South Africa: Wildlife & Travel Photography Programme

Introduction

The course you will be attending is with an environmental and media company who focus on bringing attention to environmental issues specific to Africa, always looking for unique and authentic perspectives in their work. They work with many different clients, ranging from broadcasters, corporations, non-governmental organizations, print media and online news outlets. Their work is not restricted to land-based work, and you can also get wet with their underwater photography component!

Professionalise your career aspirations and learn how to make money from photography, whilst experiencing incredible photographic platforms in Africa. This course has evolved over the past 6 years to provide you with exactly what you need to ‘break into’ the competitive world of photography. During this month, you will accompany our photographers throughout the Garden Route and receive expert guidance on how to produce artistic and quality photographs on wildlife and travel. On occasion you may also have the opportunity to participate in professional shoots for clients, producing marketing material for advertising and social media campaigns, enabling you to gain professional experience working with paying clients.

We have also included tutorials and practical training on setting up your own business; specifically how to ensure you can make enough money to startup and maintain your business; how to write a basic business plan and most importantly how to market yourself and build your income streams. Practical training is key and so the trainers don’t just talk “at” you. They offer you practical experience and guide you, step by step through the process. They have a busy alumni program that will assist you to open the necessary profiles in the media industry to get you off to a flying start. This training, coupled with the practical experience of shooting within various wildlife and travel platforms, will enhance your career prospects. Some benefit from credits within their schools or colleges, where applicable.

Daily Life

On this programme you will receive tuition in both basic and more advanced stills photography and in software: Lightroom and to a far lesser extent, photoshop and other applications. You will attend in the field trips (see below) with our staff. We enjoy a good relationship with various environmental organisations along the Garden Route and this offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to participate, not only in learning how to survive and make money in today’s markets but also how to prepare for a shoot and work professionally in the field/ on location. Daily work will be split between tutorials and practical work in the field.

In addition to your training, you will get to go on various expeditions which include;

• 5 day / 4 night trip to the Great Karoo to incredible private Mount Camdeboo private reserve and you may also get to view the scenic private reserves of Asante Sana and Samara on this fantastic trip
• 2 day / 1 night trip to Plettenberg Bay where we visit Jukani wildlife park, Birds of Eden and Monkeyland and spend a few hours at Tenikwa sanctuary
• 1 x trip to shoot local people: a project in conjunction with local organisations
• 1 x day trip to the Robinson pass, Cango Wildlife Ranch and the dramatic waterfalls of the Swartberg mountains ( not possible every month as is weather dependent)
• 1 x cage dive with local cage diving boat White Shark Africa (typically included, but not guaranteed due to weather)
• 2 x trips to shoot surfers/body boarders and/or skate boarders
• 1 or 2 x UW pool shooting trip to a heated pool but, if weather allows we do a rock pool shoot too
• hiking morning with shoot of caves and slow shutter speeds of waves on the world famous St Blaize Trail
• 1 x night shoot from any of the above locations- star trails or Moon rise
• sunsets and sunrises
• techniques for landscapes and travel photography
• 1 x half day trip to the Valley of Desolation in Graaff-Reinet in the Great Karoo to shoot the sunset and, when time permits,  an hour trip around the National Park.

Note: sometimes some of these trips are not possible, and the owners reserve the right to change trips. These are however, the trips that the program has been doing for the past 6 years.

Travel & Accommodation

You will need to fly into George Airport, Western Cape , South Africa.

The project is located in Mossel Bay, which is surrounded by the Outeniqua Mountains 400 kms east of Cape Town.

On the outskirts of Mossel Bay, lies the Aalwyndal community. Perched on the ridge overlooking the oceans is our student house, known as the Fly me to the moon guesthouse. This stunning guesthouse offers 8 bedrooms for students, living rooms, dining rooms, balconies and work offices.

Requirements

• Minimum age 18.
• Minimum 1 month commitment.
• Basic English language skills.
• Necessary vaccinations
• Necessary flight & visas.
• Full travel & medical insurance – full assistance provided in arranging everything you will need if you choose our Premium Support

Anyone is welcome to join us, however it is recommend that you are;

• Current or graduated students enrolled in academic institutes and studying towards a journalism, conservation, photo, design major
• Aspirant photographers
• Photographers who want to improve

In terms of photographic gear, students usually bring their own camera, lens’ and tripod. There are additional lenses supplied by us are for tutorial work only. ‘Top-end” lens’ and camera bodies are available as rentals should a student require additional equipment

Many students prefer to work with their own camera. During set tutorials certain specialist lenses and filters are provided. Various cameras and lenses can be hired for the duration of the programme. It is preferable to pre-book these to avoid disappointment. Enquire with us directly.

Computers: Please bring your own laptop. It must be pre-loaded with Adobe Lightroom and if possible Adobe Photoshop as we use these editing softwares, especially Lightroom, extensively on the course. You should bring a tripod but you can hire if pre-booked. Please bring CPL and ND filters for your own lenses. If you have a shutter release mechanism, even a simple one, please bring it. Please bring a HD of at least 500GB but ideally 1 TB.

Costs

The cost is $3,550 per month.

*$750 deposit to confirm your place
**All payments incur a 5% bank transfer fee
*** For the latest currency conversions, check out xe.com

What’s Included:

• Transfer to and from the airport  (only on the 1st of each month)
• Local transport to and from photographic platforms
• Dorm room accommodation (2-4 interns/room, gender separated). On request and a surcharge of $500  we can provide private accommodation
• Food (3 meals per day)
• Snorkeling equipment for all course expeditions
• Macro lenses on the macro tutorial practical
• All practical and theoretical training instruction
• All the trips listed in the Daily Life section (if available)
• Unlimited Internet (fast by South African standards  – slow speed by international standards)

What’s Not Included

• Additional days accommodation & food
• Flights from your home country into and around RSA
• Optional photographic / tourism expeditions
• SCUBA diving training (i.e PADI Open water: R 6000)
• Top end dSLR Cameras and lenses rentals
• Laundry service
• Extra food and beverages
• Bank or PayPal charges for transfer of fees

Depending on your habits and lifestyle, we usually suggest adding to your monthly budget between 4,000 and 6,000 South African Rand (approx. $300-500 USD) for souvenirs, excursions, entertainment and other personal daily needs. If you want to do a SCUBA course you should add a further R6000.

Due to the number of people applying to join this program and limited space, the owners unfortunately cannot accept all applications. Therefore, they do not welcome cancellations or date changes after the final confirmation and deposit has been paid. The owners require that a  non-refundable USD750 deposit is paid within a week of booking into the program as confirmation (foreign and local bank fees are for your own account). The remaining fee must be paid in full 21 days prior to your arrival in South Africa. In case of cancellation, they will attempt to move you to a preferred month that you are able to attend, however, the program cannot offer refunds on deposits for the given reasons.

Pick-ups and drop offs from George Airport will be organised for the 1st of the month. Students arriving or leaving outside this time will be collected with a small surcharge of approx. $40 . Domestic flights within South Africa can be arranged with one of the following companies (www.kulula.com, www.1time.aero, www.flysaa.com).

If you would like to stay with us outside of the program dates (1st to the 28th) then they ask R500/day to cover food and accommodation.