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Photographic Training and Experience in Ghana

When Photographers Resource started it was the newsletter of Camera Images. Later it split away to become a separate operation.

Camera Images was the main training provider for advanced users and professionals using Nikon cameras.

With the recession the cost of selling courses exceeded the revenue they produced so Camera Images decided not to take on new clients, but to still provide training to it's existing customer base.

The courses mentioned in the articles below are no longer available unless you are an existing client of Camera Images.

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:-

6 days        £6,187

10 days      £9,730

13 days    £12,436

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.

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.

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.

The largest of three waterfalls at this location

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 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.

 


By: Keith Park Section: Training Key:
Page Ref: ghana_training Topic: Camera Images Training  Last Updated: 01/2009
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