We host a number of Digital Photographic Safaris and Workshops at various destinations in Southern Africa, but can custom design workshops to take place almost anywhere in the world. We deal almost exclusively in the fields of wildlife, travel and cultural photography and our courses are structured with these subjects in mind.
Photography is an exciting and creative medium and we make every effort to encourage personal expression and creativity, made easier by the fact that working with digital cameras means that we can evaluate images almost immediately after they have been taken. While we spend as much time as possible during our workshops shooting photographs and working on images in Photoshop, we also aim to make them fun to do.
KWAZULU-NATAL MIDLANDS
PHOTOGRAPHIC WORKSHOP WITH ROGER & PAT DE LA HARPE
Co-ordinates S29 28 40.5 E30 14 12.6
Howick is situated in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands some 20 Km to the north of Pietermaritzburg. The region is well known for its incredible scenery and wonderful climate. Its here that we hold our Beginner / Intermediate Photographic and Photoshop workshops.
These 3-day workshops are held at a small conference centre just outside Howick and usually take place over a weekend, with registration and an introductory talk (which includes a slide show) on the Thursday evening and then a full day on Friday and Saturday and a half-day on Sunday.
The following aspects will be covered in the workshop:
Understanding your camera.
Image composition and adding impact to your picture.
The secret of using light.
The art of seeing and creating a photograph.
Camera controls.
Principles of Photography.
Using the histogram to judge exposure.
The use of Blinkies to prevent blown out highlights. (Blinkies? Come to the workshop and find out).
Image editing in Photoshop.
Use of Photoshop layers to enhance images.
Programme:
Thursday
16:00. Arrive At Yellowwood Café for course registration and set up. Yellowwood Café is situated on the Farm Fairfell just outside Howick on the way to the stunningly beautiful Karkloof. The photogenic homestead, where we'll be meeting, is a historic monument and was built in
1872. After registration we'll have an introductory talk and show and a very quick look at Photoshop in preparation for the action on Friday morning.
Friday
05:30. Meet at the entrance to Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve (Co-ordinates S29 28 27.8 E30 14 16.8) just past Yellowwood Café on the Karkloof Road. The greater part of this nature reserve lies in the spectacular Umgeni River gorge below the Howick Falls. The upper part is the fringe of a rolling plateau which has an average altitude in excess of 1 000m. Precipitous cliffs mark the edge of the plateau, dropping to the thorn tree studded valley below. The wildlife (zebra, impala, wildebeest, blesbok and others) can be particularly relaxed so we should get some very good images of them as the sun rises at about 06:30. We will continue to work the area, shooting images of the flowers, trees and scenery until the light "goes" about 2 hours after sunrise.
We return to Yellowwood and download our images onto our computers. Participants then select 3 images to include in the evaluation session and at about 09:30 we head into the dining room for a scrumptious brunch.
The day continues with discussions, Photoshop tutorials and image analysis (this aspect is critical - we work with your images, looking at composition, impact and technical details).
Sunset is at about 18:30 and so at about 16:00 we'll head out into the field again to do more practicals. Locations depend to a large extent on weather conditions so we'll make the call on the day but it will probably be to the recently established Karkloof Crane and Conservation Centre. The centre is set amongst some wetlands on a private farm at the foot of the very beautiful Karkloof mountains. There are 2 large bird hides (we had some input with regard to the design of the interiors so they work well for photographers), open water and stunning scenery. Here we will experiment with the use of wide angle and telephoto lenses.
Saturday
06h00. We'll meet on the Karkloof Road at the turn-off to Karkloof Falls. After winding through grasslands and pine plantations, the Karkloof River tumbles over the Woodhouse Falls before plunging 88m over a sheer cliff into the forested Karkloof Valley. This is where we learn to photograph water - reflections, action, movement and especially, how to get those soft, fluffy waterfall images. Coffee will be served under the pines and we return to Yellowwood to download images.
We work through the day much as we did the previous one with analysis, discussions and practicals. In the late afternoon at about 16:00 we'll be joined by a young model who will pose for us. The Yellowwood Café gardens are very beautiful and we'll spend some time in them, working with the models. We will use different lenses, looking at what effect lens choice has on the image. We will look at how to pose people and use changing vantage points to achieve different effects.
Sunday
08:00. Meet at Yellowwood to download images. After a light breakfast we begin with the analysis of the modeling images from Saturday afternoon - this time, because of time constraints, only 2 images are submitted by each participant. After the evaluation session we look at how to edit a portrait in Photoshop, using layers to enhance skin texture, eyes and mouth.
We wrap up the workshop with Sunday lunch, served on the lawns overlooking the Howick Falls.
Equipment required is as follows:
A Digital SLR Camera preferably with removable lenses (a fixed lens camera will work but will limit what we can do to a certain degree). An advanced point and shoot camera will be fine for beginners, but it should have a fairly long lens, as we will be doing some wildlife photography (e.g. Canon G9, G10 or S5, Nikon S60, P80 or P6000 or something similar).
Zoom lenses - the selection is broad but at least 2 zoom lenses are recommended, one wide angle and one medium to long telephoto, which should preferably have some form of image stabilization.
A flashgun.
A sturdy tripod.
A laptop computer with either Photoshop or Photoshop Elements loaded on to it. This is essential. Instruction will be in Photoshop Elements
6. It is recommended that you have some form of backup medium - DVD's or a portable hard drive. We will have copies of Photoshop for sale at the workshop and also free versions of various other programs available to load onto your computer.
A memory card reader or computer cables to connect your camera to your laptop.
The charger for your camera/s.
Memory Card/s.
The manual(s) for your camera(s).
A hat to keep off that hot African sun.
Accommodation and Venue:
We can reccommend suitable Bed and Breakfast (B&B) venues nearby. Please let us know if you'll be needing accommodation while you are doing the workshop. Yellowwood Cafe is the most beautiful 19th Century stone farmhouse overlooking the famous Howick Falls and is the perfect venue for our workshop from both an aesthetic and hospitality point of view.
Workshop Dates:
Our next workshops are:
11th to 14th January 2010 and
11th to 14th March 2010
The cost of the course:
R2 500-00 p.p. (price subject to change) and includes brunch, teas and coffees, comprehensive course notes and a certificate of completion of the workshop. Drinks, accommodation, evening meals and extras are for your own account.
Baines River Camp: Zambia 
The exclusive Baines River Camp is situated on the Zambian side of the mighty Zambezi River and consists of 6 Victorian cottages overlooking the river. There is a central dining and conference facility and it is here that our workshops take place. These 5-night/4-day workshops are quite special in that much of the photography is done from a boat. While the aluminum boats used are capable of seating 10 or more people, we limit the numbers to 6 participants per boat so that there is no jostling for space.
These workshops are aimed at the intermediate photographer (although we can work very easily with beginners as well) offering an introduction to photography and Photoshop. Both in the field and back at base the focus will be on composition, visual complexity, focal point placement and image depth. We also deal with camera controls and photographic principles. Early mornings, late afternoons and early evenings are spent shooting images, during which we deal with working a subject, anticipating animal behaviour, keeping the camera steady, lens choice and effects and camera features such as motion, blur and fill flash.
Equipment required is as follows:
A SLR Digital Camera preferably with removable lenses (a fixed lens camera will work but will limit what we can do to a certain degree). An advanced point and shoot camera will be fine for beginners, but it should have a fairly long lens, as we will be doing wildlife photography (e.g. Canon G7, G9 or S3, Nikon P3, P4 or something similar)
Zoom lenses – the selection is broad but at least 2 zoom lenses are recommended, one wide angle and one medium to long telephoto, which should preferably have some form of image stabilization.
A flashgun.
A sturdy tripod.
A laptop computer with either Photoshop or Photoshop Elements loaded on to it. This is essential. Instruction will be in Photoshop Elements
5. It is recommended that you have some form of backup medium - DVD's or a portable hard drive. We will have copies of Photoshop for sale at the workshop and also free versions various other programs with us to load onto your computer.
A memory card reader or computer cables to connect your camera to your laptop.
The charger for your camera/s.
Memory Card/s.
The manual(s) for your camera(s).
Please email for more details about the photographic workshops ohave a look at this pdf fact sheet.
KRUGER PHOTOGRAPHIC SAFARIS WITH ROGER AND PAT DE LA HARPE
Co-ordinates S24 55 26.3 E31 39 33.3
The world-renowned Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. Established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld, this national park of nearly 2 million hectares is unrivaled in the diversity of its life forms and a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies. Kruger is home to an impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals.
It is at Rhino Post Safari Lodge, a 16-bed lodge, set on the banks of the Mutlumuvi River that we have chosen as a base for our Kruger National Park Photographic Workshops. The camp is situated very close to the border between the Kruger National Park and the Sabi Sand Game reserve. Rhino Post Safari Lodge is in its own 12,000 ha (about 24 000 acre) private wilderness concession in the park and during our workshop we will have all but exclusive use of this area. This unique wilderness area offers ecotourists the ideal place for encounters with the Big Five and allows visitors to track elephant and rhino on foot or view and photograph them from the comfort of open safari vehicles.
While on the workshop, we will spend 2 nights at Rhino Post, sleep out for 1 night on their very unique elevated wooden platform overlooking a waterhole and then return to Rhino Post for the remaining 2 nights. This is the only place in the Kruger National Park offering this unusual sleep-out accommodation and it will give us a superb opportunity to do photography of wild animals at night at full moon.
Early mornings, late afternoons and the early evening are spent in the field capturing images and the rest of the time is spent back at base working on the images in Photoshop and evaluating the field sessions. This workshop is aimed at the intermediate photographer.
Please note: Kruger National Park is in a malaria area and as such you should take precautions. Consult your doctor regarding Prophylactics, wear long sleeves and trousers and spray exposed skin with insect repellant.
The following topics will be covered on the workshop:
Understanding your camera.
Image composition and adding impact to your picture.
The secret of using light.
The art of seeing and creating a photograph.
Camera controls.
Principles of Photography.
Using the histogram to judge exposure.
The use of Blinkies to prevent blown out highlights. (Blinkies? Come to the workshop and find out).
Image editing in Photoshop.
Use of Photoshop layers to enhance images.
Programme
The following program is fairly general and so this could change on the day. Nature does not operate by the clock and we'll need to be able to respond to what ever is happening out there. If the idea is to do some scenery and we hear about a leopard nearby then we have to change our plans quickly.
Friday
Arrive at Rhino Post by 13:00 for check in. At about 15:00 we'll meet for tea followed by an introductory talk, show and for setting up laptops and programs. We will then have pre dinner drinks on the deck overlooking the Mutlumuvi River and waterhole.
Saturday
Meet on the deck at 05:30 for coffee and a light snack and leave on a game drive by about 06:00. We'll be on 2 vehicles – Pat on one and Roger on the other. During the drive, we'll arrange to rendezvous in the veld at a suitable spot where we will work through various photographic issues. About 2 hours after sunrise we'll head back to Rhino Post to download images onto our computers. Participants then select 3 images to include in the evaluation session and at about 10:30 we head into the dining room for a scrumptious brunch.
The day continues with discussions, Photoshop tutorials and image analysis. This part of the workshop is critical – we work with your images, looking at composition, impact and technical details. We hold these sessions in an open and constructive environment and group participation is encouraged – it's where we can make a significant difference to your images very quickly.
After siesta, high tea will be at about 15:00 and then we head out on a game drive. Once again we'll be on 2 vehicles. We'll work different areas to the morning's drive, staying in radio contact so that we have more “eyes” out there and if we spot anything we can quickly meet up. We'll do sundowners before returning to camp for drinks and dinner.
Sunday
The same as Saturday: Meet on the deck at 05:30for coffee and a light snack and leave on game drive by about 06:00. We'll work different habitats to Friday, stopping to look at interesting things – perhaps taking a short, easy walk. Before returning to camp we'll meet up for coffee and some informal discussions.
The morning will follow a very similar routine to Saturday and then after lunch, at about 15:00 we'll take a slow drive to the sleep-out platform. After hanging up mosquito nets, fly sheets (only if necessary) and preparing beds (yes! we do encourage our guests to be included in every aspect of this unique interactive experience in the bush) sundowners can be enjoyed on the platform that also overlook a waterhole. This sleep-out experience is quite rustic and only the minimum needs to be taken along. We may need to share sleeping areas.
This unique experience has been scheduled over full moon and we will be doing photography during the night – tripods are essential. The rumble of an elephant passing by or the roar of a lion at the nearby waterhole, are the only things that may disturb our experience in this peaceful wilderness. (Hold thumbs for clear weather!)
Monday
We take a slow drive back to camp shooting images en route. We'll meet at about 11:00 for brunch and to download images.
Evaluation of images and working in Photoshop will continue until its time to go out on a drive again at 15:00 after a sumptuous tea. This is the day when we may want to do some images of the moon rising. Sunset is at 17:24 and moonrise at 17:55 so we will have scouted a suitable location over the previous few days and will be in position in good time – sundowners (moonrisers?) in hand.
Tuesday
The day's program will be very similar to Saturday's with perhaps a little more time spent at base working on the images that we have shot over the previous few days and dealing with any camera and imaging problems.
Wednesday We have a choice here. Either we head out really early and do the sunrise from the high level bridge over the Sabi River or we stay at Rhino Post to do a few last minute things to the images and Photoshop. We wrap the safari at about 10:00 after breakfast.
Equipment required is as follows:
A Digital SLR Camera preferably with removable lenses (a fixed lens camera will work but will limit what we can do to a certain degree). An advanced point and shoot camera will be fine for beginners, but it should have a fairly long lens, as we will be doing some wildlife photography (e.g. Nikon P90 Canon SX1 or SX20 or something similar).
Zoom lenses - the selection is broad but at least 2 zoom lenses are recommended, one wide angle and one medium to long telephoto, which should preferably have some form of image stabilization. At least 300mm or perferably 400mm would be reccommended.
A flashgun.
A sturdy tripod.
We will have our special, refillable, Africa Imagery bean-bags for sale ar R65-00. These work well in the vehicles.
A laptop computer with either Photoshop or Photoshop Elements loaded on to it. This is essential. Instruction will be in Photoshop Elements
6 and CS4. It is recommended that you have some form of backup medium - DVD's or a portable hard drive. We will have copies of
Photoshop for sale at the workshop and also free versions of various other programs available to load onto your computer.
A memory card reader or computer cables to connect your camera to your laptop.
The charger for your camera/s.
Memory Card/s.
The manual(s) for your camera(s).
A hat to keep off that hot African sun. (You'll be getting a free Africa Imagery Photo Safari cap at registration.)
Workshop Dates: Our next Kruger National Park Photo Safari is scheduled for 26 to 31 April 2010, Based at Rhino Post Safari Lodge.
The cost for this workshop is R16 175-00 per person sharing, R19 730-00 single and R11 615-00 for non-participating partners sharing (price subject to change) for the 5 nights and includes accommodation, all meals, 2 game drives a day, course notes and a certificate of completion. Drinks and extras are for your own account.
BIG CATS OF MALAMALA WITH ROGER & PAT DE LA HARPE
Co-ordinates S24 48 04.1 E31 32 88.1
MalaMala's reputation as a premier photographic safari destination is unparalleled! It is where Roger and Pat chose to do their coffee table book, The Big Cata of MalaMala, on Africa's big cats and they did so for a very good reason – it is simply the best place to photograph these stunning animals.
MalaMala, situated in Mpumalanga, South Africa, shares an unfenced boundary with the massive Kruger National Park in the east and with the Sabi Sand Game Reserve in the west. Game viewing is exceptional and with the exclusive use of a game drive vehicle, ranger and tracker we will get as close to the action as is safely and ethically possible. The rangers are very competent and fully able to place us where we want to be, even in off road situations.
The de la Harpes are not the only ones to recognise MalaMala as the spot for wildlife photography. A veritable collection of photojournalists and film-makers have made MalaMala their destination of choice to capture footage of wildlife viewing that would rival any Hollywood production.
MalaMala's camps are in the same league as their game viewing: His and her bathrooms, acres of bed, air-conditioning, overhead fans just about anything else that you could possibly think of to make you safari a lifetime experience!
These workshops are aimed at the intermediate to advanced photographer (although we can work very easily with beginners as well) and are specifically designed for those with an interest in the big cats – lion, leopard and cheetah.
Early mornings, late afternoons and early evening are spent in the bush capturing images and the rest of the time is spent back at base working on the images in Photoshop and evaluating the field sessions.
We have not put in place any regular MalaMala Safaris as we prefer to custom design these expeditions to suit the need of the individual. If you would like us to create a unique experience for you please e-call Roger on +27 (82) 882 8496 or e-mail him at
roger@africaimagery.com
TULI LAND OF GIANTS
PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP WITH ROGER AND PAT DE LA HARPE
Co-ordinates (S22 05 17.6 E29 11 02.6)
The Northern Tuli Game Reserve - home to places like Mashatu, Tuli Lodge and Nitani - is set in the eastern corner of Botswana where it meets with South Africa and Zimbabwe. It is here that Roger and Pat were based when they wrote and photographed their book Tuli Land of Giants and photographed part of their latest book, In Search of the African Wild Dog.
It's a stunning place; as old as time itself, with a history of human inhabitation going back over 50 000 years. There are 7 world record tree species (the highest or largest) and some of the most relaxed elephants that Roger and Pat have worked with. All in all, a wonderful place to be doing photography.
These workshops are aimed at the intermediate to advanced photographer (although we can work very easily with beginners as well) and would suit those wanting to experience the African bush to its fullest. We will almost certainly get great images of elephant, lion, leopard, giraffe and zebra while the opportunities to do some spectacular scenic images are also very good.
Early mornings, late afternoons and the early evening are spent in the bush capturing images and the rest of the time is spent back at base working on the images in Photoshop and evaluating the field sessions.
We have no fixed dates for these workshops, preferring to custom arrange everything to your requirements. Please email us on
roger@africaimagery.com CONTACT DETAILS
Postal Address:
P O Box 1163
Howick
3290
South Africa
Physical Address:
44 Main Street
Howick
3290
South Africa
Tel/Fax: (local) 033 330 7238 (Int) +27 (33) 330 7238
Mobile: (local) 082 882 8496 or 083 326 0780
Mobile: (Int) +27 82 882 8496 or +27 (83) 326 0780
