Photo Policy at Liberty Wildlife
Volunteer Linda hangs with Sonora the bald eagle at a beautiful wedding on-site
Liberty Wildlife Photo Guidelines and Policies
Liberty Wildlife opened along the Rio Salado at the end of 2016 and has grown to become a beautiful landscape amidst the busy city around it.
We are thrilled to be called a “hidden gem” and have people rave about their visits to our campus.
In order to keep guests comfortable as well as our animals, we have adopted a photography policy.
If you are visiting Liberty Wildlife with the intent of using LW as a backdrop for your photos for any occasion, with any type of camera, including smartphones, you must book a photoshoot using the request form below.
Feel free to tag your personal use photos at Liberty Wildlife and of our animals on social media. Be advised that any photos that are deemed commercialization or inappropriate will be flagged by our staff.
Liberty Wildlife reserves the right to determine the appropriateness of any activity.
What is allowed at Liberty Wildlife
- Checking in on social media
- posting pictures of Liberty Wildlife, it’s animals and what is observable where the public are invited to be
- Selfies are welcome
- Tag us on FB (liberty.wildlife) and IG (libertywildlifeaz)
- Taking quick, candid pictures of LW and our animals as a way to commemorate your visit
- Taking close up pictures of our animals (birds, reptiles, mammals) as well as the Non-Eagle Feather Repository and our Triage Room window
- Our Guides and Animal Handlers are on site to help you know how close you can get to an animal to take its picture without becoming dangerous or uncomfortable for the animal.
What is not allowed at Liberty Wildlife
(Some of these things may be permissible with the booking of a Photo Shoot or Rental Event below)
- Tripods or additional photographic equipment are not permitted when Liberty Wildlife is open to the public
- Giving directions for poses
- e.g. “Turn the bird this way”
- Entering LW with costumes or formal wear (graduation, wedding, quince, etc) for an unscheduled photo shoot/rental event
- Changing clothes, styling hair, changing makeup while on site
- Going off the paths or entering restricted (volunteer/staff only) sites
- Climbing on anything (rocks, trees, benches, etc.)
- Do not move anything – benches, rocks, signs, perches
- Asking people (staff, volunteers, other guests) to move out of the way of your picture
- Assignments for a photography class
- Commercial photography or videography
- No props (e.g. confetti, signs, baskets, bouquets, etc.)
Our animals are not able to be photographed for any commercialization aspect. There must be an educational facet to our bookings.
Facility Use for Photo Shoot (no animals)
To book time for a photo shoot for your personal pictures, please read through the guidelines above.
Cost for an hour of time for a photo shoot is $250.
It cannot be during our open hours.
It must be when a staff member is on site.
No photography is allowed on our hospital/rehabilitation side.
No animals can be used for photo shoots. (If you want an animal for your shoot, you must book an event with an Animal Education Program included – see info below)
LINK TO BOOK PHOTO SHOOT COMING SOON
Questions please email: events@libertywildlife.org
Photography Sessions (with animals)
PHOTOGRAPHY SESSIONS (October through April)
Maximum of 15 photographers
Tues/Thur/Fri (8am to 10am) – 2 hours for $400
OR
Wed/Sat/Sun – 2 hours (8am-10am) for $500 (everyone can stay for Open Hours) which consists of –
- 30 minutes – Liberty Wildlife flight team will fly a variety of birds – the mix consisting of Harris’ Hawks, Red Tail Hawks, Barn Owls or Great Horned Owls (mix to be decided by the flight team)
- 90 minutes with 2 handlers with a variety of birds – photographers can request birds, but the ultimate decision will be made based on the welfare of the education ambassador by the handler
The handlers will meet with the photographers before the session and discuss bird options and locations onsite that work for the photographer based on lighting and background and whatever else is determined. The handler will present a variety of birds of prey on the glove while also educating the group about each species as well as the natural and individual histories.
We do ask that the photographers involved in this session please be understanding of the health, safety and comfort of the animals being photographed. While it seems like it is second nature to some of education ambassadors, they are still wild animals and handlers have been trained to understand warning signs to keep them from being put in a stressful situation. The handlers can at any time stop the session with a particular ambassador if warranted.
LINK TO BOOK PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION COMING SOON
Questions please email: DorisP@libertywildlife.org
Book an Event/Rental
Book your next event at Liberty Wildlife
Benefits to booking your event with us:
- Located along the picturesque Rio Salado
- Minutes away from Sky Harbor and airport hotels
- Easily accessible from anywhere in the valley
- Meetings, weddings, cocktail hours, team building events and much more
- Education Programs can be added in to your package for Animal Encounters
- For more information email events@libertywildlife.org
Click here to Book an Event or Rent Our Space
Photo Policies for Volunteers
For volunteers who have volunteered steadily for at least 6 months, we will allow photo shoots for such situations as graduation, wedding, quincenera etc but this must be booked in advance with our program scheduler/outreach coordinator.
It cannot be during open hours.
It must be when staff is on site to monitor.
No pictures can be taken on the Rehab side, only Education side. No pictures can be inside of catch cages or enclosures.
Be mindful of what is in the background (i.e. clean cages, no food/food remains, animal is presented well).
There is no charge for this, but it must be booked ahead of time.
If you want an animal to be brought out for use in your pictures, we can book a handler to do this. The photo shoot must last no longer than 1 hour and must follow the same guidelines as above. There is a cost of $125 during this time. The handler does have final say over which birds can be used as well as how they can be positioned, but this can be discussed before the photo shoot to have everyone on the same page.
Please email LauraH@libertywildlife.org or DorisP@libertywildlife.org for questions or to schedule a date.
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