Behind the banner of RAW Photographic lies two people; Samuel Cox and Sophie Brown. Both are professional wildlife photographers who spent many years in the field, living in South Africa and teaching wildlife and conservation photography to international guests, volunteers and interns alike. This gave them both not only unparalleled access to the wildlife on their doorstep, but more importantly - the skills and years of experiences in teaching the specifics of ethical wildlife photography. This wealth of diverse, yet powerfully coupled traits, makes Sam and Sophie unique amongst the crowd.
It wasn't until the breakout of the dreaded Corona virus, however, and the subsequent fall in tourism, that Sam and Sophie found themselves at a crossroads on how to adapt and take on their future. As such, amidst the chaos of a global pandemic and travel bans, RAW Photographic was created.
With our photographic safaris and workshops, we at RAW Photographic insist on delivering nothing but the best experience possible for our guests. Not only do we want to ensure a fun, educational and meaningful wildlife experience - it’s also important that we do so in a way that’s driven by authenticity and ethics. A lot of research and effort goes into designing and building our products and we only partner with those who mirror our ambitions in delivering great experiences whilst also remaining respectful to the land, wildlife and cultures we’re visiting.
Photographic safaris often get a bad reputation for being elitist and costing a fortune - and whilst there’s certainly evidence of that out there, our mission statement is to counteract this notion. Yes, we work with wildlife and photography - but that doesn’t mean it has to cost the world. Whilst still working in some of Africa’s most desired and premier hot-spots for wildlife, our aim is to keep our products as afffordable as possible whilst not skimping on the value. All our trips are as inclusive as possible and are hosted by one of our professional photographers for bespoke photographic tuition and to ensure everything sails smoothly - making sure that you have nothing to worry about other than making sure your batteries are charged and memory cards aplenty!
We want nothing more than for our guests to feel confident and at ease with every moment of their experience with us - from the early stages of booking to the final airport goodbyes, so we implement an open door policy where we welcome and promote any and all questions, so please don’t hesitateto get in touch with us regarding anything.
Samuel Cox
Sophie Brown
MEET THE TEAM
SAMUEL COX
Sam has been a professional photographer for well over a decade, starting off locally in England with wedding and event photography. His lifelong love for Africa and it's wildlife eventually made him move out and take on the role of teaching and managing photography projects in the Greater Kruger region of South Africa. Over the years he taught and mentored hundreds of international aspiring photographers, and fell in love with the role of teaching and being able to share moments in nature with other passionate and like-minded individuals.
Sam's core belief is that great photography is not hard to come by, but meaningful photography is. His aim is to teach people the skills in how to creatively tell stories and connect more people to nature through their photography.
SOPHIE BROWN
Having first found her passion for photography whilst studying for a Masters in Fine Art, it was a trip to South Africa in 2014 that had her fall in love with wildlife photography. She spent years based in the Greater Kruger of South Africa, working with Sam and as part of a team teaching conservation wildlife photography, developing the skills and educating guests on creative yet ethical approaches to photography.
Sophie is captivated by the unique diversity that African wildlife has to offer and is passionate about using the art of photography to showcase this. She believes that meaningful photography has the power to change the world. Therefore, she also believes it is important that her photography is used to glorify her subjects and aid conservation initiatives for them and their habitats.
O U R P A R T N E R S
KrugerExplorer
Wildlife & Nature Encyclopedia App
High Five Wildlife Society
Charity
TCHAGRA TRAILS
Mentoring & Holistic Safaris
KLASERIE CHRONICLE
Quarterly Magazine Publication
OUR A M B A S S A D O R S
Over the years we've met and worked with some fantastic photographers and artists who we aim to carry on supporting, developing and working with in the future. One way in which we're able to do this is through our ambassador scheme, where we mentor, guide and uplift photographers who want to change their passion into career. We help build their own individual and unique brand and mentor them on how to setup and run their own photographic trips that carry a conservation underlining. Click through to their portfolio or website and support the amazing creativity and work that they do, we can't wait to see how their futures progress and to be a part of it!
JASON BLOW
JAKE PASCOE
TOODIE MAY
NOELLE HAMOEN
STEVE PUGH
RYAN NEWINGTON
CHRISTINA JOY
HEIKO MENNIGEN
