Our final news item is the announcement of the launch of another sister company, Oryx – Worldwide Photographic Expeditions. The concept of offering top quality tours to the world’s most famous photographic destinations was developed by award-winning South African photographer and tour leader Marius Coetzee. Following in the successful footsteps of Rockjumper – Worldwide Birding Adventures and Indri – Ultimate Mammal Voyages, Oryx will draw widely on the knowledge base built up over the past 12 years of Rockjumper’s existence. Oryx will conduct the majority of its operations from the Rockjumper office, so you can rest assured that you will receive the same friendly and efficient service that you have come to expect from Rockjumper.

Marius Coetzee, co-founder and one of Oryx’s tour leaders is an exceptionally talented photographer and his images have graced the covers and pages of numerous premier publications. His skills in the field and with the camera were honed during a 6-year stint at the world-renowned Sabi Sands Game Reserve, bordering the famous Kruger National Park. Oryx’s tours have been specially designed to visit each destination’s most photogenic wildlife reserves, combining the prime time of the year with experienced tour leader skills to obtain the best possible images. The focus of these tours will not only be to capture great images, but also to examine the finer details of photography. Oryx’s leaders will guide you through correct exposures, perfect ISO values, shutter speeds for varying conditions, subjects and shooting styles, the art of digital processing and much besides. Time on these tours will also be allocated to reviewing each day’s images in order to obtain a clearer understanding of photography and its techniques. Whether exploring the Okavango Delta in Botswana or the top of the world in the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia, Oryx provides you with the opportunity to not only take back innumerable memories of the world’s premier wildlife photographic destinations, but also to obtain your own amazing images and the techniques thereof! Some of the offerings of Oryx’s 2011 tour schedule include Argentina, South Africa, Kenya, Madagascar, Botswana, Tanzania and India. For more information on Marius, please visit his blog www.mariuscoetzeeafricanphotography.blogspot.com and we will soon be announcing the launch of Oryx’s website which is currently in the design process.