Oder Delta (Poland) Photo Safari
Join an adrenaline and action-packed Photo-Safari expedition in the Oder Delta – Poland.
Immerse yourself into incredibly diverse and luxurious wildlife in the Oder Delta and set yourself to take amazing shots of the white tailed eagle fishing as well as other famous European endemic wildlife (Foxes, Roe Deers, Red Deers, Badgers, Wild Horses, migratory birds).
The expedition will let you experience “a week in the life” of a wildlife photographer – in the form of a living workshop – to discover how wildlife shots are made: from planning to publishing (incl. post production).
The tour is guided by Gianmarco Cicuzza who is an active nature and wildlife operating mainly across Europe and Africa.
LOCATION
The Oder Delta, spreading between the border of Poland and Germany, is a unique region with a rich mosaic of terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems.
Its strategic location on one of the ecological crossroads in Europe makes it one of the most exciting wild areas in north-central Europe. The vast natural areas are mainly taken care of by nature itself and wildlife has begun to thrive in more natural densities. The region stretches over more than 250,000 hectares, of which nearly 70,000 hectares are the open waters of the lagoon.
The Oder Delta is an important stop-over site for migrating water birds using the East Atlantic Flyway. Rewetting of wet pastures in Germany and the abandonment of peat-cutting in Poland has allowed a dramatic comeback of wildlife, most spectacularly for white-tailed eagles that now have the highest breeding density in Europe as well as common crane, otter, beaver, salmon, sea-trout and many other species.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
What is the program?
- Stay at base camp
- White tailed eagle boat safari
- Badger safari
- Photo hides, camouflage equipment
ACCOMODATION
The accommodations and our base camp will be at Oder Delta Safari – located in Stepnica / Poland.
Accommodations will be provided in two rural houses in the Oder Delta. One is the base camp of Oder Delta safari and the other one is a house nearby.
The accommodations are equipped with all comforts (heating system, hot water, kitchen, private bathrooms) and they are located few kilometers away from the port and also the main natural attractions.
The expedition will also consist of a photography workshop in which you will have the chance to learn “on-field” what are the keys to a successful wildlife and natural landscape photography.
These are some of the areas that will be covered during the week as part of the workshop:
- Plan the shot – including planning the location and the light
- Picture Composition
- Camera set-up to capture every moment and to achieve desired results
- Post production workflows with specific focus to the innovative technique of Luminosity Masks
The workshop will also offer the opportunity to learn more advanced techniques for wildlife photography to boost your creativity such as the use of flash light and lens filters to achieve even more “out of the box” results.
Workshop can be run in Italian and English.
To guarantee appropriate quality of workshop, secure good level of engagement and ensure the workshop content can be tailored to the individual needs of participants the trip is limited to max 4 participants.
The expedition, being a photo-safari, will also enable you to know a lot more about the Oder Delta natural environment thanks to the afternoon trips to hides and location selected to offer the most amazing experience.
Sample structure of a workshop day
- PLAN: Every evening, there will be a briefing to plan the shot for the next day. There will also be a brief on the photo techniques to be used according to the objectives that each participant wants to reach.
- EXECUTE: During the day, the guides will support the participants in the implementation of the techniques discussed the evening before.
- REVIEW: Once back to the lodge, after dinner, there will also be a review of the pictures taken during the day to analyse and improve the next day on field.
What is included?
The Participant Fee includes:
- 3 nights accommodation in the lodges
- All activities, boat safaris, photo hides, camouflage equipment
- Private boat safari arrangement (only for participant to this trip). The boats are designed and equipped for the best photography experience.
- All meals (Breakfast, lunch & dinner)
- Photography workshops
Not included:
- Flights to and from Poland
- Insurance (travel, medical, cancellation, which are all recommended)
- Beverages, tips, and other incidental expenses
- Personal expenses like souvenirs, bar beverages, laundry, etc.
Tickets (Apr 21-24, 2022)
FAQ’s
Unless otherwise stated in the course description, the group conversations will be in English.
Our instructors are all at least bi-lingual, so we will probably be able to help you in your own language in private, in case of any questions. Please check before registration if you do not feel comfortable in English.
If for some reason you can’t make it on the trip, please email us ASAP by simply sending an email to hello@swissphotoclub.com.
The following conditions apply to cancellations and booking changes for the trip:
Up to 90 Days: 20% of the price is held as cancellation
89 – 31 Days: 50% of the price is held as cancellation
30 – 0 Days: 100% of the price is held as cancellation
Tickets are not for resale.
No. The application is open to everybody who have the passion for photography and learning. This trip is for beginners as well as for pros because we believe that we all have different talents and we can all learn from each other. Even though, a basic knowledge of photography is highly recommended.
Once we receive your payment, we will get back to you with a short survey or a call to get to know your preferences for language and accommodation. As the trip gets closer, we will keep in touch with you again to confirm the trip, introduce the instructors, update you on the progress and communicate the full program.
For shared rooms, we strongly recommend that you book with somebody you already know and are comfortable to share the room with.
If you book a shared room alone, that means you accept to share your room with any other participant regardless of gender or age.
With individual booking of a shared room, your booking can only be confirmed if there is another individual shared room reservation with us. Otherwise, depending on the time and availability, you have the option to upgrade to a private room reservation.
If you decide to upgrade to private room, the conditions depend on the timing of your decision, pending of course on the availability.
Before the trip: Possible by paying the price difference at the time of your decision (e.g. if you bought an early bird ticket but decided to upgrade during normal prices, you pay the difference at normal prices).
After the trip has started: If you decide to upgrade during check-in, if there is room available, you will have to pay the price difference plus 20% of your original payment as penalty.
No. This trip will be organized by and for Swiss Photo Club only.
Children:
Your children must be at least 16 years old to join.
Pets:
We want to offer the best conditions to all the participants. That’s the reason why the pets are unfortunately not accepted.
Allergies and/or food intolerances:
We take seriously your allergies/ intolerances. You should let us know about everything when we’ll contact you.
Additional photo equipment:
We have a partnership with great photography manufacturers. If you need to buy photo gear for your trip, do not hesitate to contact us and we will send you a quote (hello@swissphotoclub.com).
There is no insurance included in the weekend photography trip. Please make sure you have health, travel and accident insurance coverage.
We will ask you to give us a way to get in touch with a contact person of your choice before the trip.
You and your beloved ones can contact all of us during our trip and our team back in Geneva and Zurich.
In case of any special allergies or medical treatments, we highly recommend to contact your doctor before applying for the trip.
Swiss Photo Club does not provide any insurance.
You can either pay via:
- Credit Card (fastest/prefered option),
- Bank Transfer (bank details – purpose: name sept trip)
- Invoice (send us an email with full name and billing address)
- Cash at any post office
If you’d like to pay by bank transfer, you can make it either by e-banking or from any post office (takes one day to reach us):
E-Banking (1 day):
Account owner: Swiss Photo Club
Address: Rue Henri-Christiné 5, 1205 Geneva
IBAN: CH77 0483 5144 2006 1100 1
BIC / Swift: CRESCHZZ80A
Pay in Cash at Post Office (2 days)
To pay at any post office, you can use the red payment slip below:
- Photography equipment for landscape and night photography (body, lenses, tripod, filters, strap, batteries, sd cards, flash, etc.)
- Laptop with Lightroom or Photoshop for the editing session (optional)
- Warm clothes according to weather conditions
You will get a recommended packing list with your welcome information