We (PAW – Photographers Alliance Workshop) will be photographing wildlife in Montana this October. There are are still a couple of space left if you’d like to join me. You can see all of the details and sign up on the PAW website…here.

In case you were curious:

• Average life span in the wild: 25 years
• Size: 5 to 8 ft (1.5 to 2.5 m)
• Weight: 700 lbs (318 kg)
• Adult brown bears are powerful, top-of-the-food chain predators, but much of their diet consists of nuts, berries, fruit, leaves and roots
• Despite their enormous size, brown bears are extremely fast, having been clocked at speeds of 30 miles per hour (48 kilometers per hour).

National Geographic has a lot more information…HERE.

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This workshop was held on private property in California and so you’l have to come with me on October to photograph this bear, besides we already brought him home to Montana!

Photographing wildlife is why I own a camera and if you share that passion, then this is the workshop for you. At this workshop you’ll have un-equaled opportunities to photograph a variety of North American wildlife in natural settings. We are talking up close and personal with cougars, wolves, bears and much more. On this workshop you’ll get these shots and you won’t have to spend weeks, months or even years seeking out all of these animals. How? We’ll be photographing at the Triple D Ranch and they’ve been training animals for photographers and filmmakers since 1975. Undoubtedly, you’ve seen images of their wildlife, but you probably never knew it because we will always be photographing in locations that you would naturally expect to see the wildlife. There are no bars and nothing in the way but your own excitement!

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. A quick word of warning! Photographing these animals is addicting and I can promise that you’ll be coming back over and over.

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.

We’ll be photographing 9 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 mountain lion, bobcat, coyote, fox, raccoon, wolf and bear.

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

Schedule

You should plan on arriving in Kalispell, MT in time for the meeting at 6:00PM October 20, 2010. This event is at the Holiday Inn Express. We will have 3 days of photography (21st, 22nd and 23rd) and we have reserved a 4th day (24th) as a rain day. If we have achieved our quota of photography the workshop will end on Saturday evening. If we need to make up a session, we’ll do that on Sunday morning. On Sunday you may add more sessions for $150 per species per person.

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 guest cabin. 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 UNITED STATES
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 snow showers are certainly possible, so you should be prepared for 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!

The Leader

Jeff Wendorff
Jeff believes it is important to have fun while learning, serious fun, so be prepared to enjoy yourself when you are with him.

Jeff is an avid outdoor and wildlife photographer whose work has been published widely — from calendars and magazines to even cans of cat food in China! Jeff is the Associate Director and workshop coordinator of PAW and a popular international tour leader. He has co-lead workshops with David Middleton as well as leading his own workshops for the past 5 years. Jeff has a great enthusiasm for travel and photography and it is quite contagious.

Jeff lives on the west coast of Florida and has spent too many hours in the field honing his skills.

Contact Jeff
Email: jeff@paworkshops.net
Jeff’s Website: www.jeffwendorff.com
Skype: paworkshops
General Info: 877.384.PAWS (7297)

People are Talking About Jeff

The chance to be close to these magnificent animals was worth the trip whether I was able to capture one great image or not. Fortunately, with the expert help from the leaders at PAW, I was able to take home a variety of excellent images of lions, tigers and bears. Truly a remarkable experience!
-Frank 11/09

Jeff,
First off thanks for best workshop I have ever been on. I learned more in those 4 days then I have learned my whole life doing photography. Plus those animals were amazing. I can’t wait to go sometime when there is snow.
-Bobbie 11/09

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…

It’s going to be a wild one! ~ Sign up today!

Check out my video from past workshops…serious fun!

PAW Wildlife Photography Workshop from Jeff Wendorff on Vimeo.

Our semi-regular trip around the blogs and websites of Photographers Alliance Workshop leaders.

Rod Barbee – Rod posted a blog about Photographing Oregon’s wine country using Singh-Ray filters. There are great images and lots of good information in the article. Read the blog post here.

Paul Burwell – Paul wrote another of his gems on professional photography. If you’ve ever thought about being a pro, read this article on Paul’s’ blog and then if you are still in, sign up for PAW’s Getting Seen and Going Pro workshop.

David Muse – David has just published his newsletter for June. You can read about the HonFest and much more on his website.

Brenda Berry and David Middleton – Believe it or not we let these two travel together. They just came from scouting Tofino for a 2010 PAW workshop. You can read about it here and see all the pretty pictures here.

Scott Rouse – If you didn’t sit through the hours long Apple developers conference, no worries Scott has all of the juicy details on his website.

Gary Stanley -  Gary will be speaking at he New England Camera Club Council. His presentation is Getting the Most out of your Printer.  The date is July 10.

So follow the links and see what my PAW friends are up to!

I am quite pleased to not only introduce, but be a part of an exciting and brand new photography workshop company called, the Photographer’s Alliance Workshops. We call it PAW for short. My friend and mentor, David Middleton has finally decided that after 25 years of working for photography workshop companies it was time to start his own, and so PAW is here!

It is a great concept and full of a great leaders and great locations. Here is a description from the PAW website that really sums it all up:

“The Photographer’s Alliance Workshops (PAW) is a new photography workshop and tour company dedicated to exemplary teaching and superb photography. It is a community of professional photographers brought together to teach and to share their passion for photography. Simply, we are photographers from all over the country who love to help other photographers be their best. No nonsense, no excuses, no inflated egos, no huge overhead; just folks taking pictures, teaching photography and loving what they are doing. PAW is how photography ought to be taught.”

Here are links to the workshops that PAW will offer in 2009:

Imagine yourself in a Florida swamp and you are in a bird rookery that is home to nearly 5000 herons, egrets, ibis and more.  And now imagine that you are there during their breeding season and so the place is alive with activity. Leader(s): David Middleton and Jeff Wendorff

Florida Birds and More, March 12-15, 2009

The Oregon coast is a spectacular place for photographers. There is so much to explore, so many places to take pictures, so many things to point your camera at and it is all close by and easily accessible. Leader(s): David Middleton and Brenda Berry.

Oregon Coast, October 9-13, 2009

You will never get better images of raptors than on our fabulous Colorado Raptors Workshop. This is your best chance to photograph owls, eagles, falcons, and hawks in superb natural settings and up close! Leader(s): Jeff Wendorff

Colorado Raptors, October 25-27, 2009

Zion National Park is one of the photographic jewels of our National Park system.  There is no better time to visit than during the fall color season, after the summer crowds have departed and the cottonwood trees change to gold. Leader(s) Rod Barbee and Don Mammoser

Zion National Park, October 27-November 1, 2009

Have you ever thought about looking through your viewfinder and seeing a frame filling mountain lion or black bear or wolf or…? Leader(s): David Middleton

Lions, Tigers and Bears!, October 28-November1, 2009

Death Valley is a place of extreme desert beauty: dunes, 10,000 ft. peaks, dry lake beds, volcanic craters, the lowest place in the Americas, the hottest place in the Americas, spectacularly crisp sunrises and sunsets: it’s all there. Leader(s): Moe Witschard and David Middleton

Death Valley November 11-15, 2009

Bosque del Apache is one of our favorite locations and a must for anyone interested in photographing Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes during their fall migration. Leader(s): Jeff Wendorff

Bosque del Apache, November 19-22, 2009

So as our motto says: “Catch the light with the best leaders, locations, and instruction” and visit our website for more details about The Photographer’s Alliance Workshops!

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