I'm gearing up for my April Fossil Rim Wildlife Center photo workshop. I've been to Fossil Rim five times and to Kenya twice. The folks at Fossil Rim do a good job of simulating the African experience.

Here's a list of the gear I am bringing. I recommend the same gear for all wildlife park shoots.

Cameras

Canon 5D Mark II or Canon 7D. The cropped-sensor 7D will make your lenses act like longer lenses.

Lenses

Canon 100-400mm IS - my main wildlife lens.

Canon 70-200mm f/4 - at Fossil Rim, the animals come very close.

Canon 24-105mm IS lens - for wide-angle shots of the gropus of wildebeest and zebra.

Accessories

Canon 580EX II - for daylight fill-in flash shots, which I will teach on the workshop.

Computer Stuff

MacBook Pro loaded with Lightroom or Photoshop and my favorite plug-ins.

Photo tips

• Shoot at a wide aperture to blur the background (especially when signs and fences are behind the animals.
• Put your lens right up against the fence and position it at an opening in the fence. Shooting at a wide aperture will blur the lens and make it disappear. Tip illustrated in opening photo.
• Try to shoot at the animals eye level.
• Learn about the animals before you go to the park.
• Take close-ups and wide-angle shots. Tell the whole story.
• Use a flash for fill light, especially when the subject is in the shade.
• Try to get some action shots . . . even the movement of a paw.
• Focus on the eyes.
• Try to get a behind-the-scenes tour. You'll get some cool shots.
• Play with shutter speeds. Use fast shutter speeds to freeze action, slow shutter speed to blur action.
• When shooting through glass, put your lens up against the glass and cup your hand around the lens to eliminate reflections.
• When shooting with a flash through glass, shoot at a 45-degree angle to eliminate the reflection from the flash.
• Get to the park early, before it gets crowded.

Explore the light,
Rick