City Paper’s annual Best of DC awards contest

But we need your help!  We will be competing against some of the very best photographers in the DC area, and of course we offer a service that is a bit different than theirs: we don’t take pictures, we teach YOU to take pictures!

Click here for the link to the Photography Services category

We would be most grateful for your vote! Here is some information about us that may help you decide to vote for us:

1) Established in 1999, Washington Photo Safari (WPS) was the first- and remains one of the largest- community-based photography field trip programs in the country;

2) Averaging just 6 – 7 people per group, WPS clients have come from all 50 U.S. states and over 35 countries, including Australia, China, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Singapore, Fiji, the UK, Mexico and Canada, as well as from the entire DC, Maryland and Virginia region. With a 99% customer satisfaction survey rating, over 10,300 of these participants are repeat customers, coming on two or more Safaris.  Over 630 people have taken an average of 9 Safaris apiece, and one customer has even been on 59 of the  140+ different itineraries!

3) Because of the quality of our instruction, WPS has consistently received 5-star reviews. Ranked as # 1 among  Photography Tours and #9 out of 56 Outdoor Activities in DC by www.TripAdvisor.com,  it is also “Top Rated” on www.Viator.com, and No.1 in “Best Places to Learn Digital Photography in the DC area” on Washington.CBSLocal.com as well as Google, Viator, and Trip Advisor, which has given WPS its coveted Certificate of Excellence award for the last 5 years in a row.

4) WPS has served as a model for professional photographers in 20 other US cities, helping them establish similar photo safari operations in their own communities and has assisted in the establishment of a Facebook Group forum for local photo safari directors around the country.

5) WPS has worked cooperatively for 5 years with another successful local photography instruction organization, Capital Photography Center (CPC), to offer sessions that complement – rather than compete with – CPC’s offerings.

6) In 2017 WPS received recognition in the U.S. Congressional Record for hosting its 35,000th participant, in an article about WPS inserted by DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton.

7) Participating groups have included the Associated Press, National Press Club, Embassy of the United Kingdom, Deloitte Consulting, Hasselblad USA, U.S Capitol Historical Society, the Smithsonian, the Corcoran Gallery,  Cultural Tourism, Things to Do/DC, National Public Radio, and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Professionals In the City, Strathmore Education Center, Capital City Events, contestants of the National Spelling Bee, Critical Exposure, The International Photographic Society of the World Bank/IMF Group, and several other local camera clubs and law firms.

8) With volunteer help from its 11 instructors, WPS has raised $27,500 in donations on eight  benefit safaris to assist disaster victims in Indonesia, New Orleans, Japan, Haiti, and Nepal, hurricane victims in New York,  New Jersey, and Texas and for earthquake repairs at  the National Cathedral, and WPS annually donates many photo safari gift certificates to local charities for their silent auctions.

But the main reason to vote should be your OWN experience with Washington Photo Safari!  Our motto is “See. Click. Learn.” and our goal is to spread the joy of photography out among many more people.  The deadline for your vote is March 6…If you feel we have been helpful to YOU, please vote for us here!