Guest Reviews

"I was a little apprehensive, as a non photographer, about joining this trip.  From the moment we met at the ferry port in Oban any doubts I had melted away.  Such approachable trip leaders and a great group of fellow travellers.  Mull itself is extraordinary, both its geology and wildlife.  I particularly enjoyed our day out to Staffa and Lunga and oh my gosh!!!! the white tailed eagles on our last full day .... AWESOME!!!   Victor and Ness are an absolute delight and I would definitely recommend them if you want to travel to the extraordinary Isle of Mull"

"Enjoyable workshop at London Wetland Centre. Friendly, informative with plenty of opportunities to practice  / improve photography in great surroundings. We learnt a lot  - 'Duck 1000' useful to remember and have now been converted to back button focusing. Thank you"

"Really enjoyed the trip ,we had a great group ,lots of fun and laughter,Vanessa did a great job keeping us all fed .
we were lucky to find otters on our first day ,the trip to Staffa and Lunga to see Puffins was fabulous even though we had some rain it added to the photography,
The boat trip to see the white tailed eagles was fabulous even though it was a bit choppy at times , the crew had lots of knowledge and it was wonderful to see these fantastic birds .
Victor was always on hand to help with your photography and readily gave tips on how to take a shot .
The trip was a great experience and I would definitely recommend it , I’m already booked to go back next year"

"Had an absolute blast of a day, learnt so much from Victor , thanks for your patience. His knowledge and insight to photography is amazing, and with his help I have some fantastic photos. Would recommend this advent to anyone, I'm a complete beginner but Victor made me feel I could achieve anything"

"I had a great day with Victor on the Virgin experience day workshop at London wetlands centre.
The duck 1000 shutter speed rule is brilliant, and I have now been shooting on full manual rather than my regular aperture priority.
Thank you for taking the time to answer all my questions Victor!"

"An excellent trip but you have to be patient as wild life dictates the agenda.  Delighted with my first visit and would certainly like to come back and have another go at photographing these beautiful creatures.  We had a wonderful group of people which made the trip even more memorable so thank you to them. You have to take into account you are in a hide for very long periods of time so patience and a good book is advisable"

"Great trip. We saw Lynx and got good shots. Lucky to have a good and easy group and a great group leader"

"We went with Focused On Wildlife to the land of the tigers in India and had a truly fantastic time.  So much care and attention was given to the trip by Victor and Vanessa, enabling everyone to have great visibility on the drives, accompanied by an English-speaking guide as well as the local guides.  We saw so much more than tigers - leopards, monkeys, many many birds, and were immersed in the local environment.  We were able to see ladies planting rice, a pottery village and experience the Indian style of driving!  Victor and Vanessa had much patience with us, helping us to get the best out of the trip.  The lodges we stayed in were comfortable, the food was great and I'm looking forward to my next FOW trip.  Thank you Victor and Vanessa!"

"I have also recently been to India with Victor. This was ostensibly to photograph Tigers in Pench and Tadoba National Parks. However there was so much more especially in terms of the bird life and the magical Langur Monkeys. As ever we were well looked after in a well organised trip which also included a couple of very insightful visits to local villages. The accommodation was comfortable rather than luxurious but perfectly adequate. Loved it. And the Tigers were great too! Throughly recommend it."

"My second tour with Victor and Focussed on Wildlife and like the tour to Mull very enjoyable. The trip was well planned and organised Pre tour information helped me feel fully prepared for the photographic opportunities we might encounter. Location was excellent and lived up to the Eagles in the Snow title with plenty of snow and memorable sightings of Goshawk,Golden and White Tailed eagles. The small group size means Victor is available and happy to pass on practical tips that help even experienced wildlife photographers. The tours are highly recommended for photographers of all levels"

"What can I say but WOW an amazing experience. Victor was amazing from day one of booking the trip to the last day saying our goodbyes at the airport. The attention to detail, guidance and helpfulness was fantastic
I’m now looking at booking my second trip with Focused On Wildlife, and would without hesitation totally recommend anyone thinking of using them"

"I spent a few days with Victor in Norway photography Eagles in the snow. Victors support was excellent. From being met at the airport, private transfer, great accommodation, support in the hides and general oversite. As I'm looking to book another trip, I'd certainly recommend"

"As a non photographer, I was slightly apprehensive about this trip but I needn't have been. Everyone was welcoming and I felt fully engaged with the trip. There were only two guests to each vehicle which gave plenty of space, made the drives very relaxing and we could take our time at each sighting. Overall a fantastic experience of rural India as well as seeing tigers of course."

"Victor was very helpful in engaging everyone on the course, providing help and guidance for all levels and cameras. He was very friendly and down to earth and really contributed to my enjoyment of the course - would highly recommend!"

"A great trip, loads of wildlife. Tigers are the icing on the cake. Well organised"

"Thank you Victor and Vanessa for making our seal pup photography trip so enjoyable. Victor was always on hand to provide advice if necessary but was also happy to just let us do our own thing. The advice on post-processing using Lightroom was very helpful."

"Another great trip with the Focused On Wildlife team, well organised, fun and informative. Nothing is too much trouble for Victor. We have an itinerary, but it's flexible, depending on the weather and the clients' needs, meaning you make the best use of your time.  Victor took us to various locations so we could get the best possible photographs.  I have used other locations to photograph seals in the past, but this trip allowed me to get the shots I wanted for the first time. I will be booking another trip soon, as I am comfortable and confident in using the company again."

"It’s an excellent trip with plentiful opportunity to photograph seals - whatever the weather! Don’t hesitate to book a place."

"I am so glad I arranged to go on this trip, as I would never have known where to go to get good low level photos of the seals.  Victor was knowledgeable and helpful, and gave some great info on how to get the best images.  The accommodation was really comfortable and there was plenty of food to go round.  Far too many tempting chocolates and biscuits though!

The trip ran smoothly and did everything it said it would. Even with quite challenging weather at times, it was great.  I wouldn't hesitate to book with Victor again. Thank you!"

"I had a fantastic day with Victor and the other participants at the London Wetland Center. He took time to understand what we wanted to achieve and shared great insights into both photography and animal behaviour. His relaxed, thoughtful approach gave me a new level of understanding and confidence. Highly recommended!"

"Lots of useful advice on photography composure and felt like Victor tailored the course as we went along based on what he observed us doing and questions we asked"

"Encouraged to try back button focussing again. Will probably continue to use. Also useful information on getting down to the appropriate level."

"Victor's full day wildlife photography course at the London Wetland Centre was outstanding. I admitted at the outset that I've never felt confident to switch my SLR out of fully auto mode. Amazingly, with Victor's patient help, I was mastering "back button focus" and setting speed and aperture in manual mode. I've come away with some really great photos and effects that I would never have dreamed of mastering!  Thank you Victor...it was a pleasure to spend the day with you and to learn so much.  The London Wetland Centre is also an amazing venue and I enjoyed walking around the wilderness after the course had finished."

"Victor is very friendly and easy to talk to, he is also extremely knowledgeable and you can tell he loves photography and wants to genuinely help everyone improve their skills too"

"Great course, I took so much from the day, far exceeding my expectations. Victor gave Great advice and tips throughout. I would highly recommend this course/experience"

"Back button focus sorted (i knew it wasn't right so was good to get some hands on advise). Workshop was to re-ignite my passion of photography and it has certainly done that."

"Excellent day out in Richmond Park learning more about composition when photographing wildlife"

"I think I came to this workshop as more of a beginner but there was a variety of expertise amongst the participants. This was not a problem as advice was always on hand, willingly given and there was a relatively small number of us.
The venue had been changed to Bushy Park and, having now attended the session, can see why it was preferable to the London Wetland Centre particularly on a bust Sunday in August"

"Thank you so much Victor, for a great few days in beautiful Slovenia.  It was lovely to have a trip that not only focused on the wildlife, but also allowed an opportunity to see some of the country too.  The tour of the Postjana Cave was absolutely fascinating and quite a surprise.

The bear hides were very well organised and we had some great sightings and photographic opportunities, including a mother who fed her new cubs right in front of us. A priceless moment.

The accommation was really clean and comfortable, food was great and the company lovely. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Victor in the future. Great trip! Thank you!"

"I had a great time on Skomer. Victor was very knowledgeable and helpful, gave us plenty of encouragement and help. The pace seemed quite leisurely and relaxed but we did a lot and had a fantastic time"

"The Wetland in London is a great venue with lots of choice to photograph. I had not used my camera before that I received as a present from my partner to take photos when on our Narrowboat.

I felt that Victor tailored the training to my level of experience and what I wanted to use the camera for. Victor concentrated on specific items and achieved a knowledge transfer on all of these items.

I do feel my photos improved in the time we were together and I now feel comfortable in going out and taking photos and trying different functions on my camera."

"A brilliant experience, well run with lots of time to explore the area as well as great photo opportunities.  I had never had any contact with Victor before this trip, but I'm sure I will be travelling with him again sometime soon.  The trip was well planned, and Victor was on hand with photography tips and guidance when required.  Most importantly of all, it was simply great fun with great people. I wouldn't hesitate to book a trip with Focused on Wildlife again"

"Overall it was an excellent  trip. We start off at the beautiful lake bled and than did a couple of other spot a cave and castle which was amazing. When visiting Slovenia do something a little touristy.  Then the next 3 days of bear hides. Incredible sights and Victor always helped and made sure I was comfortable and settled with my camera gear."

"Went on an excellent trip to Slovenia with Focused on Wildlife last June to see Brown Bears. Easy travel, good accommodation. There is an abundance of wildlife with a large variety of bird life, much viewed from permanent hides. We had 3 outings to see the Bears at different hides. Each was different but we saw 3 Mothers each with 2 cubs of differing ages and a session with 2 single adult females. The trip was well planned with plenty of time to see the animals, visit the local area and also providing a session of photo editing tips. A trip that would be difficult to fault. Throughly recommend this adventure"

"This was a special experience. There was a total of fourteen guests on Skomer (five in our group), and we had the Island to ourselves most of the time. Victor provided excellent advice and leadership, and made sure that everything worked smoothly"

"I came into this experience with practically no knowledge on how to properly use a camera on manual settings. And by the time I was done I was comfortable enough to start messing around with the settings to achieve different styles of pictures"

"Victor was very helpful, and accommodated our small group with great opportunities for animals we came to see.   
The only reason I am giving him 4 instead of 5 stars is that we had to follow him in our rental car.  Not familiar with driving on the left side of the road, it was very stressful for us.  Those that were in the car with him solidified a better camaraderie in the conversation they were able to have that we missed out on."

"Really enjoyed my trip to Mull. Good group and leaders worked hard to make the most of any opportunities for photography. Friendly, helpful and always ready with help and tips especially useful for the boat trips. Well researched and planned to make the most of our time on the island. I am happy to recommend this tour to wildlife photographers be they beginners or highly experienced"

"The trip was very enjoyable and well organised with plenty of wildlife shots captured, calm boat trips, blue skies and even a sighting and photo of the elusive Otter."

"Overall a very interesting trip the proximity and variety of the birds was fantastic and scenery and seascape photography opportunities were also plentiful. Victor has got everything spot on"

"The trip was 5 star as far as I was concerned. It was a thoroughly enjoyable break. All the participants were great company. The tour hosts were excellent.
Every Animal or Bird that was on the agenda was found, including the bonus of a stalking session on a stretch of River where some great images of a Dipper were had"

"Victor has put together an amazing trip to experience one of the worlds rarest big cats in the wild. Given you are statistically half as likely to see an Iberian Lynx (~2000 left) as a Snow Leopard (~4000), this tour brings together 3 wonderful worlds, a photographic festival for the group, a chance to see first hand the amazing conservation work to bring back these animals from the brink and a rare chance to exchange glances with a truly wild Iberian Lynx - how cool is that! Victor is a great photographer, knowledgeable , courteous , good humoured and totally dedicated to his "guests". Thank you , it was unforgettable! Simon Booker, Wildlife Photographer, www.Stokerpix.com"

"Super helpful to begin to understand the manual modes, and it was great to do it in a relaxed setting. I didn't feel silly for asking basic questions, so thank you for the support!"

"From start to finish this was without doubt a brilliant and well organised event, Victor made sure that all in the group had the best opportunity to photograph the lynx, Victor was also very friendly and amusing. The accommodation was excellent and very clean. I have no hesitation in recommending this trip, Victor and Focused On Wildlife to anyone that may be interested in planning a wildlife trip. Many thanks to All"

"My recent photography trip to Scotland was an unforgettable experience from start to finish. The opportunity to witness such a rich variety of wildlife—otters, majestic  white tailed eagles, and charming puffins—was truly magical and a dream come true for any wildlife photographer.

I’ve come away with not only a portfolio full of memorable shots but also new friendships and a deeper appreciation for Scotland’s incredible natural beauty."

Highly recommended!

"I found the day extremely helpful and at last I now have a basic understanding and confidence of how to use my camera. It was a great few hours spent and you explained everything really well. I so appreciate that, I look forward to taking many great pictures in the future. (Hopefully)"

"I had the pleasure of joining Victor in Norway on his recent tour  'Eagles in the Snow'. Victor kept us well informed as to what equipment and flight arrangements would be needed, and briefed us on arrival in preparation for the upcoming photography hide sessions. We were well fed and looked after, the accommodation was clean and comfy and everything ran very smoothly.  Victor was always on hand to help with any questions and to share his excellent knowledge.  We did get to capture eagles in the snow and so much more besides! I wouldn't hesitate to book a tour with Victor again"

"Last February i went on the Eagles In The Snow trip , I couldn’t fault it. Victor is a really lovely man and has a vast knowledge in photography , he asked before we went what camera gear we used so he could advise us of settings etc for taking images in the snow . The house we stayed in was very comfortable and warm. The hides were great , very comfortable and warm.
I’ve now booked to go away with Focused On Wildlife again this year and again 2027 to Mull and i would certainly look at other trips in the future

"I just want to thank you for a wonderful visit to Norfolk last week. I so enjoyed your company and learnt such a lot from you both. The seals were amazing and a big tick off the bucket list. I am looking for to editing them when I pick up the new machine next week. Hopefully you will do the bears in 2026 so I can book again. Have a good Christmas and animal filled New Year!"

"Hi Victor and Vanessa, just a quick note to say thank you for a great trip to Norfolk. I was a bit apprehensive and as you all knew each other I felt even more so! You all made me feel very welcome and part of the group and comfortable.

Thanks as well for your time in showing me different things and for the great food and the use of the en-suite.

I would love to join you on another trip - I won’t bother to bring my tea making equipment next time"

"A massive shout out to Victor Soares Photography for organising a great trip. I hugely recommend checking out one of Victor's trips for amazing destinations and wildlife photography opportunities"

"Victor is a very experienced wildlife photographer who knows his craft and understands animals, and under his guidance at his well chosen locations ensures you will go home with some great images"

"Having shot a lot of wildlife before I luckily didn’t need help on my technique. What I did need is someone who knew where to take me so that I could have a good chance of getting the images that I wanted. Victor was perfect for this. He knew the location well as he had been there a lot providing workshops and working on his own photos. I will definitely do one again with him in the future"

"I don't often leave reviews but I recently attended Victor's Urban Fox Workshop and enjoyed it so much, I wanted to say thanks. By the end of the workshop, not only did I come away with some fantastic images, I also gained some really insightful knowledge to use on future wildlife photo days. I really can't recommend this enough. Victor has a wealth of in the field experience and he is more than happy to answer any questions you have in a really relaxed and easy manner."

"I recently participated in Victor Soares's "Overnight Stay in Skomer" photography workshop and tour, which was an exceptional experience! He is incredibly knowledgeable and provides personalized guidance, making complex wildlife techniques easy to understand for all skill levels even for a landscape photographer like me! Victor throughout the tour was hands-on and suggested new techniques and compositions depending on the weather & environment"