If you are a nature lover, you'll find that wildlife photography can be one of the most rewarding pursuits indeed. By providing a creative outlet for your empathy towards wildlife, you not only find that your game viewing activities become more enriching, but you'll also gain a keener understanding of a subject's behavior and moods.

TRIP OBJECTIVES AND DATES

Geared towards beginners looking to discover the world of wildlife photography, the workshop's goal is to help you improve the quality of your wildlife images from "snapshots" to "images" - a task which requires both technical competence and an eye for aesthetics. As such, it will cover concepts specifically aimed at developing the techniques needed to get technical and aesthetically strong images.

The workshop can be scheduled at any time of the year except monsoons (July-September).

PRE-REQUISITES

You should have a camera that extends to 200mm at minimum (300mm is ideal). An SLR system is strongly recommended. While compact camera users are welcome, and will benefit from several of the concepts covered in the workshop, they should be aware that the inherent liminations of these camera means that they may not be able to apply some of the concepts covered in the workshop.

Technical skills , such as knowledge of basic photography concepts (aperture, shutter, how metering modes work and what their strengths/weaknesses) are helpful but not necessary, as we will cover relevant parts during the workshop. What is important is a keen interest in the natural world and wildlife - it is a passion for your
subject , as opposed to pure technical skills, that will lead to inspiring photos.

You should know how to activate the following features of your SLR : applying exposure compensation, focus lock, bracketing exposures, engaging a spot/partial meter, setting predictive auto-focus and burst shooting mode. Don't worry if you are not clear as to what they do and when to use them... we'll cover that in the workshop.

Participants can use whatever film they are comfortable with - print or slide. How much film you bring depends on your shooting needs, but typically, anywhere from 1to 5 rolls per game drive (there are 6 scheduled drives in the trip) should be adequate.

Other accessories: a flash and wide angle-to-moderate-tele lens (or lenses) are useful.

It is also recommended that each workshop participant send in some samples of their average and best wildlife photos, for review and for developing customized learning plans. These images should be no more than 100kb in size per image (6 max).

TOPICS COVERED

Most of the emphasis is on hands-on field work, as opposed to classrom theory. To achieve this, the workshop will cover the following topics:

• Aesthetic and technical principles behind wildlife photography: choice of subject, framing, focal length, angle, point of focus and more
• Compositional techniques
• Achieving proper focus for action shots - predictive auto focus, panning and more
• Long lens techniques for obtaining maximum stability and sharpness from your telephoto
• Achieving proper exposure for all lighting situations and subjects
• impact of background on image quality
• Selecting subjects and anticipating the "decisive" moment
• Understanding animal behavior and learning to translate this into better photographs
• Creative use of angles and perspectives
• Individualized "skill development" plan for further practice

ITINERARY

Day 1: Meet in New Delhi in the morning,and head to Rathambhore via A/C train. Review workshop plan and concepts en route. Game drive in the evening. Evening review of day's shooting and slideshow/review of wildlife photography theory, as well as assignments for the next morning. (L, D)

Day 2: Early morning game drive, followed by a review of the techniques used and additional practice sessions. Post-lunch, go over assignment for the afternoon drive, followed by the afternoon game drive. Evening interactive session and slideshow covering day's shooting and how the various techniques were applied, as well as assignments for the next day. (B, L, D)

Day 3: Early morning game drive, followed by a review of the techniques used and additional practice sessions. Summary of techniques and concepts used to date, followed by assignments for the afternoon game drive. Evening interactive discussion session and discussion on next steps, in terms of improving photographic skills (B, L, D)

Day 4: Ea rly morning game drive, followed by departure back to New Delhi. (B, L)

GENERAL NOTES

This workshop is for beginners looking to learn more about wildlife photography. More experienced photographers should consider our Intermediate Wildlife Photography workshop, Creative Wildlife Photography workshop, or one of our standard wildlife photography tours.

Please note that is a trip into the wild and there can be no guarantees of species sightings or the quality of those sightings. We will work within the confines of what we get.

PRICES

The all-inclusive price for this tour is as follows:

• 1 person: Rs 60,000
• 2-4 people: Rs 35,000
• 5 or more people: Rs 25,000

Prices include all accommodations in Swiss-style tents with en-suite bathrooms, meals, game viewing in private jeep or open-top minibus, services of a top-quality tracker/guide, transfers to and from New Delhi and drinking water. Not included are beverages, laundry, tips, travel costs to Delhi, cost of film or developing and personal expenses.

Participants are expected to provide their own camera, lenses and film, and will be responsible for the development of the same. We do have some rental gear available, if need be.

Note on hotels: We have priced this trip based on staying in a comfortable, upper-end resort offering good food, well-appointed rooms and a relaxed, personalized ambience. This resort was chosen because of its experience in working with photographers, and is a particular favorite for international film crews, and you could be sharing your time there with teams shooting documentaries for some of the better known nature & wildlife channels.

However, if you would prefer to re-live the lifestyle of the kings of the old, we would be more than happy to base the trips in top-end hotels as well. Please contact us if interested.

BOOKING TERMS & CONDITIONS

To make a booking, please email us at info@photosafariindia.com

Bookings are not confirmed until we receive a 20% deposit. We accept payment via wire transfers or via Paypal. The balance is due 45 days before the trip.

If cancelling before 45 days, the full sum will be refunded (minus the 3% transaction fee, if you have paid using a credit card via Paypal). For cancellations between 15-45 days from the trip date, we levy a 25% cancellation charge. For cancellations within 15 days of the trip date, the cancellation charge is up to 75%.