Taking an international wildlife photography trip
Taking an international Wildlife Photography Trip
A wildlife outing can be as simple as going to your local park to photograph the ducks and ground squirrels. Planning an outline like that is simple, and can easily be repeated every day till you capture the image you are looking for.
But a cross country trek or International trip is something completely different. There are so many things to consider. When we are planning our International trips, there are weeks of research poured into the planning of these trips. Not to mention the scouting trips we take to make sure the experience for our guests exceeds their expectations.
What I want to cover in this lesson is our process. The intent is to teach you how to conduct your own research to create the most successful trip you can create for you and your friends.
Let’s dig into this topic and we will help you demystify this potentially daunting task.
There are a plethora of options out there, and you really don’t know who these people are. If you follow the steps I suggest you will be better prepared to make the right decision for you.
The first thing you could do is to look at the images that guides, tour companies, and workshop providers use to promote their trips. Some companies' images may be better than others. This may help you narrow down your options because you might relate to one company's images over another, but it won't get you to a definitive choice, not yet anyway.
Next, you read the itineraries you can find online. Many will be very similar in their routing. Some may be more suited to you and offer customization to get you exactly what you are looking for. Maybe the accommodations are upgraded on a few. Some will include food, some will leave you to buy your own food. Perhaps the transportation that is offered varies from old Russian minivans to rental cars, to luxury minibusses. Some include tips and some make you figure it out on your own. There are lots of options out there for you to look at. I know it can be daunting.
Then there are the client testimonials. Sure, they are helpful. But, REALLY, has anyone ever posted a negative testimonial on their website? Read the testimonials and see who wrote them. Seek them out online and contact the people that wrote the testimonials. Get the feedback directly.
Our community, while it spans the globe, it really is not that big. Reaching out to photographers on social media will get you a wealth of feedback on many of the companies you are probably looking at. You can even reach out to us on the Facebook group that you are now a member of. The group of professional photographers would be happy to have a conversation with you based on their experience. Chances are, at least one of us has photographed at the locations you are looking at. We would be happy to help you.
Once you have narrowed the choices down to a few, call the company and have a phone call. Interview them. At Muench Workshops we encourage people to ask us as many questions that they can think of before they book with us. The following are the 10 most frequent questions we receive:
What are their philosophies about running trips? – This is where you want to find out about their ethical standards when it comes to photographing in nature. Ask them to describe a typical day while you are with them.
Do they teach? What do they teach? – If you want to learn while you travel, find out what their philosophy is on teaching. You want to get a better idea of what it is that they teach. Is it a mix of field teaching and classroom teaching?
How long have they been running photo workshops or facilitating tours to the location you want to go to? – The more experience a company has in an area will really tell you how experienced they are with the species, and the area in which you are visiting. I believe there is nothing more important than a company's local experience.
Find out if they are insured. – It is not something we all think about. But it is important. This is your opportunity to find out if they have liability insurance. This is also your opportunity to start to consider what kind of travel insurance you might want to have while you are on this trip. Ask them what kind of travel insurance they suggest for your trip. There are lots of options out there, and you never want to be sorry you did not invest in the appropriate travel insurance
Ask what their cancellation policies are. – Hey, things happen. You never know what will happen in the future. Ask the company to give you a detailed cancellation policy to make sure you understand what their policies are.
What are the payment terms? - International trips with companies will always include a deposit and have a payment schedule. This is important to understand so you understand what the payment schedule is. It’s also a good idea to match up their payment schedule to their cancellation policy.
What is the instructor/guide to photographer ratio? – This is something we pay particular attention to when we are setting up our wildlife trips. There is a cost for a level of exclusivity. And I don't know how you feel about group sizes. But its always better to go photograph wildlife in smaller groups.
How many people will be in each vehicle? – On paper, this can appear like their people to vehicle ratio is acceptable. But step back and think about photographers and all their gear. If you are photographing from this vehicle, you want full access on each side of the vehicle. The last thing you want to have is someone sitting beside you, and the wildlife presents themselves out their window. Think one person per row,
Do they have any other photos you can look at? – companies always put their best foot forward when posting images to market their trips. Ask to see more. And be specific when you ask. Tell them what types of photos you want to see. If they don't have the images you are looking for, chances are they don't have the experience in taking the type of photos you want to take.
Do they have a list of past clients that you can talk to? – By talking to these past clients you know you are going to get real feedback. You are going to hear the good and the bad without the company being involved in that conversation.
Don’t make a decision until you have all your questions answered. This is your money, and YES, even in some instances, in remote parts of the world, you are putting your life in their hands.
We are going to switch gears now. Move away from logistics and location research. We hope we addressed everything you hoped you were going to hear. If you still have questions, please feel free to contact us.
In the next blog post, we are going to talk about the single most important element in your animal research. It's called pre-visualization. It's the exercise where you begin to formulate your thoughts on the types of photos you want to take of the animals you are going to photograph. It is the common thread that will weave through the entire process of pre-visualizing, photographing in the moment of the action, and post-processing decisions you make when you get home.