Description
Our special Winter Workshops at Woburn Safari Park have all the ingredients for a truly special day, making the most of this wonderful safari park when it is either closed to the public or extremely quiet with normal visitors. We have exclusively arranged an amazing day of photography and animal encounters built around 2 off road drives through the parks enormous, landscaped animal enclosures.
The day begins at 9.30am with a welcome coffee and briefing and then we will embark on a morning of true safari photography in Land Rovers. Our small groups of only 8 delegates are driven off road to achieve the very best views of the animals. The drive highlights include; Wolves, Black Bears, Tigers and the very impressive pride of park Lions in their 32 acre enclosure. We will also see Giraffe, White Rhino, Gemsbok,Zebra,CongoBuffalo, Patas Monkey, Colobus Monkey and Barbary Apes. We may also include alternative species such asRed Deerand Bison that look particularly impressive during the winter months.
By visiting the park in the quieter ‘low season’ we hope to benefit from extremely low numbers of other visitors that potentially can make getting good angles on the animals more difficult. Certain species such as the Lion pride also tend to be much more active in the cooler weather and this should give us some great opportunities for capturing interaction and behaviour.
Each delegate is guaranteed a window seat in the 2 vehicles driven by highly experienceWoburnSafari Parkrangers and Wild Arena guide David Southard. They will aim to put everyone in great spots for pictures, and the animals can be photographed at close quarters with very natural backgrounds thanks to the extremely large enclosures. The relatively small group size also should ensure those guests that are looking to learn more about their equipment and photography can get individual attention.
During the day we also hope to get a rare chance to go into the Black & White Ruff Lemur enclosure not only to get some great pictures but also to have the chance to feed them by hand – a truly magical experience!
• Fitness
The majority of the day is vehicle based so this event is suitable for guests of all levels of fitness and involves very little walking over made up pathways.
• 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 advise those guests new to this style of photography.
• Disability Access
This venue is accessed via good made up pathways from the large car park. The main visitor area has disabled toilet facilities and the main building is equipped with access ramps. The majority of the day is spent in Land Rover vehicles so 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 maximum group size for this event is 8 photographers
Itinerary
09:30: Arrival
09:45: Morning Briefing
10:00: Drive 1 Black Bears Amur Tigers Timber Wolves African Lions
12:00: Lunch
13:00: Drive 2 GiraffeBarbaryApes Black Bears Amur Tigers White Rhinos Patas Monkey Timber Wolves African Lions
15:00: Afternoon Break
15:15: Lemur encounter and feed Black and White Ruffed Lemurs
16:00: Summary and Close.
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 on arrival
SandwichLunch
Full Photographic tuition and venue guide
Entrance to the venue
Venue
Bedfordshire
WoburnSafari Parkis part of the Duke of Bedford’s Estate and has a first class reputation for its animal exhibits and very large drive through enclosures.
Facilities
Tea/Coffee
Toilets
VisitorBuilding
Mains Power
Additional drinks and snacks are available to purchase
Public transport links for the venue are good with a mainline station nearby
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. There is some opportunity to purchase additional food and drink; but it is suggested that you bring anything specific you 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.
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