The Birds of Guatemala
March 7-12, 2025
Instructors: Mike Mezeul II & Diego Rizzo
Class size: 6 spots (3 Spots Open!)
Tuition: $3499
Guatemala is known for it’s incredible landscapes filled with volcanoes, mountains and wonderful highlands. If you take a bit closer look though at these landscapes, you’ll see that there are hundreds of varieties of birds and other wildlife that call Guatemala home. Come join myself and Diego Rizzo for an incredible six days in Guatemala, as we focus on creating stunning images of the beautiful birds of the region. Oh and don’t worry, we will make sure you have day or two as well to create some dazzling images of the volcanoes around Lake Atitlan!
What You Will Learn:
How to create compelling wildlife compositions.
How to use your camera to its fullest capabilities.
How to utilize a variety of lenses to think “outside the box.”
How to experiment with a variety of techniques to increase creativity.
An understanding for light and how to take advantage of it in all conditions.
The basics of Lightroom and Photoshop.
How to find simplicity in complex scenes.
What You Will Need:
A DSLR or mirrorless camera body and an assortment of lenses. A long lens is recommended (400mm or greater).
A sturdy tripod with a wildlife gimbal (recommended, not required).
A headlamp or flashlight.
At least the trial version of Lightroom or Photoshop on your laptop.
Multiple batteries.
A desire to learn, have fun, be flexible, and explore nature!
What's Not Included:
Travel to Guatemala City.
Any required visas.
Travel insurance.
Alcoholic beverages.
Tips for guides.
What's Included:
Accommodations, based upon double occupancy (single occupancy available for $750).
One night at the Holiday Inn in Guatemala City on the night of the 6th.
Transportation within the workshop.
All park entrance fees and permits.
4x4 Vehicle and guides within Los Tarrales.
Boat ride in Lake Atitlan.
Meals & non-alcoholic beverages.
Access to our minds 24/7.
Post-workshop editing tutorial videos.
Where are we staying?
For this workshop, we will be basing out of the beautiful Los Tarrales Lodge and Hotel Atitlan.
Los Tarrales Lodge
Hotel Atitlan
Physical Requirements:
There will be some hiking to our shooting locations. Although these hikes are not technical, they can range in length from 2-4km round trip, and will be through terrain that can be a bit rocky and/or muddy. Please know your physical limits.
What Wildlife Can We Expect To See?
With over 350 species of exotic birds residing in Los Tarrales natural reserve, it is one of the best locations within Guatemala for bird watching and photography.
Arrival / Departure
You will want to fly into and out of La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City. It is highly recommend to fly in the day prior to the workshop start, and depart the following day after our workshop ends.
When does the workshop start and finish??
The workshop will begin at 9AM, and wrap at 9PM on the final day.
When are final payments due?
Final payment are due by January 7th, 2025.
Itinerary:
March 7: We will begin our workshop with a meet & greet breakfast at the Holiday Inn in Guatemala City. We will take some time to fill our stomachs, get to know one another and discuss workshop goals and what to expect during our time in Guatemala. We will then load up our van and depart for an approximately 3.5 hour drive to Los Tarrales Natural Reserve. Once we arrive, we will check in, have a great lunch and then head out for our afternoon shoot.
March 8-10: Each day, will we head out for morning and afternoon shoots in search of some of those most photogenic, colorful and elusive birds that Guatemala has to offer. During the midday timeframe, we will have lunch and edit / critique sessions, as well as some time to just relax and enjoy the sounds of nature.
March 11: After one more morning shoot, we will pack up our van and then depart for the stunning Lake Atitlan (~1.5 hour drive). Once we arrive at our magnificent hotel, we will then head out on a boat ride to San Juan la Laguna for lunch, street photography and tourism. After an afternoon in San Juan la Laguna, we will head back to our hotel for our evening landscape photography session of Lake Atitlan from Panajachel.
March 12: One more wonderful sunrise in Guatemala, focusing on the beautiful volcanic landscape across the waters of Lake Atitlan. After our shoot, we will depart for the historic town of Antigua, where you will have time for some street photography, touring ruins and a hearty lunch. We will head back to the Holiday Inn in Guatemala City after dinner and a sunset shoot in Antigua, and aim to be back in town to wrap our workshop at around 9PM.
The incredible view of Lake Atitlan.
Exploring the beauty of Antigua.
Incredible local artwork decorates the streets of San Juan la Laguna..
A tuc-tuc in motion within San Juan la Laguna.
Your Instructors
Mike Mezeul II is a Nikon Ambassador and extreme nature and landscape photographer based out of Dallas, Texas. His work focuses on documenting the power and beauty within the worlds most powerful natural events, focusing primarily on severe weather and volcanoes. When he is not on a project or assignment, he spends his time leading workshops around the world in which he shares his passion for photography through inspiring and educating individuals of all ages and skill levels.
Diego Rizzo is a photographer in love with creation and nature and could say that he’s addicted to active volcanoes! His work has been featured with Nikon, DPReview, APOD (Astronomy Picture Of the Day of NASA), National Geographic calendar’s and more. His work focuses on documenting active volcanoes for the monitoring entities in Guatemala and has produced a series of interviews for The Smithsonian Institution and its Global Volcanism Program. Diego spends much of his time guiding around Guatemala and teaching photography to students from all over the world.
