World's Best Raptor Shoot
Wildlife Models Shoot

		Raptors Photography Tour Details
		Dates	Oct 10–15, 2009
		Leader	Perry Conway
		Fee	$2,995 from Louisville, Colorado
		Deposit	$300
		Limit	13
			Terms and Conditions

Raptors: the hawks, owls, eagles and falcons. No other group of birds stirs the imagination, lifts our spirits and symbolizes noble qualities more than these. This is your best opportunity to photograph birds of prey under controlled conditions. Against a backdrop of Colorado’s 14,000-foot mountains, a wide variety of raptors are brought together to provide an unparalleled opportunity to learn about and capture, with your camera, these hunters of the wind.

Participants work with master falconers, educators and raptor rehabilitation experts who collectively represent more than 100 years of experience with raptors. These seminar/photo sessions are made possible through a special use permit issued by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

We expect to photograph 18 or more species during the photographic sessions. They may include the peregrine and prairie falcons, gyrfalcon, American kestrel, Harris’, ferruginous, red-tailed and Swainson’s hawks, northern goshawk, northern harrier, golden and bald eagles, plus great horned, short-eared, screech, burrowing, barred and barn owls, or others. Some of the birds are flown free and/or perched in aesthetically pleasing locations with beautiful, natural backgrounds. No cages are used. The birds are in excellent physical condition and should provide for natural portraits as well as some exciting action images.

Several beautiful habitats are used for the photography: rolling prairie grassland, forested foothills and rocky cliffs under brilliant Colorado skies. October brings the rich fall colors of oak and aspen, plus the warm golds and browns of prairie grasses. Traditional falconry techniques can be photographed during our shoots and—prey available—a golden eagle eating a (road-killed) rabbit, squirrel or prairie dog. We witness events that take place every day in the wild, but we are there to watch, learn and generate many spectacular photographic images.

Your photographs from this shoot will look like you spent the last five years of your life in a remote photo blind. There is, literally, no other wildlife models photo opportunity in the world that compares to this one!



Day 1 (Oct 10)
We arrive in Louisville, Colorado, via the SuperShuttle from Denver International Airport. The shuttle is not included in the trip fee. (D)

Days 2–5
These four days are filled with exciting photographic opportunities in several different habitats. Along with the photography, we have firsthand learning experiences regarding the lives of hawks, eagles and owls. Even though all the birds are acclimated to people, participants need a 200mm, 300mm or 400mm lens. Several of the birds, such as the barn owl, Harris’ hawk and golden eagle, may be flown free, directly in front of you, so your 300mm autofocus will be useful. Digital shooters should bring lots of memory capacity! If you are shooting film, a motor drive for your camera is extremely helpful for the action sequences, and two cameras with motor drives would be even better. (BLD)

Day 6 (Oct 15)
The SuperShuttle service returns us to Denver International Airport.