What you'll do

Photographers travel and experience things differently.  You know this.  Rather than rushing around the bush with a species checklist, we'd rather linger a little longer with the subject.  Waiting for Cartier-Bresson's "decisive moment" or Maisel's "gesture" takes patience.  A photo of a pride of sleeping lions can be a yawn.  But capturing that moment when the old male snarls at his playful cub who just woke him by pouncing on his tail is priceless.

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Photographers would rather be out before sunrise to capture the first rays lighting the clouds and then hilltops.  They'd rather capture the sun streaming horizontally through the forest between the horizon and the browse-line.  The bleaching light of the overhead sun is less interesting, unless that is the look you're going for.  And that is an important point about this workshop.  We're not locked in to a specific style or look or schedule.  The participants set the tone.  If you have a style you want to explore, we'll help you do that.  If you haven't developed your own style yet, we'll help you explore a few.  We'll explore directions and angles that you prefer, or if you're willing, some that you might not have tried.  Indeed, that has been Neville's experience.

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On his first few safaris, Neville noticed that most guides placed their vehicle between the sun and the subject.  Just as they've been doing since Kodak.  But he thought that his daughter's (also a professional photographer) best photos were taken towards the sun.  And he knew that Rembrandt lighting, which also works well in wildlife photography, uses side lighting.  Photographers not only want to linger, they want to be in a different place.

 

In addition to light direction, quality and colour we'll explore some of the other fundamentals of photography such as composition and technique.  We'll talk about the Rule of Thirds and why it isn't a "rule" but good to understand.  We'll talk about shooting modes and challenge the idea that "professionals always shoot in manual mode".  NB: We don't teach you how to operate your camera.  We assume that if you decide you want to try shooting in aperture priority mode with auto ISO, you know how to switch your camera to that.

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When

This is possibly the most unique aspect of this workshop; you can start any day between 19MAY2023 and 01JUL2023.   You'll then spend five nights in Camp Mana with us.  After that, you'll fly back to awesome Victoria Falls for two nights of self-guided fun in this popular tourist destination, practicing some new skills, ideas or techniques.

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The workshop is neither hierarchical nor linear.  You can join any day.  By the time you leave, you'll have covered all the topics and visited all of the best locations in the Mana Pools area.

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