At the beginning of 2004, a friend named Karen DiPietro highly recommended that I attend one of Wolf Park’s photo seminars. She knew I was a wolf lover, I knew my way around a camera, and she said the experience would more than satisfy my intense interest in wolves and my love for wildlife photography. I signed up for the November 29th, 2004 seminar, gathered my gear, and left New York very excited.
I was very impressed with the thorough lecture given at the beginning of the day by Monty Sloan, Wolf Park’s resident photographer; it covered many aspects of photography for those who desired tips, and he gave all the participants ideas of what to expect once we entered the wolf enclosure. Pat (Monty, I will need you to insert Pat’s last name….I can’t remember it) finished the morning lectures with safety instructions, and live videos that helped us to identify some of the wolves’ body language.
When we entered the main pack enclosure, it was pretty cold, and there was a heavy drizzle; this was PERFECT shooting weather for the light and the definition the rain gave to the wolves’ thick coats.
For the next 3 hours, with a short break in between, we had amazing photo opportunities provided to us…..Monty, Pat and Gale were helpful in getting the wolves to pose, and I discovered that in between posing the wolves were more than ready to accept and solicit attention from the participants.
Two of the more memorable moments of my interaction with the wolves involved "wolf kisses" and a "wolf tummy rub". Chetan came by 3 different times while I was shooting and gifted me with soft, very gentle kisses to my cheek and jaw line. Kailani came over while I was on my knees in the mud, lay down by my side, and put her paw on my thigh. Gale said, "She is asking for a tummy rub," and for the next several minutes I completely stopped taking pictures and rubbed Kailani’s stomach, rib area, and caressed her shoulder; she thoroughly enjoyed the attention, and I was amazed in her trust in me.
The day went too quickly, and it was bittersweet walking out of the enclosure. I felt torn throughout the day: part of me wanted to take every possible photo I could, and the other half of me wanted to set the camera aside and just interact with the wolves. I feel I was given a wonderful balance of interaction with the wolves, and I hope my photos will give future potential seminar attendees a better idea of the incredible photographic opportunities that are possible.
I would HIGHLY recommend the photo seminar experience to any wildlife lover, and for ANY photographer the possibilities are endless I said this was my "first" trip to Wolf Park…….I KNOW I will return in the future. You have to truly experience it for yourself, and I guarantee you, you won’t be disappointed!
