MVCF Photograpy Workshop/ Field Class Application

It is the intent of the Monte Vista Crane Festival Committee (Committee) to maintain the small town feel of our festival focusing on quality over quantity of events.  Inquiries from photographers wanting to conduct workshops, safaris, and other types of guided events during the festival are increasing with each passing year.  The Committee has developed the policy outlined below to meet these requests from photographers:

• The Committee will allow a maximum of 3 photographers to operate an event during the 3 days of the Monte Vista Crane Festival each year.
• A photographer’s permitted “event” can be a single day or multi-day affair during crane festival weekend. For example a field workshop offering on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday would be a single permitted event OR a classroom offering 3 separate times on a single day is a single permitted event.
• In order to ensure the quality of the experience to visitors we require that the photographer limit attendees to their event to 8-10 people per day of the event.
• Special use permits (SUP) to operate on public lands (Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuges, Colorado Parks and Wildlife State Wildlife Areas, Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, National Park Service, etc) are required and are the responsibility of the photographer to secure. Applicants must provide proof of liability insurance. All rules of the SUP must be followed. The Monte Vista Crane Festival shall not be liable for any accidents, loss, or damage associated with the workshop.
• All aspects of registering people for the event are the responsibility of the photographer.
• For transportation of participants we encourage single vehicle transportation for the group or carpooling.  

Once a photographer is chosen by the MVCF Committee, they will pay a sponsorship of $500 to the Committee which will sanction them as a Committee approved photographer and grant them advertisement of their event on the Festival website. The website information will identify the photographer as an official sponsor of the Festival and include a link to the photographer’s website for registration of the event. Additionally, the photographer will receive the $500 sponsorship recognition and benefits for their contribution to the festival. The Committee will not share any festival email lists or similar outreach information to photographers.

Priority will be given to photographers in the flyway of our crane population: Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. All decisions made by the committee are final.