COME TO BELIZE!
Mark Hemmings, Monique Luppes and Eric Bush welcome you to Monique’s home island of Caye Caulker in Belize this coming December! The three of us have a fantastic week planned, and we hope you can meet us on this stunningly beautiful, warm and fascinating island.
DATES: Sunday afternoon December 8th to Friday morning December 13th, 2024.
LOCATION: Caye Caulker, Belize. maps.app.goo.gl/xrYYpwAtb9NyGbpQ9?g_st=ic
INFORMATION: Please watch the video above for a full workshop description, and for any questions not answered, contact Mark Hemmings at +1-506-898-0204 (Canadian number) or mark@markhemmings.com
WORKSHOP SUMMARY: Each workshop day on the island will be divided into the following time segments: Early morning sunrise photo shoot (time TBD). Morning photo walk/photo event from 9am to 11am (approximate). Free time and/or group lunch. Classroom photo editing session in the conference centre from 2pm to 4pm. Free time until 5pm departure for our evening light photo walk, then a group supper at a local restaurant. Optional night photography sessions (schedule TBD).
COSTS: $995 USD per person. $500 USD for a non-participating spouse/partner/friend. This $995 includes the rental fee for a lovely mini conference center that we will rent everyday for the duration of the workshop. We will hold our classes there each afternoon. The fee will also be used to help defray travel costs for Eric, who will be putting in many hours of admin planning time for this workshop, and for Monique who is planning all the in-country logistics. The fee also includes a portion for Mark’s flight, accommodation and food expenses plus his time for leading this photo workshop. If we get enough people to sign up, and after the conference center is fully paid, we can use excess funds for things like hiring a birding guide and models for portrait sessions. The non-participating spouse rate of $500 gets the exact same experience as you, it’s just that they will skip the afternoon classroom teaching times. They are more than welcome however to join us at all meals and all Island photo walks, and any group events that we decide to do. To keep this workshop as affordable as possible, we are not including any in-country expenses in the workshop price. So food, lodging, airfare and transportation is your own responsibility. This is actually a cost savings however, as you get to choose your in-country purchases following your own desired budget.
PAYMENT: To sign up please request a PayPal invoice from Mark, by emailing mark@markhemmings.com. He will ask PayPal to send you an invoice that you can pay for with any major credit card. This method of invoicing is the safest, as only PayPal does the credit card transaction, not Mark.
REFUNDS: Because we need to pre-book and pre-pay for things like the conference center, a cancellation does affect our ability to plan a successful workshop. So we have the following schedule that will be honored by Mark via PayPal reimbursement:
95% refund up to August 1st, 2024 (the 5% is an admin fee plus PayPal’s credit card transaction fee for Canadian banking transfers)
50% refund up to September 1st, 2024
25% refund up to October 1st, 2024
No refund from October 2nd, 2024 onward
Please consider purchasing trip interruption insurance if your credit card doesn’t have that option built in.
AIRFARE: Belize is considered a “Sun Destination” with many airlines, which means that you can often get inexpensive airfare from major cities.
ARRIVAL: You may find that you need to arrive a day or two earlier than the workshop start date, due to the flight schedule that you chose. No problem! It will be a good opportunity to relax on the beach. There are many ferries per day that will take you from Belize City to the nearby island of Caye Caulker.
SPECIALITY PHOTOGRAPHY: If you are a bird photographer, bring your long lens. If you like snorkelling or diving bring your waterproof camera housing or waterproof camera. If you are a night sky photographer bring your motorized tripod head if it will fit in your luggage.
FINAL WORD: The three of us really hope you can come with us on this fantastic adventure! And it will be so helpful to have such a knowledgeable insider such as Monique to guide us on her own island. Eric plans to incorporate many of your own specialties into the workshop itinerary, and Mark’s experience in hosting photo workshops is invaluable. The three of us hope to see you in Belize 🇧🇿 this coming December!
Sincerely, Mark, Monique and Eric.