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Rookeries by Boat and Fort Desoto Park
(Sarasota and St. Petersburg, Florida)


Dates
: April 11-15, 2015
Fee: $1,795 (double occupancy lodging included and boat with licensed captain)
- Single Supplement: $300
Limit: 8 participants
View photographs from this location >>

Description: Join us as we photograph nesting Wood Storks, egrets, Roseate Spoonbills and more on this special Birding by Boat and Land Adventure!

Learn and practice in-flight and action photography with Nikhil Bahl as we spend 4 days touring some of the best and most populated wading bird colonies on the west coast of Florida as well as the popular Fort Desoto Park.

For 4 shooting sessions of this workshop, you will have the opportunity to photograph a rookery of Roseate Spoonbills, Wood Storks and more by boat with a licensed captain. The rest of the time will be spent photographing at the iconic Fort DeSoto Park. This unique combination of shooting on land and boat will give you an opportunity to challenge yourself and master your techniques in both situations.

During this workshop you will learn how best to use your auto focus settings and learn other tips to photograph birds. Whether you are photographing action or static birds, it is important to know how best to make consistently sharp images. Several other techniques will be covered including how to handhold short and long lenses, stabilizing long lenses on tripods and tracking birds in flight.

The Rookery Islands offer the nature photographer an opportunity to photograph colonies of nesting Roseate Spoonbills, Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Anhingas, Snowy Egrets, Cattle Egrets, cormorants, White Ibis, Black-Crowned Night-Herons, and Tricolored Herons at the peak of activity with many chicks on the nest. Fort Desoto Park is considered to be shorebird heaven! Some of the shorebirds you may photograph include various species of breeding gulls and terns along with skimmers, Willets, Sanderlings, Ruddy Turnstones, Short and Long Billed Dowitchers, Piping Plover, Marbled Godwits and more.

There is also no shortage of wading birds. Possible species include Roseate Spoonbills, Great Blue Herons, White Ibis, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Brown Pelican, Wood Stork and more. Fort Desoto is also a great spot to photograph Reddish Egret. If we are lucky, we might even have the opportunity to photograph the rare white morph Reddish Egret.

During this workshop you will learn how best to use your auto focus settings as well as other tips to photograph birds. Whether you are photographing active or static birds, it is important to know how best to make consistently sharp images. We’ll also cover how to handhold short and long lenses, stabilizing long lenses on tripods, tracking birds in flight and several other techniques.

You will also learn about the finer points of composition. Whether it is a tight portrait or a bird in its environment, the posture of the bird and the placement of elements in the image make the difference between a good photograph and an excellent one. The classroom time will also include feedback on your photos and post processing tips. You will receive plenty of help in the field to fine tune your technique and implement what you have learned in the classroom.

During this workshop we will be visiting some reliable locations for east to photograph free and wild birds in the area. We will adjust our shooting schedule and day-to-day location itinerary based on conditions and weather.

NOTE: Participants should have a minimum focal length of 400mm. A longer telephoto is highly recommended especially for the land-based part of the itinerary. A full gear and packing list will be provided.

 

Tentative Itinerary

April 11

Arrive by early evening for check in and brief intro presentation

6:00–8:00 PM: Orientation meeting and presentation on birds in flight.

April 12

All day shooting rookeries from boats classroom instruction

Sunrise session to Roberts Bay Islands taking advantage of morning light and peak activity. These three tiny islands are an important colony for 800-m1000 pairs of Brown Pelicans, Great Blue Herons, and Great Egrets. Afternoon/Sunset photo shoot to the Dot-Dash Colony at the mouth of the Braden River. These three small mangrove islands (Dot, Dash, and Dit) are home to the only coastal colony of Wood Storks in the Tampa Bay area. In 2010 there were 140 pairs of storks among the 1,000 pairs of wading birds present.

Classroom session mid-day

April 13

All day shooting rookeries from boats and classroom instruction

Continue to hone your skills with a sunrise session to Roberts Bay Islands taking advantage of morning light and peak activity. Alternate morning shoot, depending on preference, as well as Afternoon/Sunset photo shoot to the Dot-Dash Colony at the mouth of the Braden River.

Classroom session mid-day

April 14

All day shooting at Fort Desoto Park and classroom instruction

In the morning we will photograph at the North Beach working with various shorebirds and wading birds. After a late morning break, there will be a classroom session in the afternoon. The evening shoot will be focused mostly on shorebirds.

April 15

Morning shoot at Fort Desoto Park and check out of hotel today – workshop ends after morning shoot and wrap-up

The morning shoot will be focused on similar opportunities as the previous day, although there will be an attempt to interpret the subject in a different way.

NOTE: Itinerary is subject to minor changes based on weather conditions. The plan is to have 4 boat shoots and 3 land-based shoots perfectly planned around favorable weather and lighting conditions. If we miss a boat session due to weather we will do our best to reschedule for another day in the workshop or come up with a plan b.

 

Itinerary Includes:

  • All lodging (double occupancy); single supplement: $300
  • Breakfast each day
  • Cold water on the boats
  • Evening program on the 11th
  • 7 shooting sessions (4 morning and 3 afternoon) weather depending
  • Resident and licensed guide/boat drivers
  • Personalized field instruction
  • Mid-day image reviews, teaching programs and critiques throughout

Itinerary Does Not Include:

  • Transportation throughout (we'll encourage carpooling).
  • Lunch and dinner is on your own.
  • Incidentals

Register

Registration through Naturescapes - Sold out!

Please contact Nikhil if you have any questions about any of the workshops listed above.

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