Rules I hold myself to.
I am a polar expedition athlete, a performance coach, and a photographer. I sell trips, coach people, carry sponsors' gear, and I am five years into a road to the South Pole. All of it runs on trust.
So this is my commitment. To myself, and to you. Numbered, so you can quote them back at me.
1. Every frame is real.
Every photograph in my work was made by me, out there. Nothing generated. Nothing staged. Nothing borrowed.
2. The tools build. They never fake.
I use AI a lot in my business, to plan, to build, to write, and I use it hard. But what you see out here is not AI. Every image is mine, made in the field, and it will stay that way. No tool ever invents a moment that did not happen.
3. Attempting, until it is done.
I do not claim a first, a route, a record, before it has been checked against the record books. And I do not call anything done until I am standing there.
4. You never pay for a maybe.
If a trip cannot run, you get your money back. Full stop, no fine print. And I will never rush you into paying: no countdown clocks, no last two spots games. If you ever feel hurried, I have broken this rule.
5. Nature has the final say.
Every trip I run happens in wild places, and weather, ice and conditions can change the plan. I will tell you that before you book, not after. What I promise is the experience and the standard, never a fixed script.
6. I only carry what I use.
The brands you see with me are the brands in my sled and in my bags when I travel. Money has never bought a recommendation here, and it never will.
7. Real people, real words.
Every testimonial is from a named person who said it and gave me permission to use it. I will never publish words as someone's that they did not say.
8. Mental fitness, not therapy.
The work is grounded in an honours degree in sport psychology and 25 years of doing it. And I know where it ends. I am a coach, not a therapist, and if what you are carrying needs more than coaching, I will say so.
9. Immersion means something.
An Immersion, the trips I run on the Svalbard ice and in the Masai Mara, is a trip with the work woven through every day. The day the word means anything I host, it means nothing. So I protect it.
10. No performing.
I am not here to influence you. I share this road, the slow and unglamorous parts included, because it is real and because it might be useful. What you do with it is yours to decide. Nothing on this road is effortless, and I will not pretend otherwise.
These do not bend when it is convenient. If you catch me on the wrong side of one, tell me. That is what they are for.
Most of these you can check for yourself. Please do.
Wildlife Image Intensive: booking terms
Seats are transferable, not refundable. If you book and can't make the weekend, tell me before it starts and your seat moves to the next intake, no charge, no drama. Cash refunds aren't offered.
If I have to move the weekend, illness happens to teachers too, the sessions reschedule to a published makeup date and every recording is included as always. If the new dates genuinely don't work for you, your seat transfers to the following intake or you get a full refund, your choice.
The sessions are recorded. That's how lifetime replays exist. Cameras are optional at all times.
By submitting RAW files you're confirming you're happy for them to appear in the sessions and their recordings.
All prices are in US dollars. Two private one-on-one sessions are included with every seat. The first is booked within 60 days of the weekend, the second any time up to the end of February 2027. Questions before you book: info@gerryvanderwalt.com.