Academy Itinerary

An overview of our flagship 21-day adventure through South Africa

Days 1-5

For the first five days of the our "uhambo", we will be based in Cape Town, South Africa. Cape Town is one of the more visually striking cities in the world and provides a great point of entry into Africa for those new to African exploration. Participants will not find the surroundings completely unfamiliar and many first time visitors to Cape Town often remark that the city is "European" in feel. Yet don't let looks deceive you. Cape Town is what you get when you introduce European infrastructure to African culture. It's tempting to stay for more than five days because the city's social, geographic and cultural contrasts are absolutely captivating. During the Cape Town leg of our "Uhambo", daily lessons will cover the following topics:

• Orientation
• Ethics of photography
• Selection
• Photo composition
• Exposure and lighting
• Shadows
• Portraiture

Days 6-9

Leaving the city behind, we will travel along the eastern coast of South Africa on the popular "Garden Route." The Garden Route is famous for its expansive vistas, quaint coastal villages and diversity of adventure activities, from zip-lining through the Tsitsikamma Forest canopy to bungee jumping off the Bloukrans River Bridge. At 216 meters (702 feet), the jump qualifies as the highest commercial jump in the world. Staying true to objective of our academy, we will take great photographs AND have the option of participating in these exciting activities! Make sure you visit the Adventure Itinerary page for a full list of activities.

• Photo editing
• Selecting the best photos
• Sports/Action photography

Days 10-13

We will travel through a region of South Africa known as the Transkei. Formerly a Bantu homeland during Apartheid and the birthplace of Nelson Mandela, the Transkei is a landscape rich in cultural significance. Portraiture and community will be the

• Portraiture
• Choosing a subject
• Framing the subject
• Capturing the story
• The concept behind the "decisive moment"

Days 14-15

We will visit the mighty Drakensburg Mountains, referred to in Zulu as the uKhahlamba ("barrier of spears"). The mountain range forms the highest mountains in Southern Africa, with Thabana Ntlenyana mountain rising up to 11,422 ft. (3482m). We will spend much of our two days in the Drakensburgs on foot while taking photos of the rugged, jagged landscape.

• Landscape photography
• Macro photography
• Time lapse photography
• Tripod use 

Days 16-19

Nearing the end of our "uhambo", we will visit the world-famous Kruger National Park. We will spend three days taking photos of African wildlife in a game park considered to be one of the best places to go on safari in South Africa. If we are lucky, we will capture photos of the famous Big 5 (elephant, lion, leopard, water buffalo and rhino) in addition to other different species of African wildlife. We arrive at Kruger with the intention of capturing images worthy of a National Geographic cover!

• Wildlife and nature photography
• Night photography
  

Days 20-21

For the end of our voyage we will be staying in Johannesburg. Being the largest city in South Africa, Johannesburg has a lot to offer in terms of historical interest. One of the places we will embark on in while in this beautiful city is Soweto, an urban area consisting of 87 townships and one of the most emotional museums in the world, the Apartheid Museum. To wrap up the Academy experience, participants will collect their most inspirational and telling photographs to be displayed in a gallery-style presentation.

• Post-production selection and editing
• Development of a picture presentation