Brazil Untamed
June 19 to 27, 2027
Jim has combined two of Brazil's ultra dramatic and visually arresting national parks to create a photo tour like no other. Drones are welcome, but you will get incredible images using conventional landscape techniques as well. Lencois Maranhensis is a masterpiece of otherworldly, constantly shifting white dunes that cradle blue-green crystalline lagoons. The tapestry of graphic design, stunning contrast, and rich texture is simply breathtaking. In low angled sunlight, the landscapes you are able to capture will be like nothing you've ever seen before. In addition, the outrageous patterns in the Black River offer a completely different photographic experience. The phenomenal colors and design seen from an aerial perspective are created by tannins, brown algae, and mineral-rich sand.
We also travel to Iguazu Falls National Park, the most stunning and photogenic system of waterfalls in the world. There is literally water falling everywhere! We stay in the only hotel inside the park so when all the tourists leave at 5:30pm, we will have the entire place to ourselves for sunset, night photography, and sunrise.
You really don't want to miss this one!
What you will learn on this photo tour:
-- How to take long exposures of waterfalls at night
-- Understanding when to use focus stacking with telephoto lenses
-- Exposing correctly for white dunes in bright light
-- Using the correct camera settings for birds in flight
-- How to launch a drone in the wind with blowing sand
-- Retaining aquamarine colors in desert ponds with contrasty exposures
-- Using the crest of dunes as leading lines
-- Deciding how many frames to shoot for an effective HDR
Itinerary:
Day 1, June 19, Saturday
Leave home and arrive in San Luis, Brazil (airport code SLZ) on this day. You will probably have to leave the day before to arrive in San Luis on June 19. You'll transfer through São Paulo airport to catch the flight to San Luis. Take a taxi to our hotel by the beach and rest from the long trip. We then meet as a group in the lobby of the hotel to discuss the upcoming trip and enjoy a welcome dinner. Overnight Brisamar Hotel and Spa, 4-star.
Days 2 - 5, June 20 - 23, Sunday - Wednesday
After breakfast we meet our local guide and drive about three hours to Santa Amaro, one of the gateway towns to Lençóis Maranhenses National Park.
We check into our hotel, have lunch, and then we take our first 4x4 excursion into the dramatic white dunes for late afternoon light.
For the next 3 and a half days, we will drive from our hotel a short distance into the dunes where we'll capture the amazing and surreal landscapes of one of the most unique places on the planet. We will look for striking S-curves and C-curves, stunning contrast between the blue and aquamarine lagoons and the white sand, dead trees that make bold foreground elements, striking textures in the sand, and more.
Many compositions captured with wide angle and telephoto lenses, like the one at left, are simply too beautiful for words. If you have a drone, the aerial perspectives are nothing like you've ever seen before. Extraordinary patterns, long shadows, rich textures, and astonishing color will keep you captivated as you search for award-winning shots.
One of the highlights of this photo tour is photographing the Black River from a drone. The phrase 'art in nature' is never more appropriate than what you'll see on the screen in your controller. Veins of red, deep brown and rust refract across the alien-like landscape, dyed from tannins leaching into the waters from decaying vegetation, and from brown algae and minerals in the sand as well. The serpentine river meanders through the white dunes of
Lençóis Maranhenses National Park creating a striking contrast between its dark waters and the brilliant landscape. In this place, nature photography has risen to a whole new level!
Day 6 - 8, June 24 - 26, Thursday - Saturday
We have one last sunrise photo session on the dunes, and then after breakfast we head back to São Luís to catch our flight to São Paulo, and then. we connect to a flight to Iguazu Falls International Airport (IGU). We take a taxi to our luxury hotel and have dinner. If we are not too tired from the day's travel, we can photograph the impressive falls by moonlight with long exposures. Overnight Hotel das Cataratas, Iguazu Falls.
We awake the next morning to the sound of falling water. The next two days is spent photographing the most beautiful, dynamic, and mind-boggling waterfall on the planet. Iguazu Falls is the largest waterfall system in the world (Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe has the largest wall of water and Angel Falls in Venezuela is the tallest waterfall). It consists of 275 individual falls, stretches across 1.7 miles, and drops almost 300 feet.
We will photograph the various falls from walking paths as well as right in front of our hotel. We will also take advantage of being in the park after all the tourists are gone; twilight and night photography are beautiful here.
Close to where we'll be staying is the best bird park in the world for capturing species rarely seen in the wild. Dozens of exotic, tropic birds are on display, many of which are in natural environments. For the birds not with natural backgrounds, Jim will show you how to replace unwanted elements behind the birds. We will spend a few hours here, and you'll be thrilled with the images you'll take.
In addition, if you want to take a helicopter ride over the falls, there will be time for you to do that (at your own expense). It's a 10 minute excursion, and you can get an entirely different perspective. Overnight Hotel das Cataratas, Iguazu Falls.
Day 9, June 27, Sunday
After breakfast we transfer to the Iguazu Falls International Airport (IGU) for our flight home, knowing we've taken truly extraordinary photographs of outstanding landscapes.
Tour cost: $7350
Included: Flight from São Luís to Iguazu Falls, all lodging based on double occupancy, all breakfasts, welcome and farewell dinners, all ground transportation, 4 x 4 excursions into the sand dunes, transfer from Iguazu Falls airport to hotel, entrance fees, photo instruction, and critiques on demand.
Not included: International airfare, all lunches, dinners not listed above, medical evacuation and trip cancellation insurance, alcohol, and items of a personal nature.
Single Supplement: $1350
Drones:
If you don't have a drone, you will still be able to take stunning shots on this photo tour. If you'd like to purchase a drone but aren't sure where to start, contact Jim at photos@jimzuckerman.com. He will call you and suggest what to purchase based on several factors. He will also tell you how to learn to fly it.