This is a quick report on he first 2017 Florida Spoonbill photography workshop! As expected, the tour did not disappoint 🙂
Juvenile Roseate Spoonbill taking off – Tampa Bay, Florida
ISO 800 | f/5.6 | 1/3200 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens coupled with a 1.4x extender and the Canon EOS 1DX mark II.
The juvenile Spoonbill in the photograph above hatched last year and I was a bit surprised to see a few other young birds as well. This is a composite image depicting three different stages during a take off. The key to capturing take offs is to anticipate when it is going to happen. By now, I know very well the typical behavior of the Spoonbills at the Tampa Bay rookery and my predictions are often spot on. Better yet, I make a special effort to announce the possible take offs to my group, which puts everybody one step closer to getting the shot.
Roseate Spoonbill landing – Tampa Bay, Florida
ISO 2500 | f/5.6 | 1/2000 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens coupled with a 1.4x extender and the Canon EOS 1DX mark II.
Landing shots, as above, are actually a lot easier to create than take offs. Keep an eye up, track the bird very early on and you are in good shape. I typically follow the bird in my view finder, than re-aquire focus just before the bird enters the “shooting zone”, take a few images in burst, then re-aquire focus and press the shutter for a second burst. This gives me two chances to have the camera locking on the fast moving subject and creating sharp images. As of now, there is no camera system that does not fail to acquire perfect focus every time…
Juvenile and Adult Roseate Spoonbills flying above the water – Tampa Bay, Florida
ISO 640 | f/5.6 | 1/2500 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens coupled with a 1.4x extender and the Canon EOS 1DX mark II.
It is always a treat to create images of Spoonbills while flying just above the blue water. The juvenile / adult pair here is quite the tandem.
Florida Spoonbill photography tour testimonial
Because I do my very best to get my participants very happy with their experience 🙂
“During the many years of pursuing a career as a professional portrait photographer there were times when I was able to venture back into the type of photography I enjoyed most, landscape and wildlife. After retirement I decided to devote more time to photographing the bald eagle, one of the most photographed birds in the USA. Bird photography had multiple challenges and a friend who was also a retired photographer was attending workshops with Steven Blandin. Seeing his spoonbill and bald eagle photos on his Facebook page gave me the desire to attend Steven’s Florida Workshop the 22nd and 23rd of April 2017. Steven is a wonderful wildlife photographer who takes the time to answer any question, even the most simple ones no matter what your skill level. The classes are small, only 6 students at a time, so there is plenty of time for everyone. Be prepared to see beautiful birds, learning camera tips and settings, not to mention Photoshop techniques to bring your images to life. You won’t regret giving Steven a try.” — Sam A.
Florida Spoonbills photography tour – $1250
February 2018 / limit 6 people – NOT OPEN YET
The dates for 2018 will soon be announced! Stay tuned. 3 boat rides to the Spoonbill rookery and 2 working lunch sessions with lunch included.
Support the Best Bird Photography Tours blog by following the links for your purchases. It comes at no extra cost to you and it helps keeping this photography blog lively!
Steven