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Baby Wildlife Photography Workshop 2012

Taking Standby Reservations

Please indicate Session 1 (June 26-July 1st) or Session 2 (June 30 – July 5) and email me your request for a standby spot….here.

At a Glance

About the Workshop

If you know me at all you know about my passion for wildlife and my fondness for photographing at the Triple D Ranch. I’ve been photographing here for years and have photographed every species in the menagerie in every season and location. I know how to photograph at the Triple D and after this workshop you’ll be stunned by the quality and quantity of images that you’ll have.

Nothing will prepare you for the cuteness overload that will occur during this very very special time at the Triple D when the babies are born! Holy Cats Batman, photographing a weeks old bobcat or Mountain Lion is just amazing and this year there is the added potential of Snow Leopard kittens. This is the stuff of legend that you would not be able to photograph in the wild without years and untold thousands of dollars.

We anticipate:

  • Baby Tiger
  • Baby Snow Leopard(s)
  • Baby Grizzly Bear(s)
  • Baby Amur Leopard
  • Baby Otter
  • Baby Badger
  • Baby Wolves
  • Baby Bobcat
  • and much more!

Included in the Workshop

The fee includes 3 days of photography instruction with classroom session critiquing your images and “how to” help on photographing wildlife. We will also allocate a few hours to help you with your digital workflow. OH! There will be a fabulous pizza party during our orientation.

We’ll be photographing 8 species during our 3 days. During this workshop we can expect to photograph multiple species in a variety of different but ecologically true situations. While the specific species cannot be confirmed until our arrival we almost always see mountain lion, bobcat, coyote, fox, raccoon, and wolf.

Transportation to the workshop and during the workshop are not included. Your local accommodations and meals are also not included.

Itinerary

Day 1 (June 26, 2012) 6:00PM ~ Holiday Inn Express

Arrive in time for an informal get together at the hotel. We’ll have some time to meet each other and we’ll go over what you can expect for the next few days including just how early you’ll be getting up each day!

Days 2-4 (June 22-29, 2012)
These will be our primary workshop days. Plan to rise and shine well before sunrise so we can be in position for the morning blastoff! The light will dictate our days activities and we’ll shoot as long as we can with good light. We’ll return to base in the middle of the day. You’ll have time to forage for lunch, download your images, re-charge your batteries and then meet for that days classroom activities. This is the format we’ll follow all 3 days.

Day 5 (June 30, 2012)
This day is a wild card. It will be used to make up any sessions that had to be canceled for some unplanned occurrence as well as for you to add a couple of more sessions. These extra sessions are $150 per person per species and some species will have a minimum number of participants for them to be available.

The workshop is officially over on the 29th assuming the make up sessions are not required. I will of course be there to assist with your optional sessions if you decide to add some more sessions. I’d be quite surprised if you didn’t book at least one!

Day 6 (July 1, 2012)
Departure day.

We are generally…GENERALLY, done by noon on the 30th. So it may be possible for you to catch an afternoon flight on the 30th.

Transportation and Lodging

Airports
Glacier International Airport (FCA)
This airport is actually in Kalispell and is a short 15 minutes to the recommended hotel.

Missoula International Airport (MSO)
It is sometimes less expensive to fly to Missoula and the drive the 150 miles to Kalispell.

Hotel
The recommended hotel for this trip is the Holiday Inn Express. All classroom activities be at the hotel. We’ll caravan to the workshop from the hotel; if you are staying anyplace other than the Holiday Inn or the cabin at the ranch you’ll need to meet us at the lobby. I’ll announce our hotel departure time each evening. You can expect it will be near dawn.

There is also an opportunity to stay at the ranches gorgeous Howling Wolf Lodge. This is a shared accommodation, you will have a private bedroom and share the common areas. Please contact me for details. The hotel address is:

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites
275 TREELINE ROAD
KALISPELL, MT 59901
Hotel Front Desk: 1-406-7557405

Equipment and Gear

You should bring lots of energy and a lot of memory cards! You are going to photograph a lot more than you imagine. On my last trip one gentleman shot 1200 images during the first morning session! We may photograph as many as 3 sessions with minimal breaks in between for downloads. You need to have enough cards or a portable download device to keep up with the action

A tripod can be used and is recommended. You will not need long glass, a 70-200mm is enough for the majority of the photography. There are some places where a 400mm can be used for tight portraits.

We’ll normally shoot regardless of the weather and showers are certainly possible, so you should be prepared for that. Also, bring mosquito repellent, you’ll likely need that.

There is not going to be a great deal of physical exertion on this trip. One location that we will likely use has a hike of about 200 yards with a moderate hill to climb. We’ll be able to take it slow and even with deep snow, we’ve never lost anyone…yet!

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Final Thoughts

If I could only photograph one spot for the rest of my life, I’d be hard pressed not to stay at the Triple D. No matter how many times I’m here (and its been a lot) when the animals are out the adrenaline kicks in and I’m in photography nirvana.

One last tip, before I see you. Take time while you are here just to look at the animals without your camera. It’s quite inspirational to be standing 20 feet from a mountain lion and an image you’ll carry with you far longer than your images will last…

You’ll always be looking over your shoulder if you miss this! Sign up Today!

Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes