The Living Coasts - Photography

The Living Coasts

Event Description:

The Living Coasts is a new and impressive collection of coastal species, all set within a huge harbour side aviary in Torquay, Devon. It has won a number of awards for its innovative and naturalistic enclosures and this combined with a beautiful range of species makes it a great place for photography. Our 1 day workshop aims to give our delegates some unique opportunities to photograph a number of unusual species close-up. Our small group of photographers will be escorted by a Wild Arena photographic guide and Living Coasts keeper to find the best angles and times to capture some memorable images.

The centre is currently home to around 25 species of birds and mammals and we hope to photograph; South American Fur Seals, Macaroni Penguins, African Penguins, Eider Ducks, Tufted Puffin, Pigeon and Common Guillemot, Bank Cormorants, Incas Terns, Pied Avocets, Ruff, Black Tailed Godwit and other species.

Upon arrival our day will begin with a relaxing tea/coffee on the terrace overlooking the harbour followed by a briefing session with the guides for the day. We will then move on to the first of 3 photography sessions.

We will start by photographing the African and colourful Macaroni penguins on their natural sandy beach during their morning feed. Like many of the animals, the penguins can also be seen ‘flying' underwater through the viewing windows downstairs. This is a good opportunity to use a fairly wide angle lens to capture the birds swimming near the glass. From here we move to the impressive Auk cliff display with its splashing wave action. The cliff here is populated by 2 species of Guillemot, Kittiwakes and the spectacular Tufted Puffin. This fabulous enclosure allows us to capture images of the birds both perching on the cliff ledges and swimming in the moving water at its base. We will also explore the whole site to give you a feel of the possibilities for the day.

After lunch on the restaurant terrace, we will return to Auk cliff and the Guillemots and Puffins. We will also get a chance to photograph the free range Banks Cormorant and Caspian and Inca Terns that frequent this area of the collection. They will often perch on rocks and outcrops that provide an excellent background for natural looking portrait pictures.

After a quick Tea/Coffee break back on the restaurant terrace we will move to the upper level of the centre for our final photography session. A keeper will provide a feed for the spectacular Inca Terns in the upper pool and we will have some great chances to capture these beautiful birds diving into the water, flying around our heads and perching close by for portrait images. Finally we will visit the wading bird section and capture these beautiful creatures at the waters' edge in the warm evening light. It is sometimes possible to arrange for the wader enclosure to be drained and refilled on our visits. This gives some great close up opportunities of waders feeding and bathing with the sun providing beautiful back lighting. Nearby, the sea ducks including King and Spectacled Eiders are fed in the afternoon. We will also photograph the South American Fur Seals feeding, basking in their rocky enclosure and from beneath the water using the viewing windows and circular dome porthole.

All the usual Wild Arena Workshop benefits will be on offer including a complimentary ‘Visible Dust' sensor clean and access to loan equipment if required.

If you are planning a longer trip we may also be able to suggest Hotel bed & breakfast accommodation nearby - please contact us for details. The Living Coasts is quite near Dartmoor Zoo and the workshops for each usually run on consecutive days. Discounts are often available for combined bookings.

Fitness

The site is quite compact, but accessed through numerous sloped concrete pathways.

Photography Level

Wild Arena have their usual loan cameras, lenses, batteries and memory cards should anyone get into difficult and can also burn full memory cards to CD/DVD's. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns about the equipment needed to get the best from this day.

Disability Access

The site is fully accessible by wheelchairs, and there are disabled toilet facilities within the complex. The main access is through sloped pathways and though the site is small, the paths slowly climb up around 15 metres.

Group Size

This workshop is open to 10-12 delegates.

Itinerary:

• 10:00: Arrival at car park and assemble in The Living Coasts café for tea and coffee.
• 10:15: Briefing by your Wild Arena guide, and details of feeding times and events for the day.

• You will be outside for a much of the day so you should be dressed to suit the season and weather.
• We suggest you have a water-proof coat in case of rain. However, the Penguins, Seals, Puffins and Guillemots can all be photographed swimming in their tanks from viewing areas indoors, giving ample opportunities for photography during rain showers.
• You are welcome to bring whatever photographic equipment you believe may be suitable. There is little walking involved and you will always be very close to your vehicle.
• Digital users should bring as much memory as possible as we find people usually take more pictures than they anticipate.
• We suggest you ensure your batteries are fully charged and you bring spares if you have them.
• Download and battery charging facilities will be available during the day if required.
• For film users we recommend ISO 100 or 200 film in normal conditions, although ISO 400 may be useful in poor lighting conditions.
• Fill in flash might be useful in some conditions e.g. where the subject is backlit.
• A SLR camera together with standard, wide angle and telephoto lens would be ideal. A zoom lens covering the range up to 300mm will be ample for most situations and shorter focal length lenses will be suitable for close-ups. Close focusing standard and wide angle lenses are useful for photographing birds and seals swimming underwater from the tank windows. The layout of the collection means non-SLR users will also have good opportunities for photographs.
• A tripod or monopod might be useful for use with long focal length lenses.
• We have access to a supply of spare memory, film, batteries and cleaning materials if required.