Deep knowledge and field expertise are two of the strengths of our Photo Expeditions in Colombia. We work with the best field guides and we aim for the best education and experience possible. Colombia Photo Expeditions offers private custom Photo Tours and fixed-date Expeditions for photographers and travelers from around the world, specializing in cultural immersion, natural history, and photography, always traveling in small-sized groups with the best local and photographic expertise.
We are excited to announce our partnership with VII, a world-renown storied photo agency founded a few days before 9/11 to challenge the convergence in the photography business when the trend for giant companies swallowing smaller independent agencies started.
Our first collaboration will launch in 2021, where Guggenheim Foundation Fellow and photographer Maggie Steber with joining Safina Center Fellow and photographer Kike Calvo will be exploring creativity, storytelling, and inspiration at The Flower Festival in Medellín (Colombia) and the most beautiful river in the world, Caño Cristales. To complement our photo expeditions, Colombia Photo Expeditions helps satisfy all logistic needs and services needed from international operators, agencies, and professional photographers to warranty the best Colombian experience for overseas travelers.
VII is a small and photographer-owned, believing in the power and energy of collective effort when everyone else seemed to be going big and corporate. VII remains a disruptive and innovative business unafraid to swim against the prevailing currents.
About this Colombia Photo Expedition: The tour is designed to highlight Colombia’s astounding natural and cultural diversity, and we believe we have struck the perfect balance with this exhilarating itinerary: From exploring the Feria de Las Flores in Medellin in the Andes mountains, to swim- ming in a river that has been dubbed “the liquid rainbow”, to the Latin rhythms of the salsa capital of the world, to riding motorcycle-powered carts through the luscious rainforest, to visiting the beaches and mangroves of one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet in search of Humpback Whales. This trip is of epic proportions, complete with beaches, city life, owers, and incredible hospitality. Join us in a land where everyday life is very real but visitors can easily escape into a magical world as they explore the culture and natural richness the country has to offer.
About Maggie Steber: A Guggenheim Foundation Fellow, 2017-2018, and documentary photographer who has worked in 70 countries photographing stories concerning the human condition. She is a contributing photographer to National Geographic Magazine. In 2013 Steber was named as one of eleven Women of Vision by National Geographic Magazine. Her current personal project is The Secret Garden of Lily LaPalma, a project differing greatly from her documentary work, and supported by a generous two-year grant from the Guggenheim Foundation.
Photo © Maggie Steber
Her honors include Joseph A. Sprague Memorial Award, 2020, for commitment to the craft of visual journalism that advances the profession, Pulitzer Prize Finalist 2019, the Lucie Award for Photojournalism 2019, Leica Medal of Excellence, World Press Photo Foundation, Pictures of the Year, Medal of Honor for Distinguished Service to Journalism from the University of Missouri, the Alicia Patterson Grant, a Knight Foundation Grant, and the Ernst Haas Grant. Steber has worked in the small nation of Haiti for 30 years. Aperture published her monograph on Haiti entitled DANCING ON FIRE.
Photo © Maggie Steber
Her work is exhibited in dozens of festivals and galleries throughout the United States and overseas, Her photographs are included in the American Women Collection at the Library of Congress, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the Richter Library. She is affiliated with VII Photo Agency. She lives in Miami, FL. And the National Foundation for Young Arts.
About Kike Calvo: Kike is a Safina Center Fellow 2020, and an award-winning photographer, journalist, and author focused on culture and environment.
Kike has been on assignment in dozens of countries, working on stories as varied as belugas in the Arctic to traditional Hmong costumes in Laos. Kike’s images have been published in National Geographic, The New York Times, Time, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, Rolling Stone, and Vanity Fair, among others. His images are represented by AP Images, Redux Pictures, and the National Geographic Image Collection.
Photo © Kike Calvo
Kike is pioneering the use of small unmanned aerial systems to produce aerial photography as art, and as a tool for research and conservation. In 2019, his early work with drones was profiled as “genius” in the 2019 National Geographic Almanac. He is also known for his iconic photographic project, World of Dances, on the intersection of dance, nature, and architecture. He has authored eleven books, including Drones for Conservation; Staten Island: A Visual Journey to the Lighthouse at the End of the World; and Habitats, with forewords by David Doubilet and Jean-Michel Cousteau. In 2018, Kike launched “The Adventures of Pili” project, with the mission to create books and other educational materials that will increase children’s awareness of global environmental issues and foster multi-lingual literacy. Partnering with local NGOs, and adding the support of companies and readers, to the date, 5,000 free bilingual books have been given to kids living in remote communities around the world.
Photo © Kike Calvo
Kike has been part of scientific river expeditions in Colombia, Brazil, and Peru. Over the years, he has joined numerous National Geographic Expeditions—from Spain and Patagonia to Costa Rica and the Amazon. He also enjoys teaching photography workshops and has been a guest lecturer at leading institutions like the School of Visual Arts and Yale University
Click here to learn more about The Land of a Thousand Rhythms
Suggested Readings about Colombia
Email us for reservations or a detailed itinerary: colombiaphotoexpeditions@gmail.com
Read about the experiences of our travelers during our last Colombian Photo Expedition.
See the Photo Gallery of our travelers during our last Colombian Photo Expedition.
Banner Photo © Maggie Steber
Photo © Maggie Steber
Banner Photo © Maggie Steber