Critter Photography at Catalina State Park Photo Trip

CRITTER PHOTOGRAPHY AT CATALINA STATE PARK

Trip Type: Day Trip

Where: Catalina State Park, Tucson, AZ

When: Wednesday, 1/24/24

Meet up/Departure Times: Leave Sun City 6:30 a.m.  Arrive at State Park entry gate at 9:00 am.

Pre-trip Meeting: None

Entrance Fee: $20 donation (minimum).  No admission fee to the State Park.

Carpool Location: Carpools should be worked out in advance

Travel Time: Approx 2-1/2 hours

Restaurant: Vero Amore for lunch after the event which runs until about 1 p.m.  The restaurant is located at 12130 N Dove Mountain Blvd #104, Marana, AZ (near I-10 and on the way back to Sun City).

Accessibility: Dirt parking lot and no ramp at the Critter Building at the Park.

Other Information:

     Have you every wanted to photograph Arizona's most interesting critters in a safe and comfortable environment while learning more about them?  If so, this Photo Trip is for you.

     A snake wrangler friend, Jerry Schudda, is opening his “bunkhouse/studio” in Catalina State Park for us so we can photograph some of the 50 Arizona critters he has in residence.

     He writes, “ I bring out both venomous and non-venomous snakes, Gila monsters, Toads, Salamander, 2-3 species of scorpions, Tarantula, Centipede and what ever else I may have on hand”.

     He has a simulated desert studio where he places the critter so your photographs will look like you risked your life to take them in the wild.  The photo above is an example.

     You will only be a couple of feet away and Jerry will “wrangle” the snake or other critter so you have the best poses and are kept safe.  All the while Jerry will be sharing his wealth of knowledge, while answering all your questions.  Best of all he absolutely loves doing this and you will enjoy yourself immensely, while coming away with photographs that would be almost impossible to achieve in the wild.  Believe me, it's an experience you'll never forget.

     It costs Jerry $4,000-$5,000 per year just to feed his collection.  Your voluntary donation makes it all possible.  The voluntary donation for a photographer is $20 per person.  There is room for a guest(s).  A $10 donation from the guest would be appreciated.

     To justify Jerry's time and effort we must have 4 photographers per session (1/9/24 & 1/24/24).  The critter photography can take 3 hours.  Back in Sun City before 5 p.m. 

Contact: Bill George, 520-808-1007, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

IMPORTANT (for all Photo trips)

Please register on the Camera Guild Website if you are going to attend this event.  It is important for us to know how many are attending to ensure we all get into the venues and restaurants, if applicable.  If you later determine you cannot attend this event, please go to the website and remove yourself from attending.  The link to register is below.  To register, sign in to the website, then select this Photo Trip on the calendar, and select “I will go to this Event .”  If you must change your status, use the same process and select “I will NOT go to this Event.”  NEW: You now have the ability on certain events where you can register one or two people.  This allows you to indicate if you intend to bring a second person with you.  The link to register/remove yourself is:

 www.cameraguildsuncity.com