Utah Road Trip-January 12-17th, 2025

July 17, 2024

For this road trip I’d like to further explore the area of southeast Utah, more specifically Factory Butte and surrounding areas. Last year I visited the butte area and thought the entire trip was amazing. I also thought that there was so much more to explore, but I didn’t have the chance. I am going back again for my third visit and taking 8 clients.

Price $1899

Dates January 12-17th - 5 nights (we leave on the 17th)

During this road trip we will drive to many of the BLM areas and parks in the area. Everyone will be responsible for driving their own car, park fees, meals and lodging. Before each shoot, I will go over gear selection, area specifics, drive times, directions, etc. Everyone will follow me to each shooting location unless you decide to venture out on your own. There is so much to explore in this area. Drones are welcomed at a lot of our shooting areas, but not absolutely necessary if you don’t have one.

The Utah Badlands feature some of the most distinctive rock formations in the world. From towering spires to intricate hoodoos, these natural wonders are a testament to millions of years of geological history. This area is also unique in that there are so many completely different areas of interest within driving range. With the myriad of formations and patterns, the photographic opportunities are endless. We will go out for sunrise and sunset daily, capturing pockets of light and color whenever possible. Our goal is to photograph and see as much of the area as possible during our 5 night adventure.

MEET & GREET (January 12th) AT 2:00pm.

TO SIGN UP FOR THIS TRIP CLICK HERE.

iPhone image shot from the plane of our tiny island.

Bird Island, Seychelles Trip Report

July 14, 2024

Paul McKenzie and I just finished up with our group at Bird Island in the Seychelles. The Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, off East Africa. Bird Island is home to numerous beaches, coral reefs and nature reserves, as well as rare animals such as giant Aldabra tortoise. This was our first workshop there but definitely not our last. Paul’s been going there for years and after seeing his photos of the white terns I wanted to go. We posted another workshop for 2025 for anyone interested in joining us.

I heard this loud moaning and followed the noise to see this-mating tortoises.

The journey to Bird island went off without a hitch. I was expecting issues with my overweight carry-on bag, so I brought along my ultra featherweight duffle and my vest to distribute my camera gear if need be. But that never happened <big smile>, I was never hassled about any of my bags.

Our first night’s hotel stay was in Mahe. The hotel was good- not a luxury resort or anything but my room was clean, air conditioned and also had a fan (which I like) and the shower was spacious with a rain head. The food at the hotel was very good. Some of our clients ordered the Grouper and it looked tremendous. I ordered a Margarita pizza and it was delish. I figured I would get enough fish on Bird Island but the chance of a pizza pie was slim.

I spent most of my time photographing the White terns.

When we landed on Bird Island everyone in our group was in awe—there were literally birds everywhere. It’s quite an amazing island with the most beautiful sandy beaches surrounding a tropical rainforest. Paul said it is the closest thing to Midway Atol (I never made it there before they closed to tourists in 2012).

These terns really do remind me of a fairy like creature!

I adore these birds and could photograph them everyday! I am already looking forward to next year’s visit.

One of my faves. This tern is on an egg.

White tern in flight. I think this is a younger one.

About 250,000 Sooty terns take over the north side of the island. They are constantly flying to and from the sea grabbing a quick drink or fishing for squid or fish to feed their young.

There are Brown and Lesser Noddys but my favorite bird on the island is the White tern aka the Fairy tern. It is pure white with a blue bill and the most adorable eyes. During our workshop most of the birds had very young chicks or were on eggs.

In addition to the main birds, there are tons of Frigatebirds and Red-footed boobies. Plus the previously mentioned large tortoises, one of which is over 180 years old and green sea turtles.

White-tailed Tropicbird flying through the forest. I did some work to the edges of the background.

White-tailed Tropicbird chick, it was nesting right out in the open. I still used a long lens to capture the photo so that I didn’t disturb it.

Sooty tern on a patch of green vegetation. I captured tons of Sooty terns flying around on the last day— I just haven’t gotten around to downloading them yet.

But If you are looking for a 5 star luxury accommodations on Bird Island you won’t find it. There is one accommodation and it is a cluster of open air villas (they are rustic but adequate) the kitchenettes have refrigerators, stoves and just about everything else you’d need. Plus a 5 gallon water cooler.

The biggest drawback is the humidity. It’s hot tropical weather. But there are a few forest walks that are shaded to break it up a bit. Those rain forest paths are a great way to get out of the sun and still be photographing.

Not my best shot but the it was my only shot of one on the beach in the early morning. Some members of the group got a much better shot with some of the beautiful ocean in the background. I’ll be sharing those images in another post.

There are no predators like gulls to intercept the fish or to prey on the chicks however there are tons of crabs. We saw a crab devouring a live chick so there are predators and I think that the Frigatebird will eat the chicks if they get them but it’s not an everyday occurrence.

The Common Neddys, which are larger than the Lesser Neddys nest on the ground. I guess they are big and not afraid of the crabs. The Lesser Noddys and the White terns nest in the trees, probably to stay clear of all the crabs!

Bird Island is a treasure trove filled with zillions of photo opportunities and soooo many birds! BUT It is not for prissy people. You have to love to photograph birds and be willing to get down and dirty with the best of them to truly get the best shots and experience.

We had a fantastic group of dedicated, hardworking photographers that are all going home with some wonderful images. Maybe even some award winners… I would travel with any one of them again, over and over again.

Bird species list provided by Michele McCormick

Malagasy Turtle-Dove

Zebra Dove

Seychelles Blue-Pigeon

Eurasian Moorhen

Ruddy Turnstone

White Tern

Brown Noddy

Lesser Noddy

Sooty Tern

Great Crested Tern

White-tailed Tropicbird

Lesser Frigatebird

Red-footed Booby

Seychelles Sunbird

Red Fody

House Sparrow

Common Mynah

Whimbrel

To see some of Michele’s images from the trip:

Webpage: www.michelemccormickphotography.com

Insta: @michelepix

I will be publishing another Bird Island blog post, but the next one will be with our client’s images so keep an eye out for that post, you won’t want to miss it. All of the photos in this blog post are mine and I shot them with the Sony a1 and the Sony 200-600mm lens. I also used my Olympus gear for some of the palm tree shots and wider-angle images such as the Aldabra tortoise. I spent a lot of my time walking around, scouting the island and locating birds. Again, it was an amazing adventure, and all of the clients loved it. We belly ached a bit about the heat and no air conditioning, but it was truly a one-of-a-kind experience. I had birds nesting 2 feet from my windows, and a tree I fondly referred to as the tree of life just outside my door that housed a dozen or so nests with chicks.

Recharging Creativity

June 30, 2024

I love creative photography; including in-camera blurs, multiple exposures, high-key imagery, soft focus, etc… I have put together a second creative workshop titled “Recharging Your Creativity” dedicated to in-camera and post-processing techniques to re-charge some of that creative energy inside of you.

November is a good time for me so I will be conducting this workshop in Charleston SC, the weather will be moderate at that time of year and there are plenty of trees, water and other elements that lend themselves nicely to creative photography. So consider taking a break from the norm and recharge some of your creativity. Post-processing will be a big part of this workshop as capturing is only the beginning… This workshop is not to be confused with my March Charleston workshop, which is geared more towards photographing iconic Charleston locations. Even though we will not have access to all of the subjects shown in the imagery above, the techniques will still be covered in this course.

Dates: November 3-7, 2025

Location: Charleston area (exact location, times and hotel will be sent in a file at sign up)

Cost: $1500.

Limit 10 with a minimum of 8.

Does not include any lodging, transportation, admission fees (if any) or meals. this is the tuition cost.

Schedule

November 3rd - Meet & Greet at 12:00noon followed by a 3 hour afternoon photo shoot

November 4th - 3 hour morning photo shoot followed by a lunch break then a 2 hour afternoon Photoshop session.

November 5th - 3 hour morning photo shoot followed by a lunch break then a 2 hour afternoon Photoshop session.

November 6th - 3 hour morning photo shoot followed by a lunch break then a 2 hour afternoon Photoshop session.

November 7th - 3 hour morning photo session. end of workshop

*This is an intense workshop filled with a lot of creative ideas and challenges. Open to all levels of photography but must have working knowledge of your camera and be able to change the shutter speed, ISO, aperture and exposure compensation. Photoshop sessions are complete with notes and are geared towards anyone with knowledge of layers and masks.

At the end of this workshop each participant will be asked to share their favorite image from the workshop. I will do a blog post with each of the chosen images, giving credit to the maker.

Some of the techniques covered in this course:

In-camera blurs, including the myriad of ways to capture and process them.

Composites, layering and stacking

High-key imagery -capture and processing

Multiple Exposures and the many ways to create them both in-camera and/or in post-processing.

Photoshop Blurs

Photoshop post-processing- fun techniques.

The 2024 Audubon Photo Awards: The Top 100 X 2 X 2

June 28, 2024

Huge congratulations to Michele McCormick and Jacqueline Burke. Michele McCormick joined Paul McKenzie and me in Japan for our annual “Japan in Winter Photo Tour;” to say I am thrilled that Michele walked away with 2 top 100 winners is an understatement. I am elated! So well deserved too.

Jacqui Burke joined A Creative Adventure tour leader Donna Bourdon in the Falkland Islands for one of our annual “Falkland Photo Tours.” Jacqui walked away with 2 top 100 images as well! I am beyond words, but I am truly thrilled for both women. The winning images are featured below, please join me in congratulating both amazing photographers! I’d also like to congratulate everyone that had a recognized image, it is a very big accomplishment.

From Audubon’s site:

Each year of the Audubon Photography Awards is exciting, but this one is especially celebratory: 2024 marks the 125th anniversary of Audubon magazine—and the 15th installment of our annual photo competition. Around 2,300 entrants from across the United States and Canada submitted more than 8,500 photographs and videos of birds feeding, fighting, mating, and making their way in the world. After anonymous review, our expert judges selected just 14 fabulous winners and honorable mentions.

Red-crowned Cranes by Michele McCormick

Location: Hokkaido, Japan
Camera: Sony Alpha 1 with a Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens; 1/2000 second at f/7.1; ISO 200
Behind the Shot: I was at the Tsurui-Ito Crane Sanctuary with high hopes of photographing cranes in the snow. Making wonderful images of these Red-crowned Cranes in the dead of winter meant standing outside for hours to catch an interesting moment. Alas, my California winter gear didn’t cut the mustard in temperatures below zero. On the first day, I had to retreat. Fortunately, I was able to rent gear and maintain my vigil in relative comfort the next day. These amazing birds gather in clusters, and while it was fascinating to watch them, making an image in which any individual bird or pair was isolated required constant attention and lightning reflexes.

Long-tailed Tit by Michele McCormick

Location: Hokkaido, Japan
Camera: Sony Alpha 1 with a Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens; 1/400 second at f/8; ISO 3200
Behind the Shot: I was with a group at Lake Kushiro, and one of our members noticed this Long-tailed Tit frequently returning to lick an icicle hanging from a maple tree. I set up my tripod and maintained focus on the icicle for more than an hour. Catching the right timing, positioning of the bird, and lighting was a challenge. Every visit was just a split second, and the bird came in at a different angle each time. Intervals between visits were inconsistent and unpredictable—plus I was standing on ice and my tripod kept shifting off the key point. At last, I felt I had a good image. I wanted to keep trying to be sure, but the sun warmed the icicle and it fell to the ground. The opportunity was over.

ABOUT MICHELE:

For Michele McCormick, now based in Sacramento, California, photography is a lifelong journey that began more than four decades ago. It started with college studies emphasizing photography, and led Michele into early adventures in freelance writing and editorial photography for publications around the world. Then life took a different path, and she pursued a professional career in which photography took a back seat.

In 2010, Michele returned to her early passion for photography, and entered the world of digital photography with energy and enthusiasm.

PS- she is a movie star!

To see more of Michele’s images check out her website HERE.

Southern Rockhopper Penguin by Jacqueline Burke

Location: Saunders Island, Falkland Islands
Camera: Olympus OM-1 with an OM SYSTEM M. Zuiko 150-400mm f/4.5 TC 1.25 IS PRO lens; 1/2500 second at f/7.1; ISO 1600
Behind the Shot: At the site called “The Rookery,” fresh water flows down from a spring high in the cliffs and cascades over a ledge. In the afternoon, Rockhopper Penguins returning from a day of fishing like to rinse the salt water from their bodies at the “rockhopper shower” before making the arduous uphill climb to their nests. The rockhopper colony at this site is very large, and the shower was often crowded with penguins who would fight for a chance to stand under it. I was beginning to think that I would not obtain any useable photos when at last, a single penguin approached the shower at an angle where I could take a nice photo.

Gentoo Penguin by Jacqueline Burke

Location: Bleaker Island, Falkland Islands
Camera: OM SYSTEM OM-1 with an OM SYSTEM M. Zuiko 150-400mm f/4.5 TC 1.25 IS PRO lens; 1/13 second at f/5; ISO 320
Behind the Shot: We got up very early to see Gentoo Penguins leave their nests and enter the sea to fish. It was very cold and extremely windy, and I had a hard time changing the settings on my camera with my numb fingers. Before the trip, I envisioned using a slow shutter speed to obtain a photo of a stationary penguin surrounded by soft surf. I tried many times to get the image I wanted, but the penguins dove too quickly into the sea. Finally, this individual stopped before entering the surf, allowing me to capture it standing still while the sea went soft. I used my camera’s live neutral density feature, which allowed me to reduce the exposure by as much as six stops, to get the photo I wanted.

ABOUT JACQUELINE:

Jacqueline grew up in the Pocono Mountains and graduated from Stroudsburg High School. She obtained her Bachelor of Science Degree summa cum laude from Muhlenberg College in 1983. Jacqui graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 1987. For the first three years of her career, she practiced small animal medicine and surgery as a full time veterinary associate. In 1990 Jacqui began to offer her services as a relief and permanent part time veterinarian, and has continued to do so up to the present time.

Jacqueline is an avid traveler, I can hardly keep up with her latest adventures. Her love for photography has led to many award winning images.

To see more of Jacqui’s work check out her Facebook page HERE.

Grimsey Island Puffin Trip Report

June 3, 2024

Donna and I drove from the airport in Keflavik Iceland to our hotel before taking the ferry over to Grimsey Island where we spent a week photographing puffins and seabirds. Grimsey is a small Icelandic island, 40 kilometers off the north coast of the main island of Iceland. During our time on the island, we spent most days scouting and familiarizing ourselves with the island. We located many of the “photo hot spots” and found just about every bird species on the island. We also met a few of the locals that make this remote island their home and they could not be a nicer group. About 70 people live on the island and only about 20 of them live there year round.

Since we were literally at the Arctic circle, we had been chasing the light as it came and went between the fog. On clear nights we stayed up to watch the sun slowly dip on the horizon. We had some success during our attempts at the midnight sun with puffins in the foreground. My favorite from those photo shoots is my opening image.

Razorbill just after midnight - too bad his bill is not completely inside the sun.

One of the things I loved the most about Grimsey is the ability to go out exploring on our own without any limitations. Of course you always need to respect the birds and their habitat, but it is a true natural gem similar in many ways to photographing on the Falkland Islands.

In addition to the plethora of birds, there are goat, sheep, and horses that roam the island (pretty much free range) and the sightings have been lots of fun. I am posting a shot of the big Billy Goat that we saw and a lamb silhouette. I think Donna got some nice horse pics.

A trip to photograph puffins absolutely has to include flight shots and there is no better place than Grimsey to photograph them. Because we were doing a scouting trip for our upcoming 2025 trip (sold out) we visited in May but you really want to be here in July when our workshop is scheduled to get the krill in the mouth of the puffins as they come back to their burrows. A big shout out to my Sony a1 camera and my Sony 200-600mm lens - without either one, it would have been much harder to capture these.

Atlantic puffin-my favorite from the trip.

Black-tailed godwit against the scenic mountains, cropped to a pano.

As far as the food goes, it has been pretty darn good. There is only one restaurant with a limited menu but if you like fresh fish the preparation of the fish of the day has been outstanding. There is also a soup of the day option as well as fried chicken, hamburgers, edamame, grilled ham and cheese sandwiches along with a few more selections. There is also a small store on the island that has a variety of food items.

During our workshop we will have a big breakfast as our main meal and take a bagged lunch out into the field. For our dinners we will visit the local restaurant and I can highly recommend the Icelandic white ale called Einstok, it is so delicious, it reminds me of a Belgium beer with hints of coriander and orange. Of course Donna has been getting double Glenfiddich on the rocks…

It was another fun filled photographic adventure that I will remember fondly. I’m really looking forward to next year’s trip. I have just confirmed a 2026 workshop - sign up HERE.

*All images in this post were created using the Sony a1 and Sony 200-600mm lens, handheld, natural light, single frame images.