SOME HIGHLIGTHS
- Most likely the best place in Sweden for photographing wild wolverines up close
- Bears, foxes and badgers are regular visitors
- With lots of luck, even wolves
- Two nights in a well-established hide with a strong track record
- We are the only Swedish travel agency offering tours to this location
- In June-July, there is almost 24-hour daylight for photography
- High-quality hides, built on fixed platforms by a tarn
- The tour leader will host a workshop on “predator and hide photography”
- Approximately a 4-hour drive from Stockholm
- You’ll receive photographic advice and tips in a small group of like-minded enthusiasts
PREDATOR LAND
The forests of Hälsingland have been rich in predators for a long time. This is the home of the wolverine, bear, lynx, and wolf. Conveniently located within easy reach from most places in southern Sweden. A well-established place with hides with a good track record. We organize predator photography workshop weekends here in June-July. If you want to extend the number of nights, it is often possible after the weekend.
PHOTOGRAPHING PREDATORS
When sitting in a hide, the key is utmost patience and persistence, combined with silence. Suddenly, a raven sounds an alarm. Then, silence again. We strain our ears and eyes. Something seems to be happening since the seagulls are also warning. At the edge of the forest, a few hundred meters away, we sense movement between the trees. Again. Now, a bit further to the left. With the help of binoculars, we see a wolverine coming over the hill. It looks dark and moves with determination. But we hear no sound from it. After a while, it approaches closer to us. It knows there’s usually something edible here. It scurries around, searching for treats, and might even climb one of the trees by the shoreline. Our cameras with telephoto lenses are ready to shoot. Perhaps the wolverine hears a sound from us, even though we try to be as quiet as possible. But it’s experienced. It knows we are there but also knows it doesn’t need to be worried. As long as we only do what it’s used to, it can eat in peace. After the wolverine, perhaps the bear sneaks in, always on the move. If the wolf comes, the wolverine will flee.
THE HIDES AND ARRANGEMENT
This tour offers excellent opportunities for capturing images of predators. Not least, this is one of Sweden’s best places to have a chance to see and photograph the wolverine. The hides are of high quality, with comfortable chairs, mounts for tripod heads, and a sturdy shelf for using a bean bag if preferred. They are equipped with mattresses and basic toilets. You can rent a sleeping bag or bring your own. Each hide will accommodate a maximum of five photographers, with room for two cameras side by side at each shooting window.
The tour leader, Staffan Widstrand, has 40 years of professional experience as a nature photographer and has worked with large predators at various times. His knowledge will be highly useful as we aim to capture the crucial moments in nature.
We will meet on-site in Kårböle, review how everything will proceed, enjoy an early dinner, and then head out to the hides. We will spend the entire night there, taking turns on watch to ensure we don’t miss anything.
When the morning light becomes too harsh, we’ll return to the lodge for breakfast/brunch, rest in the dormitory-style accommodations provided, and perhaps download the images we’ve taken. During the afternoon, before dinner and heading back to the hides again, we will have time on both Friday and Saturday for workshops and discussions about the photographic challenges we encounter. Photographing animals that move in varied environments at different speeds, where lighting can change rapidly from one moment to the next, presents many considerations. For example, “How should I balance the available light between ISO, shutter speed, and aperture?” Since there is no definitive answer to that question, this provides a great opportunity for open-ended discussions about these and many other topics.
WORKSHOP
During the tour, we will have a workshop covering various aspects of predator and hide photography, tailored to the participants’ level of experience.
This trip is perfect for those who want to try photographing predators from a hide for the first time, but it’s equally suited for experienced photographers who want a “seasoned sounding board” to discuss how to get the best possible results from their camera equipment and different situations.
Itinerary
Day 1 (4/7) (Dinner and packed meals for the hide)
We will meet at the lodge in Kårböle at 1:00 PM, settle in, and get information for the upcoming days. Dinner will be around 3:00 PM, and we will also prepare our packed meals for the evening/night before being driven to the photo hides. Over the course of two evenings and nights, we will focus entirely on photographing from the hides, starting around 4:00 PM. We will stay in the hides all night to take advantage of a few extra hours of photography in the morning. Brunch will be served around 9:00 AM, followed by some relaxation time. At 1:00 PM, we will gather for information, a slideshow, or a workshop. Dinner will be at 3:00 PM. Note: All times are approximate and may change.
Day 2 (5/7) (Brunch – Dinner and packed meals for the hide)
We will stay in the hides all night to take advantage of a few extra hours of photography in the morning, then return to the lodge around 9:00 AM for brunch. Afterward, you’ll have time to relax until 1:00 PM, when we will gather for information, a slideshow, or a workshop. Dinner will be at 3:00 PM, and we will then head back to the hides. Note: All times are approximate and may be subject to change.
Day 3 (6/7) (Brunch)
We will stay in the hides all night to take advantage of a few extra hours of photography in the morning, then return to the lodge around 9:00 AM for brunch, followed by departure home.
Photographic leader
Staffan Widstrand, born in 1959 is a photographer and writer. Sony Imaging Ambassador.
Staffan is one of Sweden’s internationally most recognized photographers. In 2011, Outdoor Photography Magazine called him ”one of the most influential photographers in the world”. Appointed ”Wildlife photographer of the year” in Sweden and a winner of international photo competitions, such as:
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
European Nature Photographer of the Year
Emirates Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Årets Bild i Sverige
PGB Awards
Staffan has been on the jury of several international photo competitions and was one of the main jury members in World Press Photo 2013.
Published in most of the major magazines in the world, such as National Geographic Magazine, GEO, Stern, Der Spiegel, Le Figaro, La Repubblica, El Mundo, El País, Natur, Terre Sauvage, Animan, Veja Brazil, The Guardian, The Sunday Times, FOCUS, Yomiuri Shimbun och Shanghaibaserade The Bund Pictorial.
Staffan has had international solo or group exhibitions in Toronto, at the Swedish Embassy in Tokyo, at Tromsø Museum, at Bodø Museum, at the Kunst-und Ausstellungshalle in Bonn, Oslo City Hall, Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, the Swedish Embassy in Washington, in Mérida, Mexico, in Mexico City, in Salamanca, Spain, at the National Zoological Museum in Beijing, in Chengdu, Tianjin, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China, at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, the museum of Torino, Italy as well as major outdoor exhibitions in The Hague, Prague, Berlin, Madrid, Copenhagen and Stockholm. In Sweden, he has had exhibits at Kulturhuset in Stockholm, the regional museums in Kristianstad, Luleå and Malmö, at Fotomässan in Gothenburg and in Stockholm, as well as at the Skansen, Kolmården and Borås Zoos, at Hornborgasjöns Konsthall and at Bränneriet Art in Österlen.
Staffan has published 18 books, four of which have been winners of the WWF Panda book award.
A picture editor at Natur & Kultur publishers in Stockholm for 5 years, a nature tour guide and tour production manager all across the world for many years. Appointed as Visiting Professor at the Beijing Ministry of Culture Old University, and he is also one of the founders of a possible ”Wild Wonders of China” initiative.
Staffan is a member of the Swedish Nature Photographers Association (Naturfotograferna/N)
Webpage: www.staffanwidstrand.se
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