NEAREST AIRPORT:
The nearest airport to Klamath Falls is Medford (MFR) Airport. It is about 1 1/2 hours driving time to Klamath Falls via Highway 140.

EVENT TRANSPORTATION:
Transportation to and from the airport and during the event is not included and is the attendees’ responsibility. Car rental is available at the airport. Area roads may have snow or ice so AWD or 4×4 vehicles are recommended for this event.  

Ride Sharing: We will depart daily from the hotel. Ride sharing is recommended to keep the total number of vehicles down to a manageable size. You are welcome to either drive or ride with someone. This is a great way to meet and have fun with fellow photographers during the event. If you are a passenger in another participant’s car it is customary to offer the driver some gas money and chip in towards any vehicle admission/parking fee as a courtesy.

We will sometimes be using our group’s vehicles as a photo blind. So, the recommended approach is to have 2 photographers per vehicle, one in the driver’s seat, one in the back seat. We will encourage participants to rotate who is driving versus being a passenger.

Note that NANPA, and John Ehrenfeld, do not have insurance for carpooling arrangements and assume no liability for them. Carpooling, ride sharing or anything similar is strictly a private arrangement among participants. Participants assume the risks associated with this travel.

LODGING:
We will be based in Klamath Falls, Oregon during this photo tour.

NANPA is holding a block of hotel rooms for event participants at a hotel in Klamath Falls, OR at the following rates:

• Standard King Room $144 per night + tax (currently 9.8%).
• Standard Two Queen Room $144 per night + tax (currently 9.8%).

Rates include a complimentary extended continental breakfast served from 6:30 to 9:30 am

Check in time 4 pm, Check out time 11 am.

Hotel details and reservation procedure will be shared with registered participants.

The last day to register in the NANPA room block is January 23, 2027.

MEALS:
All meals will be on your own with the exception of one dinner which is included.

PARKING PERMIT:
A parking permit ($10 per vehicle) will be required to park at the Klamath Wildlife Area, Miller Island Unit which we will visit one of the days. A daily wildlife area parking permit can be purchased online. You may want to wait until you are in Klamath Falls to purchase since the group may consolidate down into fewer cars.

PHOTOGRAPHY LOCATIONS:
We will be photographing at a variety of locations from public land to state parks and National Wildlife Refuges. John Ehrenfeld is very familiar with the areas that you’ll be visiting in the Klamath Basin area, and locations will be based on what’s most photogenic at the time, wildlife activity, weather conditions, etc. John will scout the locations prior to the group’s arrival.

HEALTH AND FITNESS:
There will be no hiking. Most shooting locations will be close to where we park, but a couple will require a short walk on either flat or varied terrain. In some cases, we’ll be photographing right from the car.   Bring a personal water bottle and snacks. These items can be picked up in town.

WEATHER
Winter weather can be unpredictable and morning temperatures can be cool to cold.  Snow and rain can occur but it is typically not heavy. Shooting raptors in snow can produce very beautiful shots. Often there is no snow or rain.

Average High: 46F/ Low: 25F

CLOTHING
It is preferable to dress in layers starting in the early morning and shed throughout the day as needed for rising temperatures.  Be prepared for occasional rain/snow this time of year so a water proof shell and water proof boots/shoes are recommended.  Since it will be cool to cold weather, bring shooting gloves, hat, scarf

CAMERA GEAR:

• Camera – DSLR or mirrorless, full frame or cropped sensor.
  Also, bring the camera manual should you need to consult it. Cellphone cameras are helpful for group shots.
• Lenses – There will likely be photo opportunities for your full range of lenses, from extreme wide angle to telephoto and macro. We will use lenses in the focal length range from 14 – 600mm.
• Lens Cleaning Cloth and Wipes.
• Tripod – Sunrise, sunset, twilight and nighttime light levels are too low to photograph properly without a sturdy tripod. A lightweight carbon fiber tripod with a ball head is recommended.
• Memory Cards for 1/2 day to full day of shooting in the field.
• Camera Battery Charger and Extra Batteries.
• Rain Cover – For camera and lens protection
• Laptop Computer – for downloading, processing and viewing your images.
• Image Processing Software – Good choices include Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop.
• Back-up device – Such as an external hard drive.
• Flash Drive – For sharing images.

ADDITIONAL ITEMS:

• Flashlight and/or Headlamp
• Cell Phone
• Water bottle/snacks/medicine
• Energy bars or other snacks

GENERAL:
This event is designed for nature photographers at all levels of experience. This tour is open for 10 participants to give each plenty of time with the leader and to retain flexibility based on weather and the best opportunities. For the best experience, please know your camera before you arrive, and bring your manual in case we need to look up something.

Assistance will be available in the field for those who wish to improve their photographic skills. If you already have plenty of photography experience, John will ensure you get to the best locations at the best times to capture those perfect shots.

Please keep in mind this NANPA Event is designed to be a photo tour, not a photo workshop. In other words, there are no formal instruction sessions planned, there are no assignments, you will not be receiving any handouts or the like. That being said, John has extensive experience as a photography teacher and workshop leader and will be available to answer questions and give you guidance.

If need help, please advocate for yourself and speak up and ask for help. Be aware that many of your fellow participants may also be accomplished photographers and may be able to help you too.  Part of the NANPA Photo Tour experience is the camaraderie that comes from sharing experiences and lessons learned among participants. If you notice someone with the same or similar camera, perhaps they can help you with an issue you’ve been wondering about, and maybe you can return the favor.

Attendance and participation at NANPA Photo Tours is limited to registered attendees only.  Anyone wishing to participate in any portion of, or travel with a registered attendee during the group event must contact the NANPA office and pay the full registration fee.

NANPA Photo Tour Cancellation and No Refund Policy:
NANPA Photo Tour registration fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. If participant cancels their event registration, NANPA will not offer any refunds for event registration fees for this event regardless of when the cancellation is made or the reason for the cancellation.

NANPA reserves the right to cancel any event or activity due to insufficient registration or any unforeseen circumstances. It also has the right to substitute event leaders, or adjust the number of event leaders if those originally scheduled cannot attend, or other unforeseen circumstances arise.

If NANPA cancels the event, NANPA will offer a variety of options to participants, including the transfer of their registration fees to a future NANPA event or a refund of the event registration fee unless the cancellation is due to a force majeure* occurrence. NANPA assumes no liability whatsoever for fees, penalties, or other costs incurred by you from airlines, hotels, or any other sources outside of the event registration fees.  

*Force Majeure 

“Force Majeure” means that NANPA will not be liable for any alleged damages because of any circumstances including, but without limitation, explosion, flood, storm, fire, war or threat of war, civil disturbance, sickness, pandemic, quarantine, weather conditions or other unexpected occurrences. If a Force Majeure event occurs, NANPA will notify you of the nature and extent of the incident. NANPA may unilaterally vary or cancel an itinerary in cases of Force Majeure. Refunds or partial refunds will be at the sole and absolute discretion of NANPA. NANPA will attempt to reimburse you where possible however we will deduct from any refund the reasonable actual and potential costs to NANPA of the Force Majeure event. 

Please know that sometimes unanticipated and uncontrollable circumstances will force us to alter expected plans during a photo tour. NANPA cannot be held responsible for unanticipated events (such as park closures, natural disasters, civil unrest, weather, etc.) that either prevents you from attending or us altering our location shoots. NANPA will do their best to work around any unforeseen circumstances.

Tour participants without travel insurance will be considered “self insured” meaning you assume all risks and losses for any condition requiring your cancellation.

NANPA strongly encourages participants to protect their investment and purchase travel insurance. NANPA is affiliated with two different travel insurance providers.

Event Registration Fee Cancellation Insurance:

We offer event cancellation insurance (which solely covers your event registration fee if you need to cancel your participation) as part of the registration process through NANPA’s partner, Allianz. More information on this option will be shown during the checkout process for the event registration.

NOTE: If you do not purchase event (registration fee) insurance at the time that you pay for your registration, you will NOT be able to go back and purchase it with Allianz later. However, you can add the NANPA event registration fee to the expenses you cover with an alternative travel insurance policy. 

Travel Insurance: 

We understand that the need to make last minute cancellations due to illness, family, or business matters can happen to anyone. For maximum coverage, you may want to consider an alternative travel insurance policy that offers a “cancel for any reason” clause. However, be aware that such options may only be available if you purchase your travel insurance within 1 to 2 weeks of your tour payment. A “cancel for any reason” option is not available with the Allianz insurance option we provide during registration, but is available with other travel insurance purchased separately.

If you want coverage for other travel expenses like flights, you will need to purchase travel insurance separately, you can do so with your own insurance carrier, or NANPA members can receive a special travel insurance rate that covers other travel-related expenses besides your registration fee through USI Affinity/Travel Insurance Services.

Feel free to use any travel insurance company you choose. Compare rates, shop around. However, to protect your investment, we recommend purchasing travel insurance whenever a non-refundable amount such as your NANPA registration fees has been paid. You may increase the amount of coverage as the date of departure nears and additional non-refundable payments are made. The sites www.travelinsurance.com and www.insuremytrip.com can be useful for comparing policies.