Where the wild things are
Photo by MANDI BATEMAN Photographers gathered at the Photography Adventure, held at the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge on June 9.
Photo by MANDI BATEMAN Photographer Mark Vogt takes advantage of the opportunity to photography Hoot, the owl.
Photo by MANDI BATEMAN Wildlife rescuer Ken English, who specializes in birds of prey, brought “Hoot,” a great horned owl.
Photo by MANDI BATEMAN The weather had an impact on the amount of people attending the Photography Adventure.
Photo by MANDI BATEMAN Hott, the owl, was a favorite of the photographers that attended.
Photo by MANDI BATEMAN After Hoot was rescued by Ken English six years ago, they have developed a very close bond, offering the photographers a rare opportunity to see an owl up close.
BONNERS FERRY — Photographers from north Idaho gathered on June 9, at the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge on an unusually damp, cool day, to take part in the second Photography Adventure, sponsored by the Friends of Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge.
The event gave amateurs a chance to meet and learn from some of the top photographers in the area, as well as allowing the professionals to talk shop with one another, gaining and sharing tips.
“We have a variety of people and their expertise and we try to utilize that,” said award-winning professional wildlife and nature photographer, Mark Vogt, who helped to organize the event and was the presenter.
The weather did put a damper on the amount of attendees.
“We were shooting for closer to 200, but because of the weather, I was surprised that we got as many as we did because it was raining when I first got here,” said Vogt. “When they are driving from as far away as Coeur d’Alene, they are taking a chance.”
Despite the drizzle of rain that tapered off for a job portion of day, only picking up again in the end, Vogt remarked that people’s spirits remained high and they all had a good time.
Of the 70 to 80 people who attended, there were many new faces that joined the people returning from the prior year. Mike Elam, photographer for North Bench Fire District, was one of the newcomers to the Photography Adventure this year.
“I thought it was a great event,” said Elam. “The staff was really helpful. They have some neat attractions and a lot of useful information.”
Rachelle Thomas returned again this year. “It is awesome,” Thomas said about the event. “You get to learn a lot.”
Thomas considers herself an amateur photographer and her favorite part was the great horned owl, Hoot, brought by wildlife rescuer Ken English, who specializes in birds of prey. Hoot had an accident with a logging truck six years ago and the driver was caring enough to bring him to English, who nursed him back to health, and has since developed a close bond with the owl.
“People were super excited about Ken bringing the owl out,” said award-winning photographer Steve Jamsa. “The rain held off, so it was awesome. People seemed to learn a lot and you can’t beat the setting.”
Jamsa was one of the photographer instructors for the day, teaching at the Wildlife Station. Other stations were set up around the refuge, each with a photographer leading the class in their field of expertise. Among the dedicated stations were flowers, motion in water, waterfalls, and more, allowing the attendees many opportunities to learn about the areas in which they were most interested.
One of the attendees approached Vogt when the day was coming to a close and asked him when was the best time to photograph wildlife.
“When you see them,” he responded with a chuckle, then continued. “Early morning and later afternoon, when you have just enough light. Just think about you; relate everything to humans. I know is sounds kind of stupid, but when it gets light out, the first thing you do after you wake up, other than go to the bathroom, is you go and eat. So you have to think about their perspective.”
This was just one of many questions that were asked over the several hours. The chance to talk to top photographers directly was an opportunity that many of the amateurs found to be a great experience.
“We are just trying to make people more aware of the opportunity that is out there,” said Vogt. “This is just one of those hidden things. It’s way better to come out here than to sit and watch TV. Fresh air, wildlife … there is such a variety of things that you can do — the waterfalls, the landscape, and the wildlife.
The whole Photography Adventure was funded by a suggested donation of $10 per person. It benefits the Friends of the KNWR, which in turn, benefits the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge.