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May 18-25, 2025 - Accepting Applications
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Let’s head out to photograph birds! Where? Ecuador, of course! To the Chocó Cloudforest!
Ecuador is slightly larger than Colorado – but about 1 out of every 5 bird species in the world lives or passes through this cauldron of biodiversity. It is the forth highest nation in the world for bird diversity, with over 1,500 species. And Ecuador has 25% of the world’s cloud forests!
"We are delighted with our photos, those birds are absolutely spectacular and you helped us come away with new ideas, many wonderful memories as well as outstanding images."
Dick and Sue R |
Check out some images from our past Ecuador Birds Photography Adventures here!
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2025 Rates
$6,400 Double Occupancy, each
$7,100 Single Occupancy
$1,000 with Application
$1,500 2nd Payment 1 Oct 24
Final Payment 15 Jan 25 |
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And, the hot spot is the Chocó Bioregion, especially in northwest Ecuador! Ask a birder… ask a conservationist – this region is so very special that it is on the must list for birders and the “oh, we have to save this” list for conservation! About 25% of the plants and animals in the Chocó are endemic – found no place else on earth!
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And the cool thing is that the infrastructure to take you to find birds has just reached the threshold where we can both take good care of you – and promise that you’ll come home with outstanding bird images!
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The key to accomplishing this is that small family farmers have been cooperating with conservation groups and small-scale tourism enterprises to set aside natural areas in a number of biological zones. When you show up to photograph birds, the funds go directly to protecting birds and habitat on these small farm operations! 
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We have done our own conspiring, with our friend and guide Pancho, to build an itinerary that weaves together visits to a variety of habitats, to produce opportunities to photograph some amazing species that previously were just fancy names on birders checklists! 
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You may recognize some of these names… Cock of the Rock, Golden Tanager, Golden Naped Tanager, Flame Faced Tanager, Black Chinned Mountain Tanager, Beryl-spangled Tanager, Moss-backed Tanager, Glistening Green Tanager, Blue-winged Mountain Tanager, Cinnamon Flycatcher, Choco Toucan, Crimsom-rumped Toucanet, Plate-billed Mountain Toucan, Tiny Hawk, Rufous-crowned Antpitta, Giant Antpitta, Barred Puffbird, Umbrella Bird, Golden-headed Quetzal, Masked Trogon, Oil Bird, Orange-breasted Fruiteater, Blue-backed Conebill, Toucan Barbet, Turquoise Jay… the list just goes on and on.
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And, did we mention hummingbirds? There are more kinds and shapes of hummingbirds than you thought existed! Fun names, too, like Shining Sunbeam, Violet-tailed Sylph, Buff-tailed Coronet, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Brown Violetear, Collared Inca, Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, Purple-chested Hummingbird, White-necked Jacobin, and Booted Racket-tailed Hummingbird.
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While the focus is on birds, you can’t go to the cloud forest without photographing butterflies!
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There are also waterfalls. And, we’ll do some night walks to find nocturnal creatures like spiders and… |
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We have arranged a special session for photographing hummingbirds with multiple flashes. You don't need to bring any equipment to make this happen. We will set up the flashes and provide you with a trigger. The timing is up to you!
There is a lot to learn in a setup like this. We'll explain how each flash contributes to the image design - and the thoughts that go into its placement. We'll be bringing our own special backgrounds to make these images look different (and we think better) than many of the flash shots you see coming out of other workshops!
When you leave, you'll have both new skills and some great images to share! |
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You will come back with so many images of birds, butterflies, blossoms, and more! The challenge will be to figure out what their names are!
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May 18-25, 2025
Price includes all local transportation, lodging for 7 nights (close to the action), most meals, English-speaking local guide, photography guide/instructor, prep materials.
Flights to and from Quito, Ecuador (our base camp for this adventure) at your own expense. Extra nights at the beginning or end at your own expense. Alcoholic drinks at your own expense. Tipping is expected and your responsibility.
This will be a small group, 4-8 people.
While the adventure will not be terribly demanding, you will need to be able to manage your gear (including long lens and tripod) on short forest trails (Ecuador is not flat!).
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2024
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Taking Control in the Mirrorless Era
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Three days of classroom and field time with migrating waterfowl, bald eagles, and macro opportunities. You'll learn how to take control of your mirrorless camera - and take advantage of new developments in the digital darkroom - to yield images that closely match your intentions in the field! Embrace manual - it's easier that the auto modes - and easier than ever in the mirrorless era!. |
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2025 |
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Three days of classroom and field time with migrating waterfowl, bald eagles, and macro opportunities. You'll learn how to take control of your mirrorless camera - and take advantage of new developments in the digital darkroom - to yield images that closely match your intentions in the field! Embrace manual - it's easier that the auto modes - and easier than ever in the mirrorless era. |
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So many birds! Such good photography opportunities. So little physical effort required. Forty percent of the planet's hummingbirds are found in Ecuador. Thirty-seven percent of the tanagers (which don't show up in the Old World at all). Conservation has teamed up with landowners to protect natural cloudforest habitats - and the result is birds sitting on branches predictably in a way you can photograph them. Did we mention Cock-of-the-rock? Or mountain tourcan? Small group so secure your space before it is gone! |
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Borneo! Rainforests. Orangutans. Gibbons. Pygmy elephants. Proboscis monkeys. 420 species of birds, including amazing hornbills and kingfishers, brightly colored little birds. Carnivorous plants. Sun bears. The list goes on and on. We've built an itinerary that takes you into the canopy, on trails by foot, on rivers by boat, and out on night safari. This is not an adventure you want to miss! |
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Join us in Brazil's Pantanal for a wild adventure that features both jaguars and an amazing array of birds, reptiles, and mammals. The Pantanal is the only place in the world where one can reliably find and photograph jaguars - as they are nocturnal hunters everywhere else. The birds here are fantastic - this is one of our favorite places to photograph flying birds (we can help you build your skills). Add in close-up encounters with giant river otters and so much more. Join us for this wild adventure! |
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The Great Migration encounters the Mara River in Tanzania's northern Serengeti. 2-3 million wildebeest and 400-500,00 zebras want to cross the Mara - often high with boiling rapids and hosting giant Nile crocodiles looking to feast! We've design the ultimate photography adventure to put you in a number of right places at the right times - to capture images of the trauma, the terror, the attacks, and the heartening stories of wildebeest succeeding at crossing the river to greener pastures. Are you coming? |
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Turkey sits at a geographical crossroads, which means that, over history, many cultures have passed through Turkey, each leaving a distinct imprint on the culture and the archaeological record. Let's explore some of the great archaeological wonders - while putting ourselves in great positions make exciting art with cameras. Mosques, Fairy Chimneys, Ephasus, Istanbul, Aphrodisia, Pergamum, Assos and so much more. |
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2026 |
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To sit quietly in a bamboo thicket with a gorilla family, interacting with eye contact, observing, and making compelling images is truly a life changing experience. Venture out into the wilds of Rwanda with a small group to experience photographic encounters with wild gorillas, chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, golden monkeys, and much, much more. Fitness level is necessary to accomplish this adventure. Dates are tentative until we secure permits. |
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Timed to meet the great migration in the Serengeti, our safari takes you to some of the great parks and protected areas in northern Tanzania in search of lions, zebras, giraffes, cheetah, hyenas... Of all our itineraries, anywhere in the world, this one has the best reviews - and is a real life-changing experience! If you'll only be making one photography foray into sub-Saharan Africa in your life - this is the trip! |
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Join us in 2026 as we'll explore favorite haunts and add new landings and vistas. Giant tortoises, flightless frigates, 3 kinds of boobies, land and marine iguanas, sea lions and fur seals, flamingos, and the northernmost penguin in the world. The list goes on and on! Exciting landscapes. So much to learn about geology, biology, and evolution.Truly an inspiring experience - ties the Serengeti in client feedback as the "most life-changing" experience of their lives. |
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Join a small group of photographers as we fly in float planes and tundra planes out into the wilderness of the Katmai Peninsula - in search of great bear photography opportunities. We'll go where the bears are actively catching salmon, including Brooks Falls, and other locations drawing off the Bristol Bay watershed which has the largest salmon runs in the world. Plan to be close to bears - to have great vistas from planes - and to marvel at the vast expanse of wilderness. Group size limited - secure your space. |
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Turkey sits at a geographical crossroads, which means that, over history, many cultures have passed through Turkey, each leaving a distinct imprint on the culture and the archaeological record. Let's explore some of the great archaeological wonders - while putting ourselves in great positions make exciting art with cameras. Mosques, Fairy Chimneys, Ephasus, Istanbul, Aphrodisia, Pergamum, Assos and so much more. |
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