Alpaca photography day

Alpaca photography day – Alpacas, Llamas and British fauna and flora.

For 2022, we are introducing alpaca photography days! Spring Farm is situated within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Vicki and I have managed Spring Farm for over 20 years within Higher Level Stewardship. The fields you will be photographing in are wildflower meadows surrounded by ancient woodland. We regularly see wild deer (mainly fallow) in the fields and woodland. We have buzzards soaring above the meadows. Depending on the time of year, you will find orchids in the meadows and bluebells in the woodland.

You’ll have unhurried access to the alpacas to give you some amazing photo opportunities. We have over 100 alpacas and llamas on the farm including normally in excess of 20 baby/junior alpacas and llamas. As the days are bespoke, you can spend as much time with various groups (stud males, mums and babies etc.) as you require.

There will also be plenty of opportunities to photograph wildflowers, butterflies or damsel flies. If time permits, we will also go to our water meadow where the boundary is the Bluebell Railway, so steam trains are also on the agenda (subject to their timetable).

photograph alpaca female with her baby — JoJo

Why Spring Farm?

I will be with you for the whole day. I have over 20 years experience of alpaca/wildlife photography so I can give you tips so you can get the most from your camera and your day as a whole (if required). Even if the words aperture, white balance and shutter speed terrify you, I am happy to explain them in simple terms and within the context of taking great pictures. You do not need to have super expensive cameras and lenses. Sometimes, a mobile phone is all you need!

So what can you expect?

An introduction to Spring Farm, its history and alpacas
How to set up your camera for taking great pictures of alpacas
A whole day for taking photos – not spent in a classroom.
Many different locations/habitats within the farm
Thinking about composition when taking photos.

So what should you bring?

I can’t control the weather I am afraid. Spring Farm is in the High Weald which means it can get muddy. Please bring appropriate CLEAN footwear and clothing for all weather eventualities. NOTE. We will ask you to disinfect your footwear before going onto our fields.

A packed lunch and any other food/drink you may require for a day outdoors. You do need to take into account the sun (hopefully) – so please bring suntan lotion/a hat/long sleeved clothing/long trousers/ a rain jacket – according to the season/conditions.

I would suggest a rug or something to kneel on in the fields. A basic level of fitness is required as the day will be outdoors on undulating terrain.

Camera or Phone (or both)?

You will need a camera with capacity for a lot of photos – if in doubt – bring more memory capacity. A digital camera is ideal but any camera including a mobile phone will suffice. If you are bringing a SLR camera, bring lenses for all eventualities. My favourite is a 70-200 lens with a wide angle/macro as a back up. The only time you might need a long telephoto is to get close ups of more skittish animals like the fallow deer.