Visionary Wild

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Elevate Your Photography Skills with Expert Workshops and Travel Expeditions 📷 🌟 THE NEXT LEVEL STARTS HERE.

Visionary Wild is a photographic experiences provider, producing world-class workshops and expeditions for the passionate photographer. Founded in early 2011, Visionary Wild is the brainchild of Justin Black, a landscape photographer who was the long-time General Manager, Curator, and workshops director at Galen Rowell’s Mountain Light Photography, and Barry Andrews, a passionate amateur photographer and entrepreneur with extensive expertise in brand and product development. Together, they launched Visionary Wild to provide mentorship experiences that open new pathways to photographers who have done the seminars, taken the standard workshops, and who are looking for new opportunities to move their work to the next level of quality, depth, purpose and meaning. We operate worldwide with our base in Washington, DC, which connects us to the international community and with institutions at the center of photography, art, communications, journalism, natural history, and conservation. A worldwide network of expert resources and partnerships help to ensure the quality and authenticity of our programs.

10/15/2026

21 DAYS IN KYRGYZSTAN
Part 5: Köl Suu

Getting to Köl Suu wasn't exactly straightforward.

The group travelled in the back of an old Soviet military vehicle, a machine capable of driving through sections of the Köl Suu River.

It stalled several times.
But it kept going.

Eventually, the group reached the terminal moraine below the lake and continued on horseback. For Sherry, it was the first time she'd been on a horse in more than 30 years.

At the lake, the group took a boat tour before heading back down.

This is the kind of detail you won't get from a landscape photograph.
The turquoise lake might be the final image.
But the story behind getting there is every bit as memorable.
Kyrgyzstan isn't just about where you arrive.
It's about how you get there.

10/13/2026

21 DAYS IN KYRGYZSTAN
Part 4: Following the Silk Road

The journey continued along an ancient Silk Road route.

The group travelled through high passes and valleys toward Tash Rabat, a remarkably preserved caravanserai at around 10,500 feet.

For centuries, travellers moving between China and the Middle East could stop here on their journey through the Tien Shan.

Sherry photographed inside the dark stone structure using a long exposure, with fellow photographer Jerry Dodrill light-painting the foreground.

Then it was back into the mountains.
A cemetery.
A meadow lunch during a thunderstorm.
Remote valleys.
And eventually the road towards Köl Suu.

One of the joys of travelling this way is that the journey between locations becomes part of the photographic experience.

Sometimes the road is the location.

10/12/2026

NEW EXPEDITION ANNOUNCEMENT — AND THIS ONE IS HUGE!

Some trips are special.
Some are once-in-a-lifetime.
And then there are the places that wildlife photographers dream about for years.

We’re excited to announce our expedition to the Falkland Islands and South Georgia.

Think thousands upon thousands of king penguins gathered on wild, remote beaches. Elephant seals sprawled across the shoreline. Albatrosses soaring over the Southern Ocean. And beyond it all, the immense, snow-covered mountains and glaciers of South Georgia.

This is the sub-Antarctic at its most extraordinary and we're heading there at one of the very best times of year.

But here's what makes this expedition particularly special.

FOUR exceptional photographers.
One extraordinary adventure.
A voyage designed around photography.

We're bringing together Justin Black, Karine Aigner, Chris Linder and Roy Toft, all members of the International League of Conservation Photographers, to lead this remarkable journey.

These are photographers who know these environments, understand their wildlife and, just as importantly, love sharing what they've learned. They'll be alongside you in the field and on board, helping you make the most of the light, the wildlife encounters and those fleeting moments that can make a photograph truly unforgettable.

And because this is a photographer-led expedition, the focus is firmly on getting the most from every opportunity, not simply ticking destinations off a list.

This is a big one. A genuinely special addition to our expedition programme and one we've been incredibly excited to share.

We have a feeling this one's going to capture a few imaginations, link in Bio!

10/11/2026

What would you create with almost two weeks in Antarctica guided by Alister Benn & Justin Black?

For photographers who want more than a fleeting glimpse of Antarctica, this is a rare opportunity to slow down, explore deeply and photograph this extraordinary wilderness from a remarkably capable small ship.

Join master landscape photographer Alister Benn and photographer, conservationist and expedition leader Justin Black aboard the M/V Hans Hansson for an intimate, small-group expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula.

This isn’t a large expedition ship with hundreds of passengers and fixed itineraries. With just 10 guests, Hans Hansson can venture into sheltered channels, bays and locations that larger vessels simply can’t access, giving us more time, flexibility and creative possibilities in the field.

And then there’s Alister.

Known for his thoughtful approach to landscape photography, visual storytelling and creative seeing, Alister brings a depth of experience that goes far beyond simply finding beautiful scenes. From sublime Antarctic landscapes and sculptural ice to intimate wildlife encounters, this voyage is designed to challenge and inspire how you photograph.

furthermore, instead of spending days crossing the infamous Drake Passage by sea, we fly across it in around two hours, giving us almost two full weeks on location!

With Alister and Justin working closely with the experienced captain, the itinerary can respond to the weather, ice and wildlife putting photographic opportunity at the heart of the journey.

10/10/2026

Following our William Neill workshop, Justin Black and Jerry Dodrill take over for another immersive week in one of North America’s great landscape photography destinations.

And the timing couldn’t be better.

The aspen are turning gold. The Sierra peaks rise dramatically above the Owens Valley. Creeks, lakes, ancient bristlecone pines, changing skies and extraordinary sunrise and sunset light create an endless supply of photographic possibilities.

But this workshop is about much more than finding beautiful scenery.

Justin and Jerry know the Eastside intimately. They’ll help you recognize opportunities, refine your compositions, respond to rapidly changing light and develop a more deliberate creative vision, both in the field and through constructive image critiques.

With eight sunrise and sunset field sessions, classroom instruction, Lightroom and Photoshop guidance, and plenty of time to share ideas over meals, this is a deeply immersive photographic experience designed to move your work forward.

And if you’re already joining us for William Neill’s workshop, this is a wonderful way to extend your time in the Sierra and experience the landscape through two entirely different photographic voices.

📍 Bishop & the Eastern Sierra, California
📅 October 11–15, 2027
📷 Justin Black & Jerry Dodrill
🔗 https://visionarywild.com/workshops/sierra-nevada-autumn-2027b/

10/09/2026

21 DAYS IN KYRGYZSTAN
Part 3: Eagles, Horses & Nomadic Traditions

Not every photograph on a Visionary Wild expedition begins with a mountain.
At Song Kul, Sherry's group had the opportunity to photograph two traditional Kyrgyz activities.

First: eagle hunting.

A falconer rode a considerable distance up a hillside before releasing a trained golden eagle to pursue a simulated fox.

Then came horse-mounted archery, the rider controlling the horse with legs and body while using both hands to draw and fire the bow.

These weren't simply cultural demonstrations inserted into a sightseeing itinerary.

They became photographic opportunities, movement, people, animals, tradition and landscape all coming together in one place.

And that's one of the things that makes Kyrgyzstan so compelling.

The mountains are extraordinary.

But so is the life being lived beneath them.

10/08/2026

Autumn 2027, join legendary landscape photographer William Neill, a protégé of Ansel Adams and one of the great interpreters of Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada, alongside Justin Black for an intimate exploration of this extraordinary landscape.

From golden aspen groves and alpine lakes to towering peaks, ancient bristlecone pines, dramatic skies and fleeting alpenglow, the Eastern Sierra offers an astonishing variety of photographic possibilities.

With decades of experience creating elegant, deeply personal landscape photographs, Bill brings a rare combination of artistic vision, technical mastery and generous teaching. Alongside Justin’s intimate knowledge of the Eastside, you’ll spend quality time in the field refining composition, responding to changing light and developing a more intentional photographic vision.

Eight sunrise and sunset field sessions, image critiques, creative presentations and Lightroom/Photoshop instruction create a complete photographic experience, whether you’re an experienced landscape photographer or just beginning your journey.

And there’s something special about photographing with people who know this landscape intimately. The best locations. The fleeting light. The moments most visitors simply drive past.

📍 Bishop & the Eastern Sierra, California
📅 October 4–8
📷 William Neill & Justin Black
🔗https://visionarywild.com/workshops/sierra-nevada-autumn-with-william-neill/

Come for the landscape.

Stay for the vision, instruction and inspiration.

10/07/2026

21 DAYS IN KYRGYZSTAN

Part 2/10 - Life at 10,000 Feet

Imagine waking up beside a turquoise alpine lake at nearly 10,000 feet.
You're sleeping in a traditional Kyrgyz yurt, surrounded by mountains, with nomadic families grazing livestock across the summer pastures.

This was Sherry's experience at Song Kul.

The yurts were comfortable and beautifully decorated and the setting gave the group two nights to explore, photograph and simply absorb the landscape.

There were sunrise and sunset shoots, eagle hunting, horse-mounted archery and, occasionally, a much-needed nap.

As Sherry put it:
“This area is home to nomads who live traditional lifestyles.”

It's one thing to photograph a landscape.
It's another to spend the night inside it.

10/05/2026

21 DAYS IN KYRGYZSTAN
Part 1/10

What is it actually like to spend three weeks travelling through the mountains of Kyrgyzstan?

We asked someone who just did it.

Sherry travelled with Visionary Wild this summer, crossing the Tien Shan through landscapes of enormous scale, remote valleys, alpine lakes, high passes and traditional nomadic camps.

Her first impression?
“I loved the sense of adventure and remoteness of most places we visited.”

And that sense of remoteness became a constant companion.

Over the coming weeks, we're sharing her journey, not as a brochure, but as one photographer's honest account of what it's like to actually be there.

From sleeping at almost 12,500 feet to travelling by horseback, from yurts and mountain camps to a Soviet military vehicle, this was considerably more than a photography workshop.

This was Kyrgyzstan.

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http://www.visionarywild.com/, https://nanpasummit.com/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2xyvJ4jwIORGp8igDzW2yqcHoW7krV1AKfzIX

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