Photography of Lakota Wolf Preserve
Wild Beauty: Captured at Lakota Wolf Preserve

UPDATED ON: November 19 , 2024

This was my photography excursion: "Beyond the Fence" inside the Lakota Wolfe Preserve in Columbia, New Jersey. It's just a stone's throw from the Delaware Water Gap, making it a little over a two hour drive from my home. Come join me now in a photographic glimpse into wolf life.

Lakota Wolf
Captured at f/6.3 for 1/320 second with lens zoomed to 150mm.

I photographed this wolf with a normal wide-angle to telephoto zoom from a moderate distance. There are several viewing/photography portals in each of the wolf compounds at Lakota Wolf Preserve enabling you to photograph these majestic animals at close range.

You have a choice of taking the general group tour or a private "photography tour." You get your own guide who works with the wolves to make sure you get repeated photo opportunities. Photographers of any skill level can take advantage of the private guided photography/video sessions and get some great photos.

"Chillaxing Wolf"

Equipment

You may be wondering what type of camera gear you need to get some decent photos. Surprisingly, you don't need a long telephoto lens to photograph the wolves at Lakota, nor a high-end pro DSLR or mirrorless camera.

You use just your smartphone camera and get some decent shots, but I recommend you consider the equipment advice below to increase your chance of getting great wolf photos.

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Camera For Wolf Photography

Canon R6 Mark II

The two most important features of your camera for photographing wolves at the Lakota Wolf Preserve are (1) fast focus tracking and (2) a fast burst rate. A burst rate of 8 frames-per-second or faster will ensure that you'll capture the right instant in time and get a great photo.

Lens For Wolf Photography

For a crop (APS-C) sensor camera a zoom lens that zooms from wide angle up to around 150mm. For a full-sized sensor camera a zoom lens from wide to at least 200mm is a solid choice.

For close-ups or photos when the wolves are at a longer distance from you a lens that goes to a focal length of 400mm is ideal.

I shot every photo included this post using a full frame mirrorless camera, a Canon R6 Mark II, and a crop "kit" lens, the RF-S 18-150mm. I shot a few singles, but switched over to continuous burst mode of 12 frames-per-second and I ended up shooting over 400 images during the 2 hour tour.

During the private photo tour your guide will open photographic "portals' that give you ideal shooting angles and strategically throw morsels of meat to the wolves, getting them in good spots for successful photos.

Running Wolf at Lakota Wolf Preserve

Video

For a magical experience of both seeing and hearing these magnificent creatures howl watch my short video below.

VDIEO COMING--> CHECK BACK SHORTLY

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best time of year to photography the wolves at Lakota

The photography season runs from September to April. Later than that and the wolves' start to lose their winter coats and don't look their best. The fall and winter months are the best time to photograph the wolves.

Is flash photography permitted on the wolf tour?

Using flash is unnecessary as you'll be doing your photography during daylight hours and could upset the wolves. You can set your ISO a little higher and get good exposures with fast shutter speeds to freeze the motion.

Can I use a tripod?

A tripod would be awkward to use photographing the wolves as they move around their and is not needed.

Summary

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I hope you enjoyed my short photographic tour of the Lakota Wolfe Preserve. I encourage you to experience the raw power and elegance of these wolves in person and through your own camera lens.

The photography tour gets you up close and personal, but don't worry. It's quite safe.

Here's the link to the details on the Preserve's website for the Lakota Photography Photo Shoot.

It's well worth the investment and you don't need an expensive pro telephoto zoom lens to shoot close-up photos. If you don't consider visiting this location, pleases visit the other New Jersey Hot Spots linked below my signature.

Bruce Lovelace is the publisher of TravelingPhotographer.com. Bruce shot portraits full time for over 35 years. Now he shoots more travel photography. Read more about him on the About Page. He also publishes how to articles and camera gear reviews at the Photography Tips and Canon Geek websites.

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