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It was a picture-perfect day. A throng of unwary king penguins strutted on the beach, giant elephant seals belched and bellowed from hollows in the tussock grass, Antarctic fur seal pups whimpered and suckled contentedly, and snow-shrouded mountains tantalized in the distance. We had finally made it to Salisbury Plain, one of the great wildlife destinations on Earth, nestled along the northeastern shoreline of the island of South Georgia. Our crossing from the Falkland Islands had been rough and tumble, and everyone was anxious to escape ashore and soak up some Nature. As we lined up near the gangway we received our final orders. "The last Zodiac will leave the beach in two hours." Two hours! It takes at least one hour to overcome the wondrous euphoria of being surrounded by inquisitive penguins. How would we ever manage to photograph this magical place in so short a time? The answer: we didn't. Two hours later, with everyone back aboard, we headed for our next landing of the day — another two-hour race ashore to witness the courtship rituals of wandering albatrosses. By the end of the cruise we had tallied up an impressive 25 landings and most of our fellow travelers seemed contented and happy. Indeed, as the brochure had claimed, we had seen many of the natural wonders of the Antarctic Peninsula, the Falklands and South Georgia, but in every instance we felt rushed, frustrated, and cheated, and our photographs reflected our disappointment. Fortunately, we returned to South Georgia three years later, but instead of traveling on a general natural history tour we were on a Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris cruise. The difference was immense. Instead of just two hours on Salisbury Plain we were there for 16 hours. If we were tired we could nip back to the ship for a wee rest, a hot cup of tea, and a few fattening cakes and cookies before heading ashore again, revitalized for another round of shooting. After day one, we returned for a second day to this phenomenal place, but had to cut our visit short after 12 hours when everyone retreated to the ship to let their trigger fingers cool, and recover from the sensory exhaustion. Such is the Photo Safaris difference.
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Photographer Dr. Robert Lowery soaks up some scenery at Fortuna Bay on
South Georgia on the 2000 Ultimate Antarctica Photo Safari.
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Copyright © 2001
Wayne Lynch and Aubrey Lang
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In the past 20 years, Aubrey and I have led tours for many different organizations, including Lindblad Travel, Special Expeditions, Canadian Nature Tours, Stanford Alumni, the California Academy of Sciences, Smithsonian Institution, and the New York Zoological Society. After working on over 100 tours, we are well acquainted with general ecotourism and, if you are a photographer, most of these tours are definitely a disappointing way to travel. Today, we only lead trips for Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris, and the reason is simple. Photo Safaris concentrate on photography. In the past year, at least half a dozen people have asked us why they should travel on a Photo Safari? For example, what is the difference between a Photo Safari to the Galpagos Islands and a general tour to the area? Doesn't everyone see boobies and iguanas? Why are Photo Safaris often more expensive than general tours, and do you need to be an expert photographer to enjoy a Photo Safari? So, if you are not one of the people we talked to who already know the answers to these questions, here are at least five compelling reasons why Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris is the only way to travel if you're an avid shutterbug.
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Photographer Jorn Wahlstrom is surrounded by curious California sea lion
pups in the Galpagos Islands.
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Copyright © 2001
Wayne Lynch and Aubrey Lang
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1. Extra Room in Vehicles
To reduce the cost of a land tour, many operators assign just one seat for each passenger. Typically, the brochure simply states that the tour features "modern, comfortable, air-conditioned buses" or "spacious 4-wheel drive vehicles. What they don't tell you is that you will be packed inside like sardines, each person cradling his/her camera gear on their lap, their tripod crammed under their feet, and their water bottle jammed between their knees. Imagine the irritation and confusion when the bus skids to a stop for a quick photograph of a Sasquatch melting into the forest and everyone tries to flee from the vehicle at the same time. On our recent JVO Photo Safari to Morocco we used a 44-passenger bus for 11 of us. A French tour group with a full busload thought we were VIPs because they had never seen a group of tourists travel in such a spacious manner. In East Africa, the standard mini-van or Land Cruiser holds eight passengers, squeezed shoulder-to-shoulder, half of who must photograph through the grime of a dusty window. On a typical JVO Photo Safari to East Africa, on the other hand, each vehicle carries only three people. In this way, everyone gets to photograph all the time, and fewer photographs are ruined by people getting up and down from their seats and jiggling the vehicle. In short, on most Photo Safaris you get at least two seats for every person, one for your bottom and another for your camera bag.
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A relaxed photographer snoozes beside a pair of walruses in the Svalbard
sunshine.
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Copyright © 2001
Wayne Lynch and Aubrey Lang
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2. Optimal Scheduling of Daily Programs
Everyone knows that early morning and late day are the times when the light is most appealing to shoot everything from landscapes to lizards. That often means early wake-up calls, breakfast in a box, and late evening dinners. However, on many general nature tours the daily schedule revolves around dining room hours, the whim of the captain, or the sleeping preferences of the bus driver. Little consideration is given to when the light is optimal for photography. Tours to the Galpagos Islands provide a good example of this. On the JVOPS trips, we haul ourselves out of bed at 5 AM, have breakfast, and then head to shore for a 6 AM landing, the earliest that regulations permit. By 8:30 AM we have been shooting for two and a half hours, which is when the passengers from most other boats usually begin to dribble ashore. Of course, by this time, the light is high in the sky, the temperature is starting to climb and many critters have retreated to the shade. Typically, after another hour or so we head back to our luxury boat for cold drinks, a mid-morning rest, a refreshing swim or some snorkeling. By scheduling this way, we get the best light, avoid the crowds and witness more animal behavior. Search as you might, you will never find any of these important details mentioned in a standard itinerary, and you only discover the frustrating truth once it is too late. On a Photo Safari, timing is a crucial consideration, and the daily schedule of activities most often revolves around the quality of the light.
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Courting lions stroll past a JVOPS vehicle in the Masai Mara.
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Copyright © 2001
Wayne Lynch and Aubrey Lang
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3. Pre-paid Models
Photographing people in a Third World country is always a challenge, but such photographs are often the highlights of a photo tour. Responsible photographers are always polite and courteous, and ask permission to photograph a person before they press the shutter. The world doesn't need another "ugly" photographer traipsing through peoples lives, spreading ill will and insult. Wayne remembers a trip to East Africa in the 1980s when he advised his group not to photograph the Maasai people without asking permission first. One guy just couldn't resist grabbing a sneak shot of some teenage boys standing by the roadside, and as the van escaped in a cloud of dust the boys demonstrated their anger by bouncing lethal arrows off the side of the vehicle. The surest way to get pictures of people is to engage them in conversation, and then pay them for modeling. In the United States, it's common for top fashion models to receive thousands of dollars for a photo shoot, so a few dollars paid to a local resident for modeling seems reasonable to compensate him/her for their patience and participation. Paying for photographs also engenders good feelings about ecotourism. Hiring local models NEVER happens on a general tour yet it is a regular feature of many Photo Safaris. On past Photo Safaris we have hired lizard and python handlers in Australia, gauchos in Patagonia, camel drivers and tea pickers in India, and colorful fishermen in Costa Rica. In Morocco last March we spent hundreds of dollars to hire models for the group to photograph. We hired camels to trek across the sculpted dunes of the Sahara, weathered old men slouched on the backs of tired donkeys, and colorfully-clothed women hawking trinkets in congested markets. The most unusual model we hired was a snake charmer with his bag of venomous cobras and vipers. We contacted him on his cell phone, picked him up in early morning, and then drove to a vacant field where he spent an hour and a half performing for us without the annoyance of gawkers or the danger of pickpockets.
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A Tuareg boy poses for the group on our recent Photo Safari to Morocco.
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Copyright © 2001
Wayne Lynch and Aubrey Lang
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4. Capitalizing on Rare Photo Opportunities
Sometimes the light and subject are ideal, but it takes the right frame of mind, the mind of a Photo Safaris leader, to make the experience an outstanding photo opportunity. This never happens on a standard tour, but often occurs on a Photo Safari. A good example of this occurred on the first JVOPS Ultimate Antarctica tour. Joe Van Os had delayed our transit through the spectacular narrow passage of Lemaire Channel in the Antarctic Peninsula until 3 AM when the light would be as sweet and golden as honey. By the end of the channel people were giddy with delight, so Joe asked the captain to turn the ship around and we traversed the passage a second time. By 6 AM the sky was still sapphire blue and the water liquid silver so we cruised the channel once again. The captain had never heard of anyone doing such a crazy thing. Such "craziness" in pursuit of photographs is one of the best reasons to join a Photo Safari.
5. Leaders Who Are Photographers
Leaders who do not photograph cannot appreciate the difference that a bend in the road can make to the strength of a composition, the importance of 30 minutes of light at the end of the day, or the patience needed to wait for a catchlight in the eye of a penguin. Many years ago, we co-led a photo tour to Costa Rica with a local leader who was reputed to be one of the finest naturalists in the country. Indeed, this man knew his birds, his plants, and his beetles, but he knew nothing about photography and the interests of photographers. When we stopped for a pleasing shot of a tropical landscape he argued that the parking lot around the next corner was better. It never was. When we stopped for the 20th time in a day he protested that we would be late at our destination. We never were. And when we stopped to photograph some cowboys, he said it wasn't safe, yet their smiles and laughter told us that it was. Without our intervention, this skilled and knowledgeable local guide would have turned the tour into a photo failure.
A Photo Safari isn't for everyone. But if you enjoy the luxury of time to savor a composition, the friendliness of travel with like-minded creative souls, and discovering the heightened beauty of the world through the sensitive eye of a camera, then maybe we have something for you.
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