Kenya Safari Workshop

The Maasai Mara National Preserve in Kenya is known for its dense and diverse population of wild animals which include lions, elephants, giraffes, zebra, wildebeest, cheetah, leopard, and many more. The animals are so plentiful that each game drive will get more and more exciting. You will be in their home. You will watch them hunt. You will watch them eat. You will watch them mate. All from the comfort of a Land Rover. You will always need to keep your camera ready because you never know what will happen next. This experience is better than a circus or amusement park. And, certainly better than the zoo!

August is also the time of the great Wildebeest and Zebra migration. We may be fortunate enough to see thousands of these animals migrate across the Mara plains and the Mara River. There is no guarantee... but we've chosen August for our photo safari for this reason.

Although we will be in the African bush where it is rough and raw, it does not mean we cannot enjoy luxury accommodations. We will be staying at the "eco-certified" Sentinel Mara Camp which is a traditional Safari camp set up each season in a forest along the banks of the Mara River in one of the prime areas of the renowned Masai Mara National Reserve. The experience of being in the wild coupled with luxury and attention to detail is the finest way to enjoy the magic and mystery of the African wilderness with its amazing wildlife.

Our daily game drives are hosted by experienced "silver" level guides. Each Land Rover vehicle will have three guests, one in each row. This will provide you maximum opportunity for photographing the wildlife from either side of the vehicle.

The target audience is for beginners to intermediate photographers who love wildlife and landscapes and would like to learn more. As long as you have a DSLR (we shoot Nikon but all are welcome), a laptop computer (we are Mac users), Adobe Lightroom (trial copy is fine), you can successfully take and process your photos. We will provide instruction on the basic use of Lightroom and image composition. In addition, we will host group critique sessions.

There will be early mornings and late nights as we want to take advantage of the beautiful light at sunrise and sunset. So, sleep is optional.

• Pre-dawn assembly for coffee and preparation for game drive.
• Morning game drive for approximately four hours. We will take what the Maasai Mara gives us. Some game drives will focus on cats, some on large mammals, and some on birds.
• Breakfast back at the camp.
• Instructional class on Lightroom, image critique, or photography discussion.
• Lunch at the camp.
• Relax by the Mara River and watch the hippos and other wildlife.
• Afternoon game drive for approximately four hours. We will take what the Maasai Mara gives us. Some game drives will focus on cats, some on large mammals, and some on birds.
• Dinner back at the camp.

Additional activities if time permits:

• Mid-day visit to a local Maasai village
• Nature walk around and about the camp
• Sunrise walk on the Escarpment

• "Workshop Participant Profile" which all participants must fill out
• "Participant Questionnaire" which all participants must fill out
• "Prep Guide" which provides additional information on weather, packing and travel
• "Waiver Sheet, Release Waiver and Indemnity Agreement" which all participants must sign
• A copy of the "Terms & Conditions" which is stated in next tab

Payments

Deposit: A 50% deposit is due upon booking. This will confirm your place on the workshop.

Final Payment: The remaining 50% balance will be due 60 days prior to the beginning of your workshop. We will send an invoice by email one week prior to due date. Should this final payment fail to process, we reserve the right to treat the reservation as cancelled and retain the deposit.

All payments are by credit card through PayPal or over the phone.

Cancellation

If you cancel more than 60 days prior to the workshop start date you will be given a full refund less a $100 cancellation fee. If you cancel between 30 and 60 days prior to the workshop start date, we will retain your deposit but will return any additional money that you may have paid. There will be no refunds if you cancel less than 30 prior to the workshop start date.

While this can be difficult to hear it is a necessity. Each workshop requires a significant amount of preparation and expense. In addition, it can be difficult to fill your vacated spot if less than 30 days remains. However, if your spot is filled, we will refund your entire payment(s) less a $100 cancellation fee.

Sweet Light Photo Workshops reserves the right to alter or cancel any workshop. In the unlikely event that we need to cancel a workshop we will refund all monies paid, in full. Notification of our cancellation will be made via either a telephone call or an e-mail to you at least 14 days prior to the beginning of a workshop. We cannot be responsible for phone messages and e-mails not being received in a timely matter due to your service providers. We cannot be responsible for non-refundable airline tickets unused or other travel arrangements because of a workshop cancellation.

We highly recommend travel insurance such as: Allianz Travel Insurance to assist you in case of last minute plan changes or emergencies.

Force Majeure

For purposes of the terms & conditions described in this document, Force Majeure shall mean a cause or event such as; war or the threat of war, riots, terrorist activity, civil strife, governmental acts, industrial disputes, labor strikes, injunctions, natural disasters, nuclear disaster, fire, or unfavorable or adverse weather conditions that is not reasonably foreseeable or otherwise caused by or under the control of Sweet Light Photo Workshops. Any delay or failure in the performance by Sweet Light Photo Workshops shall be excused if and to the extent caused by the occurrence of a Force Majeure.

Paperwork

All workshop members will be required to fill out our Workshop Participant Profile form, sign Waiver Sheet, Release Waiver and Indemnity Agreement, and sign our Model Release form.

Liability Waiver

All workshop attendees will be required to sign our “Waiver and Release of Liability” form prior to the start of the workshop. The form will be emailed to you at time of registration and with your final bill. It will also be made available on our website.

Terms & Conditions Acceptance

By paying the workshop deposit or submitting your Workshop Participant Profile, you are agreeing to accept all the above terms & conditions. The person who completes the Workshop Participant Profile does so on behalf of all the individuals included on it, so that all are bound by the registration conditions.