Location: Masai Mara, Kenya
Duration: 7 nights / 8 days
Group Size: Max 9
Level of fitness required: Easy
Join Tatra Photography for an incredible wildlife photography tour in the world famous Masai Mara to witness one of greatest spectacles on Earth, the Great Wildebeest Migration in the heart of Africa’s Big Game Country.
No where on earth is there a movement of animals as immense as the wildebeest migration, millions of animals migrate from the South plains of Tanzania to the greener pastures North of the Masai Mara. The migration has to cross the Mara river where the crocodiles are waiting for the slightest chance of a meal.
We will be concentrating on the fast action of the migration during our wildlife photography tour of the Masai Mara and we will also have the opportunity to photograph lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo and we will also have plenty of opportunities with the other game including hippopotami, cheetah, gazelle, impala, topi, Coke’s hartebeest, giraffe, Roan antelope and the nocturnal bat-eared fox.
Your tour leader and photographic tutor will be with you throughout the trip in order to help you make the most of your passion for the photography of wildlife. He has a wealth of knowledge to share, and will be on hand at all times in the field to offer guidance in a relaxed and informal manner. To expand on the field based instruction your tutor will also provide further teaching by way of group tutorials held during breaks between game drives and on some evenings. In these sessions he will discuss the creative processes behind recording thrilling and memorable images of African wildlife, as well as provide inspiration for new ideas and photographic techniques for you to try.
Feedback on your pictures is crucially important to help you expand and refine your wildlife photography skills. Our tutors are keen to provide this at any time during the trip, whether on a one-to-one basis, or during the tutorial sessions. You will also be encouraged to seek instruction and ask questions to ensure you learn and gain the most from the photographic opportunities. In short your tutor will help you acquire the photographs you have come to capture!
Your tutor for this workshop is Simon Stafford. Simon first became interested in photography while a university student. Completely self-taught, his photographic career began when he talked his way into a job as the photographer for his university’s weekly newspaper and has been shooting pictures ever since. His photographs have been used widely in newspapers, books, calendars, and magazines, including Nikon Pro, Professional Photographer, Practical Photography, Digital SLR Photography and Photography Monthly, plus he is Technical Editor to Nikon Owner magazine.
Simon has built up a wealth of experience over the past thirty years in both film and digital photography. Throughout his photographic career he has used the Nikon system extensively, adopting digital photography at an early stage with the release of the Nikon D1 camera during 1999; he has being using digital cameras exclusively since 2004. He completed his first book, The Nikon Compendium, during 2003. With nearly 400 pages and Simon’s own extensive photography of Nikon cameras, Nikkor lenses, and Nikon system accessories, it represents a comprehensive history of the Nikon system for the user and collector alike. He has also written over twenty books on the Nikon camera system for the Magic Lantern Guide series, published by Sterling Publishing. Currently he is involved in a wide variety of photographic projects, which include presenting photographic workshops, teaching on-line photography courses, and working with wildlife research and conservation organisations in South Africa.
Accommodation
Our accommodation in the Masai Mara is situated on the banks of the Mara River, an award winning boutique Olanana luxury camp on a private stretch of the Mara river whose unique location offers remarkable opportunities for photography safari adventures with one of the main crossings of the migration close by. It was built along sustainable lines, which along with innovative wetlands and tree-planting projects have earned a gold award from Ecotourism Kenya.
Our award winning accommodation is offered in double or twin tents each attended by a personal butler and all placed to offer maximum privacy and tranquility. Each tent has en-suite facilities with hot and cold running water; double basin and WC. Spacious wooden verandah overlooking the river and unique hand crafted furniture & fittings. The tents have floor to ceiling mosquito netting ‘windows’ and 2 queen size beds.
The main dining room and veranda command views over a dramatic stretch of the Mara River. We will be able to see and hear the family of hippos who colonise the banks below the camp. Our camp also offers a swimming pool, elegant lounge/dining cottage as well as a large deck outside dining area for breakfast, sundowners, afternoon tea & stargazing.
Our transport for the game drives are large 4×4 customised Safari vehicles with one row per photographer provided. A six passenger vehicle with only 3 photographers. This gives each photographer unrestricted views and valuable extra space for a second camera, large lenses, camera bags and other equipment.
We have also included extra weight allowance hold luggage for your internal Wilson – Mara flight so you are not limited with any equipment. You can travel with Tatra Photography using the same weight allowance as your international flight 2 x 23kg.
All monies paid by you for the air holiday package shown are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 6404. For more information see our booking terms and conditions.
