Scouting in Florida

I arrived in Florida a few days ago. I wanted to do some scouting before my workshop start date. Since weather, local conditions and bird numbers are ever changing it is always best to scout some of the shooting areas in Florida beforehand.

My friend and helper Michael Zajac, picked me up at the West Palm Beach airport. He arrived in Florida about a week before me so that he could do some additional scouting. Donna Bourdon will arrive shortly and do even more scouting.

Scouting can be fun because you are on your own and can come and go as you please. Not having a schedule appeals to me. I always enjoy quiet time with my subjects as well as the opportunity to observe their behavior even if I’m not photographing.

Plus, it was nice to be in a warmer climate and enjoy some downtime. I especially like some of the hikes that Michael and I often do. Usually, we go to some “off the beaten path” location filled with miles and miles of endless trails covered in pine needles. We usually mess with our gps and walkie-talkies as we are both gadget geeks.

Even with careful planning and hours upon hours of scouting you just never know what you will get when you go out to photograph birds. Patience and the understanding that you are not photographing paid models always helps.

My gear for my upcoming workshops will be my Sony A1, Sony A9, Sony 200-600mm lens, Sony 70-200mm lens, Sony 24-105mm lens. I do enjoy traveling with my Sony gear, it’s lightweight and more manageable than traveling with my older Canon gear.

So far during this scouting trip, I have been to several locations, some twice! A few of my images from several locations so far.

American Bittern in flight

Cormorant taking -off

Spoonbill in flight

Sandhill Crane

Brown pelican, juvi

Composite White pelicans and sunrise.

Not Your Everyday Bird on a Stick

I often hear the phrase (and I have said it myself) nobody cares about a bird on a stick. Usually when someone says this comment, they are referring to the everyday run of the mill bird sitting on a branch shot. Don’t get me wrong, some can be quite lovely, but usually it holds the meaning that the shot needs something more to make it compelling than just a bird and a stick.

I think Donna’s bird on a stick shot featured above brings the meaning of that phrase to a new level. Not your average bird, not your average perch, not your average weather condition. I think the shot is fantastic, especially with the extended talons that stand out as well as the fully open wing position with fanned tail feathers. The bird is sharp and well exposed and the intense look on the eagle’s face with the colorful bill makes this a winner. Oh, ya, the snow doesn’t hurt <wink>.

Donna Bourdon just returned home from her very successfully Alaska’s Bald Eagle workshop that she conducted for A Creative Adventure Tours. Donna’s group spent 5 glorious days photographing the eagles from a private boat. I was so happy to hear that they had great weather and it even snowed for them.

During the Zoom image review session that I did with the group I had a chance to see many of their images. I was impressed by the quality and variety that each participant captured. I’ll be sharing some of them soon.

Donna received rave reviews from her group. One of the participants, when asked, wrote “Honestly, it was one of the best wildlife photographic experiences of my life and I feel like I was able to capture some of the best images ever as well”. Her 2023 back to back workshops are selling nicely. If you’d like to learn more about one of these workshops CLICK HERE.

Client's Images From Death Valley

From Paul: You and Mike were great leaders, taking us to some great sites, helping us to find the sometimes elusive lines in the sand, as it were, creating a fun atmosphere, and keeping me moving. I had a great time, and look forward to the next time I have the opportunity to join you on a workshop. Flicker Page- https://www.flickr.com/photos/preinstein54/albums

Image copyright Wendy Schneider 2022

From Wendy: Folks can visit my Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/Wendy-Schneider-Photography-304508963037091

or website: https://www.wendyschneiderphotography.ca/

Image copyright Wayne Kliewer 2022

Image copyright Clive S Friedman 2022

Image copyright Gerold Hanck 2022

Image copyright Diana Rebman 2022

From Gerold:

Scale is so hard to show at DV, but I thought this image does a pretty good job of doing that. I want to personally thank the guy wearing red—whoever he is--for walking into the photo at just the right time!

Image copyright Kathleen McMullen 2022

Image copyright 2022 Alexis Alvarez

Mara Crossing

Usually, when we are in the Mara and we hear of a Wildebeest crossing, excitement fills the air. The thought of huge herds crossing the river with splashing & drama, not to mention the tightly packed animals is enough to stir any photographer. The behavior is fascinating to watch as they patiently wait for the very first Wildebeest to enter and cross. Lots of false crossings happen but to watch a successful crossing is beyond amazing! However, a lost chance or bad crossing can be devastating…

On my last workshop (second group) in Kenya my group was treated to an enormous wildebeest crossing. Unfortunately, the wildebeest chose a very difficult place to cross. Our guides told us before the crossing that they couldn’t have picked a worse spot. They predicted many deaths would occur and not just from crocodiles. As the huge congregation started their accent from the riverbank it became apparent that the wildebeest would have great difficulty climbing the steep slope up on the opposite bank.

As more and more of the herd filled the river, the slope became extremely muddy and slippery making it nearly impossible for them to climb. Once the numbers increased there was total chaos as each animal fought for their life at the edge of the bank. They were being stepped on and forced underwater as well as up against the wall. When the dust settled nearly 100 dead wildebeest floated down the river in what seemed to be a never-ending procession. It was extremely heartbreaking to watch such an epic failure.

A couple of spots are still available on our Mara/Amboseli trip-details HERE.

Utah Trip Report

I just got home from Utah, where my friend and I spent our time time exploring a few more of the national and state parks as well as a few BLM areas. We hiked, photographed, and drove a lot. We skipped many breakfasts and dinners and slept only when possible. But the adventure reminded us both of the old days when we hiked as many trails and saw as many scenic areas as we could possibly fit in during our trip. I loved every minute of it.

Mesa Arch, Canyonlands NP at sunrise. I never saw Mesa Arch in person so I was excited to see it on an afternoon scouting trip. The next morning we got up super early and beat everyone out there for an amazing sunrise. It was a good thing as it gave us a few minutes to set up before the crowds. I do wish I had brought a wider lens than my Sony 16-35mm f/ 2.8 lens that I brought with me. I’ll be buying the Sony 12-24mm lens asap. I keep meaning to buy it but I always forget until its time for a trip and B&H bails me out by lending it to me.

Delicate Arch, Arches NP at sunset. This is another arch that I never saw for myself. The hike up there was pretty easy. However, I was a bit worried about the hike down in the dark since the trail is not that well marked. I spent a little time checking for natural markings. We were the last ones down that night as we stayed to enjoy the view a few more minutes than we should have…neither one of us brought our gps. But the light remained well after sunset, and we made it down just fine. Below is another view of the arch. On my next visit I will get closer to the arch with a wider-angle lens and get a different view. This was shot with my Sony A1 camera and Sony 24-105mm lens.

One of the many pattern shots that I liked.

We spent some time looking for some of these colorful hills. We hit the jackpot on one of our 4-wheelin’ excursions. I loved the red colored water and the crusty mud that surrounded it. Reflections always appeal to me.

This is the same arch as in my previous post-shown below, just shot from a different angle.

We passed this soft toned reflection that I couldn’t resist.

This guy was super crazy. We watched as he jumped up over and over again. I was so afraid he would fall. In-between his jumps I told him that if he were my kid, I would beat his *** , he laughed, and we exchanged smiles. He was very nice and showed me the images and video that his friend was getting of him. I told him again that I would still beat his *** and he grinned with a warm smile. Then he went back to his jumping, so I snapped a few shots to remember him by.

We followed the light one morning as it made its way around a canyon. I liked how the shadow framed the foreground edge.

The cooler tones attracted my eye and I loved the repeating pattern.

We found a few sand dunes. There were many critter trails on the dunes.

Overall it was a great adventure and I may or may not be putting together a trip for this area. There is a lot of driving and I really need to think it through. But…I will definitely be back!