Great Gray Owl Adventure
February 16 - 21, 2025
Join Jim for his new workshop to photograph one of the most captivating and beautiful birds in the world -- the great gray owl. These owls have the most compelling faces, and in flight their patterned feathers are on full display as their 5-foot wing spans ply the air. You'll be able to photograph them flying, posing, and hunting. These are wild owls, and over the four day workshop you'll be able to take award-winning images that you'll be proud to show your photographer friends back home who will wish they had joined you! This is a winter workshop, so you'll have to make sure to bring the necessary clothing to keep warm. There will be breaks during the day for coffee and lunch, and our warm van will always be close for a hiatus from the cold. This workshop is limited to 5 people.
What you will learn during this workshop:
-- How to photograph birds in flight
-- What camera settings to use to freeze action
-- What focus point arrangement is best for flying birds
-- How to protect your fingers from the cold and still maintain dexterity to work the camera
-- How to expose for snowy environments
-- The best strategy for capturing detail and texture in snow
-- How to extend battery life in cold weather
-- How to prefocus on a point to capture owls in flight
-- Dealing with lenses and other camera surfaces becoming fogged in the cold weather
-- Addressing the issue of contrast in winter photography
Itinerary:
Day 1, February 16, Sunday
Arrive in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on this day and take a taxi or Uber to our hotel. If you want to arrive one day because of the uncertainty of winter travel, let Jim know and his wife, Dia, will reserve that extra night for you (at your expense). We meet in the lobby of the hotel at 5:30pm on the 16th to go over camera settings, exposure, and more in preparation for the upcoming four days of photography. Overnight in Airdrie, a small town just north of the airport.
Days 2 - 5, February 17 - 20, Monday - Thursday
We will spend the next four days photographing the stunning great gray owls in the boreal forest. In the winter, great grays are hungry and they can eat 7 vole-sized mammals every day. We use mice as bait, and the birds give us plenty of opportunities to capture them in flight. Using a fast frame rate, you'll be able to catch every nuance of their wing formations. Jim will give you tips on how to capture the best flight images. Overnight Airdrie.
Day 6, February 21, Friday
From our hotel to the airport is only 15 minutes, and we return this morning to catch our homeward flight, feeling privileged to have been so close to these beautiful birds and to have captured such stunning images.
Tour cost: $4775. Includes 5 nights hotel, all breakfasts, the welcome dinner, ground transportation from our hotel to the photography sites and return, the services of a local guide who supplies the bait mice, photo instruction, and critiques on demand. Limited to 5 photographers.
Single supplement: $275
Not included: Transportation to and from Calgary, meals not included, alcoholic beverages, and items of a personal nature.