A Wildlife Photography Workshop in Cornwall
In August 2024, the family spent a brilliant holiday down in gorgeous Cornwall, staying at the Gwel an Mor resort in Portreath.
Now, if you're ever there with family, part of the resort is home to the fantastic Feadon Wildlife Centre. My boys had an absolute blast at their special encounters, think Reptile Rendezvous, Owl Encounter, and meeting the famous Meerkats! Getting up close with all the birds of prey and reptiles was definitely a highlight for them.
But for me? My eye was immediately caught by one particular session: the Half-Day Photography Workshop. It was run by the talented local Wildlife and Landscape Photographer, Dan Ransley. The pitch was simple: come and get some expert tips on how to capture those truly amazing shots yourself, while spending four hours photographing the beautiful resident animals at Feadon. At just £60 for the whole afternoon, it was a total no-brainer. Combining my love for photography with a unique wildlife access session? Count me in! I signed up right away and couldn't wait for my holiday to start.
Up Close and Personal at Feadon
Holiday time! After a lazy Saturday at Gwel an Mor, I was itching for the Sunday afternoon workshop. Camera bag packed, I headed to the Feadon Wildlife Centre on a warm August day. I was first to arrive and met Dan. We chatted cameras while waiting for the others... and only two more turned up! That meant a tiny group, just three of us, plus Dan, and Jo the Feadon animal handler. Talk about personal tuition! Dan quickly outlined the plan: Meerkats and Porcupines first, then out to the field to catch birds of prey in flight, before finishing up with close-ups of birds and reptiles.
We jumped straight into the action, actually going inside the Meerkats enclosure! We focused on Kevin the Meerkat (Karen was having a moody day), he was hilariously curious, coming right up to my lens. The porcupines were a bit shyer, but still gave us some great photo ops.
Next, it was time for flight shots with Glen the Barn Owl and Alan the European Kestrel. Jo set Alan up beautifully on a fence for portraits, then flew Glen back and forth across the field. Dan warned us it was tough, but capturing birds in flight takes practice. As you can see from the gallery, I managed to snag a few decent shots I was genuinely thrilled with!
To finish the afternoon, we moved to the garden area for more close-ups of other birds of prey, reptiles, and even bugs. The birds were definitely my favourite part of the day, especially Glen the Barn Owl and the majestic Eurasian Eagle Owl, Margaret.
A truly fantastic, personalised workshop!
The Final Verdict & Lessons Learned
Honestly, saying we got a lot done in four hours is a total understatement! With such a tiny group, we had endless one-on-one time with the animals. It was perfect for practicing those different techniques and grabbing as many shots as possible.
Dan was fantastic, super relaxed and full of helpful ideas on how to shoot the birds and other beautiful creatures. And a huge shout-out to Jo, our animal handler, who was incredible and let us pretty much do what we wanted. I even got to hold some of the birds and snakes!
My Two Big Takeaways
Two quick lessons I learned on the fly:
Hydration is Key. It was a hot day, and being stood up in a sunny field for over an hour will drain you. They provided some water, but seriously, take more water than you think you need!
Spare Batteries are Life. This was my biggest mistake! My battery was fully charged, but three hours of solid shooting drained it completely. For the last hour, I was trying to conserve battery instead of just taking photos. Don't be me, pack spares!
Overall, this workshop was absolutely worth the £60 for four hours of shooting. You just don't often get this kind of access to incredible animals and birds.
What do you think of the photos I captured that day? Did any of the birds, like Margaret the Eagle Owl, stand out to you? A full gallery of my best shots is here.
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