Off to the Camargue!

July 7, 2022

I’m on my way to the Camargue France (July1st). Because of scheduling overlap due to COVID postponements I must go straight from Edinburgh to Marseille with no time in between. That really isn’t a bad thing because it ends up saving me an additional flight. However, my original plans were to spend some time in Edinburgh on my own.

I have a connection through Brussels which is a bit time consuming but hey, I’ve never been to Brussels so I’m hoping to taste a bit of the local fare while at the airport… like chocolate!

When I was in Seahouses in Northumberland, I managed to squeeze in a few walks at night through the countryside. Someday I hope to buy a cottage there and get another dog and spend my days walking near the sea and along the country roads. Of course, I’m hoping to spend some time with the seabirds as well. Also, I’ll be a little closer to the Scottish Highlands-which is on my bucket list.

Back to the Camargue. I always love visiting France and seeing my guide again. We have become friends over the years, and he is a terrific photographer, and we have a lot to catch up on.

Usually on our first day we see several sunflower fields and stop to photograph at one or two before checking into our hotel. It’s hard to pass them by when they are calling our name except this time we did as the light was too harsh. Our guide promised a better shooting session with better light for the sunflowers- and who doesn’t love a sunflower field.

During our time in France, we have several photo sessions lined up with the beautiful white horses of the Camargue. The photo oops include a couple of beach runs, some local private ranches and pond areas.

A lot of times, the horses are led through the water while we wait on the other side. They are prompted to run straight at us. This can be a bit intimidating but if you stay together, it is perfectly fine. One of the problems I’ve found is that if the horses stand around to long between shoots, they will roll in the mud… there goes the clean white horses <wink> but it’s all good. The images are compelling, and I’ve had many clients produce award winners over the years.

Next year, I have two back-to-back workshops scheduled. Donna Bourdon, who is an avid equestrian, will be leading both trips. Donna loves to work with horses, birds and flowers. She enjoys using slow shutter speeds to create pleasing blurs. She also loves tack sharp flight images, captured using fast shutter speeds. Donna has been working a lot with high-key imagery, so she’s a perfect fit for the workshop.

In addition to our sessions with the horses we will spend some time exploring and photographing abbey’s that are steeped in rich history, we’ll walk through towns surrounded by ramparts and photograph a couple of historic bridges at night for blue hour. In addition to all of that we will visit a bird rookery complete with nesting herons and flocks of flamingos.

We’ll finish the tour with a trip to the lavender fields in Provence. There we will have several photo sessions with the beautiful lavender that laces the countryside. We’ll also visit an old and quaint town on the top of a hillside-complete with French pastries and more.

Update—-I wasn’t able to publish the blog when I first wrote it because of the spotty internet. Today is July 7th and we finished up with the horses and will be photographing lavender fields soon! I’ve included a few of my shots so far but many more to come…

A twist and zoom blur, I had to add a little canvas and fix the tips of the flower in Photoshop.

UK Puffin Trip Report

July 1, 2022

Well, the 2022 UK Puffin trip is about to begin (June 24). It’s already off to a rocky start. Firstly, the trip has been postponed twice due to Covid, so there is that. Next, we were hit with new landing rules for the Farne Islands. Since the birds have not been disturbed in two years, they have started building nests along some of the boardwalks. That, plus staffing issues has created a change. Change is not always good and to be fair it’s not always bad.

Next, we have to pile on the Avian flu (highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 has been confirmed in Scotland and in other parts of the UK.) which has been killing many seabirds abroad including the gannets that nest on Bass Rock. So, for us that means our planned visit to the rock is off. But more importantly, thousands of seabirds have already died, and the numbers go up daily. I am hopeful that something can be done soon to stop this outbreak.

The drama or bad luck - whichever you prefer, continues, as some of my clients are flying British Airlines home and a strike is festering and should be in full swing just in time to delay or cancel their flights home…It has been much easier to fly internationally, however, there are still some COVID related issues that most people don’t think about. Staffing is one of the biggest issues. Even though most airports, airlines, restaurants, hotels, parks, etc. are listed as fully operational- there are a lot of them that are grossly understaffed or have new employees that have not been fully trained.

And on the day before I left one of the clients tested positive for COVID and could not come on the trip. Holy smokes that’s a lot of bad luck!! Jinxed is the word I have been using.

Ok, so with all of that going on why not cancel? Bad weather = good pictures. I’m hoping that a rough start ends up being a great ending. Call me optimistic but I truly believe that we will still have a wonderful adventure filled with great photo opportunities.

So, onto the trip details. It ended up being a fantastic week at the cottages. We had many more landings and photo opportunities than I had anticipated given the new circumstances. We did not get to land on Bass Rock, but my friend Michael/co-driver and I took the group to Bempton Cliffs and enjoyed a gannet filled day. In fact, I will be changing the itinerary for next year’s trip to include a drive to Bempton Cliffs with a one night stay there so that we can have three possible photo sessions. The cliffs, flowers, flight shots-all very good! Lots of Northern Gannets!

At the Farne Island we had some great opportunities with Atlantic Puffin, Guillemot, Razor Bill, Shag, Arctic Tern and more…. Most days we had a landing on Inner Farne. For those of you that have been there before, that is the island with the dive-bombing Arctic Terns, they are great fun to watch and photograph and yes sometimes they do hit your head and it hurts but just a tiny bit…

Our last day we were able to land on Staple Island as well as Inner Farne, the group agreed that this year Inner Farne was better anyway! We had a great group—I mean a really great group. Everyone got along well. We enjoyed our dinners together and all the time spent on the boats and the islands. Plus, I think we all love puffins!

After all the bad luck or jinxing that went on it turned out to be a fantastic trip. I’ll be driving the group back to Edinburgh this morning and I am already looking forward to next year’s trip. I’ve added a few of my favorite images from this year’s visit.

The gannets above were photographed at Bempton Cliffs, I loved the soft blowing grasses in the foreground.

Some of the cliffs were filled with small daisy-like flowers. I loved including them in the foreground. Sometimes blurred flowers and sometimes not.

When the sun is behind you and hits the sea it can create a beautiful bokeh, I like this look and spent some time sharing the how-to and where the best spot to create it.

A young gannet coming in for a landing at Bempton Cliffs.

As I was moving my camera to another bird I noticed this vail of color covering this puffin that looked like it was going to smell the flower.

Kittiwake coming in with nestng material to the cliffside at Inner Farne.

I can’t leave the Farne Islands without a puffin in heaven shot! I shared my technique for this shot with the group and of course my favorite spot for it.

Alaska Eagles in Winter Workshops

June 15, 2022

Donna’s last year’s trip to Alaska was extremely productive. The group was blessed with great weather conditions —including snow! Many had high praise for Donna’s abilities as a workshop leader on this trip. Below is what one of the participants had to say about the workshop…

“Honestly, it was one of the best wildlife photographic experiences of my life and I feel like I was able to capture some of the best images ever as well...
Donna was FANTASTIC in working with the group and helping them achieve that comfort level with their equipment and associated techniques required to capture quality images. Not only would she work with them one on one in the field, but she would also always be calling out to the group regarding the light and setting adjustments as well as making sure that we were in the right positions to capture the best images. She spent time with those that needed it the most and let others of us pretty much just do our thing, but at the same time was always nearby if we had questions.
All in all this was a GREAT experience! I’m looking forward to attending many more of your workshops in the coming months and years!”

— Christian F.

Alaska’s Bald Eagles in Winter

This trip begins in Homer Alaska. We will be going out to Katchemak Bay and surrounding areas each day to photograph these majestic birds in their natural environment via boat. We will need to flexible to take advantage of local conditions. Snow is always a plus! We will either do (two) 2-hour boat trips or (one) 4-hour boat trip daily, depending on weather, tides and local conditions.

This trip will be led by the newest member of my team -Donna Bourdon. If you don’t already know Donna get to know her virtually here.

*No need to rent a car. Donna will supply a group transfer to and from the airport.

Not included: your airfare to and from Homer, AK through Anchorage and back. Lodging and all personal items. All meals and beverages except breakfast--it is included with your lodging, Tips for the boat captain.

Included: Photo instruction, a short informal meet & greet with slide program to get you acquainted with conditions, camera settings, etc.. All boat fees and boat-related expenses (excluding tips), ground transportation to the dock and back to the hotel each day. Five full days of photography from either the boat or on land.

February 13-17-2023

Five days $4700.00. Limit 5 participants/ 2 spots available

Workshop Leader-Donna Bourdon

*As always with wildlife photography there are no guarantees but this trip is fantastic and the opportunities are tremendous! Itinerary is subject to change due to local conditions, weather, etc…

A detailed information sheet with gear, lodging, and travel recommendations will be sent to all participants.

Deposit Information:
A non-refundable deposit of $2,000 due now to hold your spot. Final payments are due November 15, 2022 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 be sure to check your calendar carefully and to check out my Workshop Policy Page.

Note: Purchasing travel insurance is strongly recommended.

TO SIGN UP CLICK HERE.

Alaska’s Bald Eagles in Winter

This trip will be led by the newest member of my team -Donna Bourdon. If you don’t already know Donna get to know her virtually here.

*No need to rent a car. Donna will supply a group transfer to and from the airport.

February Feb. 20-24-2023

Five days $4700.00. Limit 5 participants/ 2 spots available

Workshop Leader-Donna Bourdon

*As always with wildlife photography there are no guarantees but this trip is fantastic and the opportunities are tremendous! Itinerary is subject to change due to local conditions, weather, etc…

A detailed information sheet with gear, lodging, and travel recommendations will be sent to all participants.

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

Note: Purchasing travel insurance is strongly recommended.

TO SIGN UP FOR THIS ONE CLICK HERE.

Vietnam Part II

June 11, 2022

Part II of my Vietnam trip report starts in Hoi An. Hoi An is best known for its Ancient Town, now filled with a mix of old and new. It is a street photographers dream come true. We walked the local market shooting everything from fish to bananas, we took candid shots of people tending to their goods, sweeping their stoops, drying their herbs, and even posing for the camera. At night we photographed the boats on the canal with illuminated lanterns; we watched as they cruised the waterway. We stopped to put a cold tiger in our tank (Tiger beer to be exact!) on more than one occasion.

I adore this quaint town and enjoyed my time there as much this year as my last visit. My group took a short boat ride out to the large fishing nets and watched as one fisherman raised and lowered these big nets.

Next stop Hanoi…after a short domestic flight we landed in Hanoi where we met our new driver. We headed north to Sapa and stopped along the way for lunch. The weather was cooler than in Hoi An and believe me it was a welcomed change. I’m happy that our vans and hotels have all been air conditioned. The weather has been warmer than usual, and the humidity makes it feel even hotter. It’s a very tropical climate.

Speaking of hotels, most of the places that we have stayed in have been extremely nice. Many of them are the same as on my last trip. My one hotel room had a giant bathtub right near the window so you could look out over the city while enjoying a relaxing bath.

A woman from the Red Dao tribe working on a hand woven fabric.

We visited with the Red Dao tribe aka Red Dzao tribe while in Sapa. The tribal women were extremely friendly and welcoming. Many even spoke good English. They demonstrated their home life within their meager kitchens and laundry areas as we photographed them. We had the chance to see them dressed in their traditional clothing that is all hand woven.

While in Sapa we also photographed the countless numbers of rice terraces that lace the countryside. There, we also saw workers in the fields, tending to the rice terraces as they need mending from time to time. Water Buffalo and children were seen walking the roadways. We had a lot of fog so going up and down the narrow, winding roads was an adventure.

Next, we went to a Black Hmong village to learn about their culture. We were invited inside their homes to see the women make cloth from hemp. Their main agriculture in Vietnam is rice so just about every square inch is planted and harvested. They live without many of the creature comforts that many of us have but they have the essentials.

Many dogs roamed the village streets free while others were chained or caged…so sad.

After leaving the north we headed back to Hanoi. There we visited a small village famous for making rice paper aka “bang da” or in the US known as a crispy rice pancake. Each one of these are made by hand and the assembly line is a one-man job. The streets, rooftops and just about any spare inch including the cemetery is used to stand the long, narrow bamboo racks covered with rice paper, in order for them to dry.

It’s very common to see motorbikes, people, dogs and even children on bicycles going through the maze of racks. It’s amazing that none of them are knocked over, given the amount of traffic in the narrow alleyways.

We were allowed to watch and photograph as one family made bang da adorned with peanuts and coconut. First, the woman had to press the batter on a small machine that she operated by hand. The steam from the machine cooked the rice patties after she scooped the batter onto the flat surface.

Next, she placed them on the bamboo racks to dry. Her husband carried the racks to the rooftop to dry in the sun. After that she lit a coal fire and created an extremely high temperature fire in which to cook the patties into crunchy treats. It was fascinating to watch how much work goes into producing these rice products.

After a delicious lunch and a short rest, we went to a different village where we had a private photo shoot watching three elderly women weave the old-time fishing baskets— these baskets are still used today.

It was incredible to see how fast and nimble these women were in creating these perfectly shaped baskets. I want some to hang in my house as lanterns!

Later that evening we went to photograph the Long Bien bridge that was originally built by the French but had been bombed by the US and subsequently repaired several times. It’s a beautiful bridge that is used for trains, but motorbikes and pedestrians still use it.

Dinner and bedtime followed by a 7:30 breakfast then a drive to Halong Bay to spend the night aboard a private cruise boat.

Once we arrived at Halong Bay we cruised to a small fishing village, we got into small row boats. We were rowed past each of the floating houses to see how they lived and prepared for the night’s fishing excursions.

We watched these people mending nets, tending to their fishing farms, washing clothes, fixing their boats, smoking pipes, etc... We also watched as boats filled with groceries went around the small village selling their goods.

Most of the floating houses had dogs faithfully patrolling their docks, keeping the children and goods safe from intruders. We were told by our local guides that when the parents go out to fish, they often leave the children home alone.

The village has been under resettlement from the government for a few years. At one time there were about 2000 fishermen and now since COVID (many took the governments offer to resettle) the numbers have plummeted to about 300.

During our time in Halong Bay we stopped at a nearby cave and photographed a few of the rock stacks from the cave, using the cave to frame the scene.

After leaving Halong Bay we headed back to Hanoi for a “rickshaw” ride around the city, followed by a reflection, night scene.

Well, I am pooped! This has been a whirlwind of a trip. We experienced and photographed so many things in the last two weeks. Overall, the people were very friendly towards us, the food was fantastic and so were our accommodations.

Donna Bourdon who was on this trip with me is anxious to take the reins on this one. Donna’s father was in the Vietnam war, and he truly embraced the country and the people. He volunteered at orphanages and schools during his time off while in Vietnam. When he came home, he brought some of that culture home with him. It has been a life’s dream of hers to see for herself this special place her father held so dear.

Donna will be leading the tour next year with my main guide from Vietnam. The two of them got along great and Donna’s enthusiasm for the photo shoots, the people and the food makes her a perfect choice to lead this trip!

I have lots and lots of images to sort through, but I wanted to share some now, as well as my trip report while it was still fresh on my mind.

I just got word that the CDC lifted the re-entry COVID testing for folks coming into the US. That is great news, and it will make my life a bit easier moving forward.

One of the many cruise ships in Halong Bay. I used a slow shutter speed and my Live Comp feature on my Olympus to create this happy accident.

Vietnam Part I

June 4, 2022

My adventures continue as I reached Vietnam after being home for 20 hours after my Patagonia trip. It was just barely enough time to wash clothes, repack and spend some time with my family.

On our first day we were in Ho Chi Minh City aka Saigon. There we photographed a traffic jam at night. It’s a pretty common thing given that there is a never-ending flow of motorbikes on the road. About everyone in Vietnam is on a motorbike of some sort. It’s not uncommon to see families of four on one bike. People with their dogs, people transporting goods, even funeral flowers are delivered via motorbike.

We walked through the traffic being careful not to stop or speed up as our guide directed us carefully across the road so that we could photograph the traffic from a bridge. We waited until the sun went down and the vehicle lights were illuminated. Using a 15 second exposure I was able to capture soft glowing lines of light as the traffic passed underneath us. I also used my Olympus camera body and worked a bit with the Live Comp setting which allows you to take interval shots and the camera records just the new light. I brought my Olympus system and my Sony system. I used the Olympus when I was walking around shooting. It is lighter and more compact. It also has some features that I like including the Live Comp, art filters, high res shot and a fully articulating screen. I brought my Sony for the 50 megapixels, great image quality and I also wanted to bring my lightweight 200-600mm lens for the Red-shanked doucs.

Donna Bourdon who is attending this tour with the intention of running it for me next year or until I get caught up on postponed tours, took the slow motion blur featured below of funeral flowers on a motorbike. I love it!!

Image copyright Donna Bourdon
Canon R5, Canon 24-105, Focal Length 24. ISO 125; F14; Shutter Speed 1/10

We also shot a skyline shot while in Saigon from an area used by locals as a place to eat dinner and watch the passing boats as the sun goes down. It’s fun to submerge yourself in other cultures when you travel, and I felt completely submerged while standing less than a foot away from a couple as they dined on the local fried snacks and shared some drinks.

The above photo is a group of Buddhist monks sitting down for a meal and service at the Ho Chi Minh Vietnam Buddhist University. My group and I were treated to a private photo shoot with the nuns and monks in training at the university. It was a great experience getting to watch them during prayers and while sharing a meal. During our time there, I had been using a slow shutter speed off and on.

This zoom blur was inspired by Terry Jackson. Terry has been on several of my photo tours and he is a very talented and creative photographer. So when I saw his blur I decided to create my own version. It was quite a bit different from his but they both appealed to me for different reasons.

After leaving Saigon we headed to Hue. There we photographed men throwing fishing nets into the water. These nets are quite large and require a lot of talent to throw. Our expert fishermen have learned this tradition through the generations. We also photographed, as lanterns were lit and put into the water. This was done traditionally as a way of celebrating. The set up for this was intense and time consuming but, in my option, well worth it. I liked the unique shots my group and I captured.

Next, we headed to Da Nang to photograph the monkeys. On our way we stopped to look over China Beach aka the East Sea. It’s a beautiful view with a switchback up.

The Red-shanked doucs were amazing to see in person. At first, we spent a lot of time looking for them and I was concerned that we would not even see one let alone photograph one. But finally, we hit the jackpot- we saw at least 10 or more.

Photographing the doucs was a challenge as the light was kind of low. I used my Sony A1 and 200-600mm lens. And at the time I wished I had lugged my 600mm f/4 lens but only for about a minute <wink>. The Sony A1 handled the higher ISOs perfectly.

The next morning, we headed out before sunrise to try to find the monkeys again. Everyone in the group enjoyed seeing and photographing these incredible creatures. They have the most beautiful faces, and their red shanks are over the top!

After a nice visit in Da Nang and a second chance with the Red-shanked doucs followed by a lovely lunch we headed to Hoi An. We are still in Hoi An, and so far we photographed a man fishing using a very large net. He demonstrated his technique for us, he even caught a few fish! I used my Olympus OM-D E-M5, converted to Infrared @720nm. with a 14-42mm EZ lens for the shot below. This camera and self closing lens fits in my back pocket so I am never w/o it.

We took a short break, then headed out to photograph lanterns at night. Hoi An is a nice town with an old world charm. Lot of vendors and lots and lots of lanterns. I need to get one for my room!

I have a bunch more to share but I need to get some rest. So far Vietnam has been fantastic. After tweaking the itinerary just a bit and adding the monkeys, I am having a blast. We still have so much more to see and photograph. I’ll post a Part II once I actually do Part II of the tour!

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