Tour impression Kenya now online

The dates for our successful tour to Kenya have been set! We stay one night in Nairobi on 20 September 2010, after which we are off for a full week of migration spectacles. You'll see gnoes and zebras in numbers you would not think possible. Easy prey for the lions and cheetah, which follow the huge herds wherever they go.

And this year we are taking it a step further: we are going camping in the middle of the Masai Mara! You won't get closer to the bush than this. But.... we do camping in style: a private mobile camp with a generator for our laptops and camera batteries, beds in our tents and private facilities. We do the safari Squiver style, which means one row of seats per participant. This guarantees you enough room to move around freely in the vehicle and that you get the best views possible.

We've just added a video impression of our Masai Mara Migration photo trip to Kenya on our website, as well as a description of the trip. You can download the day-to-day schedule or read a report of our 2009 tour on our weblog. Like most tours, the Masai Mara photo tour is hosted by Marsel van Oosten and Daniëlla Sibbing.

Special offer Japan because of 2 cancellations

Due to medical reasons, we have 2 cancellations on the Japan tour that starts 20 February 2010. Book now and get a 600 Euro last minute discount!

If you are interested in going to Japan, this is the time to make the booking! This customized tour normally costs 5100 Euro and has been arranged for a group of 9 guests in total. Due to 2 cancellations, these seats can be taken for only 4500 Euro per person. A discount of 600 Euro per person!
Download the day-to-day schedule at: www.squiver.com/Day-to-dayJAP2010.pdf and read all about this exciting tour, which starts on 20 February 2010, ending on 6 March 2010. This tour is customized and different from the schedule advertised on our website and in the PDF, with more emphasis on birds. We will spend one day less at the snowmonkeys and have an extra day in Rausu, to photograph eagles on the pack-ice more often. The tour includes 4 chartered boatcruises.

Winter is the perfect time to visit Japan. Its breathtaking, snow-covered landscapes are the perfect backdrop for us to photograph Japan’s unique wildlife. During this spectacular trip we will visit the famous snow monkeys, while they enjoy a hot steam bath in volcanic hot springs and play in the snow. We will travel to the northern island of Hokkaido (the Alaska of Japan), where we will photograph rare and beautiful red-crowned cranes while they perform their gracious winter dances, large flocks of whooper swans floating in misty lakes covered with ice and beautiful mountains in the background, and white-tailed and Steller’s sea eagles, as they sit on the pack ice that has drifted over from Siberia.



Be quick and take advantage of the special discount of 600 Euro per person! It is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Fill out the booking form before 25 December 2009 to apply for this special offer. Only applicable for new bookings!

Marsel featured in Nikon ad National Geographic

Nikon's latest ad in National Geographic features one of Marsel's Japanese crane images. In the ad Marsel explains why he chose to shoot with Nikon, and why he still does. The original text is in Dutch, so here's a rough translation:

"I choose Nikon cameras because they are the most comfortable to handle. The ergonomics are truly unsurpassed. At Nikon they understand that nature photographers often have to work in extreme conditions. These Japanese cranes for instance I photographed in Japan at -23ºC. Every time I looked through the viewfinder and breathed, my breath immediately froze onto the camera, resulting in a thick layer of ice. Yet I did not have to change the battery a single time. And in Alaska I photographed brown bears in the pouring rain without any problems. As a professional you have to be able to blindly trust your equipment. I currently shoot with a Nikon D3 and Nikon D3X. I choose the D3 with its unprecedented low-noise sensor for fast action shots and low light situations, and I use the D3X for static subjects and landscapes. I love the flexibility of zoom lenses, and the quality of the Nikon zoom lenses is truly sublime: super sharp and fast. Especially in situations where I have to shoot handheld, Nikon's vibration reduction is highly effective and indispensable."

 

Marsel's bears in National Geographic

The December issue of National Geographic (Dutch edition) will feature three pages on Marsel's brown bear photographs from Finland. In the accompanying short interview Marsel talks about his personal visual style and photography in general. Most of the shots were taken on this year's Squiver Wild Brown Bears trip.

Ultimate Bears of Alaska trip starts 4 August 2010

We have set the date for our Ultimate Bears photo tour to Alaska. It will start on 4 August 2010 and consists of a full week of bear viewing! The price of this trip is 4995 USD and includes the round trip by float plane from Kodiak Island to Katmai, guided bear watching, guided fishing, kayaking, all meals, field instructions, image reviews and photo workshops.

We have two boats at our disposal, taking 5 guests per boat. This allows us to move freely around the bears and land our boat wherever we want, so we can all have a high quality experience in the field, without people blocking your way or being in view of your camera.  On our website you can find more information about this spectacular photo trip. You can also download the day-to-day schedule for our Ultimate Bears photo trip 2010, which gives you a good idea of what lies in store for you in Alaska. You can expect a week full of thrills and amazing photo opportunities!

Weblog launched!

Welcome to our new weblog, with all the news from our website and "new news" from the last 3 months. But do have a look at the older posts, because with the current lay-out all pictures that go with the articles are now in a large format. Have fun going through it and we hope to see you back often!

Marsel van Oosten & Daniëlla Sibbing

Only a few spaces left on the Japan tour

One of next year's Japan photo tours is already fully booked, but there are still a few openings for the first one, from 5-19 February 2010. On this spectacular 15 day roundtrip, we will visit Tokyo, the famous snow monkeys in steaming hot springs, the rare and endangered red-crowned cranes performing their graceful winter dances, white-tailed eagles, Steller's sea eagles on sea ice from Siberia, and whooper swans on misty lakes.

Audio Slideshow on Nikon World

Nikon World published an article with Marsel, in their Winter 2009 issue. Online you can read the article, view his images. But what's more unique: you can hear Marsel explain how he made the images! Watch and hear the audio slideshow, on the website of Nikon USA.

Book in stock, ready for orders

We just received a fresh supply of the Wild Romance book and are ready for orders. If you like to travel in Africa, love photo books and like to see the most amazing places with spectacular wildlife, then this is the book for you.

Wild Romance features 46 of Africa's most romantic safari lodges from six African countries and includes a free DVD. It is a large format hard cover coffee-table book with 296 pages. Each copy will be signed by both Marsel and Daniëlla. You can order our book here: www.squiver.com/WildRomance.html.

Osos, leones, lynces (Wildlife Workshop Spain)

Which is Spanish for bear, lion and lynx, but you knew that of course. ;) These are only three of over a hundred different animal species from five continents that live in the park we just visited. Despite the predictions, we were very lucky with the weather and got to spend a lot of time with the animals.

Each day we started with image reviews of previous day's results, and after breakfast we drove to the park where we stayed until after sunset. Favorite species were definitely the bears and the lynx, who were very cooperative and never disappointed. We were especially lucky to see two newborn bovines, minutes after they were born; a gaur calf and a watusi calf. The gaur is a large, dark-coated bovine animal from Asia. The biggest populations are found today in India. The gaur is the largest species of wild cattle, bigger than the Cape buffalo, water buffalo. The watusi are a breed of cattle originally native to Africa. They have very large, distinctive horns that makes them very photogenic. We also got to practice our birds in flight technique with some spectacular birds of prey.

We had a really good time and were very happy to see the amazing progress everyone made during this workshop - we hope to show some of the best images shot by the particpants on this blog soon!

Marsel wins 1st Prize in European Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year has announced the winners of 2009's competition, and we are extremely proud that Marsel was awarded 1st place in the Mammals category for the winning entry Elephant at Victoria Falls. The image was shot in Zambia, Africa, and features an African elephant near the edge of Victoria Falls, a very rare sight. This spectacular photograph is available as a fine art print at various sizes. Please have a look at the Shop section on our website for sizes and prices.

And as if this weren't enough, Marsel was also Highly Commended in the Birds category for his image Swan Lake. This photo was shot in Japan and features a gaggle of whooper swans in an icy lake at sunset.

The Migration: The Greatest Show on Earth

We were pretty worried for this trip as Kenya faced the worst drought to hit the country in over a decade. The so-called "long rains" that usually fall in March and April failed this year, and some areas have now been in drought conditions for almost three years. No one knows why the drought has been so bad. Many attribute it to global warming, but others say it is simply part of the long-term weather cycle in East Africa.

Luckily, by the time our Squiver Phototrip started, so had the rain. On our first night in Nairobi we got some serious showers and we were all hoping the same was happening in the Masai Mara. On our flight to the Mara we didn't know what to expect - how many wildebeest would be there, if any?

The annual wildebeest migration happens from July-September between Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve. Thousands of wildebeest and zebras make the seasonal migration in search of food during this time, and predators such as lions take advantage of their movements. From July-August the wildebeest cross the Grumeti River in Tanzania on their way to Kenya.

When we flew over the Mara, we couldn't believe our eyes: there were wildebeest as far as our eyes could see, literally covering the landscape. It was a wonder we could land the plane without hitting some of them! The following days the weather was perfect; fresh in the morning, nice and warm during the day, and usually some showers in the afternoon. We could see the landscape getting greener and the wildebeest certainly enjoyed the fresh grass.

Obviously, we all wanted to see a crossing, which is actually easier said than done. It takes a lot of time, and luck, to see one. On several occasions we waited on the edge of the Mara river, sometimes watching thousands of wildebeest piling up on the other side, gathering courage to cross. But the Mara river is infested with huge Nile crocodiles, so it's understandable the wildebeest are a bit hesitant. And if one wildebeest gets spooked, they all run off. Patience is the key to success, and eventually we got to see a crossing from very close by. The water level was still low and there were no crocs in the water, which made it a lot easier for the wildebeest. Quite an impressive sight!

Of course wildebeest were not the only species we saw on this trip. We got some good lion sightings, lots of elephants and even a cheetah kill. Again, our patience paid off. We saw that the cheetah was watching a small group of gazelles from a distance, and decided to wait and see. The cheetah was just sitting and watching and didn't seem all that interested, the gazelles were pretty far away and the cheetah was not making any effort getting closer. But then it suddenly started to move towards the gazelles, first creeping, then trotting and then running at full speed. By the time the gazelles noticed what was happening, the cheetah was already half way there. One of the gazelles was still a young baby, and the cheetah tried to confuse it and separate if from its parents, an effective strategy. Moments after it took off, the cheetah caught the gazelle - it was all over before we knew it. Something we will not easily forget.

Another highlight was the balloon trip over the Masai Mara. It's already impressive to see so many wildebeest on the ground, but you don't realize the magnitude of this phenomenon until you see it from the air. Thousands of wildebeest forming long trails covering the landscape below, zebras and impalas running across the plains, and hippos and crocs in the rivers. Our pilot landed the balloon in the middle of the Masai Mara, after which we had a bush breakfast with a long line of wildebeest passing only a hundred meters away from us. The perfect end to a perfect morning.

Thanks to all participants for a wonderful trip, we hope to see you again!

Marsel wins in International Photography Awards

The International Photography Awards (IPA) has announced the winners of 2009's competition, and we're proud to announce that Marsel was awarded 3rd place in the Nature category for the winning entry On The Lookout. This year's competition received nearly 18,000 submissions from 104 countries across the globe and is considered one of the most prestigious photography competitions in the world. The winning image was shot in Botswana, Africa, and features a meerkat silhouetted against the setting sun.

The meerkat or suricate (Suricata suricatta) is a small mammal and a member of the mongoose family. It inhabits all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana and South Africa. Meerkats forage in a group with one "sentry" on guard watching for predators while the others search for food. Sentry duty is usually approximately an hour long. The meerkat standing guard makes peeping sounds when all is well. If the meerkat spots danger, it barks loudly or whistles.

Marsel: "I really wanted to photograph a meerkat silhouetted against a big ball of fire in the background, because my research had shown that no such image existed yet. In order to get this result I needed specific weather conditions (i.e. dust and haze) to get the highly saturated colors of the sun. I therefore had to try my luck several days in a row before everything finally came together. In order to be at the right spot at the right time, I had to follow these little fellows on foot, constantly trying to anticipate where they would stand. During the day they stay for longer periods in one spot, but around sunset they're in a hurry to get back to their burrows and they only occasionally stop for a few seconds to check out the surroundings for potential danger. After a few misses, I eventually managed to pick the right spot to set up my tripod and a meerkat appeared in my frame."

Amongst the other winners are Steve Bloom, Sebastian Copeland, Nadav Kander, Chris Frazer-Smith, Peter Lik and Kacper Kowalski.

On photo assignment in Zambia

We're back in Johannesburg again. The last two weeks we have been on an assignment for two lodges in Zambia, and we had a fabulous time. We had photographed for this lodge before for the Wild Romance book, and they asked us back for some additional shots for their new brochures. We made some new shots of an existing room and some of a very new one that they were still building when we were there.

All the time that we were there, there were either elephants in the camp, or very nearby. One afternoon Daniëlla and the lodge manager had a relaxed chat on the verandah when an elephant walked by and briefly stopped to check them both out. They sat there motionless without making a sound to not to disturb the animal in any way, and after a few seconds it moved away again - a truly breathtaking experience.

Also part of the assignment, was to photograph a walking safari. This is one of the many cool things you can do in this area, and definitely not something you can do in most other African parks. Marsel wanted to photograph an elephant standing underneath one of the typical big trees, with a small group of people at a safe distance in the background. Photographing an elephant is one thing, but to photograph one with people in it is quite something else. We used two vehicles; one with Marsel in it and a guide, and one with the 'actors.' The idea was to have four people in the shot: two tourists, a guide and a security guard. We drove around the area, searching for elephants, preferably standing in good light and eating from a big tree. When we found one, Marsel would take position and direct the other vehicle to the spot where he wanted the people in the frame. He would then make the composition while the four actors would get out of their car and slowly and quietly walk into the shot. Obviously, with wild animals it is very important to keep a safe distance - both for the people and for the animal. By using a long lens Marsel was able to compress the perspective, pulling the animal and the people closer together in the shot.

To get a good shot was not easy to say the least. It takes time to find a good potential shot and then to all get into the right position, and by the time everything was set, the elephant was already starting to walk away or decided to turn around for a nice butt-shot. We eventually got the 'money shot' not far from our camp. A large elephant was feeding from a large tree and was not in a hurry to move - we gratefully took advantage of that!

The Masai Mara is getting ready for the migration

We heard that huge heards of wildebeests are already moving in to the Mara, so we expect the Squiver Migration tour to be spectacular! We are still holding a few first-row seats. As the lodge is full, time to enlist is limited, so if you want to see the biggest spectacle on earth: book quickly!

Loads of leopards in South Africa

We just finished this year's Extreme Leopards tour in South Africa, and it was fantastic. Not only did we see 16 different leopards in 10 days (!), we also had a wonderful group which made it even more enjoyable. The first camp we stayed in we had completely to ourselves, which was really nice. Dallas, Mike and Retief, our excellent guides, did a superb job finding leopards for us, helped by some of the best trackers in the region. Every now and then we had to do some serious off-road driving to find our elusive subjects, but that only added to the safari experience; exciting and fun! The days after a large elephant kill we had more difficulties finding leopards, due to a sudden increase of predators in the area, in particular hyena and lion, so we decided to spend more time on some of the other animal species. But it didn't take long before the leopards showed up again and we were presented with excellent sightings.

The last 3 days of the trip we spent at another lodge in a different area. Even though we were still in the same park, the habitat was completely different and made for a nice change for our images. Our leopard sightings got even better here, with one female and a cub, and another female with two cubs - exactly what we were all hoping for! On one day, one of our vehicles even made a 12-hour long game drive with non-stop action from one of the females and her cub - an unforgettable experience. Thanks to Chris, Gareth and Graham, our expert guides for all the hard work!

We all returned to Johannesburg with more leopards shots than we could count, and six pounds heavier from all the good food our chef Chedrick prepared for us... Four people from this year's group already indicated that they would like to join us again on this same trip next year - we're already looking forward to shooting with you again!

Back to the bush

We'll leave for Africa again this week for the Extreme Leopards tour in South Africa and the Masai Mara Migration tour in Kenya. In between we'll be shooting on assignment in Zambia. We will have limited internet facilities in the bush, but we will try to access our email whenever we can. It will simply take us a little longer than usual to answer your questions. See you soon!

Our new book is out now!

Good things come to those who wait. :-) This is what our publisher has to say about our new book:

"Wild Romance features 46 of Africa’s most sought-after safari getaways, those exclusive destinations where guests are virtually guaranteed encounters with the Big Five, alongside luxurious accommodation, superb service and first-class cuisine. The selected lodges are among the best that Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa have to offer. Stunning photographs depict the setting, ambience and décor of each establishment, as well as the magnificent landscape and unique wildlife. Marsel van Oosten and Daniëlla Sibbing spent eight months travelling through southern and eastern Africa to capture images of some of the continent’s most desirable destinations for this book. Whether you are planning a honeymoon or simply want to get close to nature with someone special, an African safari provides the perfect opportunity to bond with a loved one in a setting that combines the rawness of nature with the comforts of a luxury lodge. For anyone who takes love seriously, Wild Romance is a celebration of a once-in-a-lifetime African experience."

This hard cover, coffee table-style book features 296 pages, 730 full colour photographs and includes a free DVD. If you're interested in pre-ordering a signed copy, please drop us an email and we'll put you on the list. We will start shipping books in October. You can buy a signed copy of Wild Romance for 39,95 euro, excluding packaging & postage on www.squiver.com/WildRomance.html

BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009

Like last year, one of Marsel's images was selected for the final round of judging in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year. The selected image is called 'Lashes' and features a close-up view of the eye and incredible long eyelashes of an African elephant. This stunning photograph is now available as a Limited Edition print. Please visit the Store section on our website for pricing and ordering information.

Second tour added to White & Wild Japan 2010

As this popular trip filled up already quite early this year, we have decided to add another one, two weeks earlier: from 5-19 February 2010.

We expect this trip to fill up quickly as well, as the first bookings are already in. So if you would like to photograph snow monkeys bathing in natural hot springs, the elegant dances of the Japanese cranes, whooper swans in a snow covered winter wonderland, and Stellar's sea eagles on floating pack ice from Siberia - don't hesitate and make your reservation now!

Finland was a party with a lot of bears!

We had another very succesful photography trip to the Taiga forests of Finland. It is very impessive to see these beautiful creatures and to be so close, without them noticing us at all. It was mating season and we were treated to a lot of actvitity. We photographed bears mating, swimming in the water, climbing trees, playing and fighting. They sometimes came so close, we could count their lashes! We saw lots of adult bears, but also several mothers with cubs. Needless to say that everyone was very happy. We are planning two trips for 2010, so make sure to join us next year if you like bears!

Back from Namibia

New tourdates already planned for 2010 - We have just returned from this year's Namibia Untamed photo tour. Winter had arrived early in Namibia, so it wasn't as hot as last year and we even had to wear our sweaters and long pants most of the time.

"Many thanks for such a fantastic itinerary on the Namibia Untamed tour. You combined great photographic opportunities with a most memorable holiday experience."
-Kah Kit Yoong, Australia

We made some minor adjustments to the itinerary to make it an even better trip. The red dunes of Sossusvlei were as impressive as always, and this year we were treated with a remarkable amount of great oryx sightings - we even had one walking in Deadvlei!

"Perfectly organised trip to some very well and some little known photographic spots in beautiful Namibia. It improved my skills and my photographic way of looking and photograph landscape and detail in the landscape. Marsel and Daniëlla make sure that you are at the right spot at the most beautiful light of the day."
-Evelien Schermer, The Netherlands

The early morning flight in the microlight over the dunes was once again one of the unforgettable highlights of the tour; no matter where you pointed your camera, great shots were inevitable! A new element was the night at Spitzkoppe, camping under the stars, which were amazing!



We tried shooting star trails during the night, so we didn't get much sleep, but got some great shots in return.

"An exceptional tour. Well balanced and would suit everyone from beginner to advanced. Stunning scenery, fantastic locations, and the planning was perfect. Long days but well worth it!
I certainly could not have achieved the same results by visiting Namibia by myself. Thank you so much for the most memorable photographic trip of my life. I wholeheartedly recommend this trip to everyone."
-Tony McLean, UK

In Etosha, we spent the evening at the waterhole watching no less than 7 rhinos (including the highly endangered black rhino), 10 giraffes, 2 elephants and countless zebras drinking and enjoying the water. On the game drive the next morning, we saw enormous herds of zebra and a lot or other plains game. Towards the end of the morning we spend time at a herd of 24 elephants, with quite a few playful little ones - the perfect end to a perfect trip! We would like to thank all participants for making this such a wonderful tour!

"As a complete beginner with no prior knowledge of photography I did not think I would be able to participate much and that was not the case - I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and learned a lot from Marsel's reviews and workshops. Daniëlla is a great organiser and nurturer! Thank you both for a wonderful trip. I am very inspired to go further and learn more..."
-Luana, South Africa

Portfolio interview in Nikon World Magazine

Marsel was recently interviewed for Nikon World Magazine, a showcase of images, techniques and insights of the world's greatest photographers! One of his favorite snow monkey images was chosen to feature on the cover, and it looks awesome. Marsel talks about light, patience, and how the images were made. You can download the entire interview here (pdf).

New crisis-friendly Tanzania Tour

When we went to an ATM last week, and it asked us to borrow twenty Dollars, we knew that we had to make some serious adjustments to our Tanzania Deluxe photo trip. ;-)

So we changed the extravagant luxury safari palaces to more earthly accommodations, we moved from the Grumeti Reserves to the famous Serengeti, we changed the name of the trip to Wonders of Tanzania, and after some wild credit crunch negotiations with our African agents we managed to get better deals. The result is that we now have a very competitively priced safari to the world renowned Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti for almost half the original price, and cheaper than most other photography tour operators. Please check out the photo trips page for more information. If you would like to join us on this trip, don't hesitate - at this price, we expect it to fill quickly!

Only a few spots left for Namibia and Finland

Namibia Untamed & Wild Brown Bears 2009 - If you're interested in joining us to Namibia or Finland, don't hesitate any longer...only a few spots are left on both trips and time is running out!


If you like shooting landscapes, than Namibia is very hard to beat; fairy-tale like quivertrees, a sand covered ghost town, the highest red sand dunes in the world, and the surreal scenery at Deadvlei - your camera will be working overtime! We were one of the first companies to offer specialized photographic tours to this beautiful country and we are still as passionate about it as after our first visit. And even though other companies have since started to offer similar tours, we are considerably cheaper than most and we are still the only one that offers microlight flights over the Sossusvlei dunes.


For bear lovers, our Finland photo trip offers the best possibilities in Europe to photograph these impressive animals in their natural habitat. You are guaranteed to return with awesome bear shots!
Both trips are open to participants of all experience levels. Visit the Photo Trips pages on our website for more information about these trips, and to see some pictures and video clips.

Marsel wins First Prize in NPN Awards

We are proud to announce that for the second time in three years Marsel has won First Prize in the Nature Photographers Network Editor's Pick Awards. His image of an African lion drinking at a waterhole was chosen as the winner of the Wildlife category.

Marsel is honored to have his photography so widely acclaimed by such a talented group of fellow nature photographers. This year he had five photos recommended over three different galleries, a new NPN record! The image was shot in South Africa with a radio controlled remote triggering system.

And as if this weren't enough, two other shots were Highly Commended in the Naturescapes Images of the Year Awards. His popular chameleon shot was chosen as the runner up in the Wildlife category, and his sunday afternoon Photoshop experiment "Symmetree" (pun intended) was succesful in the Digital Creations category.


Fine art prints of each of these images are now available through our website.

New galleries

Our new book is now at the printer's, so we finally have some time to spend on other things - like our website. Marsel has started updating the Galleries, removing some of the old images and replacing them with a lot of new work.


Although this is still work in progress and not all galleries have been updated yet, you might want to check out the updated or new galleries: Travel, Wildlife, Landscape, Leopards and Natural World.

Special offer on leopards tour

Original price: 4500 EURO. Now only 3450 EURO per person! - We already managed to decrease the price of the Extreme Leopards Photo Trip, but we can now offer you an even bigger discount on this amazing trip. Based on a group of just 10 guests, we will take you to an amazing Big Five area, which is famous for its sightings of leopards. With only 4 people per vehicle and 10 full days of safari for only 3450 EURO (approx. 4500 USD), we expect this trip to be very popular! Please visit our website to view the new leopards gallery and to read more about this wonderful trip! Bookings should be in before 15 May 2009.