VOYAGERS PHOTO TOUR NETWORK

PO BOX 915
Ithaca, New York
(800) 633-0299
http://www.phototournetwork.com/

GATEWAYS TO EXOTIC LANDS

“This past February, our last morning in camp, with all the camera gear stowed away in preparation for our departure, we were enjoying a leisurely breakfast as the sun was coming up,” recalls Boyd Norton, noted wildlife photographer and author. “As we sat there, finishing our coffee in the dining tent, with the front flaps open, a cheetah came down the hill, stopped 30 feet in front of us, rolled over in the dirt, got up, shook herself off and then trotted on. And, of course, there wasn’t a camera in the tent! Nobody complained, because it was etched in memory.”

He continued: “I’ve made almost 35 trips to Tanzania and other places in Africa, through Voyagers and on assignment.” His favorite is Tanzania, for its concentration of wildlife. “Sometimes you get out in the middle of these huge herds of wildebeest and zebras, and you just stop shooting, because it’s so overwhelming.”

Voyagers International, in business since the early 1980s and now a part of Grand Expeditions, has in the past few years redefined its focus, by creating the Photo Tour Network, specifically devoted to trips for photographers. What specifically defines a photo tour is that the participants will remain in one spot for hours, should they decide to do so, just to catch that one elusive glimpse of nature at work, according to Jacque Steedle, director of the Photo Tour Network. More important, perhaps, is that each of these tours is led by an experienced wildlife, nature or travel photographer, such as Boyd Norton.

Today, the most popular photo tour destinations continue to be East Africa, but Ireland has lured many. While most tours focus on group expeditions, which limit the number of people overall and per vehicle (where applicable), private tours may also be arranged.

African Portfolio, known by its online moniker, OnSafari.com, takes a different bent. Here, the focus, as explained by Stacey King, U.S. manager, is on customized individual or group tours. And, unlike Voyagers, which practically spans the globe, African Portfolio remains true to its name, with destinations to East Africa and the southern regions, along with neighboring Indian Ocean islands. King would be happy to talk to professional photographers who would like to lead their own customized tours while expanding their stock portfolio. African Portfolio was started in 1992.

Travel photographer and author Ron Rosenstock leads photo tours for Voyagers to Ireland, Peru, Nepal and the Galápagos, to name just a few destinations that have witnessed his expertise. “In every location and almost every trip, something special happens.
“One of the most unusual events,” Rosenstock recalled, “occurred a few years back when I was leading a tour in Nepal, with an extension to India. Everyone wanted to go to India to photograph the Taj Mahal. We have all seen photographs, with the reflecting pools in front. It was not an easy journey getting there. When we arrived, before dawn, we were told that tripods were not allowed. Our guide was a very knowledgeable man and told us of another view we might like. We were all so disappointed, nothing mattered. We followed our guide for some distance to a river bank. He summoned a boatman to take us across. It was still before sunrise. We walked along the opposite side of the river for a time and there it was. The Taj Mahal was totally reflected in the river in the early morning mist—a mirror image. We couldn’t have imagined a more perfect place to photograph this magnificent structure.”

—Jack Neubart

photo © Robin Pope Safaris