Photo Safari

Richard I’Anson is a freelance photographer who has built a career on his twin passions for travel and photography. Over the past 37 years he has travelled the world, amassing a substantial and compelling collection of images of people and places in more than 100 countries on all seven continents.

His images are published worldwide in books, magazines, newspapers, brochures, calendars, posters, cards and websites. Richard has published thirteen books including five editions of the best-selling Lonely Planet Guide to Travel Photography, Lonely Planet’s Best Ever Photography Tips and the large format pictorials: Australia: 42 Great Landscape Experiences, Nepal and India: Essential Encounters.

Richard was one of five photographers selected for the National Geographic Channel television series Tales by Light (now showing on Netflix). He is a Master of Photography awarded by the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP), the World Nomads Travel Photography Scholarship Mentor, an Ambassador for the Australian Himalayan Foundation and represents Canon Australia as a Canon Master Photographer.

Richard runs workshops teaching all aspects of travel photography for individuals and small groups and leads photography tours to Australian and international destinations. He is also much sought after as a speaker & judge for photography and travel industry events and competitions.

His photography is represented by Getty Images. When he’s not on the road Richard lives in Sydney, Australia. 

For more information about Richard and his photography check out richardianson.com.

Concentrate your efforts to early morning and late afternoon when wildlife is most active.

Make sure you’ve got the right gear for the subject matter you’re photographing, the location and what you’re hoping to achieve. Typically, a DSLR with a telephoto zoom is the way to go. You’ll need a lens with a focal length of at least 300mm and for birds at least 500mm. A 100-400mm zoom lens is great, add a 1.4x extender and you’ve got a range from 100-560mm.

Make sure you’ve practiced, and ideally perfected, your technique as the most interesting moments of action, such as birds taking off or landing, happen very quickly and you don’t want to be messing around with your gear at the crucial moment.

A good guide, and in the case of Bamurru a good airboat driver, are crucial to getting you into the best position by considering the direction of the light, the background and the potential for action. Let alone spotting potential subjects in the first place.

Finally, you need to be patient. Wildlife shots that go beyond the simple identification picture take time and commitment, so patience is a key part of wildlife photographers’ makeup. But when it all comes together the hours of watching, waiting and practicing will be well rewarded with memorable, and often, one-off images.

It is just that! Bamurru is unique. There is no where else like it. The outback location, the ambience of the lodge and safari cabins, the great food and the adventure of getting about the floodplains on airboats. And that’s even before you start considering the wonderful photography on offer every time you step outside.

There are always so many favourite moments. The lilies were absolutely incredible this year, I’ve never seen them so dense. We came across a comb-crested jacana, one of the hardest birds to photograph, protecting the eggs that she had laid on a waterlily leaf, so she wasn’t going anywhere. And a perennial favourite is heading back to the lodge on an airboat at sunset sipping a red wine and reflecting on how amazing it is just to be there.

Bamurru is incredibly special and the photography safari is pretty special too, which is why we have so many returning guests. You’ll be joining a small group of enthusiast photographers keen to improve their photography skills in a unique setting offering so many opportunities to photograph landscapes, wildlife, birds and indigenous culture that you’ll probably want to return too. And I’ve never yet had a group up at Bamurru that isn’t great company.