Animals in Winter: A Triple D Experience

In January, a few friends and I traveled to Triple D Wildlife Ranch in Kalispell, Montana, to participate in their “Animals in Winter” workshop. I first heard about the ranch in January 2025 from an attendee on a Yellowstone winter workshop. I filed the idea away, as my winter was fully booked as I covered several photo workshops for Bryan Peterson.

Spring arrived quickly. I was full bore on launching my own workshop business, which consumed most of the season. Once things settled in June, I revisited Triple D’s offerings and saw the January 2026 winter session. Hmm... my cold-weather gear was already dialed in from the Yellowstone trip. Snow-covered wildlife? Cold-weather atmosphere? Access to species that could take years to encounter in the wild? That sealed it. The snowy backgrounds we hoped for would become natural reflectors, adding soft fill light and providing atmosphere.

By July, we had booked everything for January—workshop, flights, rental car, hotels. The only real question mark was gear.

Lens Decisions

We knew we would be working at relatively close range—but how close? To hedge against uncertainty, I rented a 100–400mm lens from a local camera shop. It proved to be the perfect focal range for nearly every session: long enough for tight wildlife portraits, flexible enough for environmental compositions, and responsive for action sequences.

Workshop Structure

Upon arrival, we reviewed the four-day plan with Triple D. We were given a list of available animals and oted on our preferences, but the schedule for species, timing, and location was up to the trainers. We deferred to her experience completely.

As photographers, we worked inside the enclosures with the trainers and animals. Observing their interactions was compelling. The animals clearly respected her, and the affection and professionalism of the Triple D team was evident at every turn—even when an animal chose not to cooperate (which was rare).

We were front line witness that Triple D excels at what they do:

• Providing access to a wide range of species

• Positioning animals in natural, ethical environments

• Arranging layout, background, and light for optimal photographic opportunity

The only true variable was the photographer—the deciding factors were: camera settings, composition, and having memory cards and batteries fully ready.

Day 1: Warming Up

We began with a badger. Not necessarily the marquee species, but perfect as a calibration session. He was a chubby winter specimen, looking like a giant loaf of pumpernickel bread with legs. The session allowed us to dial in exposure against snow, refine autofocus tracking, and adjust framing before moving on to faster or more unpredictable animals.

Next came the Arctic fox in an off-site leased show area with a frozen pond and fresh snowfall—exactly the winter aesthetic we had envisioned.

The red fox closed out the day with energy. At our request, the trainer tossed treats to encourage jumping sequences over (and sometimes under) a fallen branch. Capturing the leap—ears forward, tail flared—was a highlight.

Day 2: Power and Precision

The wolf session took place in the same display area as the fox but oriented in a different direction, offering new backgrounds and compositions. Following that, we photographed a Eurasian lynx, which provided a great show of pouncing, and then a pine marten—small, quick, and technically demanding. I had been wanting to photograph a pine marten for years. This was my day.

Day 3: Big Cats

The mountain lion session was memorable. This time, the photographers were inside a cage within the enclosure, shooting through wide openings, while the trainer and cat were in the larger area. With only three of us rotating positions, we had exceptional mobility and shooting angles.

The bobcat followed, which was a little more reserved than the cougar, then the Canada lynx in the smaller show space—the same as previously used with the pine marten. Working in tighter quarters required more deliberate framing and background awareness, and a little wider lens. My favorite shot was the lynx peering through a hollow log, looking every bit like a large, curious house cat.

Day 4: Wolf Interactions and Finale

The final day featured two wolf interaction sets: a darker tundra-coated pair, a white Arctic-coated pair. Both sets chased, tumbled and played like their domesticated cousins.

We ended the workshop with a river otter—fast, playful, and expressive. After the session, the river otter didn't want to return to it's transport carrier. The otter squealed and hollered like an obstinate terrible three year old human. The patience and encouragement of the staff paid off. In the end, the otter was happy to go home again.

In the end it was: four days, twelve animal sessions and some five thousand images to cull.

The editing process becomes its own exercise in discipline. Slight shifts in paw placement. A subtle change in eye contact. Where are the shoulders? Which frame with the tail just slightly better positioned? And finally, how many images of a cougar climbing a tree does one really need?

Final selection of images may be the largest challenge from this workshop.