Part of our core business is building Custom Photo Safaris for private photographer travellers.
These bespoke trips are designed in consultation with clients so that the safari:
- Meets their exact and precise needs.
- Travel according to their own time schedule.
- Uses C4's extensive knowledge of the photographic seasons to maximise their photo opportunities.
On these safaris we offer the option of one of our C4 professional photo guides.
A personal professional photographer to guide and tutor you is the best way to improve your skill level and ultimately your images. This is a common request and we have various guides with specific specialities that will help on your chosen genre. Being able to have one-on-one tuition with an acknowledged specialist in the field is your best way of to improve your images.
Custom safaris are dedicated to giving you the best service possible so that you can take your photography to another level. 70% of our clients are repeat clients that return with us because we use the best nature photography guides. Most of our clients have specific guide requests due to the excellent relationships they build with them. Having a one-on-one workshop or safari with one of these specialists will improve your results, increase your knowledge and give you all the confidence to keep taking excellent photographs.
Below is a list of guides who lead custom safaris for C4.
Shem Compion
(www.shemimages.com)
Shem's speciality is his knowledge on a variety of photographic subjects. An indication of this is him winning awards in various categories in National and international competitions. He has received specially a commended award in the BBC Wildlife Competion: animal behaviour category. In the FujiFilm-Getaway competition he has won the birds category and was 1st runner up in the insect and reptile category. He has received photographic acclaim for his book published on insects and is currently publishing one on bird's and mammals in South Africa. With such an array of subject diversity, Shem confidently photographs in all the genres above. His intrinsic natural history knowledge combined with his photographic skills makes him a specialist for large mammals, predators, action and interaction, small mammals (suricats and ground squirrels), bird's/birds in flight and macro photography of the insect world. Reading the behavior of these subjects is Shem's other speciality allowing you to be in the right place to the right time- something he has become known for throughout his career. Shem too has an excellent knowledge of Lightroom and Photoshop and will easily help you with both tools to manage and enhance your images.
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Greg du Toit
In a world populated with excellent wildlife and nature photographers, some stand a little to the side with their own view and a completely different style of imagery. When those images take the world by storm, with exhibitions in the National geographic Store, London and in Conneticut, USA, people start to take notice. Meet Greg du Toit- naturalist, 8th generation African and fine art wildlife photographer. With 2 highly commended awards in the BBC wildlife competition- with both images in the fine art mould, Greg's speciality is finding you the unique, the different and the best subjects for you to photograph. Predators are one of his specialities. Photographing them in a new light is another. If you are looking for a unique point of view with regards large mammals, predators and action based photography: Greg is your guide.
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Isak Pretorius
Born a photographer, Isak was bred an engineer. Once he picked up a camera, this soon came to an end and now Isak has established himself as one of the top bird photographers in Africa.jpg benefit of his engineering training is his flawless technical knowledge of camera systems and the post processing software that accompanies them. He combined these skills to focus on bird-in-flight photography; where he excelled to such a degree that he was awarded an unprecedented 8 awards in the FujiFilm-Getaway photo competition in just one year. If you want to improve your bird photography, Isak will guide you from approaching your subject- all the way through to managing your files and editing them to produce the highest quality image possible. Isak's simple and structured approach when tutoring clients- enables immediate understanding of techniques and concepts. Other than birds, Isak has excellent knowledge of mammals and has photographed extensively across the continent on photo workshops and tours.
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Hougaard Malan
Leave your long lens at home: When you photograph with Hougaard it is with a wide-angle lens and a tripod. For here is a young man who will open your eyes to the world of landscape and seascape photography. Normally landscape photographers develop with age- reaching their peak after years of studying light and composition. Yet Hougaard has shunned those years and become a master of landscapes at a very young age. His speciality is landscapes, sea-scapes and farmlands. Very quickly he has established himself as the prominent young landscape photographer in South Africa, with his images gracing many magazines and calendars. His easy manner, excellent technique and very developed compositional eye will open your eyes to compositions and light anew. Not content with being a master with camera in hand, Hougaard will also guide you through Photoshop; his deep knowledge of specific techniques will allow you to turn your already great images into absolute masterpieces.
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Andre Cloete
André grew up in the African bush with literally one hand on his binoculars and the other hand on the camera. An avid birdwatcher at that young age, he was given his first SLR in 1990. The passion of birding turned into one of photography and in 2004 Andre Founded C4 Photo Safaris with Shem Compion. The results of his pursuits with a camera from such a young age have developed into a unique photographic style. It is one that emulates motion and speed into scenes showing glimpses of action, movement and behaviour not often noticed for its beauty by the human eye.
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Kyle de Nobrega
Incredibly passionate and driven, Kyle de Nobrega is a professional wildlife photographer and field guide. Kyle is constantly on a mission to find and share the fascinating jewels of the bush. From taking photo’s of the spoor left behind by a beetle grub to painstakingly lying on a rock waiting for a certain bird to fly by, he thrives on nature and what is has to offer. He has previously worked as a guide in the Waterberg, Sabi Sands and in a remote corner of the Kalahari, but is now C4's in house photographer based at our Photo Hides in Mashatu. His time away form work is focused on exploring and travelling to new game reserves and wilderness areas seeking the enjoyment of life and new photographic ventures.
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