Deer romance and autumn sunset: Wildlife photography tour and workshop for beginners - November 11, 2023

Are you ready for an extraordinary autumn adventure? If photography and hiking are your passions, this is one of the perfect times to indulge in both.

Hiking in the colourful forest in the autumn is a magical experience in itself, but doing it with a experienced wildlife photographer who can teach you the secret techniques of the masters of photography to turn your captured moments into art is guaranteed to make it unforgettable.

Join us on an exciting amateur wildlife photography tour in the Velence Hills, in the mystical world of the Balancing Rocks of Pákozd, during the rut, the mating season of the fallow deer, and with a bit of luck you might even catch a glimpse of the lovelorn stags and their ladies!

The tour guide will lead the tour in two languages, both Hungarian and English.

Before the tour, we will listen to a short introductory presentation, followed by a hands-on demonstration of the equipment used by professional photographers. Afterwards, we will head out into the wild for a guided walk to learn about the site’s natural history and features, and take part in a field wildlife photography workshop. As part of this we will continue our wildlife observation with a thermal camera after dusk. On returning to the venue of the presentation, we will enjoy a picnic-style dinner of artisan ingredients, and learn the basics of image editing through processing the footage taken during the tour.

Length of the hike: approx. 6 km, level of difficulty: easy

No prior training, no professional equipment required, even the camera on your mobile phone is enough to participate in the hike. The opportunity to get expert tips and perspective, to observe game, birds and flora on the spot is an experience in itself.

Plus, our multi-award-winning wildlife photographer and conservation expert tour guide can give you useful tips on choosing the right equipment if you’re serious about pursuing your passion for wildlife photography, and will give you a hands-on demonstration of the tools used by the professionals.

From 3pm in ~~Dinnyés~~ Sukoró, before we head out into nature and ready our cameras, our guide will give a short (about 1 hour) introduction and presentation on the topic, during which we will learn about the magic and basics of wildlife photography. This will be followed by a hands-on workshop of about half an hour, during which we will learn about the equipment and tools that allow pros to capture the perfect moment.

Then we get in the cars and head for the field.

During our guided walk we will get an insight into the history of the landscape and the natural values of the site. The walk is also a field photography workshop, during which our guide will give you lots of useful and practical advice and help you get the most out of your equipment and capture the fleeting moments and the beautiful light of autumn sunset in nature.

Our tour takes us to the Velence Hills, one of the oldest mountains in Hungary, formed from granite bedrock. The rolling hillsides are dominated by dry grassland and patches of planted forest, many areas of which are still used for grazing. Its main natural assets are the so-called ‘Balancing Rocks’, which are granite block formations of varying shapes.

The flora of the Velence Hills is characterized by a variety of dry grasslands, such as rocky grasslands and steppe meadows, naturally occurring dry shrublands with blackthorn and hawthorn, and mainly planted forests (oak and turkey oak that love warm conditions).

If we are lucky, we may also see hares, rabbits, roe deer, foxes, buzzards, robins or red-backed shrikes.

Our tour also takes place during the rut, the typical mating season for fallow deer, when, despite the coolness of autumn evenings, the fallow deer world is alive with excitement and anticipation.

Similar to the red deer, there are also fights between fallow deer bucks during the rut, but they are not as fierce. Most of the time, the clashes are not for cows but for the best mating spots (“lek”).

At the mating site, they dig themselves tub-like hollows, which they mark with their bodily fluids. Meanwhile, they make throaty groans and wait for the cows to choose them for mating.

At about 4:30 pm, at sunset, we arrive in the heart of the forest, near one of the usual mating spots of the fallow deer of the Velence Hills, and where we might have the chance to see the participants of the forest dating show in the light, but even if it’s dark by the time the contestants enter the stage, we’ll probably be able to follow the action and enjoy the serenade of the bucks for a little longer, using our thermal cameras and our ears.

After 1-1.5 hours of game watching, we head back to the cars, crowning our time outdoors with a fun after-dark hike. As night falls, a symphony of nature’s sounds fills the air and the senses are heightened – an experience that goes beyond photography: it’s an immersive adventure to become one with nature.

Our tour guide, Zsombor Boromisza is a university teacher, landscape architect, conservation expert, member of the Hungarian Ornithological Society and the Hungarian Hydrological Society, passionate and renowned wildlife photographer, who is equally enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge and tips with those who are getting acquainted with the profession even on a hobby level, and during our tour he also tries to transmit his heartfelt commitment to nature conservation to everyone.

“Wildlife photography has been a part of my life for a long time and has always complemented my professional interests. Many times my knowledge of nature conservation has helped me prepare for beautiful moments, find species, and conversely I have learned a lot about nature through photography.”

At the end of our tour, we will return to the location of the presentation and have a delicious picnic-style dinner made with home-grown ingredients around 6:30-7pm.

After dinner, a technical workshop and lecture will introduce us to the basics of image editing using the footage we have taken during the day.

The program is expected to end around 8 pm.

Program fee:

73.66 EUR / person (VAT included)

The price includes:

lecture and presentation on the basics of wildlife photography and selected photos from habitats
hands-on workshop on the use of professional equipment
guided walk to learn about the landscape history and natural features of the site
field photography workshop
thermal imaging wildlife observation
picnic dinner with home-grown, artisan delicacies
photo editing basics lecture and workshop using the pictures taken that day

The tour starts with a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 14 participants.

Meeting point: 2 pm, ~~Dinnyés~~ Sukoró