Guest Review – Shoot the Light Workshop, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada

You’ve read all the books. You’ve visited your favorite photography websites for tips. You’ve practiced a lot. But, you still see a lot of images that are “better” than yours. So, what do you do. In my case, with interests in nature and travel photography, I decided to connect with some of the folks who make the killer images. I’ve been fortunate to be able to attend an Instructional Photo Tour (IPT) with Arthur Morris, Africa safaris with Andy Biggs and Shoot the Light Workshops with Charles Glatzer. This article is about one of my STL (www.shootthelight.com) workshops.

Chas, as he is known to all, runs a very successful educational workshop business and is widely regarded as one of the best nature photographers around. I came to one of his workshops after admiring many images he posted on Naturescapes.net and saying to myself: I want those shots!

So, what makes a successful photo safari? In my opinion there are six key characteristics:

1. You need to go where the exceptional subjects are. Chas leads tours all over the world. Be it Grizzly Bears in Alaska, Yellowstone in winter or Loons on a lake in northern Michigan, you are assured of a lot of great opportunities.
2. The leader knows his subjects. Being able to anticipate a head turn, or a preflight action increases my chances of getting the shot.
3. A leader with a solid command of the technical and aesthetic sides of photography, both behind the lens and in front of the computer.
4. A leader who enjoys teaching.
5. A small enough group size with plenty of opportunities for one-on-one interaction.
6. A leader who attracts interesting people to his workshops or tours. You may be spending several days with the group. My experience is that you learn a lot from the other participants as well as the leader.

While I am sure there are many other ways in which you could go about learning to get better, I have found that a mentor who creates the images you wish to make, and who is willing to share his secrets with you works the best for me. As I reflect on the various trips I have taken, for those I really liked these characteristics were all present to one degree or another.

So, what is a typical photo safari like? Last winter I joined a group of ten other photographers with Chas to photograph Polar Bears in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Located on the shores of Hudson Bay, Churchill is a small town that derives its income from transporting grains. Each year, Polar Bears congregate outside of Churchill just before the ice freezes on the bay, waiting to go out on the ice to feed on seals over the winter. This short period presents a great opportunity for photographers and others interested in observing polar bears up close and personal. While you could arrange the tour yourself, you would be in a tundra buggy with a lot of other people. In an STL, Chas rents one of the tundra buggies for several days and each photographer has a “row” of seats which makes it easy to park your gear, but more importantly, everyone has enough room to move from side to side without bothering others.

In the case of Churchill, the group stays in a bed and breakfast setting. While the accommodations are “tight” it also promotes a lot of interaction, which I find both entertaining and educational.

Each morning you are up early, a cold breakfast, gather the gear and head out to the bus for the trip to the buggies. You spend the day driving around a designated area with a knowledgeable driver who has been clued in to the photographic aspects of positioning the buggy for the best shots. When you encounter a shooting opportunity everything stops, the bean bags go into the windows and you shoot away.

At the end of the day, we typically would walk to a local restaurant but our B&B hostess did cook a couple of meals for us, as well. Then, a shower, download images, clean the gear and get set up for the next day.

For the last couple of days, we were scheduled to cruise around town and the surrounding area looking for other wildlife but the weather turned very cold, snowy and windy which meant there wasn’t much to find. This is another place where an experienced leader is prepared. We just headed back to home base for technical sessions on various aspects of photography. Chas readily shares his photoshop techniques, and spends a lot of time going through images giving his perspective on what he was thinking when he made the image and what he did in post processing to make it better.

What do these things cost? My experience is that a good photo safari is not inexpensive. Typically, the cost varies by the number of participants and how much is included. In a trip to a place where housing is readily available, you may book it yourself. In Churchill, the accommodations were included in the price. Getting to the location is sometimes expensive as it entails multiple flights. I noticed on Shootthelight.com, the 2009 workshop is listed at $5,495 which includes all accommodations and breakfast for 7 days. Other meal cost (you don’t eat fancy) and travel to Churchill would have to be added.

But, when I consider that the location scouting, wildlife knowledge and logistical support is provided which allows me more shooting time in front of more and better quality subjects, I believe the extra cost is more than justified and, in fact, these workshop opportunities have had the biggest impact on the quality of my photography of anything I have tried.

Mike Johnson is an avid amateur photographer who enjoys mixing travel, wildlife and landscapes all over the world. He retired from business in 2004 and moved from Minnesota to Florida, where he currently resides with Jan, his wife of 37 years. Photography became a passion post retirement and we have been fortunate to see a lot of wonderful places, meet a lot of wonderful people and experience a lot of the earth’s most exciting creatures. In the past few years Mike has been trying to raise the level of his photography by joining several well known photographers on photo safaris. Grizzly Bears in Katmai, Polar Bears in Churchill, Eagles in Homer and the Big Five in Africa have all been captured. You can find Mike’s images at: mojphoto.com