Animals of Montana (AoM) provides a highly valued service not only to Nature Photographers and the film/advertising industry, but also to the animals. Most of the animals in the loving care of Troy and Tracy Hyde would not be alive were they in the wild. This is a fact. Over the half dozen years photographing with Troy I have increased my portfolio of large and small animals exponentially in a very short period of time and at an affordable price. The most productive shooting is experienced when capturing the animals in a habitat specific to the species. However, the most fun is sharing this experience with friends and family, not only in photographs, but also in person. I recently shared a winter shoot with a friend who had not photographed large mammals.  He shared with me that the experience was so overwhelming as to feel as if he were in an extreme state of profound astonishment, often watching the animals rather than photographing. Having worked with multiple companies who offer similar services, none provide the high level of success when shooting, and it is apparent that these animals are enjoying their role. I am unable to say this about other companies. I am grateful for the services offered by AoM. -S. Collins, Nature Photographer-

It is not only the positive feedback, but also the negative that makes our business thrive and grow!   We cherish the relationships we develop with each and every person that walks through our door! 

Take the opportunity to photograph cooperative and well trained predators, big and small, in their very best physical conditions, together with experienced and imaginative animal trainers and tour guides- all set in the Montana mountain autumn environment. This fall wildlife tour will feature four animals per day in unique, natural settings for three days along with a weather day or optional fourth shooting day (fees extra). Animals such as cougar, wolf, lynx, grizzly and bobcat together with lion, fisher and raccoon will pose and behave for your camera.

Join Don Johnston- an experienced wildlife and nature pro photographer in a small group setting to learn, share and experience action animal photography at its best. This tour is suitable for all levels of wildlife photography experience, amateur and professional alike.

Don is an Animals of Montana veteran with over twenty five years experience as an outdoor photographer and thirty years experience as a teacher and naturalist. He has been widely published in calendars, magazines and other media. To see more examples of his A of M photography, visit his website and browse the Mammals Galleries or Search for ‘Bozeman Cougar’, ‘autumn wolves, etc. Alternatively, you may visit Don’s Blog which contains a selection of Animals of Montana images. 

Cost for this fantastic photo experience is only 1195.00 per person. Lodging, transportation and meals are extra. There is a limit of 8 participants. The sessions are designed for still photography only, video fees are extra.

F.Y.I. Bozeman is about two hours from Gardiner Montana, which gives a visitor access to Yellowstone National Park. Most park roads should still be open. To register and reserve a place, please contact Don at info@donjohnstonphotos.com or Tracy at animals@animalsofmontana.com

Over two decades ago when Animals of Montana opened their doors everyone was shooting film. It was an expensive endeavor and the downfall – you never knew if you had the shot until the film was processed. If your exposure, timing and composition was the slightest bit off, you were just simply out of luck. With the introduction of digital, photographers and filmmakers can review their shots seconds after taking them and make any necessary adjustments. When photographing our animal actors, the biggest issue isn’t missing the perfect shot, it’s running out of camera cards or space! For instance, a one hour long session with our Grizzly Bear can use up to 10-35 GB of space!  It’s important to always have extra cards on hand when filming our wildlife models!

A Couple of Handy Tips:

Purchase the fastest class cards you can and bring plenty of them. Slower cards take longer to buffer and you don’t want to miss a great shot because your camera can’t write to the card fast enough to empty the buffer in time.

In the midst of your animal session, make it a habit to never look up when you are changing cards. You never want to see the great shots you are missing.

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**Join us on one of our upcoming Wildlife Photography Tours!  Only one space available on our Rocky Mountain High Snow Leopard Helicopter Tour, and just a couple spaces open on our Moab, Red Rock Country Tour!

***Contact Tracy - Tracy@animalsofmontana.com for more information!***

Our day begins at 6 am, gearing up for the second day of photographing with the Photographers on Safari Group.  The sky is clear and looks like it’s going to be a gorgeous day for photographing!  Sunrise is 7:54 am, but for our filming locations it will be a bit later, as the sun has to rise above the hills that surround us.  Our photography crew of 8 arrives at 8 am sharp for fresh muffins, coffee and tea, gearing up for a great day of photography with our animal actors.

 The first animal of the day is our Specialized Wolf, “Tundra” who is trained to a mark and will stare right down the barrel of your camera. 

Tundra is photographed for approximately one hour and then we move onto photographing a pack of wolves, running right at camera! 

Next we move onto an hour long session with our infamous Siberian Tiger, Texaco.  

As with all shoots, before the session begins Troy, our head animal trainer goes over the “do’s and dont’s” of working with the Tiger.  Our Tiger is trained to run right at camera, pose nicely for portraits, so well behaved that photographers can lay down just feet from him to photograph at his eye level! 

The snow was very crunchy and hard so he preferred not to run so much, but a fast trot suited him much better, much easier on his paws. 

After this session finishes up, it’s time for lunch!   During the short break, we ask the photographers how the morning photography sessions went…by a landslide, the reply was two words…“simply brilliant”.

After an hour long lunch, it’s now time to start the afternoon photography sessions with our wildlife models.  On board first is “Griz” our 7 year old Grizzly Bear.  “Griz” performs nicely as Troy asks him to snarl, sit, leg and several other behaviors, just feet in front of the photographers.  The photographers are able to move around to get different angles and shots they desire.  After about 15 minutes of working with him we move onto photographing TWO Grizzlies.  “Yosemite”, Griz’s brother is added to the session for great interaction shots – play fighting, wrestling, chasing and standing on their hind legs!  It’s an experience that takes your breath away. 

Finally to wrap up our day, it’s time to photograph the Red Fox.  He’s loaded up and we head off to a different location to film “Red”.   With photographers in position, Red is released against a rocky ledge with snow all around.  He immediately settles in, and then begins to dig in the snow, periodically looking up to the noise of the camera’s clicking!  After he’s bored with the digging he settles into the hole he constructed and gives great intense looks with his luscious tail wrapped just perfectly in front of him.

The day is concluded with the group gathering together for a good laugh and discussion of what animals will be photographed tomorrow and then it’s off to start the downloading and editing of the thousands of images gathered from the day!  Looking forward to it all starting over again tomorrow, with a new agenda of photographing at Animals of Montana!