SOMERSET PHOTO SAFARIS

Wild Photographer

Somerset Photo Safaris

The Beaver was captured as darkness descended - 8000 iso, 1/30th sec F4 on a 300mm lens, but still a great image. We can help you to be confident when confronted with such a picture opportunity

Somerset is famous for its wildlife and landscapes, making it the perfect place to get some outstanding pictures.

Depending on the season, we take you to some of the hidden corners of Somerset, sometimes a little beyond, looking for waders and coastal birds, unusual Mammals, Raptors and interesting species. Along with the endemic bird specialities such as Great White Egret and Bittern there are frequently interesting migrants to be seen, on the coasts and hills.

For those that enjoy landscape photography, we are more than happy to include landscapes, or to cater specifically for your interests; Cheddar Gorge, the Quantock hills and Wilds of Exmoor are all within Somerset and provide outstanding subjects for wild photography safaris.

As the sun set, Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin headed for their coastal roost making the perfect subject for bird photography

Photography and more - photo safari days, bird watching tours and wild photography holidays in Somerset.

Finding and photographing Birds is the primary objective of our Somerset Photo safaris, but Nick has been a photographer for 30 years and a trainer for Canon, Adobe, Phase One and others for 20, so he understands how to configure the latest mirrorless cameras and their complex autofocus systems. As with many of our Wild Photography tours, the purpose of our Somerset Photo Safaris is to help you to setup and fluent with your camera equipment to get the best possible pictures on all your future adventures.

Along the way Nick can give advice on choosing the right camera lenses, exposure settings and camera functions to get the pictures you want. Small changes can have big effects on the quality of your bird and wildlife photographs,

Capturing the photograph is only a small part of digital photography and most pictures don't look their best straight out of the camera. Post-production processing is all about making the picture look its best on screen or on a print for friends and family to admire, not manipulating it.

Nick offers dedicated training courses on Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop and Capture One, either as a part of your trip or remotely via Teams or Zoom. Please ask if you wish to know more.

A Scandinavian Redwing feeding on remnant apples over winter

Costs and Dates

Accomodation

To date we have only offered guiding and training without accomodation (as below), as we thought this was more flexible. In the light of feedback, we now offer inclusive 2 day packages with a quality B&B and light lunch included. Please ask.

One Day Photography Safari in Somerset

1 person, Full day £350. Half Day £225 (April, May, June).

2 people, Full day £450. Half day £325 (April, May, June).

Two Day Photography Safari in Somerset

1 person, Two Full days £650. Quality B&B or other accommodation can be included. Please ask.

2 people, Two Full days £750. High Quality B&B or other accommodation can be included. Please ask.

See Somerset GALLERY

Self Drive

Optional self-drive is available for those that prefer for health or other reasons, the cost remains unchanged.

Somerset is famous for its wetlands, or ‘Levels’ - a Penduline Tit feeding on Bullrush seeds over winter

A typical wild photography Photo Safari in winter will run from 8am to around 5.00pm. In spring we start earlier, at around 6am, to catch the early birds and to make the most of the light for photography, finishing around 3.00pm

From April - June, we offer a half day option to catch either the morning light, or the evening. Call or message us to discuss your preferences.

We always provide tea / coffee / water and light snacks (chocolate!) during the day and usually get lunch at a cafe or tea room.

We are easily accessible by motorway, rail or air. Cheap flights are available to / from Bristol from most airports in the UK and Europe.

Please message us for more information.

In Autumn we can include macro photography and focus stacking in our workshops. Mushrooms like these False Chanterelles make excellent subjects and beautiful pictures.

Included in Somerset Photo Safaris

photography of birds, wildlife, landscapes or all three
help / setup / training with cameras and settings if and as required during the day
optional introduction to / advanced post-production from one of Adobe UK's trainers
all transport between locations

Bird Watching and Photography holidays in Somerset

We can offer 3-5 day fully guided birdwatching and photography holidays with comfortable local accomodation included to suit your budget.

Please contact us for more details.

We happily cover Macro photography, if it interests you

Suitability

Somerset Photo Safaris and Holidays are suitable for Birders and Photographers, experienced or beginners; there is something on the trips for everyone.

Our tours are vehicle based, with 2-3 miles (3-5 Km) walking during the day and no difficult terrain.

Testimonials

Our trips are built on a passion for wildlife, birds, photography and a great deal of hard work, to ensure the best possible experience. Our guests recognise this and we've had some lovely feedback. Here is just one that we received this week after a Somerset Wildlife Safari:

" I love doing photographic trips with Nick and have done three to date; Scotland, Birds of Prey and Somerset. He is a very knowledgeable photographer and keen to share his knowledge in a way that is understandable to his audience. He is also flexible in his approach and not afraid to alter plans if the wildlife isn’t where it was expected to be."

B.Moore

Accomodation for Somerset Photo Safaris

Accomodation was not previously included in Photo Safaris, but we work can now offer packages, inclusing excellent accomodation at The Garden House, Blagdon.