Winter Wolf Photography

I was admiring some Daniella's great wolf and wildlife shots. She told me that she goes to Canada to do a lot of her wildlife work. You can see some here:

http://www.pbase.com/zylen/root

I was wondering what places in Colorado some of you have found for capturing wolfs and other wildlife especially in the winter?

I also discovered the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center which has moved near divide. They offer guided tours:

http://www.wolfeducation.org/

But they have some funny restrictions for *pro* photographers. If you do not want to sell your images it is only $10 to get in. But if you plan to sell them it is $200 for a private photo shoot. Wolf models are very expensive I guess;-)

Has anyone visited the new center? How about other local spots (eg - RMNP)?

I asked a similar Q. on npcolorado.

Thanks,

- Derek

Well, wolves haven't lived in Colorado for a while now, so if you want to photograph one, it will have to be in captivity (unless you're REALLY lucky. There have been a few reports of wolves in Colorado in the past year or so, but as far as I know, none have been proven.)

I'd say your best bet would be to drive up to Yellowstone.

Derek,

Brent is right - all of the wolves were extipated from CO early in the 20th century. Yellowstone will give you a fairly good chance of viewing and photographing wild wolves.

I don't know about the wolf center near divide but....

Although I have no problem with photographing captives and captioning appropriately, I won't do it. My one experience with captives was one day at a game farm while attending a workshop. This place is considered one of the top "game farms" and used by many renowned photographers and cinematographers. After the shoot we visited the facilities, and it sickened me to see animals that were bred for photography in tiny cages.I decided then that I would take my chances shooting only "wild" life and as a result won't probably photograph (or sell) as many animals. It is a personal decision, but I think it's important to consider the conditions these creatures live in - and that they are bred for photography.

Thanks Dave and Brent for the helpful info.

I didn't realize that wolves were driven out of the state. I may need to head up to Yellowstone for a wildlife shoot.

Derek

Well I heard they were going to start aerial gunning in Idaho and Alaska. Got a letter from Defenders a while back ....
can't believe they can get away with it so easy..... it's very sad ......

Wow,

That seems pretty harsh I didn't realize they were being 'snuffed out' like that. I may visit Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center just to learn more. While I am sure there are two sides to the story, it still seems like pretty radical treatment of our wildlife.

I read one article that talked about reintroducing the wolf back into Colorado. I am sure there are strong opponents/proponents on both sides.

- Derek

The aerial hunting is intended to increase game populations for hunters. There is such strong opposition to the wolf in some circles that just about any means to kill them is considered acceptable. As the gray wolf gets closer to de-listing, we can expect to see more of this sort of thing. (De-listing is a good thing with protection in place) The gray wolf is reintroducing itself in Colorado and the state has planned for their arrival. Wolves are working their way down from Yellowstone and will hopefully be a common site in the near future. Please visit the wolf and wildlife center, learn as much as you can and report back.

Dave,

It is interesting to hear about the wolf migrating south from Yellowstone. I think I will go to the CWWC just to educate myself on the subject a little more.

I think a lot of wildlife shooters do use wildlife parks and game farms to get their *cover* shots. I spoke with Daniella, the wildlife photographer I referenced above. She shoots both captive and wild animals primarily in Canada. She did mention that it is pretty $$.

I found this article about wildlife photography to be interesting:
http://www.betterphoto.com/article.asp?id=10

If I remember correctly, the wolf center near Divide, has only wolf-hyrids. There is another place called Mission Wolf, located in the Westcliffe area, see www.missionwolf.com that has some pure wolves as well as wolf hybrids. They used to allow photographers in for free if you brought them some food. Wolves can eat a lot and it's financially difficult to tend to their needs, so they usually welcome a donation of food. The food should be meat, such as venison, beef, chickens, etc., not dog food.
I visited them about 15 years ago and brought a bunch of freezer burned meat as a donation.

Don

I checked Daniella's pbase site out. Her wolf photos which are definitely beautiful, appear to be of captive wolves (note perfect backgrounds and foregrounds with good eye contact).
If you would like to see some great wolf shots of wild wolves in Yellowstone, I would recommend visiting www.jessleephotos.com . Jess was a contributing editor for NPN for awhile and leads workshops in Yellowstone to photograph bears and wolves.
Don

Thanks Don,

I will have to check out missionwolf.

It is pretty hard to tell from their website how good it might be for photography. Do you have to take photos thru the fence or are there other compositional opportunities?

Jesse has some really nice wolf photos from Yellowstone. I really look forward to their southern migration here.

I know what you mean about Daniella's images. But I don't mind that some are not in the wild because they look great to me. Better in fact than many *in the wild* shots. I guess it is more of a philosophical choice. I know many wildlife pros like Art Wolfe shoot in all three environments: sanctuaries, farms and the wild. But I think in the majority of cases from a buyer's perspective it probably wouldn't matter, unless of course it is for an article about shooting in the wild.

- Derek

Back when I visited MissionWolf, they allowed me inside the enclosures because the head guy was there and that's the only time they allow access inside.

Don