The West… Redefined – Spring 2012 Newsletter

The latest issue of Condé Naste TRAVELER MAGAZINE has as it’s feature article “A New Day for Zimbabwe”. At one time considered the most beautiful country in Africa, the country once called Rhodesia has gone through some bad times due to a brutal regime.  No more… “The safari lodges are filling up, and the spectacular wildlife is flourishing again.”  We are working with the prestigious EXPLORE AFRICA to be one of the first photo tour groups to take you into this magical country, to see firsthand the changes and experience the resurgence of wildlife that has taken place recently.  We are going by private charter into the renowned Hwange National Park, to the newly renovated Davison’s Camp deep in the southeastern Linkwasha Concession… one of the best wildlife viewing areas in the entire park. The camp is a classical African tented camp, overlooking a waterhole and open plains, where you will be able to view lions, elephants, leopard, white rhino, buffalo, giraffes, spotted hyenas, wildebeest, eland… and birds of every variety. But this is just one of the stops of our exciting safari scheduled for November 2012… AFRICA, REDEFINED:  THE GREAT PHOTO WANDERS OF AFRICA: BOTSWANA, ZAMBIA & ZIMBABWE  (November 5-18, 2012).  The other two spectacular wildlife destinations in southern Africa we will be visiting are Botswana (and the renowned Okavanga Delta), with it’s heavy concentration of wildlife and birdlife and it’s unique beauty and ecosystems, and wonderful Zambia …and the Lower Zambezi… where elephants swim across the river in long strands of waving trunks…hippos, crocs and birdlife line the river’s banks… and fishing for tigerfish is an adventure in itself!  Please click on this link for more details and pricing: AFRICA… REDEFINED 2012.  We hope you can join us for a once-in-a-lifetime photo safari!

Susan has just returned from Kenya where she photographed elephants in Samburu and Amboseli… and returned with stunning images of these magnificent animals, currently in peril with the widespread poaching crisis across Africa.   The West, Redefined hopes to organize a similar tour with an emphasis on elephants and in conjunction with “Save The Elephants” in 2013. Please visit Susan’s website for her blog and more images from her recent trip. www.manedance.com

Our first trip is sold out, but we still have a few spaces left for the second workshop on May 3-9, 2012, in this very special region of southern France.  If you need inspiration, go no further than Hans Silvester’s book, THE HORSES OF THE CAMARGUE.. available on Amazon.  The Camargue is a very magical place where the mystical, semi-wild white horses live in the swamps and marshes, and also on traditional estancias, where they are tended to by colorful guardiens, or custodians, of this remarkable, ancient breed of horses.  We have scheduled a total of 8 photo shoots, early mornings and early evenings, with horses running through the marshes, or through dust, stallions battling, mothers and their foals, flamingos, and a photo foray into the medieval, walled city of Aiges Mortis… Our home base for the week will be in the picturesque, seaside village of Sts. Maries de la Mer,  annual site of the gypsy religious parade to the sea… and locale to the best, fresh seafood restaurants in the region.  Please visit our website
: www.thewestredefined.com for more details!  (Camargue 2012 Workshop page) We hope you can join us on one of these wonderful international adventures

Workshops in Santa Fe: For 2012, we are offering post-production bootcamp intensives in our beautiful
“Out of Santa Fe Studios” Visit our Santa Fe Workshops page for a description of upcoming workshops:  www.thewestredefined.com/santa-fe-workshops-2012/

Coming up in April: “Bootcamp 101: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Post-Production, But Were Afraid to Ask!”

We look forward to seeing you at one of our Santa Fe Workshops or joining us for an International Photo Tour Adventure!

Wishing you a creative Spring…

BOBBIE AND SUSAN

Just returned from an unforgettable journey to Kenya in support of Save The Elephants… a trip so special that I am still trying to process all that I brought back with me from the trip, besides some wonderful images of these amazing creatures.  I guess you can say that after spending so much time observing elephants and learning about the current crisis affecting their survival, I am compelled to be a louder voice in their support, not to mention the larger issues surrounding their survival. The elephants touched my heart and the people most involved in their conservation and survival, were amongst the most compelling.  Their dedication, their knowledge, their compassion,their sacrifice and their relationships with these elephants and elephant groups,  were beyond words.  I will follow this brief update with a more detailed diary of sorts  soon.  In the meantime, I offer a few images from the trip, including images from the wonderful Samburu people, whom I shall never forget…

With much more later.   Susan

"Caballos" by Bobbie Goodrich © 2012

The Desert Caballeros Western Museum presents “Cowgirls with a Camera”. Bobbie Goodrich is one of the women photographers selected to be in the exhibit which opens March 9, 2012.

Featuring the work of some of the most talented women photographers in the nation working in the Western genre, this first annual invitational Cowgirls with a Camera exhibition will thrill fine art photography lovers. The subject matter ranges from mustangs to working horses, ranch life to rodeo, and the stunning landscapes of the American West. The photographers, including Bobbie Goodrich, Rosamond Norbury, Bev Pettit, Tina Thuell, Lori Faith Merritt, Barbara Van Cleve, Carien Schippers, Tamara Gooch, Kimmerlee Curyl, Susan Quin Byrd, and Jamie Williams, span the continent from Vancouver to Texas and Arizona to New York.

Opening reception 5-7 p.m. March 9; the exhibition opens to the public March 10 and will be on view through May 27, 2012.

Desert Caballeros Western Museum Website

21 North Frontier St.
Wickenburg, AZ 85390
928.684.2272

Tango Argentina by Bobbie Goodrich © 2011

Fran Matthews and Bobbie Goodrich ended up in a very close race as the top images in the Red Dog News 2012 Color It Red photography contest. Matthews took top honors with Red Magnolia, and an Epson R2880 photo printer, while Goodrich took second place with Tango Argentina, and receives the Think Tank Airport Airstream rolling camera bag. Each image was strong, in composition, as well as impact, with plenty of red.

2012 red Dog News: Color It Red Photography Contest

Color It Red Winner’s Gallery

So, read the full Newsletter here where we bring you up-to-date and motivated for all our workshops in 2012 and 2013!

Our first year has been an incredible journey for us! We thank you for your support, your inspiration, and all our new-found friendships!

Click here for the December 2011 Newsletter

Notes from our latest “Golden Colors of Zapata” workshop in Colorado, October, 2011:

The stunning image, left, was created by Meg McNamee, one of our participants at our annual fall workshop at Zapata Ranch, The Nature Conservancy Ranch in southeast Colorado.  Golden colors did prevail, impacting our images with a vibrancy, drama and excitement as seen above. Herds of bison, horses, the shimmering sands of The Great Sand Dunes National Park… not to mention an intensive bootcamp in post-production techniques held in a turn-of-the-century barn studio…all made for a memorable week.  Some have already signed up for next year… and we can’t wait to go back!

Click here for the complete November 2011 Newsletter

Check out our Zapata Ranch 2011 Video.

Next year’s dates and details are posted now for Golden Colors of Zapata 2012:  Please sign up early as spaces will fill quickly!

Also in our newsletter: AFRICA, REDEFINED:  THE GREAT PHOTOGRAPHIC WANDERS OF AFRICA/BOTSWANA, ZIMBABWE & ZAMBIA – NOVEMBER 5-18, 2012

Read More…

Wildlife “karma” was certainly with us throughout an amazing two weeks …multiple lion and leopard sightings and kills daily, herds of thundering buffalo, countless, elusive small predators caught by the keen eyesight of our expert naturalist guides… and elephants, giraffes, antelopes, wilderbeest, baboons and our all-time favorite, zebras… right in front of our thatched cabins daily.

Read the complete October 2011 Newsletter

View our Zambia 2011 Gallery for the new images we are posting as we continue to edit and relive the wonderful moments shared by all our fellow participants during this special safari.

Zambia 2011 Video

Finally, we have our dates and itinerary for another amazing trip to photograph the White Horses of the Camargue in 2012! So many have been waiting for the dates, but we wanted to make sure we had every detail worked out, including adding some new shoots that only The West, Redefined…will have on itʼs photoshoot calendar in the Camargue! Download and read the full newsletter.

August Newsletter: Camargue 2012

June 2011 Newsletter

Watch the White Horses of the Camargue Workshop 2011 video by Susan Lei Burns.