After a year full of lockdowns and saving, I decided to treat myself for my birthday to a 1:1 photography workshop at the Big Cat Sanctuary. Here is my ‘behind the scenes’ of the day and my thoughts on the experience.
I arrived at the sanctuary earlier than I had planned and I knew there was a chance they wouldn’t let me in at all. However, as I pulled up to the gate, I had a feeling that this was going to be a really good day. And I was right. The gates opened to let me in at I was away.
If you just want a few short answers to general questions I have received, rather than a rundown of the day, just skip to the bottom where I have put a Q&A at the bottom.
We started with a little one on one discussion about my experience, style and what I was after on the day. I really appreciated the time we took to discuss the details, so that we could make sure to really focus on my interests. It was then time to head out, and on the way we met the head keeper who advised us who was being fed next so that we could come back to them when they were more active.
First up was the Tigers, Nias and Puna to be exact. This was the first time I had ever been inside the ‘bedroom’ for any zoo animal and certainly been so close to them I could touch them. And I was in awe the entire time. I couldn’t image a better big cat to start with than Sumatran tigers.
Nias unfortunately was not playing ball, however my eyes were immediately captivated by Puna. She was absolutely radiant. I definitely missed some early shots just watching her and realising how close I was allowed to get. My time with Puna was amazing, Alma made sure to encourage her to exactly where I wanted her for my shops and told me all about her while I photographed. Perfect first encounter!
Next up we visited Laila the Snow Leopard. Snow leopards are some of my absolute favourites of the big cats and Laila certainly did not disappoint. Her inquisitive nature made for some really beautiful shots, and once again I was captivated. I felt especially treated by her reaction to her mate, Yarko, who had obviously scented all over the enclosure recently. Her little grin was amazing!
We moved straight from the lovely Laila to the Pallas’ Cats right next door. Pallas’ cats are easily some of my favourite big-little cats. I adore their fluffy exterior and their massive personality! And boy these guys did not disappoint! Qara was the feisty little pants I had ever met, and she let me know! No sooner had I raised my camera than she lept face first at me and shoved her claws through the fence. I fell back laughing and had the best 20 minutes or so with both Qara and Jethro.
Moving on I got to meet my next two cats on my bucket list, Xixi the Amur leopard with the most beautiful eyes you ever will see; and Atara the Northern Chinese leopard (the first big cat on my list I had never seen before!).
Xixi’s enclosure was something out of a fairytale during the time I was visiting, because it was full of these amazing bright purple flowers! Wow! Now these made for some incredible photos, although at this point the sun was harsh and direct. I think we got around that though!
Atara was the complete opposite of Xixis gentle and curious nature. She was stalking us the moment we approached her enclosure and her eyes were on the prize. All that said she definitely had a slightly more goofy side, sticking out her tongue when she spotted her little treat! I had a lot of fun trying out some new techniques on Atara, specifically using shadow and light in a new way.
This was when I finally got to meet the star of the show. Inka.
I had been waiting all day to finally get to go meet the 4 month old rare, black jaguar cub that had been my complete catalyst for coming to the big cat sanctuary. By some miracle, I was blessed to be the first ‘experience’ to get to see her solo and Alma had no idea how she was going to behave. In answer she was crazy! Chasing her mother around the entire enclosure, stealing her food and pulling at her tail. She was amazing to watch, and unfortunately I was so captivated watching her that my photos were a bit of a disappointment to me. There is no way that captured Inkas absolute adorableness!
But that is not always a bad thing! It is a spur on to get even better photos next time and reminder of what not to do. It’s a learning curve!
And my best photos of the day were yet to come…
On my way over to lunch, we popped into Maya and got to see her majesty! There was a bit of a rivalry between Maya and Inka and it was very funny to seen them pacing the fences opposite each other – staring each other down.
Now lunch! I was certainly fed like a queen! I don’t think, I’ve ever consumed so many sandwiches in my life.
(right is Athena, not Maya. I am aware... but she's just so beautiful!)
After lunch we moved to another big cat I had never seen before and probably one that I was most excited to meet! The Pumas! Immediately I just couldn’t help but love the mountain lions and all three girls were so uniquely special! Everything about them was amazing, and I particularly loved how inquisitive they were. I know I shouldn’t have favourites but Valentina (Val) will have a special place in my heart.
The next cat has taken the cake as genuinely my favourite cat in the whole sanctuary and its not because she was the prettiest. Its because she was so genuinely impressive and intimidating it gave me a very clear idea of exactly what these guys are like in the wild. And that big cat is, Athena. She just amazed me! Every movement was calculated and delicate. Plus her nibbled ears have so much character!
My photos of her are my some of my favourites of the day!
Next up were the smaller cats! We moved to Griffin the caracal who was just the funniest thing. He moved each of his ears separately, which made for some rather lopsided photos. Unfortunately I did struggle a little with his darker enclosure and only left with one or two images I am happy with (viewable on my instagram).
Nuwara the rusty spotted cat however, was the opposite. Her activity was amazing, so fast and a real challenge to capture. But it was a challenge I genuinely enjoyed, and her entire personality put such a smile on my face! Another cat that was reaching incredibly high up on my favourites list.
We moved on to meet willow, who again I am not happy with the photos of. However, the experience I had with her tops everything! She was the most wonderful cat, and her love for people was evident. She followed us as we walked around her enclosure, purring the entire way. I hadn’t even realised that cheetahs could purr! I think my 20 minutes sat with Willow, listening to purrs and being so close to her was worth the experience alone. I don’t think any words I have could cover it…
By this time, I had capture the majority of what I had wanted and I asked Alma to show me around some of the other cats, knowing we wouldn’t have long at each one to take photos. She introduced me to T’airi’s enclosure (although the leopard was hiding far from sight!) and Khumbu who was just like an adorable puppy! I got to meet Baikal and Amasia, the white lion pride and some of the big maned fellas. I said hello to Kedera and Kemal (I will have plenty of time to photograph them when they arrive home to their new enclosure at Paradise Wildlife centre) and waved at Sophia on my way to see Inka one last time before I left.
I wish that the day had been longer, but it was such a wonderful day and I came back with some photos I could never have even imagined before this trip.
MY THOUGHTS ON THE BIG CAT SANCTUARY'S 1:1 PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
My entire day at the Big Cat Sanctuary was everything I could have hoped for. As a 1:1 experience, it was entirely tailor made to fit what I wanted from the day and my own capabilities. Being so close to the cats is every animal lovers dream and to see them so happy and well cared for was amazing.
The photos I have left with will be in my portfolio for years to come and the techniques I learnt have already influenced my photography going forwards.
I must admit, I would have liked the day to be longer 6 hours just went so quickly and when it was over, I was just itching to keep going. I can easily spend entire 9+ hour days at zoos just experiencing the animals, and I would have loved to have spent a few more hours with the cats. But I understand why its limited to that. The cats are constantly out and active and any more for less intense guests would likely be too much.
I will 100% be going back when I can, and I hope that in the future I will get to see some of the cats I missed this time. For what I wanted (a nice day out to celebrate my birthday that would result in photos that I had wanted for so long) it was perfect, and certainly worth the money. Although I would recommend if you want to do this, but have a friend with similar interests, to split the 1:1 together. It works out cheaper than doing the group workshop and you will have more control over what to see!
FAQ
How do they attract the cats out?
The cats are never forced to do anything, that was obvious from the start as Nias wasn’t wanting to come out, so we moved to Puna instead. Likewise, all the ‘poses’ so to speak are naturally occurring, albeit encouraged. The photographer who takes you around will take with them a bucket of small bit of meat, which they will use to encourage the cats to look up ect. They also use the meat to throw it back if the animals are getting too close ect. But the majority of the cats will just react to the photographers voice and will come out and rub up against the fence purely from hearing them call!
How long were you there?
The whole experience was about 6-7 hours or so. 6 hours with the cats and an hour or so of discussion and lunch.
Did you get to pick the cats you saw?
Yes! As it was just me all day, I had 100% freedom where we went a who we saw - dependent on the cats of course. After all, they have the final say!
How many cats did you see?
I was very lucky to see most of the cats, however I had priorities as to what I wanted to photograph. However some weren’t really wanting to come out, and the animals are never forced. So though I really wanted to see Neron, he was inside his ‘bedroom’ all day where he could smell Inka and Keira. So, no Neron for me this time (maybe next time!).
I would suggest before you go, have a list of about 5/6 cats you really want to see and take photos of. That way you can prioritise.
How did you get around the notorious green fencing?
To put it simply, you are allowed behind the safety fence and are able to put your camera lens right up against it and in some cases it practically fits through the gaps. In some of the enclosures the gaps are much smaller, however it is definitely workable at multiple angles.
Who was your favourite?
Can we have favourites? Yes of course! The cat who left the longest lasting impression on me was easily Athena. She was incredibly impressive! However I also LOVED Nuwara (little feisty pants!) and the puma girls.
Would you do it again?
100% yes! It was my favourite animal experience that I have ever done and I just felt amazed and excited all day!
What Gear did you use?
I used my Canon EOS 90D camera body paired with my Canon 70-200mm f2.8 II. I found this to be the absolutely perfect set-up and you definitely don't want anything much bigger because the cats get incredibly close to you! I also broke out my Sigma 105mm f2.8 Macro, which I used at the Pumas, but event hat was took close for a lot of the shots.
