Also Available: One-on-one Private Workshops tailored to your needs and interests. Contact me directly for rates.
We reserve the right to cancel or reschedule workshops due to under-enrollment
Birds-In-Flight at Pike River Studio May 10 & 11 or 12 & 13, 2021 9 a.m. - 4 p. m. $120 Limit: 5 Students
If God wanted us to photograph perched birds, He wouldn't have given them wings.
Any experienced photographer can take a modern camera and telephoto lens out of the box, and make excellent, in-focus photographs of flying eagles, herons and other large, lumbering birds. It's the small birds that can be near impossible to capture in flight. You can greatly improve you chances with this workshop.
In May our property is teaming with bird activity, everywhere you turn. Our lake and two ponds have fighting geese, Woodies, Mergansers, Mallards and more. The yard and gardens have all the forest/ backyard birds common to the area. In our 14 years here, we have shared this lake and land with over 70 species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. We feel so blessed by this bounty of nature.
I will share all the techniques I use to make spectacular pictures of birds on the wing: controlling and anticipating bird behavior; blinds and other camouflage techniques; focus techniques; and remote control photography. While here, you will hopefully capture some excellent shots of birds on the wing, but the valuable skills you take away will definitely improve your future chances. And you will certainly have plenty of chances to photograph many species, perched, swimming in the lake and ponds, and eating on the ground and at the feeders.
Choose either Monday / Tuesday or Wednesday / Thursday session. Lunch included.
All images in the accompanying slide show were taken at Pike River Studio.
If God wanted us to photograph perched birds, He wouldn't have given them wings.
Any experienced photographer can take a modern camera and telephoto lens out of the box, and make excellent, in-focus photographs of flying eagles, herons and other large, lumbering birds. It's the small birds that can be near impossible to capture in flight. You can greatly improve you chances with this workshop.
In May our property is teaming with bird activity, everywhere you turn. Our lake and two ponds have fighting geese, Woodies, Mergansers, Mallards and more. The yard and gardens have all the forest/ backyard birds common to the area. In our 14 years here, we have shared this lake and land with over 70 species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. We feel so blessed by this bounty of nature.
I will share all the techniques I use to make spectacular pictures of birds on the wing: controlling and anticipating bird behavior; blinds and other camouflage techniques; focus techniques; and remote control photography. While here, you will hopefully capture some excellent shots of birds on the wing, but the valuable skills you take away will definitely improve your future chances. And you will certainly have plenty of chances to photograph many species, perched, swimming in the lake and ponds, and eating on the ground and at the feeders.
Choose either Monday / Tuesday or Wednesday / Thursday session. Lunch included.
All images in the accompanying slide show were taken at Pike River Studio.
Bio-diverse Beaver Ponds May 22-25, 2021 $950 Limit: 3 Students
Beaver ponds support a wide variety of life, especially birds. Many species nest on the small grass islands, in tree cavities, and some simply build their nests on top of snapped off tree trunks, allowing a photographer in a kayak to witness and photograph the brood throughout the hatching and fledging process.
During this multi-day workshop we will visit several of the local beaver ponds. There you can photograph from a kayak and from photo blinds along the water's edge. If you own or rent a wet or dry suit, there are camera barges available to get eye-to-eye with pond residents.
Learn both photographic and camouflage techniques. Make intimate portraits of birds perched on branches and stumps of trees in the water. Park the kayak a safe distance from a nest and shoot action shots as the parents come and go, with meals for their offspring.
Workshop will convene on Saturday afternoon (1 p.m.) at our home base, Pike River Studio, in Dunbar. After a lecture and slide show we will go over blinds, kayaks and other equipment. We will serve a supper, followed by a campfire for those who wish to stay. Then 3 days of photography from sunrise to sunset. We will leave the woods and go to town each day for supper, then photograph as long as light allows. Students pay for their own restaurant meals. We will provide a continental breakfast and lunch, each day in the bush.
Participants must have a working knowledge of their camera, and be competent using manual exposure mode. There will be hiking on uneven and rocky terrain, and sitting in cramped spaces for prolonged periods of time. Participants must be reasonably physically fit to handle these situations.
You will need a 300 mm or longer lens to be successful. A 600 mm is most beneficial, and one should consider renting long glass to get the most out of this experience.
All wildlife images in the accompanying slide show were taken at area beaver ponds.
Beaver ponds support a wide variety of life, especially birds. Many species nest on the small grass islands, in tree cavities, and some simply build their nests on top of snapped off tree trunks, allowing a photographer in a kayak to witness and photograph the brood throughout the hatching and fledging process.
During this multi-day workshop we will visit several of the local beaver ponds. There you can photograph from a kayak and from photo blinds along the water's edge. If you own or rent a wet or dry suit, there are camera barges available to get eye-to-eye with pond residents.
Learn both photographic and camouflage techniques. Make intimate portraits of birds perched on branches and stumps of trees in the water. Park the kayak a safe distance from a nest and shoot action shots as the parents come and go, with meals for their offspring.
Workshop will convene on Saturday afternoon (1 p.m.) at our home base, Pike River Studio, in Dunbar. After a lecture and slide show we will go over blinds, kayaks and other equipment. We will serve a supper, followed by a campfire for those who wish to stay. Then 3 days of photography from sunrise to sunset. We will leave the woods and go to town each day for supper, then photograph as long as light allows. Students pay for their own restaurant meals. We will provide a continental breakfast and lunch, each day in the bush.
Participants must have a working knowledge of their camera, and be competent using manual exposure mode. There will be hiking on uneven and rocky terrain, and sitting in cramped spaces for prolonged periods of time. Participants must be reasonably physically fit to handle these situations.
You will need a 300 mm or longer lens to be successful. A 600 mm is most beneficial, and one should consider renting long glass to get the most out of this experience.
All wildlife images in the accompanying slide show were taken at area beaver ponds.
Digital Photography Basics June 2 & 3 1 pm - 4:30 pm $90 Limit: 4 Students
June 8 & 9 9 am - 12:30 pm $90
With this workshop you will gain a solid understanding of the exposure triangle - shutter speed, f-stop & ISO - and how to choose the right combination of these critical settings for any situation.
Gain an understanding of your camera's exposure modes, and which one is right for the photo opportunity at hand.
Learn about depth-of-field and how to use it creatively.
Get comfortable with your camera's operation, and concentrate on revealing the artist within.
June 8 & 9 9 am - 12:30 pm $90
With this workshop you will gain a solid understanding of the exposure triangle - shutter speed, f-stop & ISO - and how to choose the right combination of these critical settings for any situation.
Gain an understanding of your camera's exposure modes, and which one is right for the photo opportunity at hand.
Learn about depth-of-field and how to use it creatively.
Get comfortable with your camera's operation, and concentrate on revealing the artist within.