Wildlife Photography across the Water: Travel

Monday 10 January 2011

Travel

I didn't take my first flight until i was 25 but since then i have travelled quite extensively covering 19 different countries, That's countries that i have stayed in rather than just touch downs, Next month i will be rounding that number off to 20 as i will be visiting Japan, I will be teaming up with my good friend Pete (Pierre le suisse on forums) and we will be taking in the Japanese Cranes,Snow Monkeys, White and Stellas Eagles as well as swans,deer and fox, It will be a trip of a lifetime and an adventure as we are doing it all ourselves and not through a tour/workshop,
The internet is the best place to start your search for information, We have been discussing this trip for about a year, There are a lot of workshops there now and itineraries can be had to give you an idea of where and when, My first purchase when doing my own travel is a lonely planet, I have used these for the last 11 years or so and they tell you everything from where to stay and how much from budget to expensive, Where to eat and cultural advise which is always good to know, It covers wildlife and festivals and information is normally accurate, One reason i like to do my own thing apart from saving some money is that if the wildlife is performing for you then you can stay longer whereas if you are a workshop with a fixed itinerary then you have to go, Blogging friend and excellent photographer Mike Lane has done the trip and lead workshops there and his website is a wealth of information giving exact detail of where he stayed,how much it cost and even the phone numbers, One of the main places we are visiting is the island of Hokkaido, There is a very good possibility that the weather could be as low as -35 with a lot of snow, The good bit is that it will be incredibly scenic but the minus points are that at that temperature you need to take precautions and dress appropriately or you could get frost bite or even die, Good quality clothing and dressing in layers are the order of the day and i have been busy buying extreme weather clothing which must be included when you budget for these type of trips, Still lots to do before i fly out on the 8th Feb and i will keep you informed of what's what as we get closer to the date-exciting times

Dave

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Bio's

David Courtenay, a self taught wildlife and nature photographer, has been capturing images for over 30 years. He has had a passion for wildlife since early childhood and remembers being glued to the television whenever Survival, Wildlife on One and other natural history documentaries were shown. In the 2006 he swapped his established career for the life of a wildlife photographer, such a move demands a measure of uncompromising passion and commitment.

David has travelled extensively throughout Europe as well as spending more than 7 months in India working with local guides and trackers in search of Bengal Tiger, Asian One horned Rhino and Asian Elephant. He has also photographed Wildlife in Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, Africa, Canada and America. Working closely with Conservation companies he tries to raise funds to help Wildlife that has been put on the endangered list by poaching and habitation loss

Martin Dyer has had a passion for avian wildlife since childhood, particularly raptors. Photography was also another keen interest and it was with the specific availability and control of the whole process that digital offers that Martin was then able to combine the two in 2003. Based in the UK, Martin is a regular visitor to Scotland, specifically the Isle of Mull to watch the Eagles resident there. Other trips to Europe and around the UK are usually part of Martin’s agenda in a typical year.

However, as a firm believer on making the most of the local patch, Martin has spent a lot of time and hard work creating a wildlife garden which is reaping the rewards with many new species and varieties of wildlife. A keen member of a number of wildlife photographic groups, Martin is keen to expand his portfolio into other areas of wildlife, and has already established a wide portfolio of images of fungi.