Photography Group Trips
In addition to running my dedicated photo workshops, I also lead group trips each year for photographers for the British travel agent Divequest and for Wetpixel. These trips are designed to provide underwater photographers and videographers diving that is perfectly tailored for producing to quality images. Although these trips do not have any formal photography lectures or image review sessions, there is always lots of discussion about photography and how to get the most out of the opportunities we experience. I am on these trips to help you get the photos you dream of and I am happy to share my knowledge of techniques and subjects throughout the trip.
These underwater wildlife photography trips are either focused on a key species or location, although where the main focus is a specific species we will aim to photograph other subjects during the trip. As with all wildlife encounters nothing can be guaranteed, although all these trips are planned in great detail to visit locations at the peak time and with the best local guides. These trip attract photographers from around the world and although the Divequest groups tend to be mostly Brits, every trip I have run has had a mix of nationalities. Divequest are happy to coordinate with flights from anywhere in the world and can accept payments in US Dollars and Euros!
Divequest Sealions in the Sea of Cortez. Mexico. 2-11 October 2010. FULL
Download PDF. Reaching down into the Pacific Ocean, the unspoilt peninsula of Baja California curls protectively around the Sea of Cortez. The region has long attracted American underwater photographers to its dramatic underwater topography, wrecks and particularly the abundant and charismatic marine life. It is less well known over here in Europe. A primary focuses of this trip is to spend several days diving with the famously friendly California Sealions in the waters around Los Islotes off La Paz. Our trip is planned to coincide with the young sealions making their first unsupervised dives, catching them at their most curious, cute and mischievous. Over 350 sealions of all ages live here and they are used to divers. They love to demonstrate their in-water superiority and tend to hang around for extended encounters. The shallow, brightly lit waters make for a perfect underwater photographic studio and at this time of year are probably the warmest temperatures anywhere in the world where you can interact with these magnificent marine mammals. A 3mm to 5mm suit will be fine.
The two, left, are Australian sealions, but it gives you an idea. Of course, the Sea of Cortez offers much more than sealions. This is just one of those places where anything can and often does show up. With luck the Whale Sharks and Manta Rays will be visiting the Sea of Cortez at the same time as you will be. Large pods of dolphins can often be seen from the boat and our boat operators will encourage the dolphins to bow ride. Swanne Reef is an excellent spot for fish photography and macro, the Salvaterria ferry wreck is particularly photogenic, while sea mounts provide chances of seeing Scalloped Hammerheads not too deep down and, more reliably, multiple moray eels packed into crevices in the rock! Many of the dive sites are home to large schools of fish and of course Eastern Pacific endemics such the Giant Hawkfish (which can grow to half a metre), the Cortez Angelfish and the attractive Mexican Hogfish. All are species that will provide truly spectacular and original subjects.
Divequest/Wild Images Photo Tours: Manatees, Florida. 4th-10th February 2011. SPACES
Download PDF for 2010 trip. Mist hangs over the dark waters and we will be pleased to see the first rays of warming sunlight stretching through the trees and across the Three Sisters spring in Crystal River. Its dawn and we are right on time. In Florida, the early photographer catches the Manatee! Crystal River in west-central Florida, about 3 hours from Orlando, is the winter home of the largest concentration of West Indian Manatees, or Sea Cows, in North America. Each winter year hundreds of these marine mammals migrate from the Gulf of Mexico up into Crystal River for the warmth of its freshwater springs which keeps them toasty while they sleep. Particularly during cold fronts, the springs fill up like dormitories each night and by arriving early we can expect quite a reception.
There is no need for stealth. The manatees will seek you out. Life for a manatee is an itchy business, and there is nothing the young and old seem to like more than a good old scratch. In Crystal River they know the just where to get one: you. The youngsters, hyperactive in slow moving manatee terms, supercharged on mother s rich milk are usually the most playful and keenest on a good scratch. They will swim right up to you, turn on its side or back and rub its flippers on its belly, leaving you in little doubt as to what is required. Watch this video I took on the 2010 trip to get the idea. Give a manatee a good scratch and it may bond with you all morning, returning to you again and again for some attention. By the way, manatees always look smaller than they really are in photographs. Adults average 3 to 3.5 metres in length and weighs in at 500 kilograms.
Manatees are one of the great wildlife subjects and love to interact with you, making photography easy and incredibly rewarding. The aim of this short trip is to maximize our in water time with the manatees and specifically to photograph them in the best light of the day. We will have our own boat, throughout and will be working with the most respected operator in the area with decades of experience. Unusually, this will not be a diving trip, we will only snorkel with the manatees, and as such it is open to non-divers and non-underwater photographers. We will also visit Rainbow River where it is possible to dive, although many will choose just to snorkel. Underwater housing rental can be arranged and this trip is a perfect opportunity for land based wildlife photographers to add some underwater images to your portfolio.
Please contact Divequest for more information and reservations, you can download a PDF with more information here.
Komodo. September 2011. - OPEN for bookings.
The exotic islands of Komodo and Rinca offer some of the world's most spectacular underwater sights, in a remote region of Indonesia where the words, sometimes printed on ancient maps, 'Here Be Dragons' really are appropriate! We will make a land excursion to see the famous and impressive Komodo Dragons at this World Heritage Site, but the focus of our trip will of course be underwater.
We have selected the luxury liveaboard boat, Siren, that specializes in trips for underwater photographers. Siren provides superb accommodation and diving management along with excellent facilities for the underwater photographer, such as dedicated preparation areas, plenty of charge points, storage areas, dedicated rinse tanks, computers in every cabin to allow you to download and edit your day's work and a large plasma screen in the saloon to view and share your days pictures with your fellow underwater photographers. Our specially extended 12 nights charter has been designed to meet the needs of this specific group and will visit dive sites not available on standard Komodo cruises.
The details of this trip have been specifically planned for the benefit of underwater photographers. We will board Siren at Bima on the island of Sumbawa, to give us the maximum time in the heart of this region. This specially chartered trip is also longer than the standard charters, so that we will have time to reap the photographic benefits. The plan is that when we find sites that are really hot, we will stay there and dive them repeatedly. With such a richness of subjects, one dive is never enough on the best sites in Komodo. The trip is also timed for the dark phase of the moon, which many critter-lovers strongly believe always leads to the richest sightings.
Before we join Siren for this remarkable trip there will be an optional pre-tour extension in Bali searching for some special creatures. Our short stay will be at the very comfortable Scuba Seraya, where our every diving need is catered for by their superb team, and we will be taking boat dives to the Liberty wreck (where Alex has even had encounters with the remarkable Ocean Sunfish or Mola mola!) and exploring the excellent house reef from the shore.
Download PDF. More info coming soon. Contact Divequest. Please contact Divequest for more information and for reservations.
