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"Champagne & Piranha
A Civilized Photo Expedition to the Amazon"
Scheduled for June 2005
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WHAT IS CHAMPAGNE & PIRANHA?
Champagne & Piranha - A Civilized Photo Expedition to the Amazon
...
This is the name I have given to the 7-day photo expedition I will be leading in June of this year, 2005, to the Amazon in Brazil. Champagne means we will be approaching this in a 'civilized' manner because our lodging, transportation, and food will be the finest available in the region. Piranha refers to our destination, the mighty Amazon itself.
REGISTER NOW:
You ready to join this Expedition?
SOLD OUT To learn about Registration & Pricing: click here:
[PRICING AND REGISTRATION HERE]
OUR ACCOMMODATIONS?
Tiwa Amazonas Ecoresort (photographs):
The first two days, we will be mixing adventure and comfort at the 2-year
old Tiwa Amazonas Ecoresort (selected as one of the three most attractive new lodges in Brazil, 2004). The newest and most luxurious ecolodge on the Amazon, featuring lovely large bungalow-style apartments with air conditioning, hot showers, and verandas, all situated around a beautiful tropical lake. It has internet facilities, satellite phones, international TV, beautiful swimming pool with
tropical bar.
Santana III (photographs): 
Beginning on the morning of the third day, we will be exploring the mysteries of the rivers and the jungles aboard our very own 30 meter (98 feet) luxury yacht, Santana III (photographs). With a crew of nine, this beautifully designed yacht boasts of
eight luxurious suites, each with queen-sized and twin bed, private bathroom and shower, and air conditioning. There is a complete kitchen (with chef) and full dining room, where we will enjoy delicious Amazonian fare prepared with fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and seafood . In addition there is a large TV lounge with CD/VCR and satellite link. A large sundeck is
adjacent to the full bar. Each suite has its own motor-canoe for use in privately exploring the labyrinth of waterways.
WHERE WILL IT BE?
Right at the source of the Amazon. We will begin and end the expedition at Manaus (map), which is located where the Rio Negro and the Rio Solimoes meet to create the Amazon. This is called the "Meeting of the Waters" (photograph) because it a breath-taking natural phenomenon to behold. The black water of the Rio Negro and the coffee-tan colored water of the Rio Solimoes come together to share the same river-bed but do not combine. That's right, for about 7 kilometers, the Amazon river runs black
and tan. On our expedition, we will explore the rivers and the jungles near Manaus.
WHEN IS IT?
June 12, 2005 through June 18, 2005. Add travel time from Dallas and it becomes: June 11th departure, June 19th arrival back in Dallas.
This is designed so you can leave on Saturday and return the following Sunday, which means that you get a 9-day trip with only 5 days off work.
WHO SHOULD GO?
Anyone who wants to experience the natural beauty of this unique ecosystem and who wants to learn how to make better photographs of what they see. "It is one thing to talk about your travels ... however remember a picture is worth a thousand words ... but a great photograph is priceless." How many great photographs have you made? Do you have a one of those new digital cameras that
you don't know how to use? Learn from the Pros.
WHO'S IN CHARGE HERE?
That's me ... Roger Moore ... with the baby Boa on my hat. This Photo Expedition is my dream. Because I love to make photographs of beauty in nature and of people and of interesting cultures, and because I have been in such high demand for teaching photography workshops and personal photo
training, it seems like a great idea to combine all these things and 'take it on the road'. How better to integrate the making of photographs with the teaching of photography than a photo expedition? I know that people learn more, remember more, and have more fun by actually doing it rather than talking about doing it. This is the first of many photo expeditions in the future.
You shall know me through my work, so I invite you to refresh your memory by visiting my website:
www.rogermoorephotography.com. And here is my Bio (Roger's BIO).
Helson Moura, Meu Amigo, My Friend, with an extremely friendly monkey -- Helson is a superb professional portrait photographer from Vitoria, Brazil. Not only does Helson's work demonstrate technical skill and professional competence, his portraits tend to express more than what meets the eye ... emotion and feeling. I was so impressed with Helson when I had the opportunity to work with him
last year in Brazil. He arranged and coordinated an exhibition and lecture tour in which I spoke at four universities and three museums in three cities, taught a landscape photography workshop, taught a university course in Photoshop, and exhibited my Canadian Wilderness Collection in a prominent art museum. Throughout all this activity I found Helson to be a supremely
competent photographer and a genuinely good man. He loves to teach photography in all aspects including the art of digital editing with Photoshop. I feel he will be a valuable asset to this photo expedition. His website is:
www.helsonmoura.com.br
Jerry Lind, with parrot, parakeet, baby alligator and the local Indian children. He is also my dear friend, who operates Alla1Viagems in Vitoria, Brazil, a full service travel agency and tour operator. Jerry, originally from Stockholm, Sweden, is married to a lovely Brazilian lady.
He has operated his travel agency in Brazil for more than 20 years. He is multi-lingual and has arranged travel and tours spanning the entire globe in more languages and cultures than I can count. Jerry's vast experience in planning and negotiating arrangements has made the quality of this expedition possible. He and I (along with Helson) made a Planning Expedition
in January of this year, the purpose of which was to plan this photo expedition by personally examining every river boat and jungle lodge and mode of transportation to be certain that we are dealing with honest and competent people. I have personally experienced every aspect of this proposed photo expedition in order to insure the quality of the experience we are offering you. Jerry's competent
guidance was invaluable in ferreting out the finest accommodations and transportation. He will be able to help you in arranging your air transportation to and from Manaus because he is so knowledgeable regarding the international system in all respects. His website is:
www.alla1viagens.com.br
His email
is:
jerry@alla1viagens.com.br
MY PROMISE TO YOU? What I can
tell you is that I made a Planning Expedition in January of this year with Helson Moura, Jerry Lind, and Alan Morris (more about Alan in a moment). The explicit purpose of this expedition was to locate the best people, the best accommodations, the best transportation, and to personally 'kick the tires' ... that is to say that I wanted to personally experience all that we will be doing on
"Champagne & Piranha". I have personally met the owners of both Tiwa Amazonas Ecoresort and the yacht Santana III. I have stayed in Tiwa. I have walked Santana III stem to stern with the owner, who happens to be the same man who designed and built this beautiful yacht. I have made the jungle treks with Indian guides. I have fished for Piranha. I
have hunted for alligators in the swamps by canoe at night. I have dipped my hands into the "Meeting of the Waters" and felt the amazing differences in temperature and density. I have seen the beautiful multi-colored plumage of dozens of kinds of birds and cringe as I remember the loud, shrill screeching of the Macaws as they flew low among the treetops. I was amazed
beyond words that I received not one mosquito bite on the Rio Negro! The Rio Solimoes is another story. I have seen the uniquely beautiful Pink Boto, the fresh-water dolphin found only in the Amazon. I have been climbed upon by a variety of monkeys with the strangest colored faces, all friendly of course. My personal favorite animal was a Sloth with the cutest face,
which I named 'Molasses'. I loved the taste (better than the finest free-range chicken) of the massive Pirarucu, a 400 pound fish found in the local waters, whose scales are used for finger nail files and used to make jewelry. I watched the alligators hide among the giant lily pads, some of which were 8 feet in diameter. I went hunting for spiders as big as my hand in the
jungle at night with nothing more than a flash light and a walking stick. I had the pleasure of mingling with local Indians that lived along the rivers, and rode in the long narrow canoes that are so perfectly designed for life on the Amazon. These and many, many more things will we do on this Photo Expedition. But I make you this promise: We will go nowhere
without competent Indian Guides who know the area better than the back of their hands, and I will never knowingly lead you into danger. I want this to be an exciting and safe life experience for all of us ... something to remember fondly forever and to share with our families and friends, after all, how many people do you know who have done what we are going to do?
You must also realize that adventure travel carries with it risk. Accidents can happen no matter how carefully one plans. Personal responsibility is a must. I will ask you to carefully consider your own personal responsibility and to sign a
Liability Waiver Agreement (PDF
Document) which states for all to know that you are coming on this Expedition of you own free will and that you take full responsibility for yourself and that you release me from any liability. I invite you to come on the Photo Expedition and I invite you to be prepared to enjoy this unique life experience to the fullest.
IS IT A PHOTO WORKSHOP?
Not at all -- it is BETTER than a workshop because you will learn with the Pros one-on-one. No boring lectures. No homework. No group classes. Learn by doing while having the time of your life. Learn how to use your
own equipment to the fullest, whether it's a point-and-shoot disposable camera or a $40,000 professional system. Digital or film. In addition to myself as your personal photo teacher, I have arranged for a superb professional portrait photographer from Vitoria, Brazil to join us. Helson Moura (Helson's website here)
is skilled at expressing the essence of people. He is also a great teacher of photography and of Photoshop techniques, all of which means there will be a wealth of learning for you if you desire it. Never fear, even though his website is in Portuguese, Helson is bilingual, and you will love working with him to make those great photographs you've always wanted. Both Helson and I
will be using digital systems -- Canon for me and Nikon for Helson. I will have my notebook computer so we can have on-the-spot slide shows for anyone who uses digital. OR if you want simply to be left alone to your own devices, that's fine too. You never have to click a shutter if you don't want to because of the Special Bonus, below. The point is: You will
have two photo guides and personal trainers ... available 24/7 ... to use our not to use as you wish. How can it get any better than that?
WHAT SPECIAL BONUS?
This Special Bonus alone may be worth the entire price of the expedition. In addition to being your photo guide and personal trainer, Helson will be
making photographs of us all ... 'in action' ... all day, every day ... doing the things we do. And at the end of the expedition, Helson will edit these amazing images (and I am certain they will be amazing) into one big wonderful photo album documenting your exciting adventure on the Mighty Amazon. And each of you will receive this Action-Collection in the form of a hard-bound book
with beautiful cloth cover ... at no additional cost to you. In addition, all these Action-Images will be posted on a website so that you may share them by email with your family and friends ... and you will be able to purchase prints or digital files of your favorites. Wow. Will this be the best documented adventure experience of your life, or what?
TESTIMONIAL?
Look like a couple of "old river rats" don't we?
... Almost expect to hear the last line from the movie "Casablanca" ...... when Humphrey Bogart says to Claude Rains ...... oh well, I needn't repeat it. You remember that line, don't you?
This is Alan Morris, who accompanied me on my Planning Expedition to the Amazon in January of this year. Alan is an emerging photographer who has recently embraced the
digital world. He is an excellent student in my Personal Workshop Program. He was also my Patron for this Planning Expedition - Muito Obrigado Alan (Thank You very much). If you want to speak with someone who has "walked the talk", who actually 'has been there, done that, got the wet T-shirt', then I think Alan would be excited to share his experiences with you
(AWMorris@aol.com). I'm not sure his feet are touching the ground yet -- the Expedition was a stimulating adventure long to be remembered.
In Alan's own words: "The Amazon is truly a mysterious, bountiful, and diverse environment. Most of us know it only from afar, from documentaries and photographs. Having grown up on a steady diet of National Geographic in my home, I remember looking with intrigue at the amazing
images of lush jungle landscapes, beautiful, exotic animals, and indigenous people rich with culture. Even then I wondered how those pictures were made, and mused over the fantasy of someday being there.
As an amateur photographer for you many years, I have always attempted to achieve the perfect combination of subject, lighting, composition, and technical excellence in my photographs. Over the
years, however, I have produced only a handful of photographs which I can call well,…good. Certainly not enough to satisfy the artist within me and not at the level to which I aspire. The best of my photographs have usually been a matter of luck and good fortune rather than method and skill. I have always wanted more.
Roger Moore is a master of balance and technique in his work, creating images
that captivate, mesmerize, inspire and speak from the paper. A great attention to detail combined with a sensitive artistic palate and keen technical knowledge produce photographs of surreal beauty and interest. But more than this, Roger is also a teacher who is able to inspire creativity and skillfully teach technique, from the fundamentals to the advanced with great clarity and patience.
Our
planning trip to the Amazon was the beginning of my re-invention as the photographer that I want to become. With abundant subject matter and endless photographic opportunities, I was able to watch and learn as Roger would compose and make his images, always explaining and pointing out the reasons for his choices of perspective, light and camera settings. With his tutelage, I experimented endlessly with my
own skills and grew my knowledge base. After each shooting opportunity, Roger would review the images with me to discuss technique, composition and the potential for each in the digital darkroom where Roger’s talent is equally as impressive. He would share his own images and explain the reasons for his creative choices and technique. Roger gives greatly of himself through his teaching, and throughout our
experience, he afforded me the greatest personal respect and dignity. He conveys a sincere interest in the goals and outcomes that I am trying to achieve, and is giving me the tools and inspiration to reach them. My journey has just begun, and will continue on the Champagne and Piranha trip in June."
In fact, it looks like Alan and his lovely wife, Lydia, may be joining us on this "Champagne & Piranha" expedition also. I think you will soon begin seeing Alan's photography in publication. He has agreed to share with you some of his photographs from our Planning Expedition.
(Alan's Gallery)
REGISTER NOW:
You ready to join this Expedition?
SOLD OUT To learn about Registration & Pricing: click here:
[PRICING AND REGISTRATION HERE]
REGISTER NOW:
You ready to join this Expedition?
SOLD OUT To learn about Registration & Pricing: click here:
[PRICING AND REGISTRATION HERE]
SLIDE SHOW FROM THE PLANNING EXPEDITION
Photographs from my recent photo expedition
to the Amazon (January 2005) .
click on my photo to begin the slide show.
Photo: (c) 2005 Alan Morris
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