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Photographic Training and Experience in Ghana

The only provider of photographic training and experience in Ghana is Camera Images who provide a fully inclusive 1 to 1 VIP PLUS service, the only main additional cost you have to cover is the air fare to get to and from Ghana, which is from £200 plus taxes.

While this is principally aimed at Nikon DSLR users, Photography Skills can offer the same price and package as a Masterclass option, using any make of camera. You can talk to Camera Images and book any variant through them.

The following is based upon the information on the Camera Images Website.

GHANA Photography Course and Experience

The best training,  and loads of
supported experience in the field as well.

You see many people carrying items on their heads, often without using hands.

We wanted to offer you the very best  VIP+ photographic experience, the very best training, and photo opportunities, with a lot of support. With this unique course we have managed all of this and more besides. The chance to quickly become a master photographer and get some great photos, while having an experience you will never forget. Ghana is a great country for photographers, its politically stable, safe and its people extremely friendly. Its official language is English and it is widely spoken. It provides most of the flavours of Africa, with coastal, wildlife, heritage, waterfalls, and people to photograph. Colour is everywhere from street side to markets. It offers beaches, lakes, and inland opportunities. On this course you learn photography and get to practice it. You see wildlife, photographing three types of monkeys, baboons, crocodiles, maybe elephants, if it’s the right time of year (not 6 day course), with a lot more besides. You see a slave castle, walk across the top of a rainforest, photograph on empty beaches, by lakes and get to see far more.

The stars of your photographs however will be the people, from street sellers with items balanced high on their heads to children playing. There is a complete cross section of environment from some Accra streets that are similar to modern houses anywhere, to northern round hut villages, with a wide range in between. Generally prices are very reasonable and our pound will go a long way here, allowing us to put this exceptional course on at an affordable price.

This exceptional one to one course includes everything except your flight, and you have Camera Images’ most experienced Tutor with you throughout the course, complete with his lenses, filters and other items.  Plus you have an air conditioned 4 wheel drive vehicle complete with driver/guide. At many locations we also use local speciality guides, again in some cases on a one to one basis so you can progress at your own speed rather than with a group.

3 Training Options We have 3 training options available:- a) HNK modified b) Masterclass and c) Photojournalism/Travel photography. a) Our popular Hands on a Nikon course (HNK) slightly modified. The HNK course starts at the beginning quickly going through the theory of photography, over the controls of the camera, and through its menus, applying each area, and understanding what each facility is for. You get to look through a range of lenses, understanding camera angle, depth of field and perspective, moving on to white balance, exposure and more. All of this is very hands on and at the speed you can fully understand and can apply it, most is used and reinforced within this course. b) Within the Masterclass option, this time is used to go over some points, including colour management, white balance, depth of field and looking at skills that you will use within this course. This location also allows filters and many other topics to be explored. The level this is at will depend on your existing knowledge and experience, but everyone will make giant steps forward, and have award grade photographs they have taken to show after. c) The third option is to concentrate on either photojournalism or travel photography, fine tuning the skills and building a body of work with help and support. Perhaps you could create a photo book or portfolio.

Kumasi has the largest market in West Africa,  some say the largest in the world.

Supported photography continues, with your tutor able to assist you, but you still have complete freedom to select your own photographs, for example at the waterfall you get to photograph it a number of ways. You also get to use the wide range of lenses and filters we have with us. Being one to one, the concentration is on you getting the knowledge and experience that you want.

We suggest that allowing for the road conditions and potential problems you allow at least one day after the course before your flight.  To make this easier we have structured the week course to 6 days instead of 7, the 2 week to 13 rather than 14 days.  But in each case we have included an extra day’s accommodation the night before the courses. Extra nights after, and the use of the 4WD and driver or driver/guide, can also be arranged.

The Atlantic coast, with the aid of a sunset filter.

Having a guide with us allows you to discover far more about the country, its culture and the places we visit, plus he is able to advise you on what you can eat and drink, while allowing you to gain new experiences. Not everyone can speak English and you may not understand all that do, plus there are some who would ask for money if he was not with you.  Driving in Ghana is an experience, they call it defensive driving, there is no complete map of roads and the more remote roads, which are really tracks don’t generally have signposts.

Each day you have breakfast with your tutor, looking at what you are going to see and photograph in the day ahead, and each evening an evening meal with both the guide and your tutor, often in places to reflect the culture of the country. As we progress through the day in addition to the planned stopping points you can ask that we stop at other places of interest, although you will also become an expert at photographing from the vehicle using stabilised lenses.

We have the choice of 3 course lengths 6, 10 and 13 days, three topic choices HNK, Masterclass, or photojournalism/travel photography, and variations to the programmes to suit your specific interests and the season of the year.

Over 40 metres, or over 120 foot  up, looking down on the rain forest tree canopy.

Variation from the programme

There are other attractions, and some that are more interesting at some times of year to others. Once you have booked and we know your interests and the dates you would like, we may suggest changes to the programme to better suit you, usually at the same price.

Hotels used have air conditioning many also have ceiling fans, and are chosen to represent character and opportunity. None are standard business hotels. If any hotel does not have air conditioning we will tell you and offer you the chance of an alternative if you want one. Maintenance of some hotels and other buildings are not to the standard we expect within the UK, but are the standard found in the region we are in, and a part of the flavour of the area. We book double, ensuite, rooms for single occupancy, to give you more room.

The price includes hotels, breakfast and evening meal, the 4WD vehicle, fuel, driver/ Guide, entry fees and specialist guides at some locations, local VAT and taxes, and gratuities and your photo tutor on a 1 to 1 basis.
It also includes bottled water, some soft drinks, and snacks.

The cost of this course is:-

2nd person sharing the same room plus 35%, with own room plus 50%

Please note - VIP plus courses cannot be currently booked using training vouchers

It does not include air transport that is available from under £200 plus taxes, alcoholic drinks, souvenirs, transfer to and from the airport (about £10 each way).

For extra days at the Afia Beach hotel allow about £70 a day including meals, where you can spend as many days as you like outside this programme.

Prices may be modified from time to time to reflect currency changes and changing costs, but we will keep the website price up to date.

The oldest Mosque in Ghana

After the course

We can arrange the booking of extra night’s accommodation, and pick up and delivery to the airport, and other additions to the programme.

Local expertise

We are assisted with this by a travel company within Ghana that makes all the arrangements for us, and is in touch with the driver/guide and us throughout the course to provide any other assistance we need and generally provide other support. The individual programme for you is modified and worked out after looking at your interests and with both the travel company and the guide, who makes individual local enquires for us and makes bookings and local arrangements.

Course Schedules

These can be modified

6 Day Programme Training and experience 4WD, driver/guide and photography tutor Day 0 Night in beachside hotel nr airport Day 1 am drive to Bosumtwi Lake (crater lake) HNK Lakeside location (part 1) Day 2 am HNK (part 2) at lake am Kumasi highlights Day 3 Fiema monkey sanctuary Kintampo waterfall Kenti cloth weaving and cocoa Return to Kumasi Day 4 To coast Kakum Crocodiles Stay at location to see crocodiles at night and birds in the morning Day 5 Coastal area Elmina coastal slave castle Stay beachside location in this area Day 6 am Returning to Accra pm Accra (car and driver is available for the rest of this day) Night back to 1st hotel Where you could spend as many days as you like outside this programme. 10 Day Programme Training and experience 4WD, driver/guide and photography tutor Day 0 Night in beachside hotel nr airport Day 1 am Drive to Bosumtwi Lake (crater lake) HNK lakeside location (part 1) Day 2 am HNK (part 2) at lake pm Kumasi highlights Day 3 am Kumasi And drive north to near monkey sanctuary Day 4 Fiema monkey sanctuary Drive to Mole Park Stay at Mole Motel Day 5 Mole walk Afternoon drive in park Stay at Mole Motel Day 6 North Village, old mosque etc Kintampo Waterfall Day 7 Kenti cloth weaving and cocoa Return to Kumasi Kumasi Day 8 Drive towards coast Kakum Crocodiles Stay at location to see crocodiles at night and birds in the morning Day 9 Elmina coastal slave castle and area Drive back to Accra Night back to 1st hotel Day 10 Accra Night back to 1st hotel Where you could spend as many days as you like outside this programme.	One of 3 types on monkey I photographed,  I am sure I will find some more on another trip. Baboon, within feet of me, as were other animals, there are no fences here. Lions footprints were nearby.     Kintampo Waterfalls A slave castle on the coast and we get to explore inside as well.
13 Day Programme
Training and experience 4WD, driver/guide and photography tutor Day 0 Night in beachside hotel nr airport Day 1 am drive to Bosumtwi lake (crater lake) HNK lakeside location (part 1) Day 2 am HNK (part 2) at lake pm Kumasi highlights Day 3 am Kumasi And drive north to near monkey sanctuary Day 4 Fiema monkey sanctuary Drive to Mole Park Stay at Mole Motel Day 5 Mole walk Afternoon drive in park Stay at Mole Motel Day 6 Drive further north to photograph hippos	Day 7 North Village, old mosque etc Day 8 Kintampo Waterfall Kenti cloth weaving and cocoa Return to Kumasi Kumasi Day 9 Drive towards coast Kakum Crocodiles Stay at location to see crocodiles at night and birds in the morning Day 10 Elmina coastal slave castle and area Day 11 Visit to Nzulezo stilt village Stay near castle Day 12 Drive back to Accra Accra Night at 1st Hotel Day 13 Accra Night back to 1st hotel

Remember this is the outline, you get to see more besides, and we will tailor this to better suit your needs, interests, and time of year.

Best times of year

To see elephants January to June.

Climate: Northern Ghana, dry October to March, mixed from April to October. Southern Ghana, Rainy seasons are April-June and September-October. The rains are usually restricted to specific times each day, they are not continuous.

Talk to us about your preferred dates and programme.

To find out more Call and talk to to us about this. PDF files that you can print out:- Handout containing text similar to the above, on 2 sides of A4 paper Front page of A4 colour photo page (large quality print file) Back page of A4 colour photo page (large quality print file) More images and articles on trips to Ghana see the Ghana section within Photographers Resource. See also Photographers Resource Newsletter edition 2nd January 2009. You can contact Camera Images  by going to their website or by calling 0845 094 2487 (local rate)

Go on guess what I am? I am not a chimp. or a monkey.