Things have really picked up this year in terms of international travel – from Brazil to Morocco, a couple tours in Africa, and all manner of points in between. It’s been good to get back to traveling again with new faces and old friends and I’m looking forward to the coming year!
Several new workshops have been posted on my events page, a few with early bird specials to save a few bucks. I’ll be adding more later in the year as well, so check my events page often for up to date opportunities.
Here’s what’s on the agenda so far – sign up before they fill!
It’s an odd thing, but I’ve had some good wildlife sightings when just standing still and, uh, relieving myself. Mostly owls peering down at me, but just last month I was in the Great Bear Rainforest attempting to photography the Spirit Bear and just when I took a break, one ambled by.
I first photographed these white-phase black bears way back in 1990, long before this region of British Columbia’s coast was designated as global treasure. Now, working on my magnum opus wildlife book, I headed back to this rich temperate rainforest in hopes of seeing this ghostly bear again. We had only four days and the waiting was long. To pass the time I taught a quick class in how to take abstracts; after all, there is always something to photograph, especially when the main objective is proving elusive. We were visited by spawned out salmon, Steller’s jays, American dippers, and a very curious, very black, black bear. Spirit or Kermode bears are merely a color phase of the American black bear. They just happen to carry two alleles of a gene that turns them a creamy white, but they are not albinos.
So when the spirit bear appeared for the first time, I zipped up and grabbed my camera. That session lasted a total of fifteen minutes. My fellow travelers implored me hourly to pee again, but that charm wore thin as did my stream. The next day she regaled us with another 15 minute appearance. Half an hour in four days and we all felt very lucky. That is the nature of wildlife photography.
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The Mala Mala Reserve in South Africa was the last stop on September’s southern African sojourn. As promised, we were able to photograph some big cats doing their big cat things. One memorable pair was a singleton cheetah and its mother. Having no siblings, he relentlessly harried his mother and had epic solo zoomies. Learning how to successfully hunt and navigate its environment is of primary importance to young cats and this guy was doing his best under tough circumstances.
This is the last batch of photos from Africa for the time being – stay tuned for photos from our fall workshops! We’ve been kicking around the PNW and this weekend we are headed down to Sedona – and then it’s on to Oaxaca, Mexico for Day of the Dead!
It has been an exceptional three months of photographic opportunities! I am feverishly finishing up work for my wildlife opus to be published in Fall 2023 as well as teaching photo and travel skills to fellow enthusiasts. Check out the new imagery from Mongolia, Madagascar, Alaska, Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa.
Enjoy the photos – looking back, I’m pretty happy with the sheer number of various critters, beasts, and birds I’ve been able to capture this year!
Now is also the time to be looking ahead to my 2023 workshops and events. Trips like our Katmai tours and abstract workshops sell out early, so If it’s something you might be interested in – lock your spot up early!
We are also just a couple of weeks away from what is going to be special treat – Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, Mexico. If you’re looking for a small-group photo retreat with experienced professionals to guide you and top-notch amenities, this is the ultimate Oaxaca experience!
Following our trip to Namibia (Photos here if you missed them!) our group moved on to Botswana to capture an abundance of wildlife. Lions, leopards, elephants, giraffes, a plethora of birds, and much more! Not only was this a great opportunity to capture a wide variety of different animals – it was also a chance to explore various animal behaviors as well. Enjoy the photos!
Namibia is always a thrilling experience! The landscapes are jaw-dropping and the wildlife is too. We spent chilly mornings at Deadvlei, photographing the world’s tallest dunes before heading north to Etosha National Park. I had a small moment of terror when the wildlife congregations I had talked so much about failed to materialize. But that’s why we have expert in-country guides! They immediately were able to radio and locate where all the animals had gotten to and it turned out to be one of the best days of pure, exhilarating wildlife photography!
I am planning another Namibia workshop for August 2023. To be the first to hear about this opportunity, sign up for my newsletter!
A great way to break up the ennui of flying is to play around with aerial photography. Get yourself a window seat, a camera, and enjoy all the amazing landscapes Earth has to offer. I’ve recently been doing this more and more and I am loving it! Google Earth, step aside, Wolfe Earth is now a thing.
But seriously, you can get some great abstract shots and fancy yourself a spy from time to time. This last trip took me over the pole so I was able to get some images of ice break up in the Arctic Ocean north of Greenland, Russian farmlands, the east coast of the Caspian Sea, and the Alborz mountain range in Iran. While on the plane I do set my clock to local destination and try to get some sleep, but it can be very difficult, so I find this to be a very absorbing and intriguing distraction.
Hard to believe we are fast approaching the final quarter of the year! So far the 2023 slate of U.S. workshops is shaping up to provide a lot of variety, with many popular locations making their return. Save a couple hundred bucks with early bird pricing and lock in your spot today and visit some of the most breathtaking locations in the US.
Each time I return to lead these workshops it’s always exciting to share what I’ve learned on previous trips, and to explore alongside our participants to discover something new. Come along, make some new friends and have a blast with us this spring!
It was probably inevitable with the amount of traveling I do, but COVID caught up to me back in May keeping me grounded at home just when I was about to head out the door to begin our Madagascar Photo Journey. Luckily Gav was able to go, and the shots I saw posted on social media from that trip’s photographers were fantastic!. They only strengthened my resolve to get to the island myself as soon as humanly possible.
Fortunately I was able to arrange an impromptu trip there this past July, fitting in more than enough of the island for a variety of the unique wildlife that inhabits it. Leaping lemurs, lizards in camouflage, iconic baobab trees, and much more – enjoy!
This trip had originally been planned for July 2020, then COVID happened. I am eternally grateful that folks hung on to their reservations for two years and we were able to have an amazing trip!
Our focus was cultural, though we did have a very few wildlife sightings including a critically endangered saiga antelope that galloped past us in a flash.
We were able to stay with and photograph the iconic Kazakh eagle hunters and even crashed a wedding. Near Khovd we went to a traditional festival called a nadaam, with dusty, spirited horse races, and beefy wrestlers who made short work of soldiers who were attending. Finally, as part of the group split off to photograph the endangered takhi (Przewalski’s horse) I was able to meet with shamans. In the Soviet era, Shamanism (and Buddhism) were repressed, but the ancient cultural traditions are making a resurgence.
The vast steppe and arid mountains of Mongolia are magnificent. It is awe-inspiring to witness a rainstorm sweeping across the land and passing clouds dapple the hillsides. It is truly one of the last places where one can feel so small yet invigorated by nature.
