips well in advance, sometimes even a year ahead. Life can be unpredictable, and cancellations do happen. Our aim is to make the process as smooth as possible, so here’s how it works: if we’re able to fill your spot, we’re happy to offer a full refund for any payments made.
Fortunately, our trips often fill up quickly, and we usually have a waitlist of eager travelers who would love to take your spot if it becomes available. We also keep a list of clients who are ready to jump in on short notice. So far, we’ve been able to fill 95% of canceled spots, but we can’t guarantee that for every situation, especially if it’s a last-minute cancellation.
To give you peace of mind, we strongly encourage you to purchase trip cancellation insurance to protect your investment. The best time to get that is right when you book your trip, as it’s typically more affordable then. If you purchased trip cancellation insurance and we are unable to fill your spot for you, we’ll gladly provide any necessary paperwork you need to make your claim.
Yes – we highly recommend getting travel insurance to cover yourself in case you need to cancel your trip, have delays, accidents, or if illness occurs on or before your trip.
There are different types of insurance that you should consider: (1) trip cancellation or travel disruption insurance, (2) travel health insurance, and (3) medical evacuation insurance. These three types will cover different situations and should give you financial peace of mind, as well as allow for safe and healthy travel.
In addition to the trip cancellation insurance, we strongly recommend purchasing a travel medical insurance policy that also includes emergency evacuation. Otherwise, if you are in an accident or have a severe illness, you could be liable for thousands of dollars in medical expenses, and should emergency medical evacuation be required, it can cost $50,000 or more. While we have no affiliations, we recommend InsureMyTrip.com, Ripcord and Global Rescue which offer these different types of insurance. You can google other companies as well.
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