THREE NIGHTS LODGING IN GARDINER, MT, TWO DAYS OF WORKSHOP

Stay in our cozy vacation rental, two blocks from Yellowstone, for three nights and treat yourself to a private, two-day wildlife photography workshop for you and your significant other, or child.

Our full house rental offers comfort and privacy only two blocks from Yellowstone National Park’s North Gate.  Arrive the day before your workshop begins and get settled in, grill dinner, get a good nights rest and then walk out your door to meet your guide in the morning, at 6 a.m.

Your tour will be geared to meet your desires and requests within the Northern Range of Yellowstone.  I will have a good idea of where the best sightings might be.  Typically, our day will begin early, looking for wolves running through the snow and then on to look for other wildlife.  But, if you want to focus your photography efforts on foxes, bison, weasels, then we will begin the day looking for those.  Be warned, we won’t pass up a good photo op if we see one along the way.  After all, we want you to return home with some photos that you will be proud to have taken.   Your guide has been a full time wildlife photographer in Yellowstone for 10 years and can help you get those great shots you see on other people’s websites and pages.

We will spend the two days in the park, from 6 a.m. until mid-afternoon, looking for wildlife and talking about the park and the different species.  Your late afternoons and nights will be on your own, to enjoy the comforts of the cottage, or stay late in the park.

CLOTHING

You will be responsible for wearing warm and comfortable clothing.  Be prepared for the temperatures to range 40 degrees during the course of a day.  It may snow, rain or shine.  It may be frosty and bitterly cold, or too warm for your jacket.  I suggest a down winter jacket with fleece layers, a warm hat, gloves that will allow you to control the camera (heavy and light gloves are preferred), a face mask, sunglasses, sun screen, snow pants, good comfortable and warm boots (I use Baffin and winter Muck Luks, warm socks (I always carry an extra pair in case they get wet) and hand and toe warmers.  Don’t forget to bring hand and foot warmers.  I try to wear water proof boots for cross creeks and looking for better photo ops.  If you get here and have forgotten something, be sure and let me know before we head out in the morning.

THE NEW COVID WAY

During the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, our workshops and tours will be geared towards maximum safety for all involved.  Your guide is fully vaccinated.   Masks will be worn when distancing is not an option from unvaccinated people, inside and outside.  We will highly encourage clients to drive their own vehicle and follow their guide, using walkie talkies to keep in contact, if they are not vaccinated.  If this is not possible, we will screen each person to assure they are healthy.  Your guide will be getting regular COVID tests and limiting the number of tours in order to minimize virus contact potential.  And questions, please don’t hesitate to contact.

FOOD

Food is scarce to non-existent in the park so bring what you need for the day.  I will have a cooler to store your food in.

CAMERA EQUIPMENT

Photography equipment – you must know the basic settings of your camera in order to attend these workshops, and how to switch them on the fly.  You will want to have 1 or 2 camera DSLR camera bodies, with a long lens, preferable 400mm or more and a landscape lens, ie 17-35 mm.  If possible, a mid-range lens, Canon 100-400mm or Nikon 70-200, would be great.  Most of my lenses are 2.8 or 4.0, for better images in low light.  Teleconverters if you have them.  I recommend having your lenses and teleconverters  micro-adjusted for perfect focus on all of your camera bodies.  Also, make sure your sensors are clean but, I don’t recommend you doing this yourself.  Bozeman Camera, in Bozeman, MT, does a great job with both of these tasks and does rent tripods and lenses for your convenience.  http://bozemancamera.com  406-586-8300 – tell them Deby sent you.  If you are a Nikon user, I have some telephoto lenses that can be rented.  Don’t forget a tripod!

NO GUARANTEES

Unfortunately, we can not guarantee that you will see and/or get to photograph particular animals.  Nature is nature and somedays are filled with great sightings while others can be slow and we have to work real hard.

REFUND POLICY

The full amount of the tour amount is due at the time of registering and can not be refunded, so be sure and do all of your research before booking your tour.  We do try to rebook fully paid workshops if taken within six months.  We recommend that you purchase trip insurance, in case the unexpected happens.

ROADS

Roads on the Northern Range are well-maintained in the winter and normally do not pose a problem unless we get a new storm during the night with high winds.

ACCOMODATIONS

You will be responsible for transportation to Gardiner, MT, where your workshop will begin.  Your full home rental is included in your package –  and for your accommodations.  I can make recommendations for food, or you can check the “Gardiner” tab.

WORKSHOP AND COTTAGE AVAILABILITY

This package deal is good for weekend stays, arriving Friday and leaving Monday morning, with your workshops on Saturday and Sunday.  Or, Arriving Monday, workshop on Tuesday and Wednesday and leaving Thursday morning.  I suggest that you select a couple of options and then contact me at [email protected], to secure your preferred dates

A three day workshop, four day stay can be available, arriving Monday afternoon, workshop on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, leaving Friday morning.   Cost for this option is $2300 for two people.

OTHER INFORMATION

I have been located in Gardiner, Montana, and touring the park for photography, videography and wildlife watching on a near daily basis for the past ten winters, so please do not hesitate to ask questions.  There is one grocery store in town, only a few restaurants open and not all motels are open, during the winter.  Your entertainment at night will be limited to a couple of local bars, dining out, or getting warm in the cozy cottage.  Gardiner is a small town so you can walk almost everywhere but make sure you give the local deer and elk the right-of-way.

More information on Yellowstone in the Winter:

https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/visiting-yellowstone-in-winter.htm

https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/seasonalhighlights.htm

https://www.visitgardinermt.com

https://www.visitgardinermt.com/item/4-winter-skiing-and-snowshoeing

https://www.visitgardinermt.com/plan-your-trip/tourism-directory