Bears and Babies Tour
in Grand Teton Wyoming
$999 for a limited time
Session 1 May 20-23, 2021 (SOLD OUT)
*Session 2 May 25-28, 2021 (SOLD OUT)
Optional pre and post day extensions
Tour is limited to 6 participants.
Contact RADykstra.photo@gmail.com or 858-485-8199
to reserve your place on the tour.
*I am an Authorized Permittee of the National Park Service
Come join me for this wonderful opportunity to photograph some of most amazing and cutest animals to be found. The Grand Tetons are a hot bed for wildlife photography. Not to mention, some of the best landscape scenes in America. We will concentrate on wildlife, but there are several other wonderful locations such as the Ansel Adams made famous Snake river location and Oxbow bend. Bears will be the highlight and in 2020 and 2021 we encountered over two dozen different bears. But there are other wildlife such as moose, bison, pronghorn antelope, mule deer, elk, coyotes, and birds of all sorts. BTW, the sunrises and sunsets are amazing!
See my blog for photos from last year's trip.
All of this for the RIDICULOUSLY LOW price of $999 for on average 10 hours per day of guiding and photography advice. which is hundreds less than some daily tours and even thousand of dollars under other similar guided trips.
* Some photos provided by California Wolf Center
This trip is open to the photographer who want to amp up their wildlife collection. It assumes you know the basics of exposures and your camera control. Basic fitness level is needed for the short but sometimes rough area walks required to be in prime position (100 yards) but we may also be asked by rangers to move as needed to provide ample room for the animals. Prior to the trip, I'll conduct an ONLINE ZOOM meeting, where you will receive information on logistics and trip procedures, but more importantly I'll go over techniques and skills covering how to photograph landscapes and wildlife, and set up your camera for the best success. I'll cover all you need to know, but we will also take time to discuss your questions. Those wanting more education need only to ask at anytime while we are onsite. I will be there to provide any guidance requested but will not overly inundate you with class work or photography techniques if not requested. The rest of the time I'll be guiding you to the most scenic and photogenic sites in the area. We are there to photograph top end images, not just site-see and snap-shot. We will spend as much time as possible behind the camera. But feel free to ask for personal support. Then I provide a private Facebook page to share our photos and images.
We will meet in the evening of day one in the hotel dining area and coordinate events and discuss the information and weather as needed. From there on we will be on site and photographing.
I have reserved up to 8 nice, clean, and safe hotel rooms located in downtown Jackson Hole Wyoming. (near the Town Square) There is a mixture of doubles and singles. Cost will be significantly lower than typical prices, (I can't advertise it, just ask) in a city where rooms are routinely fully booked months in advance. (and Motel 6 can be over $200/night)
Itinerary:
Prior to the trip: Zoom meeting to go over photographic techniques and skills. Logistics well also be covered. (date will be approximately 1 week prior to the first session)
Day 1 Transportation to Jackson Hole Wyoming. Meet approximately at 7:30pm to get local information and any questions on technique, locations, and skills required.
Day 2-3 Meet early morning prior to sunrise. Exact time will be determined by weather and best location availability. We will be traveling and photographing all day perhaps past sunset if the "photographic" conditions are favorable. Exact locations each day will be flexible but rest assured:
- We'll mainly be on the lookout for wildlife and make stops based on sightings and will spend a lot of time traversing in areas of known animal sightings
- But we will also visit all the well known scenic sites and maybe a few you don't know about.
- We will make a lunch stop and will adjust mid-day break time duration to current conditions. One day we may decide on a more luxurious lunch at one of the local lodges. (not guaranteed)
Day 4 More of the same, however we will be coming back to town after lunch to give participants the opportunity to make afternoon / evening outbound flights if wanted.
For those who chose to purchase the day 5 extension we'll go back out for an afternoon/sunset session.
Optional days.
Day 0 optional: I'll be in Jackson Hole the day prior and will be out scouting the area prior to the main trip. If you would like to join me at dawn on the arrival date, I'll bring you out on tour. This day will primarily be looking for animals saving the lanscape scenes for the main portion of the trip. So, if you would like to get some in some extra photographing time in, you can join me for an extra day of shooting at an additional $325 fee, Meet early evening of day prior to regular trip start date and photograph all day during the normal arrival day.
Additionally...
Day 5
This will be one last day for those who would like to extend their experience. We will include a late afternoon/sunset photo session after the main tour session is completed and then meet again early the next morning and we'll be out until lunchtime. This extension also has a $325 fee, however if you chose to do both, I'll reduce the fee to $600 for both pre and post days.
Recommended equipment:
- DSLR or mirrorless removable lens camera
- Wide Angle lens in the 15 to 28mm range
- Telephoto lens min 300mm or longer (>=500mm is better)
- Tripod or monopod. Especially for landscape sessions.
- All batteries, chargers, memory cards and accessories as needed.
Tour Excludes:
- Ground transportation, lodging, food and personal items and any parking fees. (if applicable) (travel insurance is recommended)
- Optional Hotel package will be available with Group rates. Call to find out REDUCED rate!
- National Park entry fee ($35 for the week - paid first day of entry)
(unless you have an annual "America the Beautiful" pass)
- Gratuities (always appreciated - industry standards are 15% of total trip price or ~ $25 per day)
Directions, hotel information and additional materials will be provided after sign up
- Your are responsible for any personal accidents or incidents during event and/or transportation to and from sites.
Pre-tour material instruction and Q&A Includes:
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Camera modes, exposure settings, and autofocus options.
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Understanding “Creative” settings, depth of field, Hyperfocal distance
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Discussion of compositional elements, techniques and concerns
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Wildlife shooting issues, timing, behaviors
In addition, Randy will be available to answer questions share tips, tricks and suggestions as applicable or on request. He will be available to assist, support and answer any questions and can help you by reviewing specific photos if requested.
Costs: Ridiculously low Price of $999
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Only 6 spots are available.
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Optional pre and post days $325 per day, or $600 for both.
(Need at least 3 participants to schedule an extension day)
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$350 deposit (non-refundable) to reserve Spot (PayPal fee =$361 total)
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Balance due 60 days prior to beginning of the tour.
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Workshop materials and any presentation is included in the tour price and represents no additional monetary value.
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Not Included:all transportation, food, lodging costs, National Park fees, gratuities
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Please note: PayPal charges an additional fee for foreign transactions. If you are paying with anything other than US dollars please contact me first and I can invoice you the appropriate amount to pay.
We only accept PAYPAL(fee additional), Zelle, or check/cash.
If you would like to eliminate Paypal fees, I also accept Zelle, via your banking app. (see if your bank supports this) Use radykstra.photo@gmail.com to identify my account
Send Deposit Now!
Pay Balance Due Mar 20th
Contact me to sign up for this trip.
Pay 1 day Extension
due Apr 1st
Pay 2 day Extension
due Apr 1st
Foreign transactions:
Paypal charges extra to convert foreign currencies to US dollars. If you are not using US dollars please contact me ahead of paying and I can invoice you the proper amount.
Refund Policy: Reservation deposit is Non-Refundable. 100% refund of remaining balance (minus any credit card charges) is available up to 60 days prior to event. 50% of balance is available up to 30 days prior Within 30 days no refund is available. You can sell your spot to another person up to 1 week prior. RADykstra Photography ( here-forth RAD) reserves the right to cancel any event or activity due to insufficient registration or any unforeseen circumstances. RAD will offer refunds for our cost only (including non-refundable deposit - $20) if RAD has to cancel the event. No other costs such as transportation or other reservations are covered. RAD recommends travel insurance. World Nomads or Allianz are two good sources. Note: no refunds for bad weather, we do all we can to get as much photography as possible given the weather conditions, but we will not place anyone in harms way by going outdoors in harsh weather as determined by the guide.