Join Nikon Ambassadors Joe McNally and Tamara Lackey on this extraordinary 10-day luxury safari photographic experience in Kenya and Uganda. Throughout the course of ten days, we will focus on wildlife, travel, portrait and landscape photography.
With all travel details seamlessly managed, we will explore an incredible game reserve in Kenya and trek through Uganda to encounter wild silverback gorillas living in the mountains.
We start our private safari in Maasai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya, a stunning preserve with the highest concentration of big game seen anywhere. Wild lions, leopards, rhinos, cheetahs, hippos and elephants are just the start of the close to 90 species of mammals, as well as the remarkable variety of birds and raptors that make up the Mara ecosystem. We will travel in small groups via safari vans that are custom-built specifically for photographers, allowing us the physical room and wide visibility that photographers need to capture their most exceptional images of such a unique experience. In addition, we will be visiting during the peak Great Migration season.
Halfway through our adventure, we will fly via private charter to Uganda, the Pearl of Africa. We will begin our Photographic Gorilla Encounter Safari at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, an ancient rainforest untouched by plate shifts (“What you see is what it was”) and home to numerous globally-threatened species. From forest elephants, to exceptionally-diverse bird life to over 200 species of butterflies, Bwindi is also home to half of the last few mountain gorillas in the world.
We will be joined by expert Gorilla Trekking Guides for the totally unique and unforgettable experience of trekking through the forest for personal encounters with Mountain Silverback Gorilla families. Finally, we will end our time in Uganda at Lake Victoria, the largest tropical lake in the world.
Both Joe and Tamara will join you for your entire experience, guiding you photographically while also offering one-on-one time with participants, in addition to frequent photo critiques, post-processing lab time and detailed image walkthroughs.
Lastly, everything will be seamlessly managed during our time in Africa. We will travel by private charter, stay in 5-star accommodations, savor incredible meals and even enjoy our downtime in day rooms booked for our comfort on our final day there, so we can truly enjoy every moment before our flights depart on the evening of Day 10.
Acclaimed, award-winning photographer Joe McNally is known worldwide as the quintessential “pro’s pro;” an extremely versatile, deeply experienced assignment photographer whose jobs have brought him to over 70 countries and counting. McNally is often described as: Authentic, empathetic and articulate, an exceptionally skilled technical photographer who pairs extraordinary camera know-how with a vivid imagination and an ongoing, vibrant creativity.
Always curious, always adapting to the conditions at hand and the relentless advances in camera technology, he has photographed FIVE cover stories for the National Geographic (amongst an overall FIFTEEN coverages), and SEVEN covers of LIFE Magazine. He photographed the very first all-digital coverage for National Geographic, which was considered such a significant, watershed moment in the history of that venerable publication that the entire coverage has been incorporated into the archives of the U.S Library of Congress. In addition to inspiring editorial work, McNally has covered FOUR Olympics (with number FIVE looming in Paris in 2024) for such diverse clients as ABC Television, Sports Illustrated and TIME magazine. McNally is known for his penchant to get his camera in “a different place” and has twice climbed the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, in addition to climbing the Empire State Building four times.
He is that rare photographer who has successfully made the bridge between the commercial world and the editorial world, and is highly regarded by clients for his versatility, and willingness to be a team player. Joe McNally, a proud Nikon Ambassador, has an extraordinary ability to photograph simple assignments with intimacy and grace, as well as master movie-scale productions with large crews, tremendous pressure and countless moving parts.
Tamara Lackey is a renowned professional photographer, Nikon USA Ambassador, author and show host. She speaks at a wide range of programs and conventions on the power of photography, presenting at Google, Disney, CES, Photo Plus Expo, Harvard Law School and more. She has shot a series of commercial photography campaigns for Nikon and was also selected to present her work on stage as part of the Nikon Global Launch Event in Tokyo, helping to introduce a new line of ground-breaking mirrorless camera systems.
Tamara has co-produced and hosted multiple live broadcasts for creativeLIVE and other livecast media, and she hosted her popular web series, The reDefine Show, for seven years. Her newest TV show, Chasing Frames with Tamara Lackey, focuses on capturing experiences and adventures through photography and is broadcast on PBS North Carolina and on PBS.org.
Tamara leads photography adventure workshops around the world and is the author of nine books, Her latest is The Posing Playbook. In addition to being a Nikon Ambassador, Tamara also has the distinction of being recognized as a Legend of Light by Profoto, an ON1 Guru and she is also part of the Think Tank Pro Team.
Tamara is the Executive Director of Beautiful Together, a non-profit she co-founded in 2014 that is focused on a mission she cares about deeply: connecting animals in need of refuge with children living in underserved communities. Beautiful Together is currently building out 83 acres of property in Chapel Hill, North Carolina to house an animal sanctuary and host local youth programs, while still continuing ongoing work in Ethiopia, as well.
I am proud to be a Nikon Ambassador, and I have been since 2015.
I am always happy to answer questions about my favorite gear or preferred techniques.
I am also a big fan of ON1 Photo Raw 2023 editing software. You can see why it's a natural part of my workflow on my Photography Favorites page. If you aren't familiar with ON1, they have a free trial and you can purchase it at 30% off by using Promo Code "Tamara" (this is an affiliate link).
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