Description
Join Wild Arena for a special day photographing British Birds. This new collection of owls and birds has been carefully trained to offer great opportunities to see and photograph some of the rarely seen British species, such as the short eared owl, long eared owl and peregrine. Of course there will also be the opportunity to see all of our favourites with the barn owl, tawny owl, little owl and the common buzzard.
This new collection is set in the surrey countryside, where we will have the opportunity to photograph these species in the natural habitat, from the tawny in the woodland setting to the barn owl flying across the fields. For bird lovers this is a must do day and as with all Wild Arena workshops a photography guide will be with the group for the duration of the session, helping you to make the best of the opportunities. The day will consist of two main types of photography, static shots with the birds carefully placed in natural looking settings where you would expect to see them and the more tricky flying photography, our guide for the day will give a briefing on the best techniques and settings to try and get those challenging action shots.
• Fitness
This event is suitable for guests of all levels of fitness and involves moderate walking over rough ground
• Photography Level
This event is suitable for all levels of photographic experience and good images should be achieved with all cameras equipped with telephoto lenses. The Wild Arena guide will also be on hand throughout the day to support and advice those guests new to this style of photography.
• Disability Access
This venue is accessed via good made up pathways from the gravel car park and entrance gate. The site has disabled toilet facilities and the main building is equipped with access ramps.
Wheelchair users or those guests with specific needs are advised to contact us before booking and we will do our very best to accommodate you.
• Group Size
The normal group size for this event is 10 photographers
Itinerary
10.00 arrival and briefing
10.30 Session 1 woodland birds
12.30 lunch
13.15 briefing on flying photography
13.30 Session 2 Birds in flight
15.00 coffee break
15.30 Session 3 Delegates choice
16.30 close and depart
Please note: The itinerary is provisional and subject to change depending on weather conditions and the availability of the exhibits. Start and finish times are fixed to enable transport planning.
What’s included
Tea/Coffee
Sandwich Lunch
Full photographic tuition and venue guide
Entrance to the venue
Venue
Surrey
This event is based at a location with limited public access approximately 45 minutes south of London, where we will have access to the large meadow and woodland area, which makes a perfect background for these workshops.
Facilities
Tea/Coffee
Toilets
Visitor Building
Mains Power
Additional drinks and snacks are available to purchase
Public transport links for the venue are good with a mainline station only a few miles away.
A detailed map, with full directions, will be sent to all delegates before the workshop and a mobile telephone number will be provided in case of any difficulties on the day.
What to bring
- You will be outside for much of the day so you should be dressed to suit the season and weather.
- We suggest you have a water-proof coat in case of rain and waterproof trousers for kneeling down on wet ground. Shelter is available but you should note that all exhibits are outside and hence can not be viewed while using the shelter.
- Refreshments will be provided on arrival and during the afternoon. However you should note this is a private location and there is some opportunity to purchase additional food and drink; but it is suggested that you bring anything specific require.
- You are welcome to bring whatever photographic equipment you believe may be suitable. There is some walking involved and you will not always be very close to your vehicle so please ensure you can comfortably carry all your equipment.
- Fill in flash might be useful in some conditions e.g. where the subject is backlit.
- A SLR camera together with standard, wide angle and telephoto lens would be ideal. A zoom lens covering the range up to 300mm will be ample for most situations and shorter focal length lenses will be suitable for close-ups. The layout of the collection even means non-SLR users are able to get good opportunities.
- A tripod or monopod is suggested for use with long focal length lenses.
- Make sure your batteries are charged and ready for action before you arrive but we can access power points for additional charging throughout the day.
- Bring plenty of memory cards or the facility to download cards as its surprising how many pictures you can take in one day.
