© Renie Haiduk

You can chase light or you can immerse yourself in beautiful light. A lot has to do with your approach. If you have ever wanted to experience old Africa, wander in a private elephant preserve, enjoy the outrageous diversity of African wildlife, meet local Maasai neighbors, and have time to settle in and let the magic of Africa flow into you, join Eddie Soloway and Renie Haiduk on the second Photo Adventure in Tanzania.

Renie brings us her friendship with Peter Jones of Tanganyika Film and Safari Outfitters, and Peter’s 11,000 acre private camp, Ndarakwai, becomes our base where we spend the first two nights and last three nights of our adventure. Eddie brings his educational focus on quality time in a place, an interest in distilling essence, and creative ways to make a photographic image into short sessions sprinkled throughout our experience to help us hit the ground running and come back with images that speak of the feelings and memories we will be gathering. Ndarakwai is dedicated to the preservation of the local Maasai culture and wildlife, in particular elephants. The habitat varies from riparian woodland and acacia savannah to open grassland with views of Mounts Meru and Kilimanjaro. The advantages of staying on this private preserve include limited access by other groups, the chance to wander out of vehicles, opportunities for night drives, and genuine gatherings with Peter’s Maasai neighbors. The treehouse above the watering hole, great meals, and elegant, yet rustic tent cabins help insure a great start to our adventure and a base for building life long memories.

On the third day we travel by chartered plane to the Ndutu Lodge in the middle of the Serengeti Plains. With photographic skills warmed up we spend three glorious days and four nights along Lake Nduto where the full spectrum of African wildlife is ours to celebrate. Early morning and late afternoon drives, woven together with short photographic sessions, maximizing our time in the landscape. On the seventh day we drive to Ngorongoro Crater with a stop at Olduvai Gorge where Peter worked for many years with Mary Leakey. After a night at Serena Lodge we leave early for a full day adventure inside the crater, one of the world’s greatest natural spectacles.

A charter plane brings us back to Ndarakwai for our two final days, allowing everyone the chance to re-visit favorite spots in different light, continue work on animal and portrait image making, an optional aerial photography trip over the preserve, time to edit and review images, and a final celebration.

Read an "Ndarakwai Treehouse Tale" from the 2008 workshop.

Proposed Daily Schedule (subject to change):

Instructor(s)

Eddie Soloway's photographs are the expression of his passion and commitment to the natural world. His eye has developed during three decades of exploring the earth’s wild places. He spent 10 years working for the Institute for Earth Education where he helped develop wilderness journeys and school curricula and conducted educational workshops in five countries.

Today Eddie devotes his time to teaching, making fine-art prints, and shooting for Getty Images. His book, One Thousand Moons, was published in the summer of 2004. An impassioned teacher, Eddie brings experiences in both nature and photography to his workshops. He was the first recipient of the “Excellence in Photographic Teaching” award presented by the Santa Fe Center for Photography. This is Eddie’s 16th year teaching at the Workshops. His web site is www.eddiesoloway.com.

Renie Haiduk has been associated with the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops for over 14 years and is currently the Workshops’ director of operations in Santa Fe and San Miguel de Allende. She has assisted and photographed alongside many of the best-known contemporary black-and-white photographers, including Keith Carter, Elizabeth Opalenik, Rodney Smith, and Joyce Tenneson.

While staying up-to-date with the latest digital advances, Renie has continued to use film capture and the darkroom to create her own natural-light, black-and-white images. Her photography is an expressive interpretation of her subject, whether it is a landscape or a loved one. Renie’s creative yet straightforward approach to environmental portraiture invites viewers to examine and ultimately recognize “self.” This is Renie’s sixth year teaching for the Workshops. Her web site is www.haidukphotography.com.

Who Should Attend:
This adventure is open to anyone with an interest in experiencing the landscape, wildlife, and people of Tanzania. All skill levels are welcome, but since this will not be a workshop covering more than a quick overview of basic photographic skills, it is recommended that you know all your photographic equipment before arriving. Photographers using film are welcome, but no film processing will be available during the experience. There will be the option to look at images made during the experience in the middle and at the end of the adventure. Photographers wishing to partake in these two sessions should travel with a laptop and editing software, and should be proficient at digital workflow. A list of ideas to prepare for the adventure, recommended immunizations, suggested equipment, and what to bring will be sent to all participants. Spouses and friends are welcome if they embrace the photographic focus of the trip.

Tuition & Fees:
Price is per person, double occupancy; for single occupancy, add $668. Participants requesting double occupancy will be notified if a suitable roommate is not available, in which case the single supplement must be charged. Package price includes tuition, double accommodations, meals during our time with TFSO, internal ground and air transportation, entrance fees, permits and all tips. Optional aerial photo day is $425 per person. Extra nights before/after safari are $240 double; $290 for singles. The safari is limited to 12 participants. To register, call The Workshops at (505) 983-1400, ext. 11.
Package Price: $9,900.00