South Georgia and Antarctica Peninsula -November 10-30, 2027, Announced!!!!

December 16, 2025

I am extremely happy to announce the photo tour that we have all been waiting for—South Georgia and Antarctica Peninsula -November 10-30, 2027, with CHEESEMANS’ TOURS onboard our beautiful, new ship—The Magellan Discoverer. The brand new Magellan Discoverer is a luxury expedition ship for Antarctic cruises. It has been designed for intimate, eco-friendly "fly/cruise" experiences with boutique amenities like private balconies, a hybrid-electric engine, and Zodiacs for landings, offering a high-end, sustainable way to explore the White Continent. Limited to just 76 guests per fly/cruise voyage, she offers small-ship expedition cruising. Yes, you read that correctly, fly/cruise—we will not have to do a Drake Passage crossing!! We will fly back— saving us lots of time, this will add greatly to our overall experience.

TO SIGN UP FOR THIS TRIP--USE THE FORM AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST - to submit your name and email. Our team at Cheesemans’ will be in touch with you, and you will automatically be placed in my group. and have full access to all image review sessions, Photoshop and Lightroom session with my personal group while onboard. Plus you will be invited to a private Zoom session (just for my group) to prepare you for this once in a lifetime expedition!

Screen capture of one of the many cabins onboard the Magellan Discoverer

****TO SECURE YOUR SPOT AS PART OF MY GROUP AND TO BE INCLUDED IN OUR EXCLUSIVE IMAGE REVIEW, PHOTOSHOP, LIGHTROOM SESSIONS YOU MUST SUBMIT THIS FORM TO ME— UNLESS YOU HAVE ALREADY WRITTEN TO BE ON THE INTERESTED LIST WITH ME. Thank you, this is going to be epic!

Pantanal Wildlife Photo Tour ~ July 23 - 31, 2026

December 15, 2025

Discover the world’s jaguar capital…

This journey takes you deep into the beating heart of Brazil’s Pantanal, the largest tropical wetland on Earth and one of the richest wildlife sanctuaries on the planet. Endless waterways, golden marshlands, and wide-open savannas create the perfect stage for unforgettable encounters: jaguars hunting along the riverbanks, giant otters slicing through the water, capybaras lounging in family groups at the water’s edge, and hyacinth macaws glowing cobalt blue against the sky. Tapirs, anteaters, caimans, and a symphony of birdlife move through the landscape exactly as they have for centuries.

This tour is designed for photographers who want the very best chances of capturing intimate, wild moments, especially of jaguars, while enjoying an immersive, comfortable experience right in the heart of their natural habitat. We have gotten special pricing for this tour and it is already half-way sold out, just through word of mouth.

*This tour will be led by Harold Klein and Donna Bourdon

Pantanal Wildlife Photo Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Cuiabá – Poconé – Porto Jofre

We’ll meet either at the Cuiabá airport or at the hotel. From here, we begin a 100 km journey toward Poconé, the gateway to the Pantanal. Leaving Poconé, we turn off the paved road onto the iconic Transpantaneira highway, a rustic dirt road famous for its wildlife sightings.

As we drive across 122 wooden bridges, keep your eyes open for hawks, storks, capybaras, caimans, and more. Continuing 150 km down the Transpantaneira, we arrive in Porto Jofre and settle into our floating accommodation, a comfortable boat hotel anchored only 5 minutes from the Encontro das Águas State Park, home to the highest concentration of jaguars in the entire Pantanal. This is where our photographic immersion truly begins.

Day 2 – 5: Jaguar Expedition on the Water

Four full days of boat-based safari along the rivers of the Encontro das Águas region. This is the prime habitat for jaguars, and our full-day outings give us the best chances for memorable encounters – jaguars hunting caimans, resting on sandbanks, or patrolling the shoreline. We’ll also photograph giant otters, caimans, birds, and the extraordinary landscape of the Pantanal.

Day 6: Porto Jofre – Pousada Rio Claro

After breakfast we head south, retracing the Transpantaneira toward Poconé. We arrive at Pousada Rio Claro in time for lunch. In the afternoon, we enjoy our first game drive across the lodge’s vast private reserve, an incredible area for wildlife photography.

Day 7 – 8: Wildlife & Night Safari at Rio Claro

We spend the entire two days exploring the rich flora and fauna around Pousada Rio Claro. After lunch, our open-truck safari takes us through fields and private forest roads searching for birds, as well as jaguars, giant anteaters, South American coatis, tapirs, armadillos, crab-eating foxes, and many other mammals.

After dinner, we head out again for a night safari, where spotlights reveal a completely different world – nocturnal birds like potoos, nightjars, and owls with haunting red eyes and unique calls. We may also encounter ocelots, foxes, and possibly even jaguars moving under the cover of darkness.

Day 9: Departure

After breakfast, we transfer back to Cuiabá airport for your flight home.

DETAILS:

Dates: July 23 - 31 , 2026

Price: $6800
Single supplement $800

This trip has been arranged for 10 participants.

Included

Airport Transfer

Accommodation

All meals

Activities as described

2 Photo guides

Experienced English-speaking guide

Water during the day

Not Included

International flights

Travel insurance, visa

Beverages (soda & alcohol) and snacks

Activities other than described in this itinerary

Deposit Information:
A non-refundable deposit of $2,000 due at sign up. Final payments are due February 30, 2026.via check or wire transfer only, fees on both ends are the responsibility of the participant. Credit cards will not be accepted for any payment other than deposit. Full payments are always welcomed via check or wire transfer . All checks made payable to: Denise Ippolito LLC. Please note that I will do my very best to secure you a room mate; if I am unable to secure you a room mate then you will be charged for a single supplement.

Please be sure to check your calendar carefully and to check out my Workshop Policy Page.

Note: Purchasing travel insurance is strongly recommended.

SIGN UP HERE.

Images by Harold Klein and our guide.

Falkland Islands Trip Report

December 8, 2025

On my way to the airport I realized that I had forgotten to pack my hiking boots. I had to make a quick stop at a Dick’s sporting goods store enroute. They had a terrible selection of waterproof hikers in my size. I had to settle for a close fit… ugh. I hated buying a half size “too small” but the thought of walking around for two weeks in lightweight kicks pushed the sale. I was going to hold-off and see what was available in Stanley, but feared that I would be living too close to the edge. I had been keeping an eye on the weather all week before the trip and the forecast up until the day I left was calling for extreme rain and wind with a chance of snow— yikes!

My flight from JFK in NY to Santiago Chile was about 9 hours. On my flight and in my group was Alison Kelly, she is so nice and fun to be with. She is good friends with Kitty Kono (longtime friend/client) and Kitty asked me to take good care of her. I also saw my old friend Kevin Watson boarding the same plane. Our flight boarded on time but it felt like forever before we took-off. My group and I stayed the night in Santiago to catch our early morning flight into Stanley.

Our itinerary started off with a free day in Stanley. It’s a good time to grab some last minute goodies at the local grocery and to do some packing adjustments.

Our first island visit was the at the “Neck”on Saunders island. The accommodation is an old shipping container once used by researchers. It is now fondly called the cabin. The cabin is a bit rustic but extremely well located on a remote beach teaming with wildlife. You literally feel like you’ve been dropped off in the middle of nowhere at the end of the world.

While at the Neck, we enjoyed great weather. We had a mix of extreme wind and sun which allowed for some great photo opportunities. The Gentoo penguins just started hatching their eggs and there were plenty of little chicks to photograph. Not to mention Skuas and Johnny Rooks that were strategically placed along the edges of the colony, waiting for their next meal. The Black-browed albatross colony had lots of eggs but no chicks yet. The adults were still in courtship mode (my favorite time) and spent their days doing synchronized movements. They repeatedly crossed and tapped their bills together, sometimes making a clanking sound. They also spend time preening each other. All of this intimate behavior makes for great photos.

During our time on Saunders we enjoyed photographing the very animated and fearless Rockhopper penguins leap out of the water onto the cliff rocks. Sometimes the waves and winds came crashing in with great force. It was hard not to feel bad for the tiny penguins as they slammed into the rocks.

They reminded me of soldiers coming out of the water to work.

One of my favorites, Rockhopper lost in the surf!

There were a large number of King penguins (approximately 23), with one Oakem boy and a handful of juvies. One afternoon, we watched as the young kings spent time in the surf playing and fighting with each other. The whole group got some great photos and had lots of laughs watching them.

In addition to penguins at the Neck, we had several chances with the Commerson’s dolphins playing in the huge surf. There was even a large Leopard seal surfing the coast looking for his next meal. Overall the Neck was a very productive stop on our adventure.

Leopard seal surfing the shoreline for food!

Commerson’s dolphin, I loved the simple abstract pattern of the dolphins in the water.

Our next island visit was at Sea Lion. Sea Lion Island is one of my favorite stops on the itinerary. The welcoming feel the moment you touch down on the island is unsurpassable. The lodge has a nice layout and you immediately feel that you are back in civilization after leaving the Neck- <wink>.

We spent a lot of our time on North Beach and South Beach while on Sea Lion. Both beaches are very different in terms of photography but both are well worth the time.

While on Sea Lion we saw four Orcas hunting in and around the orca pool. It was great fun to try to keep an eye out for them. We saw loads of Elephant seal, all bulls and weaners, two large colonies of Gentoo penguins, 2 small colonies of Rockhopper penguins, Silvery grebes with a chick, Magellanic oystercatchers with chicks, King penguins, snipe, giant petrels, Striated caracara and so much more…

Elephant seal weaner in the surfs edge, slow shutter speed-1/25th second.

Mama Kelp goose brooding 4 chicks, with one popping gout.

Southern giant petrels. I wish the background line wasn’t intersecting them.

Our third stop was a visit to Bleaker Island, which is another favorite. The lodge on Bleaker is lovely and the food is always fantastic. Bleaker has an enormous colony of Imperial cormorants. There are also nice cliffs for photographing rockhoppers. Plus their gorgeous beach is by far the best place to capture penguins darting out of the water. We had some great sightings including a Macaroni penguin, a leucistic (partially white) Imperial Cormorant and a Northern Rockhopper. Those special sightings kept us all pretty busy! We also saw loads of Sea lions.

leucistic Imperial Cormorant, this one reminds me of a penguin.

Volunteer Point was our second to last stop. It is another must see and always on my route. The King penguin colony is huge and photographing them on the beach is a real treat. This year the kings put on quite a show as did the weather with a mix of rain, hail and sunshine. But overall, the ominous clouds added to some of the photos.

Volunteer Point, King penguins n high-key.

We also went up north to Cape Bougainville to look for Macaroni penguins, we found six. The weather again gave us a bit of a workout but hey, bad weather forces you to be creative.

Overall, I loved my group and had a very enjoyable photo adventure in the Falklands. I’m already looking forward to getting back there!

For most of these pictures, I used my Sony 200-600mm lens and my Sony A1 body, thankfully I always travel with 2 bodies as one failed due to extreme weather on the Neck.

Tender Moments

November 20, 2025

I am heading to the Falkland Islands today. I will be slightly off-grid for two weeks. If you sign up for a workshop or send me an email, just know that I will respond to your email or sign up as soon as possible . In the meantime, I want to share some sweet images with you. I hope to capture some of these kind of images while I am away.

When I think about what type of photography makes me happiest, it would have to be capturing tiny chicks or newborn kits or cubs. The younger the better, and also the more the merrier! It doesn’t matter if I’m belly down on the beach or out on safari in Africa. My goal is to seek out the young ones. I especially look for any kind of interaction or tender moments.

I wanted to share some of my favorite tender moment shots from over the years. Let me know if you were with me when I captured any of them.

Piping plover with chicks-there is another one that it is brooding.

A totally exhausted sow with four cubs, takes time out from her nap to reassure her favorite cub.

Gentoo penguin with newly hatched chick.

Cheetah with very young cub, still with its mantle

Zebra pair showing off their unique foal named Tira -the spotted zebra.

Clients Images ~ Creativity Workshop in Charleston

November 18, 2025

The above image was created at Magnolia Plantation by Jeri Mearns. Jeri lives in Kiawah and she is my new neighbor! Her eye for creative compositions was spot on. I appreciated her processing skills and use of natural light. BTW, the images are listed in order that I received them. Not everyone shared….

The image above was created by photographer Luc Schoonjans. Luc used Photoshop filters to create a unique look for this otherwise drab toned headstone. The assignment was to create something different and I think he did just that!

The above image was captured by Laurie Morgan. Laurie used her iPhone exclusively and she was an absolute inspiration. This in-phone multiple exposure of one of the bridges at Magnolia Gardens wowed us all!