You want to capture images like seen in National Geographic Magazine? It’s possible, since the leading international operator in the boutique resort, residences and spa industry, Banyan Tree Mayakoba offers wildlife photography classes under the watchful eyes of 20 year Nat Geo veteran, Steve Winter. This five star hotel located in a tropical paradise organizes a series of wildlife photography weekends in partnership with three of the world’s most respected names in wildlife photojournalism: National Geographic Magazine contributing photographers Steve Winter, Tim Laman and Brian Skerry.
A three-day Wildlife Photo Master Class starts this January and allows participants (photographers of all levels) to capture the birds and native wildlife within the protected sanctuary of Mayakoba’s mangrove forests and waterways. Winter and his fellow ‘Nat Geo’ photographers Laman and Skerry will offer hands-on guidance regarding how to capture nature photos worthy of a magazine.
The Wildlife Photo Master Class package includes three nights in an exclusive Garden Pool Villa at Banyan Tree Mayakoba; one-on-one instruction from professional photographers on composition, lighting, metering and equipment; a welcome conference, photography workshops and a closing lecture, where students can showcase their work from the weekend; daily excursions through the waterways and mangrove jungles of Mayakoba; excursions to nearby reserves and heritage sites providing opportunities to photograph the iconic Mot-Mot bird and Mayan ruins and daily breakfast, a lunch and two dinners at Banyan Tree Mayakoba’s award-winning restaurants.
The first two weekends have already been scheduled for December 6-9, 2013 and January 24-27, 2014. Additional dates throughout 2014 will soon be announced. Packages start at $4,158 for three nights, plus taxes and fees. Rate is per villa and based on double occupancy.
Steve Winter is the world’s preeminent photographer of big cats and a man with a laundry list of awards including a famed BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year award (2008) and the BBC Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year award (2012). He’s also the only man on Earth to photograph a wild mountain lion underneath the Hollywood sign. Winter is also Director of Media for Panthera, a non-profit organization doing essential, boots-on-the-ground work to protect our planet’s tigers from serious threats to their survival.
