ABOUT
Our workshops have been designed to increase the creative and technical skills that are fundamental in order to capture those jaw-dropping images of wildlife that so many of us hope to get. This is done through a ’back to basics’ approach, where we discuss the basics of camera operating and then move on to the particulars of wildlife photography.
This includes how to tell a story and represent your subject with creative composition, how to freeze the action, showing motion, working with different types of light and even at night – where we go out looking for nocturnal animals!
Every day is an opportunity to learn something new and we've put together a schedule that will leave no moment wasted - making sure you leave us having learnt and mastered more than you can imagine.
Sam and Sophie taught me everything I know about wildlife photography and sparked a passion that I’ve rarely found in other areas of life. If you get the chance to get out in the field under their tutelage, I’d highly recommend it. The things you’ll learn are truly priceless.
ANDREW Y.LIU
TUITION TOPICS
Our onsite photographic lead will be with you on every drive and activity, and in-between will be hosting and conducting workshop sessions and one-on-one private tuition. You’ll find some of the topics that we’ll cover listed below, although please note they are subject to change depending on weather, guest needs and sighting opportunities.
CREATIVE COMPOSITION
How to frame your shots, what’s most important in
your picture, how to reinforce that and how to tell
stories. How to avoid distracting elements and
learning basic guidelines and experimenting
with how to break the 'rules'.
All of these are incredibly important in
attention-grabbing imagery.
WORKING WITH LIGHT
Typically, wildlife is more active first thing in the
morning and late in the afternoon and evening.
As such, it’s important to know how to work with
different type of lighting conditions, and how to
keep shooting even when it’s not ideal!
FREEZING AND SHOWING MOTION
Learning from ‘working with light’, we further showcase
how to get maximum yield from different times of the day.
From lots of sun allowing us to freeze the action,
to showing the energy and movement of our
subjects in low light situations.
SHOOTING AT NIGHT
When the sun goes down, a whole new world opens up –
one we don’t want to miss out on! Armed with a spotlight,
we head out into the darkness to photograph Africa’s
nocturnal animals and learn how to photograph without the sun.
PHOTO EDITING
We know how important your pictures are, so we make sure to show you how best to backup, catalogue and protect your files so that they'll always be easy to find but also - most importantly - safe and secure.
We'll also be going in depth into how to get the most out of your digital images with sessions on Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, showing you how you can transform something bland and boring into something extraordinary and print worthy!
Use the slider below to see an example of how a quick and simple edit can drastically change a photograph!
The computer work is the least of our priorities though, with our workshop being based around practical techniques that will have you quickly seeing huge improvements in your own photography in no time.
TYPICAL ITINERARY
DAY ONE
- Arrive at airport and be met by your RAW Photographic host.
- Head to lodge in the middle of the African wilderness. Settle in to your new home away from home, have a drink and relax.
- Depart for afternoon game drive, exploring the reserve which will be your new sandbox for photographic opportunities.
- After a drink stop at sunset, head back to lodge early evening for drinks and dinner.
DAY TWO
- Early morning game drive with coffee stop before heading back to lodge for a delicious breakfast and a bit of downtime.
- At noon we start our workshop, focusing on basic camera skills. How light works within a camera and how to use settings and functions.
- We head out on game drive with a focus on utilising new information and techniques. As usual, we stop for sunset drinks and head back for dinner early evening.
DAY THREE
- The usual morning routine, again focusing on new techniques.
- This workshop afternoon will be based around a laptop. How to catalogue photographs, back them up effectively and how to start using Lightroom.
- We head out on game drive with a focus on utilising new information and techniques before heading back for dinner.
DAY FOUR
- The usual morning routine, again focusing on new techniques.
- This workshop afternoon focuses on composition; basic storytelling and creative framing to elevate your photographs.
- We head out on game drive with a focus on utilising new information and techniques before heading back for dinner.
DAY FIVE
- The usual morning and evening routine, but today will focus on basic editing within Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop, how to quickly and effectively develop images and export them as jpegs ready for social media and portfolios.
DAY SIX
- The usual morning and evening routine, but today will focus on how to work with natural light. From the early morning light before sunrise, to the middle of the day and ending on the evening darkness. How do we photograph and make the most of out of good, bad and a lack of lighting?
DAY SEVEN
- The usual morning and evening routine, but today will focus on how to showcase and freeze motion. How to show every detail of an action-packed moment, to how to portray the motion and energy of a scene.
DAY EIGHT
- The afternoon will be an editing session where you'll be given one-on-one tuition and advice. This is a light day designed to focus on developing new ways of editing as well as recharging batteries.
DAY NINE
- Today is a bit of a recap - going over old techniques and ideas, applying them in the field and back at camp. This is a great time to cover any questions or topics that aren't quite understood or for those who need extra practice.
DAY TEN
- Final morning game drive is purely celebratory, with no focus other than to enjoy what nature offers us.
- Check out from lodge after morning breakfast, to be transferred back to airport.
IS THIS RIGHT FOR YOU?
These trips are designed to explore passions. A passion for photography. A passion for nature. A passion for creativity and sharing. It’s all here in this one package. From your enthusiastic photographic lead host to your passionate field guide and attentive lodge staff; we can’t wait to help you with photography and share those magical moments that only life amidst the African wilderness can provide.
If any of this sound exciting, then this is absolutely for you. Any level of photographic knowledge is welcome - from semi-pro to absolute beginners - there's value here for everyone. The best thing we can suggest, if you're still not entirely sure or have some questions - is to simply get in touch with us. We can answer any questions via email or even organise a Zoom chat for a more intimate face-to-face chat. We can then get to know each other and work out whether a photographic workshop would be the right thing for you.
