Poland’s ‘Wild’ Carpathians in Autumn

Sunday October 4th - 7th 2015

Led by Robert Canis and Marek Kosinski

£475 - £590 Group size: Min. 4 / Max. 6

Flights = Circa. £135 with Ryanair from Stansted (Direct: no changes)

(Price includes 20kg of hold luggage and Priority Boarding which ensures your camera bag travels

with you on the plane)

Price will be determined by the number of persons that book. The more that book, the lower

the price! Although this may seem an unusual way to price a tour, I feel that this is the way

forward since, if everyone knows the score, it will still go ahead, even if only 4 book, thereby

avoiding disappointment.

Price includes: Tuition and guiding, accommodation (no ss required), breakfast and packed lunch.

Price excludes: Flights, main meal and evening supper (avg. price £7 per day) and snack stops.

Flights

You will be advised when to book and what flights to book onto.

Introduction

Our location for the duration of this photo-break will be the wild, forest-clad Carpathian

Mountains in Southeast Poland. Also known as the Bieszczady (Biesh-chady) Mountains we will be

based in the heart of the National Park which lies on the borders of Ukraine and Slovakia. A

sparsely populated region of just 5 persons per 475 km sq. Bieszczady is a remote, wild area of

rivers, meadows and mountains clad in old-growth beech forest. This is how much of Europe used

to be several thousand years ago before forest clearance for intensive farming and building. As

you drive past and through these dark woods you really do get a sense that something wild lurks

within. Bison, brown bear, wolf and lynx all inhabit these forests and mountains as do black stork,

ural owl, lesser-spotted and golden eagle.

On each morning we will head out early to capture mists in the valleys and lingering over the rivers

and in the afternoons and evenings we will walk in the forests shooting autumn colours,

mushrooms and scenes from vantage points. On one of the days we will walk up to a mountain

pasture to capture the beauty of the Carpathians and, time permitting, Robert and Marek will

critique everyone’s images and demonstrate their own workflow using Adobe Lightroom and

Photoshop.

The tour will, primarily, be landscape photography but there will be opportunities to photograph

other aspects of nature, too, including close-ups of colourful leaves, patterns and fungi. Both

Robert and Marek will, always, be on hand to offer advice and pass on invaluable hints and tips

that they, themselves, have picked up in the course of their professional careers.

Highlights

• One of Europe's most remote and stunning wild areas

• Hand-picked locations

• Led by two professional nature photographers

• Tuition in landscape and close-up photography

• Image critique and workflow demonstrations

• All levels catered for

• Single rooms - All en-suite with Wi-Fi

• No single-supplement

• Accommodation in a comfortable small hotel in a remote, rural location

• Small group size of 6 maximum

Day 1. Transfer by minibus to our accommodation in Bieszczady Mountains National Park. A

journey of approximately 3 hrs. Dinner upon arrival.

Days 2 and 3. Sunrise shoot. In order that we are not restricted by breakfast times we will have a

packed breakfast. We will return to base late morning and at around midday we will have a meal

before heading out for the duration of the day shooting landscapes, streams, forest scenes and

close-ups returning at dusk at approximately 7pm. In the evening we will enjoy supper (soup for

example), relax and chat over a couple of drinks.

On one morning or evening (weather will dictate) we will walk to the top of a nearby mountain

where the beauty of the Carpathian Mountains can be fully appreciated as well as to a raised peat-

bog site near Ukraine. A truly wild area where just a small river separates you and the

aforementioned country.

Day 4. Possible sunrise shoot. Depart for airport. Breakfast snack provided en-route.

Price includes:

• Tuition and guiding

• Accommodation in single or double rooms - all en-suite. No single-supplement required

• Packed breakfast and late afternoon packed lunch

• All transportation within Poland

Price excludes:

• Flights

• Travel insurance

• Main meals and drinks. This includes main meal and supper. We have found this to be the

best option as the hotel has a full menu. Average price for a 2-course meal is just £5!

• Occasional ‘snack stops’ at restaurants/cafe.

Accommodation

We will be based in the heart of the national park in a simple and comfortable small hotel. Each

room is en-suite with air-conditioning and Wi-Fi throughout. Meals and breakfast are served in the

hotel where there is also a VERY reasonably priced bar should you wish to have a tipple in the

evening!

Equipment required

Below is a very "loose" list as to the kind of equipment recommended. A full check-list will be

given upon booking.

• SLR or Bridge

• 2 -3 lenses will be more than sufficient. A wide-angle and medium telephoto zoom. A

macro lens will be useful for close-ups though not essential. ND Graduated filters.

• Lightweight tripod for sunrise and sunset shoots.

Fitness level

Moderate. Most of the walking will be on, relatively, flat ground, often photographing from quite

near the minibus, particularly at dawn. 1 mountain walk will be undertaken taking, approximately,

1¾ hrs with a 400m elevation difference. Total height of the mountain - 1280m. This is quite a

steep walk (no scrambling) through pastures and forest. We will leave pre-dawn or early afternoon

to give ourselves plenty of time to reach the top. Yes, it's quite a trek but boy, is it worth it! This is

not a hiking holiday so we will take our time.

We will be heading up (pre-dawn) or back down (post-sunset) using head-lamps so please bare

this in mind when considering booking. Everyone on our last trip agreed that it was a fantastic

experience and well worth the walk.

Temperatures

Being a mountainous region temperatures can vary greatly but generally temperatures hover

around the 10 degrees C mark though it’s not unusual to experience a dusting of snow or as high

17 deg, as was the case in October 2014. You will be kept informed as we near the departure date

on the conditions so you can pack appropriately.

Testimonials

Having just returned from a trip to the Bieszczady National Park in Poland with Robert and Marek,

I must say what a wonderful photographic experience it was and how I was amazed at what we

had achieved in 4 days. It seemed more like 7. I would definitely recommend this workshop to

anyone who likes a photo-holiday break with a difference.

Michael Chalk

This tour to Poland, led by Rob and Marek, was a truly memorable one. With sightings of native

wildlife, together with an abundance of trees, makes one feel we humans are but a speck on the

landscape. Not forgetting, of course, the storm that chased us down the mountain and raged for

the next 5 hours or so, and the mist that swirled in the valleys the following morning.

I will certainly remember this experience! As always, the tour was put together admirably by Rob

and Marek, who both looked after myself and my companions so well.

I would like to say a big thank you to Rob and Marek for the organisation, even as to what flights

to book, and to the others in the group, who helped make the whole experience so enjoyable. If

there is anyone out there who enjoys nature, photography, and being in a group of like minded

people, this tour is definitely for you!

Chris Rothery

Another very enjoyable trip by Robert, ably assisted by Marek who met us at Rzeszow airport with

the minibus. On the journey to the accommodation, way down to the south of the country, we

stopped for food which gave us the first indication of how much £ you get for your Zloty’s and how

friendly the people were! The first morning was a shock to the system, up at 4:30 and off to climb

the highest peak in the Bieszczady Park, in the dark too, so head torches were a must. Just as well

it was dark, because we had no idea of the climb ahead, had we seen it in daylight there might

have been a mutiny! The result was well worth it though with cracking shots across the hills with

mist in the lower sections. The following morning we had a similarly early start, with clear skies

and a beautiful sunrise on the trees with the stunning autumnal colours The afternoons were

spent on various river banks with again wonderful autumn colours, fungi, rocks etc. with the

usual advice and tips from our leaders. Being a fussy eater I was a little concerned as to what the

food was, but having a Polish speaking person helped to describe the menu and there was plenty

of acceptable choices, and plenty of it too. So, to sum up a very pleasant few days in a lovely

country with many photo opportunities.

Angus Williamson

It is a beautiful country and not visited by many photographers to date - and Robert & Marek are

superb guides and leaders: Very knowledgable and always helpful. The food is amazing,

accommodation excellent and somehow Robert and Marek managed to get me up a mountain at

an unearthly hour, so skilfully I hardly realised how long it took to get there. I have been twice in

February photographing Bison (and survived) and for the first time went to the Carpathians for the

Autumn colours. An excellent trip and one I would recommend!

Anna Warrington

Meet your guides

Marek Rob

Marek Kosinski is a professional nature photographer specialising in the flora and fauna of his home

country, Poland, who has received awards in both the Wildlife Photographer of the Year and GDT European

Wildlife Photographer of the Year competitions. A trained biologist (PhD in plant ecology), Marek held the

position of lecturer and scientist for 12 years at Krakow university. He is the author of several natural

history books and has had more than 15,000 images published. Marek also runs his own photo agency

www.kosinscy.pl, is represented by the Polish photo agency, Forum, and is a member of the Polish Union of

Nature Photographers. A certified tour guide, for 15 years, Marek has also guided general nature tours for

various travel agencies. From a personal standpoint, I must say that I thoroughly enjoy doing tours with

Marek. Not only is an ace photographer and guide but he is a damn nice fellow with a wicked sense of

humour too, ensuring you not only leave with fantastic images and bundles of information, but you have a

fun time taking them, too!

Robert Canis is a professional photographer specialising in wildlife and landscapes who has been running

workshops and tours for over 20 years both in the UK and abroad. Robert's first experience with Poland

came about 14 years ago when he visited the remote forests of Bialowieza in Eastern Poland photographing

Bison. In February 2012 he ran his first tour with Marek in Bialowieza and has since led several tours to

both Bialowieza and the Carpathians.

Robert’s work is marketed by three international agencies and has, to date, written 10 articles for Outdoor

Photography magazine as well as an 11 page feature for Practical Photography. Awards include, category

winner in the British Wildlife Photography Awards, twice Highly Commended in the prestigious Wildlife

Photographer of the Year, twice in the International Garden Photographer of the Year, Highly Commended

in the Environmental Photographer of the Year, Honourable Mention in the International Photography

Awards and First Prize Gold Medal in the Royal Photographic Society’s Annual International Exhibition.

Robert has been appointed a Nikon ambassador for their current (2015) Extreme Weather Photography

campaign.

www.robertcanis.com

tel: 07939 117570 email: rmcanis@msn.com