Exploring South Georgia Island
Come join me for an incredible photo workshop adventure to the most amazing wildlife location on the planet, South Georgia Island. So what makes this location so special? Imagine if the Galapagos Islands had a baby with New Zealand. Sprawling mountains peaks, glaciers, and fjords covering an island that is home to millions of penguins, seals and a variety of different bird species that have been left alone with mother nature for the last 60 years. So few people actually visit this island that the local wildlife is more curious than cautious, which helps make it one of the most unique & intimate wildlife photography destinations on Earth.
Nowhere else on the planet could you make a zodiac landing on a beach surrounded by snow-capped mountains that is home to 500,000 nesting king penguins. As you make your way to the heart of the colony, you will walk past thousands of fur seals & elephant seals while photographing many of the 78 known bird species found on South Georgia. Did I also mention that you have a good chance of seeing both Humpback and Fin whales breaching out of the water surrounding our boat? I probably should have mentioned that earlier 😉
Trip Dates
Fall 2020
Tuition Costs
Starts at $12,000
Group Size
4-10
Difficulty Level
Easy
The 15 day/14 night workshop begins in Punta Arenas, Chile where we will meet our group on October 26th, 2019 before jumping on a private flight to the Falklands Islands. It is there that we board our expedition vessel, the Akademik Sergey Vavilov. Originally built as a research vessel, the Vavilov is one of the best expeditions ships in the waters around South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. With a max capacity of 92 passengers, you are guaranteed to be able to maximize your time on the ground in South Georgia for our land-based activities. Why? Because larger ships with a much larger passenger capacity are regulated to a maximum of 100 people on shore at a time, forcing those larger ships to not only split their landing parties but also limit the amount of time each group has onshore as well. With the Vavilov, we don’t have these issues!
While the vast majority of our time on this workshop will be spent exploring a variety of different landings in South Georgia itself, our journey to and from the Island from the Falklands takes roughly two days of sailing. Fortunately, this photo workshop happens to coincide with a Photography Symposium aboard the Vavilov. What does this mean? Instead of just having access to my photography classes specific to this workshop, you are free to join any number of other lectures, class or demonstrations lead by 3-4 other professional photography instructors throughout our time in South Georgia.
What is Included?
- Flights from Punta Arenas, Chile to the Falkland Islands
- All Accommodations
- All Meals
- All Photo Instruction
What is Not Included?
- International Flights to Punta Arenas, Chile
- Alcohol & Snacks
- Visas to Enter Chile & The Falkland Islands (UK)
- All Optional Tips for Ship's Staff
With two photo instructors present for the duration of the workshop, you will have plenty of opportunity for one on one instruction to further the skills that you feel you need to work on. If the workshop is full and you wanted to be added to the waiting list, click HERE.
* please read the workshop F.A.Q. section on this page to learn more about visiting South Georgia and check out our cancellation policies if you have any questions.
South Georgia Island
Areas to Explore
- King Haakon Bay
- Northwest Coast of South Georgia
- Fortuna Bay
- Stromness
- Grytviken
- St. Andrews Bay
- Gold Harbour
- Godthul
- Prion Island
- Sea Lion Island
- and much more...
What Will You Experience?
Join the Workshop Waitlist to learn more about any upcoming adventures...
Join the Workshop Waitlist to learn more about any upcoming adventures...
F.A.Q
The workshop starts on October 26th, 2019 in Punta Arenas, Chile. It is HIGHLY advised that you arrive at least 1 day early to account for any issues with flights or luggage while in transit. On the 26th we will fly to the Falkland Islands and begin our adventure! The flight to the Falklands is included in your workshop fees.
The workshop ends on November 9th, when you take a return flight from the Falkland Islands back to Punta Arenas, Chile. (Flight is Included in Tuition Fees).
You will fly into the Punta Arenas, Chile Airport (PUQ). You can find direct flights here through Santiago, Chile.
Once we get to the Falkland Islands we will board our expedition vessel, the Akademik Sergey Vavilov. With a maximum of 92 passengers, this ship is perfect for exploring South Georgia because it puts our entire crew under the 100 passenger limit that can make landings at any given time. This maximizes your time in the field and on shore at each of our landings in South Georgia. HERE is a link to a Google Image Search of the Vavilov, so you can get a better feel for what it looks like inside and out.
On the Akademik Sergey Vavilov, we have a variety of different accommodation options available. At our base price, you can join a triple room share with other guests from our group. From there the price goes up for both double and single options that I have reserved for our group. If you are interested in these other options, please reach out to me directly!
South Georgia Island is truly home to one of the most spectacular wildlife spectacles on Earth. During our voyage, you will see beaches full of hundreds of thousands of penguins (King, Gentu, Macaroni) as well as a variety of fur and elephant seals. Additionally, there are over 78 different species of birds that call South Georgia home, including Albatross. To top things off, there is a good chance we could see both Humpback and Fin whales breaching during the course of our expedition.
The added bonus with this workshop is that the ship we are using is hosting an incredible Photography Symposium program that is open to all guests on the ship, including my group. Here you will experience a number of different photographic instructors teaching a variety of classes throughout our time in South Georgia as well as on shore. You can partake in these activities as much or as little as you want, as our group will be doing our own educational activities as well!
This workshop is almost primarily focused on wildlife, although the mountains and general scenery found throughout South Georgia is truly incredible in its own right. With this in mind, I recommend bringing either a 70-200 or 100-400 with you as wildlife will undoubtedly get very close to you as they have no fear of humans. Having a wide angle or mid-range zoom isn’t a bad idea either, as subjects get closer and the mountains of South Georgia begin to look even more impressive.
While you should expect the possibility of extreme weather, the temperatures we experience in South Georgia will be fairly mild (40’s – 50’s F). Fortunately, you will also be provided with over $900 in gear to use while on the trip. This includes a waterproof wind jacket, bib-pants and insulated rubber boots for our landings. Additionally, you will get your own pair of binoculars and a waterproof backpack as well. You will be responsible for bringing your base and mid layers to stay warm. Merino wool is recommended!
No, although you will need a VISA to both enter Chile to join us in Punta Arenas for the start of the workshops as well as one for the Falkland Islands (UK), which is where we meet our expedition vessel before heading toward South Georgia.
Meet Your Instructors & Guides
Colby Brown
Owner/Photographer/Author
Colby Brown is a photographer, photo educator and author based out of Eastern Pennsylvania. Specializing in landscape, travel and humanitarian photography, his photographic portfolio spans the four corners of the globe and all 7 continents. Not too long after picking up his first digital camera in 2006, Colby was leading workshops for National Geographic in South America, further spurring his love for both travel and photo education. In 2011, he founded The Giving Lens, an organization that blends photo education with support for various non-governmental organizations (NGO) and causes around the world, such as child education, clean drinking water projects, and women’s rights.
Testimonials
The Costa Rica wildlife photography workshop I attended with Colby was much more than that. It was a fun trip full of exotic locations, comfortable accommodation and a chance to meet fellow photographers. The number of species encountered on this trip was amazing. My favorite part was Macro photography using flash during day and night outings. Colby made it very easy to understand and follow instructions to(…)
Well, I’ve been back home for nearly a month now and I can’t get Patagonia out of my mind. The rugged beauty of Torres del Paine and its infamous weather makes for a storybook photography workshop in my opinion. And while I don’t want to spoil the surprise for anyone considering this trip, let’s just say the little island hostel was an incredibly special place! It was obvious that Colby has scouted(…)
Late in October 2023, I received a call from my friend, Warren Treacher, asking me if I would like to accompany him to Costa Rica in January 2024. After much thought (for an hour or so) I signed up for the Colby Brown Costa Rica Photography Workshop. To say I am pleased with this company is an understatement! All the people involved were experts in their field: from the chauffeur to the guides to Colby(…)
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Cancellation & Refund Policy
No one wants to miss out on a trip of a life time…but things do happen. In those situations, the following applies…
All cancellations are subject to a minimum of a $150 service charge. In addition, if you cancel and your spot is otherwise filled, you will be refunded the full amount you have paid (minus the $150 service charge). However if you cancel and your spot is not filled, the following fee schedule applies:
- 90 days or more: full refund minus $150 fee
- 60 days or more: 50% refund
- Less than 60 days: no refund