The Namibia tour is full

Our 2010 photo tour in May to Namibia has sold out. If you are interested in visiting Namibia with us, you can already make a booking for next year: www.squiver.com/booking_namibia.html. The tour will take place from 28 May 2011 until 11 June 2011. Namibia is our most popular tour and for 2011 we already have 3 participants, so it makes sense to book early!

Only 2 places left for Namibia - book now!

If you want to join us in Namibia this year, you'd better be quick! We have only 2 places left on this popular tour, based on sharing a room.

We will take you around Namibia for 2 weeks, photographing stunning quivertrees, peculiar rock formations, a deserted mining town half covered with sand, the amazing red sand dunes, Namibia's photogenic natural rock arch at Spitzkoppe, and 2 days safari in Etosha. 15 days full of fun and stunning scenery! Bookings can be made at: www.squiver.com/booking_namibia.html.

The tour is hosted by Marsel van Oosten and Daniëlla Sibbing. You can expect a high level of tuition on the spot, images reviews and tips about composition, in order to improve your photography skills.

Succes for one of our participants

Claire Waring joined us last year on our Squiver photo trip to Finland. She has reached the finals of the Wanderlust Photo of the Year competition with one of the bear images she took. The image is of a brown bear cub escaping a large male by climbing a tree and it was shot from a small hide in the Taiga forest of Finland. The awards will be announced on 5 February at the Destinations travel show in London.

Claire about the shot: "Young brown bear cubs avoid male bears which, given the opportunity, will kill them. When small, cubs can climb trees faster and higher than the males, and this is a favourite escape route. From the forest hide we were photographing bears wandering through. Suddenly, I heard a commotion. The cub was shinning up the tree away from the male below. The camera was set on motor drive and I was able to capture the moment with the cub metaphorically thumbing his nose at his pursuer. As the male moved away, the cub slowly descended and rejoined his mother and siblings."

Congratulations Claire. Nice shot!

New photo tour to Zambia

During our second visit to Zambia last year, we decided that we definitely wanted to set up a photo tour to this spectacular country, and so we did!

Zambia is one of the last remaining unspoiled safari destinations in Africa. On this trip we will start in South Luangwa NP, with its lagoons and riverine woodlands, where elephants cross the South Luangwa river every day. The park and its water host large concentrations of wildlife, including over 400 bird species. We continue to Lower Zambezi NP, with elephants and buffalo grazing along the Zambezi river and on its numerous islands, and get eye-level shots of hippos. The safaris on land offer wildlife in beautiful settings with big winterthorn trees. We will shoot from vehicles, boats, canoes and on foot! You can top off your safari with a visit to the famous Victoria Falls. You can view an impression of this tour on video, by clicking the image below:

If this unique tour has your name on it, don't hesitate and make a booking now - this will be an exceptional African experience!

Happy New Year!

Video of our Kenya photo tour

This is the video with the tour impression of our Kenya photo tour in the Masai Mara. We had a blast! Come and join us in 2010 on this wonderful trip.

New Sponsor: Storm Jacket

It is with great pleasure that we announce our partnership with Storm Jacket.

Storm Jacket Camera Covers are the fastest and easiest way to protect professional cameras and lenses from inclement weather conditions such as snow, sleet, wind, rain, sand, dust, and harmful UV rays.

Keeping your camera clean and dry when shooting outdoors isn't always the easiest task in the world. Yes, you can check the weather forecast beforehand – and then just stay home – but that’s not an option for the serious photographer.

And for the professional photographer, working in bad weather is just a routine part of doing business. Some of the most dramatic photo opportunities don’t occur on bright sunny days, or under the most ideal conditions for your camera gear. So what’s the answer? Well, umbrellas don’t work, plastic trash bags are slippery, easily torn and hard to fit, and most commercial camera covers are very expensive, take up too much space in your bag, and require a lot of time and effort to put on and take off. Storm Jackets offer a hassle-free solution for protecting your camera that can be put on or taken off in about 10 seconds and stores in its own pocket-sized carrying case.

Constructed from high-tech AquaNylon fabric, Storm Jackets won't lose their water repellency and are rugged enough to withstand the rigors of professional use.

We won't let a little rain stop us from shooting. Having a Storm Jacket in our camera bag or stuffed in a pocket is an absolute must. We have peace of mind knowing that our gear will be protected, and that we can keep right on shooting.

Marsel also likes to use his Storm Jackets on safari as protection against the dust and to camouflage his equipment when operating it remotely. If you have a herd of zebras galloping around your gear, that can create an incredible amount of dust - the Storm Jackets will keep your equipment clean and protected. The images show how Marsel first put the Storm Jacket on for dust prevention and initial camouflage, and then added branches to hide it from the wildlife. We will show the results later!

New Panorama Puzzle!

The German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) is regarded as the co-founder of geography as an empirical science and was a legendary figure even during his lifetime. On his global research travels he discovered the beauty of our world in its many forms, which this puzzle edition named after him impressively documents.

This stunning panoramic puzzle consists of 1000 pieces and measures approx. 94,5 x 32,8 cm (37.2 x 12.9"). You can now buy one for just €29,95 (excl. shipping). Email us if you want one of these old school entertainment boxes!

Marsel joins Mountain Trail Photo

We are proud to announce that Marsel has joined Mountain Trail Photo. The MTP site was started to inspire and educate, and to offer collective photography, publishing, and workshop experience to other nature photographers. With Marsel added to the team, Mountain Trail Photo has now gone international and is no longer merely "Celebrating America's Most Scenic Places". The MTP team is made up of some of the world's top nature photographers, such as Marc Adamus, Richard Bernabe, Jim Clark, Jerry D. Greer, Bill Lea, Ian Plant, Joseph Rossbach, Nye Simmons, George Stocking and Guy Tal. Check out their websites and galleries containing hundreds of stunning landscape and wildlife images! To see Marsel's gallery on Mountain Trail Photo, click here.

Snow monkey image in new Nikon brochure

Nikon has chosen one of Marsel's popular snow monkey images for their new Creative Lighting System brochure. It had been snowing for most of the morning when he took this shot of a little Japanese macaque, but it was not cold enough for the flakes to stay. As a result the fur of this young fellow was covered with what looked like thousands of little diamonds. Marsel used some fill flash to brighten the face and eyes of the macaque and to emphasize the drops of water.

Marsel has recently switched to the new SB-900 and he is looking forward to experimenting with it in Japan next month.