Toronto Photography Meetup Group

Details:

What: Captive Wildlife Shoot at Muskoka Wildlife Centre
When: Saturday. Jan 29, 2011
Time: 10:30 AM for an 11:00 AM start
Where: Parking lot at the Centre - HWY 11 East Side north of Orillia
Bring: Warm everything, extra batteries, lenses/cameras/tripods/etc.

The event is limited to 10 participants on a first come first booked.

The Muskoka Wildlife Centre provides the opportunity to have small group sessions with their animals at a fee. The Muskoka Wildlife Centre is basically a shelter for animals that cannot return to the wild due to injuries or other reasons. The money charged for the photo sessions goes back into the operation to care for the animals. The Centre is located on Hwy 11 approximately 2 hours north of Toronto. More info at; http://www.muskokawildlifecentre.com/mwc/

Here is the arrangement. We will have a maximum of 10 people/spots available. At the Centre we will form two groups of five (5). I will book us a three hour session at a fee of $450 for each of the groups of 5 which will be about $90 per person based on five in each group.

Each group is provided with a keeper/handler who take the photographers into the enclosures or brings the animals out (depending on the animal) to get as natural a background as possible. The Centre has a number of animals that would be very attractive such as lynx, bobcat, wolves, wolverine and others. We can even be specific that we want certain animals so they make sure they are available as much as possible.

If the weather goes bad (rain for example) we can cancel and reschedule up to 24 hour before the event at no cost. I will check and we can make any decision the Thursday night before the date.

One critical element is the cost. If anyone signed up and did not show up the rest of the group would have to adsorb the cost. If anyone signs up they must be really committed to going. If you sign up and don't show we will bring back the cougar and feed you to it . OK, just kidding, but we will be unhappy with you.

If you are committed please put your name in the yes column. If you want to go but the list is full put your name in the standby column. If not, the no thanks column.

If you are on the Yes list but need to cancel please PM the first person on the standby list so they can have first refusal on your space.

And if you can offer a ride let people know by posting below, and if you need a ride post your need and watch for those who can offer.


Daryl

I would be interested, but in both months there are dates that would work, and dates that would not work for me.

I would be interested also in either month dependant on the date.
Can only click on one sign up

TIm

same here.

+1

I my thoughts on a dates. In January the last weekend would be most likely to allow time to organize. In February the first two weekends are possibles, with a prefrence for the first, but not the third as that is the long weekend I think.

I am open to suggestions.

DG

I made a pledge to not support or be associated in any way with an organization that keeps wild animals caged.

we human keep wild animals caged. How do you dissociate yourself from that?

I don't.

I am also very interested .... timing will be everything for me - so hopefully you pick a date I am free.

+2

OK, it seems dates are a critical factor. So, lets say the January option is Saturday January 29th. The February option is Saturday February 5th.

I am going to edit the sign up lists with the dates, and you can stay or move according to your availability.

DG

I like the Jan 29 date and should have room in my car if anyone wants to car pool...

both date will be ok for me ....... Mike please save me a spot in your car, willing to share gas & prefer pick up point will be commuter carpool lots on hwy 400 & major mackenzie or hwy 400 & king

Jan 29th working for me too .... do they have cougars?

Yes, they have one cougar named Kokanee.

DG

Daryl, I'm interested in this. I've been meaning to go, but the cost...

I went to a similar outfit in Minnesota a couple of years ago in the Fall. No animal was restrained during shooting, except the cougar. The usual cougar model had died and the handler didn't trust the young one, but the chain around his backside was easy to clone out. Are these animals trained enough to stand or walk about on their own in a wild setting? I'm worried about a background of mud, or a hand on a collar.

These are some images from that shoot (up to the frogs): http://www.pbase.com/reimar/animals

Yes even the bear and lynx just walked around our feet. Cats are great, the wolves and foxes were much harder to control.

Also, I know these owners often deal with film studios and such, but just to be sure, I take it they do not have any problems with attempts to sell images (I find such animal images are not big sellers anyway).

Hello Reimar:

Never been for a shoot like this myself so I can't conclusively answer all your question. But here are some links where you might find answers.

This is for the MWC site.
http://www.muskokawildlifecentre.com/mw ... otography/

If you contact Dale (email at the bottom of the page) he can answer your questions. I already contacted him for some details, and he got back to me the next day. They seem ready to make our visit as successful as possible.

if you would like to see some samples of photos you can check Ray Barlow's site. He runs workshops at the MWC. His workshop posting with images is here.
http://raymondbarlowworkshops.blogspot. ... 08/hu.html

More images here.
http://www.pbase.com/raymondjbarlow/mus ... ife_center

Hope this helps.
DG

Thanks Daryl, that's helpful.
If Raymond gets all those animals in 2 hours, we should get at least as many in 3. Some fresh snow would be nice. I'd love to get a wolverine, perhaps even on a tree.

Oops, while typing all this, I should have signed up already.

Looks way cool!

I have emailed the Centre to request our booking. I have also indicated we are interested in certain animals and asked if they will be available. The animals I asked about are wolves, lynx, bobcat, wolverine and cougar and if there is time fox, martin and fisher.

I didn't put it in the Details Section above, but if there is a desire we can go up to Gravenhurst or back down to Orillia for a late lunch and thaw out after the shoot.

Daryl

Neither January 29th or February 5th work for me. Have a good time guys.

Event is full i want to go

are you crying?

hi Daryl

Do we need to have 300-400 mm lens for the photo shoot on that day? I am thinking of getting rental, once the trip is confirm.

regards

Simon

Looking at Ray Barlow's gallery, he shot a bit with a Nikkor 18-70, 70-200 and some with a 200-400. Doesn't look like you need a lot of glass to get great shots. The longest FL he shot was 380mm on a D300 and quite a bit with the 18-70mm.

I agree with Carlton, a 300 to 400 mm focal length should be all you need on the long end, and a 70-200 would be a good second body/lens combo.

If you are a Nikon shooter you could see if you can rent the 200-400 and if a Canon shooter you could see if you can rent the 100-400. Or get a 300 mm f/2.8 in either mount. A 24-70 mm might be a good lens to have in your bag for wider images to balance the portraits and close ups.

I haven't made up my mind but I am thinking 300 mm f/2.8 with the 70-200 as the second rig. It will depend on the light and weather.

DG

For me, the 70-200 is all I need. I would not consider anything longer. I'll bring the 24-70 too as a back-up.
I think you may find that with animals basically running around your feet, a 400mm lens will not be helpful. If you want an eyeball, you can zoom with your feet.

At this time it looks like we are confirmed and set for Saturday January 29, 2011 at 11:00 AM. We will meet in the parking lot for 10:45 AM. I am just confirming some details with MWC.

I looked into a third group of 5, but they cannot accommodate that many people at the same time. Sorry standby folks.

If this session goes well I may book a return visit in March and I can PM those left on the standby list to give them a heads-up when the posting will be announced.

I am also thinking about a fall trip to catch the animals during the autumn colours and also they should have their winter coats well underway. Probably in mid October right after Thanksgiving.

DG

I'll be interested if there's a March session