N'KAYA PHOTOGRAPHIC WORKSHOP EXTENSION
Note that the extensions are deliberately less-structured and more informal than the Workshops that precede them. Whilst ad-hoc lectures may take place on subjects of common interest, the focus is on your own needs and development as a photographer, and spare time can be used for one-to-one tuition with Sean | back to Manyeleti Workshop
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Day four
After your morning game drive and breakfast you will be transferred from Tintswalo Manor House to N’Kaya Lodge, where you will be able to bring all that you have learned during the workshops into practice.
N’Kaya is a small and intimate (8-bedded) private camp in Thornybush Private Game Reserve. Thornybush borders the Timbavati and the Klaserie Private Game Reserves, but its fences are still intact. Within its 11,500 hectares, you will not only be able to see general game and in excess of 250 different bird species, but you are almost guaranteed to encounter the Big Five. A Photographer's dream!
You will be given time to settle in, enjoy a scrumptious lunch and maybe even have an afternoon snooze before you head off on your afternoon game drive. Thornybush has a particularly good radio network (vehicles calling in encounters) and the chances of being able to "produce" any missing mammalian sightings are probably at their best here. Practice makes perfect after all!
N’Kaya is situated on a beautiful hilltop overlooking unspoiled savannah and with the Transvaal Drakensberg mountain range in the distance you are certain to enjoy the most amazing sunsets. The climate is superb all year round and Thornybush does not only promise a feast for your soul and senses, but for your albums as well.
Days five and six
Early morning wake-ups with a steaming cup of coffee or tea and a light snack will get you going. Each day in the bush is different, so when you head off in the rising sun get your lenses ready for some more unexpected photographic opportunities. Having worked up a nice appetite, a well-earned breakfast will be waiting for you in camp.
With a capacity of only four exclusive suites, N’Kaya Lodge offers the discerning guest the very best in privacy and is the ideal destination for a quiet, peaceful safari. Set on the crest of a hill that overlooks the Drakensberg mountain range and shaded by tall trees, N’Kaya Lodge boasts spacious double suites each with private lounges and twin en-suite amenities.
Take the opportunity to join Sean and a back-up guide on a walk where you can focus your senses and your lenses on the smaller creatures, trees and plants that are often overlooked when driving. It will be great practice and very interesting to do close-up shots of organisms, insects and flora – a real challenge to test your skills by finding that balance of the right colour, background and focus.
Else sit back and relax at the swimming pool that overlooks the magnificent bush in front of you. Whilst slowing the pace during the heat of the day you can set up your tripod and take landscape pictures, focus on colours and telephoto opportunities or just enjoy the animals that saunter passed you at a leisurely pace. An opportunity for thrilling photos on your doorstep.
Thatched suites are built around the edge of a clearing at a considerable distance from one another to ensure total privacy. Shaded by tall trees, the suites look out over the camp's swimming pool and the Drakensberg mountains.
On day six, enjoy your final evening photographic game drive and a glass of wine at sundowners. Allow Sean to teach you about the stars and the universe while you sit down for a wonderful boma dinner- alongside a blazing fire the sounds of the night create your background music!
N'Kaya is particularly lovely on cold winter nights when guests gather around the huge open-hearth fireplace in the middle of the lounge and trade stories of game sightings over brandy and hanepoot.
Day SEVEN
One last chance to soak in your environment, take photos and test the knowledge you have gained during your Workshop. Hopefully you will not only have learned about photography but also captured some of the memories that will last you a lifetime. They say that once the bush is under your skin, she will keep calling until you meet again.
The flora and fauna and the peace and quiet of the magical land of Kruger National Park will have left imprints on your camera and your soul which, back home, will become a constant reminder that the more we learn and see, the more we want to see and learn. Hopefully till we meet again!
