Costa Rica: Beauty & Biodiversity

NATURES PHOTO ADVENTURES

COSTA RICA BIODIVERSITY

A PHOTOGRAPHY PARADISE  

Dates: November 15th - 25th, 2011/2012

Costa Rica´s territory is so small that it encompasses only 0,03% of the planet´s surface but is still within the top 20 richest countries in biodiversity on Earth in terms of species density. It means that it is possible to find more species in 1,000 km2 in Costa Rica that in the same area in countries like Brazil or Colombia. Costa Rica has nearly half a million species, representing 4% of the planet´s expected biodiversity. Come and discover it with Nature's Photo Adventures.

DATES: November 2011 15-25th / November 2012  Flight Destination: San Jose, COSTA RICA
Workshop Leaders:  David Hemmings & Greg Basco 
Price:  $4,299 USD  Read details about this trip here!

April 7th -14th 2011/2012
Workshop leader: David Hemmings
Price: $2,699.00 USD Read details about this trip here!

Included: Tour and all expert photo Instruction. All accommodations and meals upon arrival at the lodge based on double occupancy (Single supplement $500.00 per person).  Land transportation during workshop. Not Included: International airfare to place of tour origin. Any additional nights' accommodations/meals outside of the workshop. Additional tips for staff such as guides and camp staff. Fees for passport, visas, immunizations and insurance.Laundry, phone and other items of a personal nature. We highly recommend travel insurance.

This itinerary focuses on diversity in both photographic subject matter and technique. A special goal is to obtain outstanding images of hummingbirds in flight and pollinating local flowers through the use of multiple flash setups. In addition, we have chosen destinations and added a number of activities designed to yield excellent photo opportunities of songbirds, toucans, snakes, birds, insects, mammals, and frogs as well as dramatic landscape photos. A landscape highlight is nocturnal photography of the active Arenal Volcano. You will come away from this workshop with a beautiful and diverse portfolio of images as well as a wealth of new knowledge to help you to continue improving and expanding your own photography at home and on your next trip to Costa Rica!

Polar Bears & Cubs: NPA 2012

POLAR BEARS AND THEIR CUBS

Cick here for full info

The air is crisp and cold. There you are out on the open tundra scanning the snow drifts and open fields for the majestic and magnificent Polar Bear. Then it happens, right before you some 100 yards away you spot a polar bear mom with her 2 cubs. Your heart skips a beat as you behold a sight that will stay with you forever. Not only will the sight stay with you forever but so will the images that you are there to capture. On this amazing trip you will go to one of the best places on the globe to see and photograph mother polar bears with their cubs. We will see them as they emerge from their dens to come outside and frolic in the snow. You will see the motherly love that mom shows her cubs as the cubs tussle and roughhouse with mom.

Dates:  February 28th -  March 8th, 2012

Price: $8,199.00 USD/ Group size: Maximum of 10 participants. There will be other people at the lodge but they will not be part of our group. Workshop leader/s: David Hemmings & Miguel Lasa

Flight destination: Churchill, Manitoba - Airport code: YYQ . Physical activity: basic. Be prepared for very cold temperatures.

Included in the workshop price: All ground transportation once in Churchill including the 2 hour train ride to Chesnaye where we are picked up in Mattrack vehicles to complete the journey to the lodge.. All meals and accommodations starting the morning of day1 at the lodge. All applicable taxes. accommodations are 2-3 per room. No single occupancy is available. 

Not included: International airfare to Churchill, hotel the day of arrival in Churchill,food while in Churchill, alcoholic beverages, items of a personal nature, trip insurance. We highly recommend travel insurance. 

Workshop Overview:

This destination has long been a coveted secret of naturalists and avid nature photographers. For this trip we will be adventuring out into the tundra wildnerness to set up camp at a beautifully refurbished navy communications base adjacent to Wapusk National Park and the world's largest polar bear den area. Their lodge stands 300 feet on top of an old beach ridge located about 40 miles south of Churchill, Manitoba. Our lodge has a commanding view of the vast Hudson Bay lowlands that stretch to the seashore of Hudson Bay dotted by stands of one-sided spruce trees, tundra hummocks, small lakes and willow lined creeks. This is the home of the world's largest land predator - - the Polar Bear. It is also habitat for the Wolf, White Fox, Caribou and Willow Ptarmigans. Experience the breathtaking beauty of this northern landscape while exploring the environment of our planets foremost den area.

For this adventure we will have Watchee guides who are indigenous to the area and their expertise is second to none. The lodge and the guides have a perfect track record of safety and there has never been an incident between bear and human. We will be given a thorough and complete polar bear safety precautions lesson which will make the adventure safe and fun for all.

We will have 9 glorious days of searching for and photographing polar bear moms out and about with their cubs. We will travel by Mattrack vehicles, which are basically panel vans on snow tracks. When our guides spot the polar bears and any other wildlife such as White Fox or Caribou we stop and get out to set up our gear for that first exciting shoot of the day.

This is also a wonderful place and time to photograph the Aurora Borealis (the northern lights) after dark. So bring that wide angle lens!

Our typical day will consist of a hearty early morning breakfast followed by a great cup of java. We will then don our winter layers and head out for our quarry. We will break for lunch at the lodge and then after warming up will once again head out to shoot until sunset.

Typically we would like to find and photograph the bears and cubs every other day. Sometimes it can be tougher and it is not unheard of not to see the bears for a couple of days. It is nature and it depends on a lot of different factors, none of which the least is weather patterns.