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About The Wildlife and Conservation Photographic Expedition Looking for a photographic destination of a lifetime ? Looking to explore the tropical rainforests in its prime ? Looking to help conserve some of best forest fragments in the country ? Well this is it! Nature Conservation Foundation in collaboration with Naturalist and Wildlife Photographer Kalyan Varma announces Conservation Photographic expedition which will be conducted in the heart of one of the top Biodiversity Hotspots on earth - The Western Ghats. You will be spending 4 days exploring and photographing in and around Valparai area which is part of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary. The area is home to some of the most beautiful and rarest mammals, birds and amphibians in the world. Anamalais Situated at an altitude of 2000m in the southern Western Ghats, Anamalais is home to some of the rarest and magnificent mammals, birds, plants and amphibians in the world. Anamalais is home to the Lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri Langur, Nilgiri Tahr, Brown palm civet, Nilgiri Martin, Asiatic Elephant, Tiger, Leopard and host of other mammals. These forests are also home to more than 400 species of birds out of which many are found only in the western ghats and no where else. During the monsoon, many species of amphibians and snakes come out and some of the frogs which have been new to science have been discovered here. If lucky, one might even come across the rare Purple Frog. Highlights
It's About Photography - Lots of it! This workshop will be very informal and fun. Kalyan Varma will be shooting alongside you at all times. We will have discussion and assistance on specialized topics such as, for example, long lens technique, projection flash usage, action shooting, macro photography, wildlife observation, field craft and Rainforest animal behavior. Advanced techniques will be constantly discussed, demonstrated and put into practice. This workshop is about photographing in the field. There will not be much classroom sessions and lectures. It is not the place for absolute beginners as there will be no basic photographic instruction per-se. Participants and the group leader will work side by side, sharing their knowledge, vision, philosophy and experience. A small group of participants guarantees that the workshop leader is available to work with each one on a personal level at some point of the trip. This is a unique opportunity to travel and shoot with an experienced professional who knows the forests intimately and can take you to the best photography locations that are off the beaten track, and at the right time – when optimal light shines upon them. Also on the trip will be a TrailMaster Camera trap unit, which can be used to rig up DSLR's which once deployed in the field can be left alone and when an animal cuts the Infrared beam, the camera takes a photograph by itself. Because of the unique location of this workshop, and the excellent accommodations, this workshop adventure is open to spouses as well as photographers. Even non-photographers will find the locales visited and the wildlife viewing opportunities to be thrilling. The cost for non-photographers is the same as for active participants. Kindly read the FAQ for more details The ScheduleReach Coimbatore early morning, by either the early morning flight or an overnight bus the previous day. You will be driven up the Western ghats though 40 Hairpin bends going through some amazing wildlife habitats. If we are lucky, we will have a very good chance to see the endemic and endangered mountain goat of the Western Ghats, the Nilgiri tahr. You will check-in into a 50 year old British bungalow where you will feel transported to a different era in time, a feeling of being an English Sahib. The fireplace and the sprawling verandah with an expansive well maintained lawn and garden, finish the "awe-some" picture. After lunch, we head out to photograph the Lion-tailed Macaque in one of the forest fragments near-by Come back in the evening for relaxation and tea after which we go out in the night looking for some of the Nocturnal animals like Brown-Palm Civet, Indian Flying Squirrel and if we are really lucky a mouse deer or a Slender Loris. Day 2 (Saturday) Wake up early to photograph and head to "Seen God" to try some hand at landscape photography. After the light gets harsh, we go to Andiparai Shola where we will spend rest of the morning photographing frogs, insects and other macro subjects. We come back to the Bungalow and review the photographs shot so far by all participants and critique some of the images. In the evening, we head to the edge of the park to look for Great Hornbills. If time permits, we will go on a night spot-lighting trip again and also deploy camera traps in one of the forest fragments. Day 3 (Sunday) We wake up and spend the whole day inside the Indira Gandhi National Park. Though large mammals are tough to see and photograph, its an excellent place for bird watching and bird photography. A lot of the endemic western ghats birds can be photographed here like the Wynad laughing thrush, White-bellied Treepie, Black and Orange Flycatcher, Rufous Babbler etc. This is also an excellent place to photograph Malabar Trogons. The forests are also one of the best and give excellent opportunity to do landscape, plants and insect photography. We come back to the lodge and spend rest of the day reviewing the photographs. Day 4 (Monday) We go to a patch of the forests where there is very good chances of finding some hornbills. We will try to photograph these mignaficent birds and also photograph Nilgiri Langur and Wild Elephants (if the guides track their location). After lunch we leave our camera's behind and spend half a day helping Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) scientists and conservationists with their Rainforest Restoration Program. You get an overview of their work and we also go to a degraded forest fragment or a forest corridor and plant some of the native rainforest plants in these areas. This is a small token we leave behind to conserve these forests for the future generations and also give habitats for all the species we photograph throughout the trip. We pack-up and leave in the evening. On the way back we will try again to photograph the Nilgiri Tahrs, Bonnet Macaques and Indian Giant Squirrels. Day 5 (Tuesday) - * Optional You can spend the whole day helping NCF scientists with their rainforest planting work. As a special discount, you get to stay at the Bungalow for an extra day (Including all the meals) absolutely free. You leave in the evening if you decide to stay this extra day. What's Included?
Kindly read the FAQ for more details The CostThe cost of this all-inclusive trip is Rs 18,000 per person (but not inclusive of airfare to Coimbatore). The same rate applies for each participant regardless of whether they are doing photography and participating in the workshop, or not. This fee includes all transportation as well as hotel accommodation (double occupancy) and all meals. Accommodations are two person to a room. If you will be traveling alone and would like a private room there will be a supplementary charge of Rs 6000. Please note: We will attempt to adhere to this itinerary as much as possible. However, certain conditions (political, climatic, environmental, cultural, or wildlife) may necessitate changes in the itinerary. We reserves the right to alter any itinerary at any time, if necessary. We will attempt to notify participants of changes as far in advance as possible. What Do I Do Next?Our groups are small, so space is limited. if you're excited by the thought of becoming a member of this trip, then now is the time to register. Remember, there will be limited space available for this workshop. When they're spoken for, that's it. If you have any questions before registering, send us an e-mail with any inquiries to kalyan@rtns.org. Kindly read the FAQ for more details. |