Join Conservation Filmmaker Gunjan Menon in a fun free online workshop to learn how to write and shoot impactful wildlife stories that have the power to make a difference. This workshop will take place over Zoom on Sunday, April 16th at 10am PT/ 12pm CST/ 1pm ET.
Join Mary Ann McDonald for a free online workshop on an Introduction to Photography. This workshop will take place over Zoom on Sunday, May 21st at 10:00am PST/ 12:00 pm CST/ 1:00pm ET.
In this session, Mary Ann will walk us through her career as a wildlife photographer and go over how the use of different exposures, shutter speeds, compositions and ideas can affect the outcome of an image.
Join Inka Cresswell for a free online workshop on Underwater Photography and Filmmaking for Conservation. This workshop will take place over Zoom on Sunday, July 9th at 10am PT/ 12pm CST/ 1pm ET/ 17:00 GMT.
As a Marine Biologist and wildlife filmmaker Inka uses her camera to educate people about our blue spaces. During this workshop she will take you through the basics of underwater camera work and how you can use your camera as a tool to drive conservation action.
Join Kathy Adams Clark for a free online workshop on Butterfly Photography. This workshop will take place over Zoom on Saturday, May 27th at 12:00pm PST/ 2:00 pm CST/ 3:00pm ET.
In this session, Kathy will walk us through butterfly photography and share her experience photographing the subject .
Alexis is based in Kenya and completed her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications, saying that “as much as I was pushed to being in front of the camera, hosting shows and fun interviews and stuff, I never really had an interest in that, but I always wanted to be behind the scenes along the lines of a Director of Photography.” It’s clear when talking to Alexis about wildlife photography that she has found a career path that she is truly passionate about.Â
Alexis Wangare
On a trip to Virunga, Alexis met a group of photographers who were there working to spread awareness about conservation. “My heart just gravitated towards that, and I felt like, wow, this would be a really cool thing if I considered doing this because I already do love photography, and I like spending time in nature, so the two just merged—and I started doing it!” She adds that sunsets and elephants are two subjects that are inspiring her at the moment. In fact, it’s a special elephant named Craig—who is one of the few remaining ‘Super Tuskers’ —that Alexis had particularly connected with. She hopes to spend more time photographing Craig and perhaps use her photographs to help tell his story.
Alexis Wangare's Image of Craig
Image by Alexis Wangare
“Alexis has an artistic eye and a beautiful way of seeing the world. Her wildlife photos are particularly captivating, with elegant compositions and a strong sense of place,” says Suzi Eszterhas, Founder and Executive Director of Girls Who Click (GWC). It’s clear that Alexis puts a lot of thought into the compositions she creates in her images.Â
Alexis’ goal is to use her photography to encourage people to have empathy for animals. She plans to develop her skills in fine art and publish a coffee table book that inspires people to care about wildlife. She’s also working towards developing her storytelling skills to be an assignment photographer for magazine features. Most importantly, she hopes to continue learning about conservation and aims to make contributions to conservation throughout her career.
Growing up in Kenya and spending lots of time in the bush, Tay has always had a love of nature. Near the end of primary school, her parents gifted her a camera to bring on field trips. “I got carried away. I couldn’t stop clicking the button, taking all these photos!” she says. Tay continued to use the camera to photograph flowers in her garden and to document her experiences attending a high school located in the bush on the outskirts of Kruger National Park. “My passion for nature was already there; it was just amazing that I now actually had the device to record and take photos and have the memories of everything I saw.”Â
Tay Belcher
“I love Tay’s work,” says Danielle Carstens, Tay’s GWC mentor. “I admire the dedication that she has given to her photography since a very young age. I can hear the excitement in her voice when she speaks about photography, and that alone is a strength that will take her far. It takes a lot of skill to get the images that she has in her portfolio so far.”
“Photography and nature in general have sort of helped me to slow down and appreciate what’s happening in the moment and connected me more to my surroundings,” says Tay. “It’s also just 100% increased my curiosity for nature, especially through bird photography. The more time I spend with one species, the more interested I become in learning about its habitat and surroundings.”Â
Malachite King Fisher. Image by Tay Belcher.
Tay started out working as an underwater photographer in the tourism industry, where she would photograph people during their nature experiences. In the last few years, she has decided to get more involved with conservation—she’s realized that’s where her passion truly lies. “About three years ago, I got diagnosed with a severe case of scoliosis, and unfortunately, I wasn’t given the right information. I was basically led to believe that I had to completely change my career and only have a desk job. So, I didn’t take any of that very well.” Tay explains that the pandemic allowed her to slow down and spend time in nature. She has been able to seek better information about her diagnosis and no longer believes it is a barrier to her career goals.Â
Image by Tay Belcher
Tay’s goals are to create positive images that inspire people to care about conservation. One day she hopes to open her own gallery that showcases these images as well as build a following for her work on social media platforms (follow her)! Alongside her own storytelling work, she aims to get others involved in this work as well. “I would live to get more Africans involved in photography and have them tell their own stories.”
After several minutes of groveling in the muck in an attempt to conceal myself, my presence was accepted by one of my favorite species—the Carmine Bee-Eater. Image by Tay Belcher
Karabo is from Bushbuckridge in Acornhoek, South Africa. She first got into photography in 2020 when a friend invited her to take a two-week workshop offered by Wild Shots Outreach (WSO). “I gave it a try, and from the first day, from the first time I picked up a camera, I actually fell in love with it.” It was also Karabo’s first time becoming more involved in conservation. “[Photography] allowed me to actually engage more with nature because most of the photography assignments I get, or I go for, are basically to tell a story to communities about the conservation issues we have.”Â
Karabo Magakane
“My favourite subject to photograph would have to be an elephant. I love that it always commands its presence,” says Karabo, adding, “I have so much respect for them.” Karabo’s GWC mentor, Helena Atkinson, says Karabo “is really excellent at taking unique photos and has a very good eye for editing her photos in a creative way. She definitely has the ability to see things in a very special way.” Mike Kendrick, Founder of Wild Shots Outreach agrees, saying, “she’s got a really, really good eye and that’s something that I find very difficult to teach.”Â
Currently, Karabo is working on the media team for WSO and is now teaching workshops for WSO on her own. “I’ve also just gained my pilot’s license—it is my dream to combine my passions for photography, conservation and aviation.”
Queen comes from a small village called Tintswalo in Acornhoek, South Africa. “I started photography in 2016, the same year I met Mike Kendrick of Wild Shots Outreach, who gifted me with a 750D EOS Canon camera. He’s the one who taught me how to use a camera,” says Queen. Since then, Queen has been continuing to pursue photography alongside her career as a field guide at the prestigious Mala Mala Game Reserve in Sabi Sands. “I’m hearing all sorts of positive things from her guiding, from the people that she’s working for now, that she’s one of the best guides that they’ve got at the moment, which is just incredible,” says Mike Kendrick.Â
Queen Manyike
It’s no surprise that Queen’s favourite subject to photograph is wildlife. “Queen brings her images to life, and I love her creativity and different perspective when she captures images. Queen has a very good eye; she is very creative and makes an ordinary scene seem magical. She has very good technical skills, and above all, she has amazing attention to detail,” says Angelica Mills, one of Queen’s GWC mentors. Janet Kleyn, who also mentors Queen through GWC, echos Angelica’s thoughts, adding, “she has a good understanding of light and she sees things differently which is lovely.”Â
Image by Queen Manyike
“Nature photography has had a positive effect on my life because I have met other amazing young people who are doing great in photography, and they inspire me more,” says Queen. “My career goals are to be a professional female guide and a businesswoman.” Through her photography, Queen aims to inspire others to see the beauty of nature so that we look after it for future generations. Queen hopes that one day her daughter Erica will follow in her footsteps and be involved in conservation and wildlife photography. “But I’ll support anything Erica chooses to embark on!”
Image by Queen Manyike
Image by Janey Kleyn
Image by Queen Manyike
Connecting with young women photographers in Africa
When GWC welcomed the first cohort of international Ambassadors in 2020, the photographic community was quick to ask, “where are all the African women?!” And they were right.
“In North America, women are underrepresented in professional nature photography, we know that; that’s why we started GWC, but it’s even more extreme on the African continent,” says Suzi Eszterhas. “So, when we started looking for applicants in Africa, we really got very little interest.” GWC needed to find a better way to reach young African women who might benefit from the Ambassador program.
Image by Queen Manyike
Then, while Suzi was in Africa on a photography assignment, she met Mike Kendrick over dinner at Mashatu Game Reserve. “I just realized that there was a lot of common ground between us and a log of synergy in what we’re doing trying to address these different imbalances,” Mike recalls. As a founder of Wild Shots Outreach, an organization that aims to engage young people from disadvantaged communities in wildlife and wild places through photography, Mike was right; there certainly is a lot of cross-over with GWC’s mission. After learning about the GWC Ambassador program, Mike shared it with Karabo and Queen, two graduates from WSO’s workshops, and encouraged them to apply. In 2022, both Karabo and Queen became GWC Ambassadors. Â
“It was by partnering with these organizations like Wild Shots Outreach where we could actually reach those women, and that’s why I think programs like WSO are so powerful is that they’ve created this space for African women where there wasn’t a lot of opportunity before,” explains Suzi.Â
In addition to WSO, Wildlife Direct has also been instrumental in getting the word out about the GWC Ambassador program to local women photographers in East Africa, including our 2022 Ambassador Alexis. “We are very grateful for that, and we will try to get the information out in future years so that we will continue to have applicants every year from the African continent,” says Suzi.
Wild Shots Outreach (WSO)
Mike Kendrick has always been involved in education. After working as an education specialist in Britain, he moved to South Africa eleven years ago. “I was really shocked to find that none of the young people in the Black community had been into the Kruger National Park or the private game reserves which are on their doorstep. You know, some of them live within ten, twenty kilometres of the gates to those wildlife reserves and they’ve never been in,” says Mike. “How will we protect Africa’s wildlife and wild places if there is a disconnect with the local communities?”
Mike from WSO, along with GWC Ambassadors and their Mentors
Alongside learning the reality of the local community’s access to wildlife, Mike also learned from helping his wife bring the international photography conference she had founded in Britain to South Africa. “We managed to find a few female wildlife photographers [to present], but they were always white. We ended up bringing people in from Botswana, and from Zambia and from Zimbabwe,” says Mike. “I wanted to change this, and with my previous experiences in social upliftment and conservation, and understanding the power of photography, I wanted to see if we could use photography as a vehicle for reconnecting, reengaging, young Black people with their natural heritage. And here we are six years later with over 100 courses competed and over 900 young people through the program. I’ve got a team of young people who have been through the program who deliver the program for me now. It’s no longer the strange grey-haired white guy that goes into the communities and teaches it; it’s young, cool, funky members of that community who can act as role models for the young people in those communities.” Rifumo Mathbila, a former WSO student, has now become the Programme Director with WSO, which involves running all the workshops and game drives. Mike explains, “I am so proud and delighted that Rifumo has just been named the international Young Environmentalist of the Year by the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management!”
WSO has won multiple awards, including South Africa’s National Parks Kudu Award for Environmental Education and Capacity Building. “And that’s great,” says Mike, “but the most important thing for me is what happens to these young people.” Indeed, it’s clear from WSO’s actions that this is true. Although WSO’s program delivery focuses on photography workshops, they also have a bursary fund to help provide opportunities for further training and employment to some of the most talented young people that they’ve come across, not just in photography but also in other careers, such as science, wildlife guiding or hospitality. WSO alumnus Wisani Ngwenya, will be the first from the bursary program to graduate, earning a Bachelor of Arts in film-making, with multiple bursary program participants on his heels. Â
Now that past participants of WSO’s programs have been trained to run the WSO programs in South Africa on their own, Mike has been able to deliver pilot programmes in Kenya and Botswana and is expanding to the program to Namibia in 2023. “We’re scaling up, but we’re keeping a very close eye on the quality of our delivery. That’s the most important thing,” says Mike.Â
Challenges and hopes for the future
“Black Africans are underrepresented in the professional wildlife photography community in Africa, and even more so, female Black African wildlife photographers are hugely underrepresented,” Suzi says, “There are a unique set of challenges that are very different from those in North America both in terms of the history and culture and also the modern-day. It’s been a learning experience for us working with organizations like Wild Shots Outreach to recognize the unique challenges that this continent has, and then, of course, our female partner photographers based in Africa are also wonderful at understanding and helping us navigate these challenges.”
Janet Kleyn, General Manager of C4 Photo Safaris and partner photographer with GWC, explains that in South Africa and Botswana, the field of wildlife photography is very closely tied to nature guiding. “Many of Africa’s wildlife photographers come from a wildlife guiding background, which is how I started my journey in this industry [. . .] there are very few, it any, photographers making money as a wildlife photographer in Africa. Most of them that I know of are running photo tours and workshops, and that’s how they survive,” says Janet, adding that in Botswana, “there are only two companies that I’m aware of that permanently employ wildlife photographers. When you start out in the wildlife photography industry, often the best way to do it is freelance, but freelancing isn’t part of the culture in Africa in the same way that it is in North America.”
“The safari guide position is a bridge to wildlife photography, and that is largely male-dominated, and so that is also part of the issue, and in some countries, that position is largely white,” Suzi explains. Janet adds that breaking into the male-dominated field of wildlife guiding as a woman can be very difficult. “It can be a physically challenging job with skills required that are typically associated with men, such as off-road driving, rifle handling, etc.”
Other challenges include access to wildlife, the internet and camera equipment. “People don’t all have Wi-Fi in their homes as they do in the United States, particularly in these rural areas,” Janet says. “This makes attending online networking events and sharing photography online particularly difficult.”
Image by Janet Kleyn
“The nature photography community, to me, is already doing great work. It just needs more and more youngsters to be involved,” says Queen. Mike stresses the importance of having role models so that younger women or young Black people can “imagine themselves holding a camera and imagine themselves in a situation where they’re taking beautiful photos and understanding that it is for them. It is for them. You know, it’s something that they can pursue, and they can become outstanding at.”Â
“In order for us to change the photography world, we need more organizations like GWC that try to bring women and embrace their potential and try to grow the photographer in us. Then we can say we are going in the right direction in trying to actually change the photography industry, trying to change the balance in the photography industry,” Karabo says.Â
The GWC Ambassador Program
Connecting young women photographers from around the world through the Ambassador program helps build community within the field of nature photography. When the Ambassadors come together for virtual meetups, they can share challenges and experiences, help encourage each other and troubleshoot, and build friendships with other young women who have similar career goals. Tay says, “the group chats at the end of the month when we discuss what we’ve been going through and hearing about other people’s projects, that’s been super helpful.”
“I believe it’s building a good relationship with more photographers, more female photographers,” says Karabo. Alexis adds that joining GWC has helped her find more women photographers whose work she enjoys following and that it has helped her discover and connect with more photographers who are at the same career stage.Â
One of the key aspects of the GWC Ambassador program is pairing each Ambassador with a GWC partner photographer to be a mentor. “I have to say Janet has been more than a mentor to me; she’s an amazing woman,” says Queen.Â
A meeting of the minds
Mike Kendrick points out that mentorship is not easy to come by. “It’s just really cool that there are these people at Girls Who Click who are willing to give their time and share.” Alexis explains that understanding her mentor’s career path has helped inform her own. “It made me switch my way of looking at things. I’m seeing that it’s more about the quality of work and the experiences than it is about just posting content.”Â
This past May, mentors Helena, Angelica and Janet were able to meet up with their mentees, Karabo and Queen, in person for a weekend of wildlife photography alongside other local photographers from WSO, who funded the trip. “What we really wanted was to get to know each other better,” says Helena. “It was a wonderful experience to meet the young ladies we work with and to learn more about them. It was good to assess as well what their skill levels are so that we can adjust the programme to suit their needs. But most of all we had good laughs and good fun! I am so proud of the connection I now have with the GWC programme and with my mentee Karabo.”
GWC Ambassadors and Mentors
“Personal connections are so valuable to ensure that my mentee knows I am here to support and readily available to assist her not just with photography but in general,” Angelica says. She adds, “it motivates me to know that I am making a difference in my community by being there to support and encourage mentees through their journey as nature photographers.” Angelica was part of GWC’s first cohort of Ambassadors, and she is now paying that forward to mentor other GWC participants.Â
“It’s a lot about confidence building,” says Janet. “[As Africans], we tend to think about ourselves as not up there with everyone else. But we are, we just do it differently. We have different issues, like connectivity, but we have our way of communicating.” Â
Image by Janet Kleyn
How you can show support
Follow our Ambassadors and support their work:Â Follow Karabo, Queen, Alexis and Tay on Instagram.Â
Offer an opportunity to a local photographer:Â Are you an organization with a work or sponsored training opportunity related to wildlife tourism or photography in South Africa? Get in touch with Wild Shots Outreach. They have 1000+ talented young people who have graduated from their program that they can recommend.Â
Share the GWC program with your network:Â Share the GWC Ambassador Program and the Wild Shots Outreach program with local youth, or share our work with organizations that work with youth in Africa who can help spread awareness of these programs.Â
Provide support to GWC and WSO:Â There are several ways you can help GWC and WSO continue to grow their programs. Visit the GWC Support Us page to see multiple ways you can provide support. You can support WSO by directly donating funds or by getting in touch to donate used camera or computer gear.Â
Become a Partner Photographer:Â Are you a female or non-binary professional photographer located in Africa? Inquire about joining GWC as one of our Photographers and help us lead workshops in your community or become a mentor for our next Ambassador cohort.Â
As a photographer, I was always intrigued by the ocean. However, the thought of getting into the water and submerging my precious camera stopped me in my tracks. Not only does underwater photography require a new set of skills, but it’s a whole series of expenses on top of the already costly field of photography. That being said, it’s also the most fun I’ve had with a camera! If you’ve ever wanted to get into underwater photography but were unsure where to start, please read on, because this article is for you.Â
A giant sea bass approaches Mayer's lens! She had to react quickly to capture the fleeting moment when this fish swam over her.
The first step to being an underwater photographer actually has nothing to do with photography: it’s becoming comfortable in the ocean. This doesn’t just mean swimming, but using specialized gear that will allow you to see below the surface. For some, that might mean using a mask and snorkel and staying shallow. For others, it might mean freediving, where you swim down on a single breath hold. And then there’s the activity that allows you to stay underwater the longest: scuba diving! For any of these activities, it should go without saying that you must be confident in the water. While I recommend taking a freediving course with a professional, if it’s something that interests you, let’s focus on the logistics of becoming a scuba diver and taking photos on scuba.Â
Finding the right scuba mask for your face shape is really important – it’s your window to the underwater world! – Photo by Joel Wilson.
To put it very simply, scuba diving allows you to breathe underwater for long periods of time from a portable air cylinder. That’s why scuba diving absolutely requires training from a professional. You can access scuba training through dive shops, which should have a reputable dive instruction organization that they’re affiliated with. This means that the shop offers scuba lessons designed by a professional agency and carried out by an instructor certified to teach that agency’s standards. Depending on where you live, you may have a scuba shop nearby, but if not, many people travel in order to complete their training.Â
During your entry level certification, you’ll learn the principles of diving through both written and practical instruction. Most classes begin in a pool, and end in a larger body of water like a lake or the ocean. Once you’ve completed this type of course, you’ll receive a certification card, which will enable you to rent scuba gear from shops, obtain air cylinders, and dive in open water without an instructor (but always with a buddy!). Many agencies offer certifications to children as young as ten, though these junior certifications will likely have other restrictions attached.Â
Scuba diving lessons can be expensive and not within someone’s budget. Don’t panic yet; there are scholarships available! The Women Divers Hall of Fame offers grants every year for basic dive training, and a quick internet search may illuminate other financial assistance available in your area. You can also look for grants through the websites of professional dive organizations or ask your local dive shop. In some cases, you may even be able to get certified through your high school or college.Â
While you don’t have to buy your own scuba equipment right away, renting gear over and over can become more expensive than buying it. Investing in quality gear and taking good care of it will ensure that it lasts a long time. If your budget is limited, keep a sharp eye out for secondhand gear on social media. Many people resell gear that has hardly been used, so you can often get quality items at a discount if you are persistent in checking these sites. Always have any used gear serviced by a professional scuba shop before you trust your life with itÂ
Mayer swimming through the kelp forest. Her 8/7mm wetsuit is a typical scuba setup for cold water diving in southern California. - Photo by Joe Wilson
So you’ve gotten scuba certified and you have your own gear- now what? Resist the temptation to take a camera with you immediately and practice your scuba skills! Building confidence and comfortability underwater should be your first priority, and you don’t want to make a mistake because you’ve introduced a camera before you were ready. You may even want to take additional scuba courses before you get to this point. Once you’re very confident in your diving abilities, you can add a camera.Â
Perhaps you already own a nice camera, and want to but an underwater housing for it. I wouldn’t recommend this as a fist step. A proper dive housing for a professional camera may be more expensive than the camera itself! This is because the housing must be able to withstand huge amounts of water pressure for sustained periods of time in order to keep your camera dry and safe. These housings are vacuum sealed and rated to depths well beyond what you would be diving, and are not to be confused with “waterproof” housings. While “waterproof” may sound like you can take it scuba diving, you will want to look closely at the technical specs, because waterproof may really mean that it allows you to briefly submerge your camera at the surface. This is not something you will want to cut corners on, as a failure of you housing can ruin both the housing and your camera.Â
With this in mind, most beginner underwater photographers start with a simpler and less expensive underwater camera setup while they master the principles of diving and underwater photography.Â
A leopard shark cruises between eelgrass beds.
The Olympus TG-6 is a very popular entry level option. On its own, it has a depth rating of 50 feet, but you should purchase the dive housing for this small camera, changing its depth rating to 150 feet. This camera will shoot 4k video and 12 megapixel photos, and has a built in 25-100mm lens with a macro function. This allows you to shoot in a variety of styles and figure out what style of underwater photography you like.Â
The GoPro Hero series is another great option. These cameras shoot video and photos, are super compact, and can be used with a wide variety of mounts and accessories. Just remember to buy the protective housing, which will allow you to take it to depths of 192ft (far deeper that you’ll go on a recreational scuba dive!).Â
If you have a decent camera on your smartphone, this can be another great beginner underwater camera! Companies like Sealife sell housings for smartphones that make them waterproof up to 130 feet. If you’re interested in experimenting with artificial light to enhance your photos, Sealife even offers trays with lights attached, which also make it easier to hold your phone underwater.Â
Garibaldi and a sheephead swim in the kelp forest.
Now that you’ve got your camera, go play! You’ll probably find, as I did, that adding a new element to your diving makes it feel like you’re on your first dive all over again. That’s okay! Take your time, stay clam, adjust to the new feelings, and don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t come together right away.Â
The best natural light is in shallow water! Check out the pretty light dapple on this octopus.
You’ll also discover that underwater photography is completely different from shooting on land; it’s almost like learning photography all over again. Water absorbs light, so everything is much darker. In fact, many underwater photographers choose to use strobes with their professional setups, a complicated subject that deserves its own article. If you’re working with a beginner’s setup, and no lights, you’ll quickly realize that only shallower subjects are illuminated enough to get a decent photograph. This is also okay! Working with natural light is a good place to start while you learn. Â
Waiting in front of a cool background can be rewarding! The colors of this parrotfish stand out better against the brown of the corals than the blue of the water.
Water also distorts things, so you’ll find that you may need to be much closer to a subject than what you’re accustomed to. This often means waiting patiently for a fish to swim right in front of your lens, where you’ll have only a second to snap the perfect frame. Sometimes I’ll wait by a particularly pretty rock or kelp clearing until a fish comes by, because I think it will make a nice background. As you go out and experiment, you’ll find other strategies that work for you, and that just takes practice.
Once you’ve mastered your basic underwater camera, you may decide to upgrade to a professional camera and dive housing, along with a set of strobes. Just like with scuba gear, you can get a good deal on something lightly used if you look hard enough. Regularly check dive forums, social media and your local scuba shop, because people are likely to resell something relatively unused for a much better price than new gear.Â
Mayer scuba diving in Bonaire with her Sony A7RIII in a Nauticam housing. Photo by Joel Wilson
Hopefully, this has given you some clarity on a field where there is so much new information to absorb. If you’re still nervous about the prospect of going underwater, please know that this is totally normal! The key is to be patient. Be patient with your scuba skills, be patient with mastering underwater photography, be patient waiting until the time is right before you finally purchase your long-awaited professional dive camera setup. The payoff for that patience is the privilege of visiting and documenting places that most humans will never get to see. What could be more worthwhile than that?Â
Chelsea Mayer (She/Her) grew up in Huntington Beach, California, and attended UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television. After working on film sets, she took a job with a whale watching company as a photographer and deckhand, and she fell in love with wildlife photography. Wanting to explore as much of the sea as possible, Chelsea earned her 100 ton captain’s license, and then took up scuba diving and became a divemaster. She continues to work on boats as a divemaster, captain and naturalist, in addition to working as an underwater photographer.Â
The Kukula Club, a new initiative for The Sloth Conservation Foundation, aims to enable and empower children with additional educational classes, gain new skills through workshops and provide them with fun activities they may not usually have access to due to geographical or financial barriers.Â
Recently we teamed up with the amazing Girls Who Click foundation to arrange a week-long photo workshop for the 11 children in our Kukula Club.Â
The Kids of the Kukula Club
All of our children in the club, aged 7-12, also participate in the El Puente – The Bridge project. This incredible organization has been serving the indigenous community for decades, they give space to hundreds of indigenous families, helping to provide; food, cultural events, classes, clothing, and school supplies, among many other things.Â
We wanted the Kukula club to serve the indigenous communities of the area so we were so grateful to team up with El Puente for this. One of the pillars of SloCo’s mission is to actively have a huge impact. El Puente worked with us to choose 11 children that attended their project to be our first group of the new Kukula Club.Â
Girls Who Click
We also teamed up with Girls Who Click (GWC) to bring photography to our Kukula Club kids, Girls Who Click is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded by Suzi Eszterhas, an award-winning wildlife photographer, she sought to create a foundation to inspire young girls to join the nature photography industry.
In a heavily male-dominated field, they aimed to bridge this gap and, to do so, partner with full-time working professional photographers around the country to offer free nature photography workshops for teen girls. Girls Who Click inspires girls to develop lifelong passion for capturing the nature around them and strive to protect itÂ
They kindly offered to send one of their partners, the amazing Diana Caballero, to give a free week-long workshop to our kids. Diana, from Mexico, is an amazing photographer in her own right, and we couldn’t wait to host her here and give the children this amazing opportunity.Â
The Initiative:
For the workshop, we wanted to provide the kids with the necessary tools and knowledge to learn to use the camera as a means of photographic expression through play and experimentation. Through the activities, we wanted to show them how our gaze is a very powerful instrument to share what we are and what surrounds us.Â
The cameras
Most of the children do not have access to cameras or phone, so when we decided to do a workshop with them, we knew we wanted to be able to provide them with their own cameras. We used this digital camera and they ended up being the perfect little cameras for the kids. Thank you to everyone who helped support this project so that we were able to provide this item for the children to use.
What we did:
During our 4-day workshop, Diana set a variety of activities for the children to do so they could learn how to use their cameras and also understand different methods for taking photos. We also set them homework each day to do specific photography assignments at home. Some of the activities and assignments included:Â
We explain what the camera is, the elements that make it up, how it works, who invented it, and its evolution to this day.Â
We play and explore the multiple possibilities of looking through a rectangle made with a piece of cardboard that simulates the viewfinder of a camera.Â
We observe our pet, we follow it everywhere and we take pictures of it. We share and exchange experiences of our pets during the workshop.Â
We take our favorite toy and imagine a normal day in the life of the toy. We take 10 photographs recounting its life. At the end of the activity, we tell how its life is.Â
We take photos representing different emotions, for example, joy, sadness, anger, fear, and surprise.Â
We imagine that we are very small beings, like an ant, a beetle, a dragonfly, a bee… We become that being and we seen many things that we could not see with the naked eye; details and textures, what used to be small can now be something huge.Â
We incorporate the latest images, review all our photographic work and make a group selection to present an exhibition.Â
An unexpected visit
We were so lucky to be visited by a sloth on day 3 – this was amazing and it came down so low that we were able to get an amazing photo of the sloth – the perfect gift for our Kukula Club kids!Â
Photo by Nash
Photo by Jorge
Photo by Gabriel
Photo by Ester
Photo by Daishy
The future of the photography workshop:
We exhibited the children’s photos at El Puente over the weekend so that during their soup kitchen that Saturday, the families who visit El Puente, would be able to see all the kids’ hard work. Now that the children have been taught how to use the cameras we plan to continue working with them and having them photograph different experiences. We have met twice since the workshop and they have worked on getting the following photos:Â
A beach landscape photo
A photo of movement i.e. dancing, running, jumping
Photos of the great green macaws
We want to be able to continue to nurture the children’s passion for photography and capturing the world around them. In October, for international sloth day, we are also planning on doing a huge exhibition with the kids’ photos to showcase their talent at the event.Â
In the future we hope to give this workshop to more children in the area, continuing to work with Girls Who Click to do so.Â
Spend a day in Monterey photographing wildlife with renowned wildlife photographer, Suzi Eszterhas!
In this in-person workshop you will have access to a photography lesson led by Suzi Eszterhas, followed by a private boat charter in the Elkhorn Slough to take photos of sea otters, seals, sea lions and birds.
For this workshop we ask participants to bring a packed lunch and a camera or smartphone. A recommended supply list we be sent out once participants have been accepted into the workshop.
This workshop is for girls and female-identified youth ages 13-18. We do make age exceptions for motivated students. This workshop is free.
Join Amy Gulick for a free online workshop on Nature Photography. This workshop will take place over Zoom on Saturday, October 29th at 10:00am PST/ 12:00 pm CST/ 1:00pm ET.
In this session, we will learn about Amy’s career path to becoming a nature photographer. She will discuss her photography and using her photography in her conservation work.
Join Katie Schuler and the Maine Audubon for a day photographing local Falmouth, Maine nature and wildlife!
In this in-person workshop you will learn about Katie’s experience and love for nature photography, go over basic photography instruction to improve your nature and wildlife photography, and learn proper field ethics. This workshop will start off in a classroom setting, then move into the field, where you can practice photographing and apply your newly learned knowledge.
For this workshop we ask participants to bring a packed lunch and a camera or smartphone. A recommended supply list we be sent out once participants have been accepted into the workshop.
This workshop is limited to 14 participants. If we have reached our 14 participants, we will add you to the waitlist.
This workshop is for girls and female-identified youth ages 13-18. We do make age exceptions for motivated students. This workshop is free.
Chelsea Mayer (She/Her) grew up in 
