Greetings From The Poorhouse

An Osprey waits for it's next meal.

I’ve been reading Moose Peterson’s Blog, where he has been posting updates from the ongoing Wildlife Photographer’s Base Camp. Boy does that bring back the memories.

I was on this trip at about the same time last year (they are a little earlier this time around) and let me tell you, the folks out there right now have no idea how lucky they are. They may think they do, but it really won’t sink in until later. I did a review of the trip on my old blog, which I’ll include below the jump for those who haven’t seen it yet.

The folks out there right now are probably tired, muddy and frazzled, but they are smack in the middle of an opportunity of a lifetime. Moose provides so much knowledge on one of these trips that it really takes weeks to sink in and I had many many “ah ha moments” for a long time following the trip.

Check out the old review:

Greetings from the Poorhouse!

When I got the message that there was an opening for one of Moose Peterson’s Wildlife Photographer’s Base Camp trips, I jumped on it without hesitation.

Moose is one of the first photographers that I “discovered” after becoming interested in serious photography myself. I’d read his books, followed his BLOG and tried to learn as much as I could from the man without having actually met him.

I have to say that it was a bit intimidating meeting him. One never really knows what to expect when meeting an Icon , Hero, Mentor, (pick your word) like Moose for the first time. Moose mentioned during the trip that he doesn’t like the word “hero” in reference to himself, so don’t choose that one when he’s around. Once you do meet him, that intimidation quickly fades and the learning starts.

Bottom Line Up Front:

Would I do another trip with Moose? Absolutely!
Would I do another Base Camp? You bet, even if it was the same location.
Will I do a DLWS event? As soon as I save my pennies.
Was the cost worth it? Yes, in fact I think the knowledge and experiences go far beyond the value of the dollars spent. Knowing what I know now, I would have gladly paid double for the experience.

Now on to the trip and Base Camp itself.

On his site, Moose describes Base Camp like this “Base Camp? It’s not a wildlife photography safari. It’s not a week long business classes. It’s not a camera gear feast. Base Camp is like nothing else on this planet! It’s all of this plus a WHOLE LOT MORE!”

I have to say that is a pretty darn accurate description. He goes on to tell you that “You’ll need a long vacation after these five days.” Let me tell you, he’s absolutely right. That said, it is a wonderful sort of tired rather than a haggard and beat down sort. I had another workshop booked for the following week in the same general area, so I thought I’d probably go revisit some of my favorite locations over the weekend in between. All I did was crash for two days straight, that and look at thousands of images from the week.

Take Moose’s advice and stay in the hotel with the rest of the group. I tried to save some money by redeeming my Marriott Points for a free stay. When I checked in and checked the route to the hotel and such, I immediately checked right out and into the hotel Moose recommended. I’m glad I did, as carpooling was enough of a pain as it was; Especially in the beginning when folks hadn’t caught on to the fact that Moose pretty much knows what he’s talking about when he tells you that the best way to get around is to carpool. Let’s face it, he’s been at these locations over and over and knows them in ways even some of the locals don’t. Sleep is a precious commodity on one of these adventures. It was good to be able to crash right up to the last minute, walk out the door and into the truck. Had I been forced to drive from on hotel to another and back every day, that sleep would have been lost.

I arrived a night early and settled in. The next evening I started meeting up with other participants in the lobby and met Josh, Moose’s assistant. What a dream job!
We went out and met Moose and got our goodies. Moose went over some ground rules and laid out some expectations. The next morning, we were off and running! When you go to one of these events, do what Moose tells you to do and you’ll be set for a week of learning like you’ve never had before.

Moose teaches in the same way I do when I teach classes for military and government professionals. Everything is extremely well organized and planned out to the nth degree. That level of planning allows for a degree of flexibility when things change (weather, etc) that just can’t be there if you are “winging it.”

There is a level of formality during the training that has to be there in order to keep things moving on schedule. That isn’t to say that Moose and Josh were not approachable, they were, and very much so. They are busy though doing lots of behind the scenes things that go along with running a course like this.
I could go on and on, but I just can’t do this trip justice in words so I’ll sum up with a few bullets.

- Bring lots of memory. I routinely filled two 16GB cards and started in the third every day except the first morning when I was a little slower on the button. I also filled my Laptop’s HD and nearly filled an external drive as well.
- Bring lots of clothes. I thought I’d wash up during breaks and such. There just isn’t time. When you’re wading in salt water and crawling through mud, re-wearing really isn’t an option.
- Don’t be in such a hurry to go get pictures. When you arrive on location, hang around and listen to what Moose has to say BEFORE you go out to make pictures.
- Keep your mind OPEN. During the week with Moose, I did my level headed best to do everything I could HIS WAY. Then I took what worked for me and kept it, and set aside the things that didn’t really work for me. That said, once things started sinking in even after the trip, some of those things made more sense too.

- What would I change about the trip? Moose’s instructions to bring all your equipment are a little extreme and a little too vague for me. I took him literally and brought everything. I was driving an FJ Cruiser at the time and it was FULL. If I had it to do again, I would bring everything I would typically bring to shoot the subjects listed in the trip description, plus a little more. Over the trip, I used two lenses, one almost exclusively, and never really unpacked the rest of the items I brought. Now, if I were on a mammal trip, those lenses would probably change.