Bird of Prey Workshop

One of the most challenging but rewarding wildlife photography subjects are birds of prey. If you’d like to learn how to capture stunning images of raptors then why not join me for a Bird of Prey Photography Workshop? Whether you want to capture flight images or intimate portraits, a day of photography tuition will provide you with new insights into photographing wildlife, practical tips and hopefully lots of motivation and inspiration!

These are opportunities to spend the day at the Hawk Conservancy Trust near Andover, Hampshire with me as your personal mentor giving you 1-to-1 tuition. See my workshops & tuition overview page for more detail on why I specialise in offering personal tuition rather than group workshops. You’ll be able to photograph a range of bird species usually including:

Bald Eagles
Kestrel
Falcons
Black Kites
Hooded Vulture
African Fish Eagle
Various Owls

(display birds vary so exact species cannot be guaranteed)

What does the day include?

The pace of the day is dictated entirely by you in terms of the subjects you want to cover. A typical day’s itinerary would include:

10am: Meet at the Hawk Conservancy Trust in time for opening. Enjoy a hot or cold drink while we discuss the plan for the day. If you’d like to bring examples of your photography then I’m very happy to review them with you.

10.30am – 12.30pm: Begin our tour of the Trust, photographing the displays and enclosures. As I’ve photographed the birds at the Hawk Conservancy many times I’ll show you some tips on how to achieve naturalistic images that you would never know had been taken in a captive setting. As well as looking at camera settings and long lens techniques we’ll also take time to study our subjects carefully. How they move and behave as well as how to anticipate what they might do next!

12.30pm – 1.30pm: Break for lunch and review the morning’s images. We’ll also make a plan for what we want to achieve in the afternoon session.

1.30pm – 1 hour before closing (times vary by season): Continue our photography, looking at different ways of using light on the subject. We’ll look at panning techniques with birds in motion and how to achieve different kinds of images using slow shutter speeds, and varying our focal length and aperture. If you have a camera capable of taking video footage we may even try our hand at a little wildlife film-making!

We’ll spend the last hour of the day with a review of what we’ve achieved. We’ll discuss workflow and image processing (I can bring a laptop to demonstrate some techniques in Photoshop and Lightroom). Hopefully this will give you all the information you need to realise some images from the day that you’ll be extremely proud of.

What equipment will I need for the day?

You’ll need to bring your own camera with a lens that can reach a minimum focal length of 300mm. Ideally to take good-quality images you’ll own a digital SLR although this isn’t mandatory. When spending an entire day shooting it’s highly advisable to bring some kind of camera support, either a monopod or tripod. That way you give yourself the best chance of capturing sharp images and it’s a lot more comfortable as you don’t have to carry your camera constantly.

The UK weather can always be unpredictable so I’d always advise bringing a waterproof layer and comfortable footwear that you are happy doing plenty of walking in.

Costs and what’s included

The cost for a 1 day bird of prey photography workshop is £190. That includes my time for the day and the entrance fee to the Hawk Conservancy Trust. As mentioned above you will need your own camera equipment, but I’ll also be bringing a Nikon DSLR with various lenses and a tripod so I can show you some of the camera settings and techniques I use. The only items not included are food and drink for the day. You’re welcome to bring your own food (but it does mean carrying it!) or alternatively the Hawk Conservancy has a good coffee shop which serves lunch.