This has to be one of the most magnificent photographic canvases in S.A.
Come Join Us!
On this Photo-tour you will explore Clarens, Rosendal, Ficksburg and Fouriesburg while travelling through the magnificent Eastern Free State in Autumn as the Poplars turn yellow against the electric blue sky – all while improving your photographic skills.
This is our sixth trip exploring The Eastern Free State and it is one of thephotowalkers.com photographers favourites.
>>>BOOKINGS ARE OPEN<<<
>>>SOLO TRAVELLERS ARE WELCOME<<<
**If you have completed a 52 Week Challenge or been on a Photo Tour with us – you receive 10% discount on this tour.
There are a minimum of four and maximum of ten people per photographer on this tour so early booking is essential to avoid disappointment.
Please see below for price and payment policy – as well as what is included and excluded.
Dates: 04-07 April 2019.
Our Photographers:
Peter Hassall (National President of SA Pro-Photographers with 35 years experience) and Leanne Dryburgh (Western Cape Manager of SA Pro-Photographers with 27 years experience) from thephotowalkers.com are the photographers selected for this tour. Peter Hassall will join if there are more than 10 photographers booked.
Photographic Skills:
Hobbyist and travel photographers of all skills level are welcome. Solo Travellers are welcome. Come Join Us!
Partners and Non-Photographers:
Partners/Non-Photographers are welcome to join at the same price as the photographers.
Our photographers years of experience behind the lens and years of scouting this area is what puts thephotowalkers.com into a league of its own.
Photographic Highlights Include:
- Landscapes along the back roads
- Exposure and how to balance light in Manual Mode
- Shutter Speed workshop including how to use a Neutral Density Filter*
- Architecture in a deserted town that has a population of less than 50 people
- Depth of field workshop from the veld grasses to the rolled bales of hay
- Understanding how to use a Polarising Filter*
- Night Skies and Painting with light
- Macro on the enormous sunflowers
- Parallel lines, colour and long shadows with the yellowing poplars against the blue sky
- Making friends with your tripod and understanding its value to your journey as a photographer
- The importance of good composition using your foreground, middleground and background.
- How to use long roads as leading lines
- Working with colour blocking on the orange rocks, yellow poplars, green fields and blue skies
- How to handle all different types of light and how it reacts to natural elements such as dust
- Portraiture in a rural town
- Movie night and feedback on images
*we have these filters available for loan and sale on the tour – in all sizes.
Itinerary:
We have created fixed workshops during this tour to ensure that we cover as many aspects of photography as possible. These are worked around the best light, travel times and meal times. The tour does also allow for free time as the mornings are early as the nights are long.
A detailed itinerary is sent to all bookings once your place/s have been secured.
On this tour we are based at on a farm on the outskirts of Clarens. We have done this tour for 6 years now (and scouted the area through our lenses for 7 years) and know the know the area well – as well as the incredibly special places to stop for photographs in the surrounding towns and along the best back roads.
Accommodation:
Through the years we have learnt that everyone has their own accommodation needs and therefore we do not include it in the tour price.
We do however highly recommend that you stay on the same farm as the photographers and the rest of the group as we do early morning and late night workshops on and around the farm. This also allows for idle chit-chat between workshops with the photographers and other group members. In past years we have had photographers that have stayed on other locations – and with the group being on a farm it has been difficult for them to get to the early morning and late night workshops.
We outsource an Accommodation Booking Team who do their best to find the most suitable accommodation for you – at the most suitable price.
The accommodation includes breakfast and dinner – we have lunch in the surrounding small towns between workshops. Dinner is served on the farm allowing nighttime workshops, movie night and feedback on images and our famous quiz night which is loads of fun!
These prices are based on estimates* – the actual price is dependent on room type availability at the time of your booking- and the numbers that book for the tour.
- The estimated price per person per night sharing is: R1250.00 (including breakfast and dinner)
- The estimated price per single person per night is: R1450.00 (including breakfast and dinner)
If you are a solo-traveller and don’t mind sharing with someone similar to you in twin beds – please let us know and and our booking team will try our best to help you.
If you would like to arrive a day before the tour or stay after the tour – our team can arrange and book that accommodation for you too.
If you are travelling from out of town – please let us know if you would like us to help you book accommodation preferably near Rosebank in Johannesburg for the night of the 3rd of April. See below for advised flight times and free airport transfers.**
Transport:
thephotowalkers.com are offering shared transport from Johannesburg. It’s by far the nicest way to do the tours and it’s good fun too!
The shared transport will depart from Johannesburg from 08h00 on the 4th of April and return to Johannesburg at roughly 16h00 on the 7th of April. It will pick you up and drop you off at your home / accommodation (within reason) – or en-route to the Eastern Free State.
The price of this service is excluded and is estimated at between R1600 and R1900 per person – depending on the number of people in the bus. It is calculated a week before departure and is invoiced.
**If you are travelling to OR Tambo International on the 3rd of April we will pick you up at about 15h00. Please make sure your plane lands by 14h30 the latest. At the end of the tour we will drop you off at the airport at around 16h30 – for flights departing from 18h00 on the 7th of April. These airport transfers are included in the price.
You are welcome to self drive – the meeting time and location will be sent to all confirmed bookings.
Please click the ‘BOOKINGS & ENQUIRIES’ button towards the top of the page. There are drop-downs that prompt you to tell us what accommodation requirements and if you would like to share transport . You will then receive an email with all of the relevant details.
Should you have any questions, you are welcome to call or WhatsApp Leanne on 083 293 7208 or email Jeanne at tours@thephotowalkers.com. One of them will get back to you as soon as possible. (If Leanne is taking a tour or on a shoot – she may take a couple of days to reply –WhatsApp is most effective form of communication for her)
Price and Payment Policy:
The full price of tour is R5500.00 (An average of R1375.00 per day for the photography instruction from dusk to dawn – on a large variety of canvasses – with Accredited Pro Photographer/s ).
A deposit of R1000.00 is required to secure your place and the balance is payable 2 weeks before departure. There is limited space so early booking is advisable.
A *10% discount is offered on the Photography Instruction to our existing clients, our past and present 52-Week Challengers and Registered Camera Club Members (PSSA – please supply details). *This discount does not apply if another promotional offer is running.
Click to view our accepted payment methods
Includes:
Accredited South African Professional Photographer/s who will be on hand throughout the weekend to assist you – no matter what skill level you are. Our photographers are trained in film photography and therefore have a very deep understanding and knowledge of all aspects of photography. A second Professional Photographer will join the tour once 10 people have confirmed.
Excludes:
Camera Equipment, accommodation, Accommodation Booking Fee, meals, transport, entrance fees, additional, medical aid kit, activities and any expenses of a personal nature.
Olympus Mirrorless Cameras:
Wandering about Mirrorless Technology and lighter camera equipment that is easier for travel?
thephotowalkers.com have partnered with Olympus and have these cameras on hand throughout the tour for you to try and use as much as you would like to. Our photographers are well versed in this incredible Micro four/thirds technology and can answer any questions that you have. These cameras, lenses, filters and accessories are available for purchase through our sister company – The Photo Shed.
What to Bring:
In order to achieve the most from the Accredited South African Professional Photographer, a camera body with a manual mode function is recommended. However, all makes of cameras and cell phones are welcome.
A tripod is essential (in the event that you do not own a tripod you are welcome to hire one from thephotowalkers.com at a cost of R200.00 for the duration of the tour). Pre-booking is essential.
Head torches for the evenings.
What to Wear:
Comfortable clothing and walking shoes are recommended. Please bring a second pair of closed shoes – as we will photograph near water and your shoes may get wet. Wind breakers come in handy for photographing at dusk and dawn and pockets are useful. thephotowalkers.com will communicate with you closer to the date of departure should there any be any inclement weather expected that would encourage additional items of clothing that are not typical.
Fitness:
A certain level of fitness is required to enable you to transport your own camera bag, tripod and accessories. Reasonably short to medium distances are covered while on our workshops. If during ‘free time’ you would like to partake in other adventures, additional fitness may be required.
Cancellation Policy:
On the price of the Photo-Tour:
Cancellations within 1 month of the tour: No refund will be issued.
Cancellations more than 1 month before the tour: 50% refund will be issued on any monies paid to date.
On the Accommodation:
The cancellation policy of each accommodation establishment can vary and will apply. If the thephotowalkers.com bookings team has booked your accommodation – they will assist as much as possible in getting you as much of a refund as possible.
Due to the logistics of the bookings the Accommodation Booking Fee is non-refundable.
In the event that thephotowalkers.com has to cancel the tour for any reason whatsoever, a full refund will be issued immediately – on the Photo-Tour and the accommodation.
Indemnity:
By booking this Photo-Tour you agree to be bound by thephotowalkers.com indemnity terms and conditions. thephotowalkers.com, it’s staff, employees, suppliers and partners will not be held responsible for loss, injury, death or damage including consequential loss of any nature whatsoever while on the tour, in the shared transport, in the accommodation or during an activity. By booking this tour you understand and accept this. thephotowalkers.com will do their best to avoid any circumstances that may lead to the above.
Intellectual Property and Confidentiality:
By booking this tour you understand, accept and agree that any information given as well as any service providers, locations, workshops, partners, techniques or any part of the tour whatsoever is the Intellectual Property of The Photowalkers (t/a thephotowalkers.com).
