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This is a guest review of a photo tour conducted by Suzi Eszterhas in Botswana.  PTR will be featuring more guest reviews like this one during 2011.

By John Klingel

(Text and Photographs Copyright © 2011, John Klingel, All Rights Reserved)

For excitement, adventure, great photography, companionship and learning about animal behavior, my ten-day trip to Botswana (Botswana Predators Photo Safari) completely exceeded my expectations.

I first met Suzi Eszterhas (www.suzieszterhas.com), our trip leader, when she spoke to the Marin Photography Club in California. She was obviously an excellent photographer and someone from whom I could learn more about nature photography.

Also, her trip was limited to four photographers in two cars and each photographer had his or her own seat to easily shoot from either side of the car. A small group, two photographers per car, and great accommodations resulted in a high cost that was worth every penny.

Group size was restricted as we would be photographing African Wild Dog puppies at their den. Group size could have been increased and time spent at the den reduced; but as someone who’s enormously concerned about her client’s photography experience, Suzi didn’t increase group size. Every day, both cars spent the morning at the den and then one car returned after lunch.

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In late afternoon the fourteen dogs in the pack would go out on a hunt and we would follow them cross country. The off-road hunts were hair raising and extremely rough, and we had to strap ourselves in and hang on as the car bounced over the rough landscape. The dogs paid no attention to us and we were often in the middle of the pack. I felt as though I were a member of the pack experiencing the thrill of the hunt.

The car that didn’t go back to the den would go on a game drive with a guide/driver and a tracker. One of the many things that Suzi did to enhance our experience was to make sure we had extremely high quality guides and trackers. Our guides knew how to position us for good photos. One of the guides was free-lance, and was brought in specifically for our group. A photographer himself, he conceived and positioned us for the giraffe photo at sunset.

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Our last day at the den was the major experience of the trip: witnessing a Wild Dog kill. In my photo, you can see how two of the dogs hold on to the snout so that the warthog couldn’t slash the other dogs with his razor sharp tusks. Nature isn’t always pretty and watching a kill while the prey is screaming can be difficult. While the dogs were eating, a large herd of elephants approached, drawn by the smell of blood. Our car was between the dogs and elephants, who were pawing the ground and trumpeting. If we hadn’t been there, the elephants would have chased the dogs off, so we kept the motor running in case they charged and I took turns photographing the Wild Dogs and elephants.

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Additional excitement included witnessing a female lion attack a male to protect her cubs, a cheetah kill, a cheetah leaping on the back of a hyena, a leopard stalking prey (prey got away), and the Wild Dogs chasing a leopard up a tree.  Many of our great photographic opportunities were due to the quality of our drivers and trackers. Getting good guides is one of the key elements in a successful wildlife trip.

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The trip from July 25 to August 7, 2010, started by flying into and staying in Johannesburg for one night. The next day, we flew to Maun in Botswana and caught a bush plane (very small and weight restricted) to our first camp, Kwando Lagoon in Northwest Botswana on the border with Namibia. We had five days of game drives in Kwando Lagoon and four days in the second camp, Kwando Kwara. The Wild Dogs were the primary attraction in the Lagoon Camp and Kwando Kwara had better sightings of predators.

Both camps housed us in very comfortable, large two bed tents. Food and service were excellent. The Botswanan people speak fluent English, are well educated, and have a wonderful sense of humor.

Our arrival at our first camp was late due to plane delays. Suzi had scheduled our first game drive and warned us that since were staring late, we would have to stay close to camp and might not see much. Fifteen minutes later, we saw a cheetah moving through the brush. After we followed it for awhile, it went up on a termite mound and posed for the classic cheetah-on-mound shot.

Then we noticed a hyena approaching who didn’t seem to see the cheetah. Suzi said “Get ready; things are going to happen fast.” (One key thing to look for in a leader is someone who knows animal behavior and tells you what to anticipate.) And in a flash, the cheetah leapt on the back of the hyena. Even with a warning, I missed the shot.

Being prepared to change cameras quickly was Lesson One.

I had two cameras with me. A Nikon D90 with a Tamron 18 to 270mm and a Nikon D300s with a Sigma 150 to 500mm lens. Unfortunately, I had the 500mm lens in my hands and when I went down to 150mm, it was still too much lens as the action was about 10 to 15 feet from the car. I needed a wide angle but everything happened too quickly to grab the second camera.

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Before I went to Africa, I went on a number of shoots to practice with my Wimberly tripod head. Although I hauled it to Botswana, I never used it. It simply doesn’t work in the cars. Really Right Stuff is coming out with some new Safari gear in 2011 that looks as if it might work. What I should have practiced is rapidly switching cameras. I kept my second camera sitting on the seat and that didn’t work well. Next time, I would look for some kind of harness system. And in a car, you’re shooting in a sitting position and I’m used to shooting on my feet.

Lesson Two relates to how close the animals are.

At one point, I could have leaned out of the car and petted a leopard. Sometimes a 500mm was great but in a lot of cases it was too much power. On this trip, a prime lens would have disappointed and the zooms were great. At 500mm my Sigma is f6.3. So early morning and late day light are problematic. For future trips I’m considering with Suzi to Costa Rica and Madagascar where I’m likely to be shooting into a lot of dark tree tops, I’m thinking about renting a prime 400mm lens that’s f2.8.

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Lesson Three concerns memory. I ended up shooting over 16,000 photos in RAW and while I managed, I was shocked at how much memory I used.  One very active day, I shot about 4,000 photos and was down to my last card.

In the evening on our way back to camp, the tracker used a spotlight and we used flash when we found animals in the dark. We also used flash to photograph hyena pups in the dark and the Wild Dogs eating the warthog after we lost light.

Our usual day consisted of leaving camp before dark and returning around noon. (It was winter in Botswana and cold.) After lunch, we had a  photography lesson in some subject such as Photoshop. Then it was back out about 3:00 P.M., returning after dark. In the evening Suzi often showed her fascinating nature programs.

In conclusion, this trip was the most exciting adventure I’ve ever had and I was extremely pleased with my photos.  I would highly recommend a Suzi Eszterhas tour to anyone interested in photo travel adventure.  Her attention to detail and her planning were superb.  One could not find a better tour provider.

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John Klingel lives in California just north of San Francisco and spends summers on Cape Cod. He became passionate about photography in 2009. So far, his work is primarily fine art, landscape, and nature; but he enjoys all types of photography. More of his Botswana and other photos can be seen at http://klingelphotos.shutterfly.com . John is an avid user of HDR and shares a lot of his photos with Facebook friends. He is vice-president of the Marin Photo Club, where he is in charge of Education Nights and teaches two photography courses, “Taking Your Photography to the Next Level” and “How to Shoot and Process HDR.”

Photo By Suzi Eszterhas

By Bill Lockhart

When one considers attending a Photo Seminar, the first question one should ask is whether the person conducting the seminar is an accomplished photographic artist and whether their work has been published, or recognized for its excellence by a well-known organization.

When one reviews Suzi Eszterhas’s images and reviews her portfolio, one cannot escape saying “WOW!”  Few photographers have such a wide diversity of photographs done in some of the most remote regions of the earth:  Antarctica, Alaska, Africa, Borneo, Costa Rica, Madagascar.  And reading further, one finds that her work has graced the covers of many well-known publications such as Smithsonian, Time, Ranger Rick, and BBC Magazine.

Time Magazine Cover Photo by Suzi Eszterhas

Photo leader Suzi Eszterhas specializes in small group wildlife photography tours for serious photographers of all skill levels. Whereas a lot of photo leaders will take clients to locations that offer only mediocre photo ops in order to reduce costs, Suzi believes in taking clients to only the very best locations for wildlife photography. She also only leads small groups of ten or less, so that she can give each client the attention that they need.

There are many different kinds of photographers that travel with Suzi. Some are very beginners, needing a lot of her one-on-one attention. In her small group tours Suzi can take plenty of time with them in the field to give them the education they are looking for, whether it be camera technique, Photoshop, or anything else.

Other clients of Suzi’s are very advanced photographers that have photographed animals for decades all over the world. These advanced photographers travel with Suzi not because they want one-one-one attention, but because they know she will get them into the best shooting situations, at the best locations, at the best times.

Taking only small groups to only the best locations increases tour cost a bit, but the photos that photographers bring home are well worth it.

Few photographers in the world have such a portfolio or have ventured into so many regions.

Photo by Suzi Eszterhas

Suzi spends nine months of the year shooting a wide variety of wildlife in the field. In recent years, she has specialized in documenting family life and has become well known for her unprecedented work with newborn animals. Although Suzi works primarily in Africa, she has undertaken commissions and led instructional photography tours and workshops everywhere from Antarctica and the Arctic to Alaska and Montana.

Her photographs have been published in books, magazines and newspapers all over the world, including many front covers. Named Ranger Rick Photographer of the Year in 2008, she is a fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, and has won awards in many competitions, including the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, National Wildlife and Nature’s Best.

Photo by Suzi Eszterhas

Suzi spent a few years living and working on her own in the Masai Mara, spending every day from sunrise to sunset photographing enigmatic African plains wildlife. Her experiences in the Mara include spending nearly two years with five different cheetah families, four months with a lion pride, three and a half months at a hyena den, and five months at a jackal den. Her long hours observing and photographing wildlife have given her immense knowledge in wildlife behavior, which is critical in being a good wildlife photographer.

Since her time in Kenya Suzi has spent about nine months a year traveling the world to shoot many in-depth stories for Smithsonian, BBC Wildlife, Ranger Rick and other magazines. Some of her past stories include: brown bears of Alaska, polar bear research in Canada, chimpanzees of Uganda, orangutans of Sumatra, mountain gorillas of Rwanda, wild dogs of Botswana, penguins of Antarctica, and many more.

Suzi brings her past experience, knowledge, and incredible stories of adventure to her tours, giving clients an experience in which they are immersed in photography and wildlife. Always working with the best local naturalist guides, her itineraries offer maximum time in the field during the best light.

Photo Travel Review Magazine has received comments and articles about her workshops from two of Suzi’s participants.  Both highly recommend her tours.

The articles will be published here during the first week of January.

Significantly, both reviewers have said that Suzi puts the participants first, meaning that if one attends one of her workshops one can expect exacting attention to one’s personal and photographic needs.  PTR believes that such testimony is at the heart of what makes a photo tour outstanding.

Some of her upcoming tours are:

Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda Photo Safari : August 13 – 22, 2011

Photograph the gentle mountain gorillas of Rwanda up close. While most tours only offer two gorilla treks, this tour offers FIVE gorilla treks to maximize photo opportunities. Each gorilla family is extremely habituated to human presence. This is Suzi’s most popular photo tour.

Wildlife of Borneo Photo Safari: September 25 – October 12, 2011

Photograph orangutans up close at world-renowned Camp Leakey, including rehabilitated orangutans now living in the forest, as well as truly wild ones. Thr group will also have a very special opportunity to visit a rehabilitation center for orphan orangutans. This center is normally closed to the public and photography is usually prohibited, Suzi’s group will have exclusive permission to photograph behind the scenes.  In addition, the tour explores the wildlife rich region of Sabah. Here, participants will visit a special sanctuary to photograph habituated proboscis monkeys, cruise rivers to photograph rare pygmy elephants, and wander tree canopy walkways to photograph gibbons, wild orangutans, leaf monkeys, flying squirrels, many gorgeous birds, frogs, butterflies and much more.

Monterey Bay Private Workshops: Scheduled throughout 2011 and 2012

Suzi teaches all levels of nature photography, from absolute beginner to serious advanced, in the Monterey Bay area. Here, Suzi’s extensive knowledge of local wildlife populations yields rare opportunities for world-class photography of sea otters, seals and sea lions and a variety of gorgeous birds. These are one-day courses, including lunch, for one or two people.

Wildlife of Costa Rica Photo Safari: February 13 -26, 2012

This safari takes you to the best locations to photograph scarlet macaws, toucans, parrots, four different species of monkeys, three-toed sloths, coatis, tapirs, anteaters, several species of brilliantly colored frogs, many gorgeous birds, and much more. The group is limited to only six participants and includes exclusive use of private bird blinds specifically constructed for photography.

Wildlife of India Photo Safari- April 2012

Photograph the exotic wildlife of India on elephant-back and by private jeep. This safari takes you to the best parks for photographing wild tigers, Asian elephants, Indian rhinos, leopards, water buffalo, swamp deer, chital, wild boars, langurs, macaques, gibbons, monitor lizards, a variety of gorgeous birds, and more.

Madagascar Lemurs and Reptiles- October 2012

Photograph some of the most unique and endangered wildlife in the world as we explore the amazing country of Madagascar. The group will photograph a variety of lemurs and reptiles, including ring-tailed lemurs, aye-ayes, indri, sifakas, chameleons, geckos, and many more.

Her offerings are distinctly different from those offered by other vendors.  Rwanda, Borneo, and Madagascar are not typical places one might visit.  Let’s just say that her offerings are at the edge, that is, opportunities one never anticipated in one’s lifetime.

I can see me now in a jungle environment of Borneo, fascinated with what the sounds and the images might impress upon my mind.  Exotic, different, remote, and full of what the earth is really about.

No doubt I will give very serious consideration to flying half way around the world to explore what Suzi has found in some of the most remote and fascinating places on the earth.

PTR Magazine highly recommends the tours offered by Suzi Eszterhas.  She has earned our five star rating (✭✭✭✭✭).

Suzi Eszterhas

To learn more, please visit her website.

by PTR Team Member Bill Lockhart

Photographs courtesy of Andy Biggs, copyright © all rights reserved.

This is the first in a series of recommended photographic seminars by the editors of Photo Travel Review Magazine.

Our purpose is to provide you with opportunities for photography and travel, ones which the editors of PTR believe are among the best offered.

We begin with Africa.  Africa, the ultimate dream of all photographers, whether it is opportunities for incredible wildlife photographs, or landscapes that fill the imagination.

So, what seminar is the best of the best?

The PTR editors have chosen Andy Biggs. When it comes to Africa, there is no other seminar provider who is better.

A photographic holiday in Africa is the ultimate dream of many photographers.  It is a once-in-a-lifetime holiday.  When one spends lots of money to experience the dream of a lifetime, one should only consider the best.

Andy Biggs is an avid adventurer, conservationist, teacher, and outdoor photographer whose photography celebrates the African landscape and its rich wildlife, people, and culture. With a deep respect and understanding for African wildlife, Andy unfolds the world of the Serengeti onto our doorstep with striking emotional depth. His photographic safaris allow the traveler to not only enhance their understanding of photography, lighting, and wildlife, but to develop a life-long admiration for Africa ‘s beauty and culture.

In 2008, Banana Republic used thirteen of Andy’s photographs as the cornerstone of their Urban Safari campaign, and his images were seen in all 750 stores around the globe, as well as in their billboards, catalogs and annual report. Andy was also the winner of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year in the ‘Wild Places’ category in 2008.

Andy offers you lots of different locations and opportunities for photography, all the while staying in camp sites that are among the best in Africa.

A photographic safari should be about freedom for one to shoot without worrying about how many other photographers are crammed in the same vehicle.  One of the single largest mistakes that many photographers make when going to Africa is booking travel with inexperienced operators who pack many photographers into an ill-equipped vehicle, go to the same spots that all others have photographed repeatedly, and then take one to an inferior campsite.  Not so with Andy Biggs.

Andy knows what a photographer wants and needs.  Each participant has a full seat row with the ability to move from one side of a vehicle to another.  Moreover, he brings along equipment that allows photographers to recharge batteries, view their shots of the day, and clean equipment for the next day’s shoot.  As an avid photographer himself, Andy knows what to expect in harsh field conditions.  He does all he can possible to make certain that your adventure is fulfilled.

It goes well beyond the basics of what a photographic holiday is about.  The big difference with Andy’s seminars is that he seeks locations off the beaten path.  There is nothing more frustrating on a photographic safari in Africa than to find yourself surrounded with other vehicles and an assembly of dozens of tour operators all vying for space while trying to photograph a single animal.

Andy offers seminars in Tanzania, Namibia, and Botswana.  Each destination planned superbly, with outstanding tour guides and accommodations that excel beyond what one might expect on such a sojourn.

One only needs to read the testimonials from his participants to understand just how well appreciated his offerings are.

My own experiences with Andy have been extremely positive.  Through the years as associates at Nature Scapes Net, and through numerous e-mails and telephone conversations, I have found Andy to be the consummate professional.  Friendly, helpful, positive, encouraging — all describe Andy.

Bottom line.  If you have always desired to go to Africa on a wildlife safari, there is only one person you should consider going with.  Andy Biggs is that person.

What will it cost?

It depends on where you go and when.

Currently, a 12-day safari to Tanzania will cost you $8,990 per person.

What does it include?

- All Game Park fees
- All accommodations, based on double occupancy
- All meals inclusive of restaurant staff tips
- Services of guides and drivers
- Land transportation in safari Land Rovers. Each of the three rear seat passengers has a complete seat to themselves, including access to windows on both sides of the vehicle and empty seats for photographic equipment.
- Airport transfers to and from hotels
- Internal airfare from Serengeti to Arusha
- Bottled water at all times
- $30 Tanzanian Airport departure tax, if KLM / NW ticket purchased through Andy Biggs.

What is not included?

- Additional tips for staff such as guides and camp staff
- Fees for passport, visas, immunizations, and insurance
- Hot air balloon flight of $475
- Alcoholic beverages while on safari
- Laundry, phone and other items of a personal nature
- Cost of hospitalization and evacuation if necessary

If you are concerned about the costs, consider that it cost me $9,000 per person to go to Tanzania in 2005!  And I did not go with Andy.

I met many others at camps who asked about my private vehicle.  Seems they were paying $7,500 per person and found themselves in cramped vehicles with guides who only wanted to rush from one spot to another.  I considered myself fortunate.  My entire trip was privately planned and executed.

I should have gone with Andy.

Next time I will.

Photo Travel Review Magazine Five Star Rating:  Andy Biggs

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