And the first Tampa Bay Spoonbills tour of the season is now over! See below a few images from the January session 🙂

ISO 800 | f/5.6 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area
Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS coupled with a 1.4x extender and the Sony Alpha 1
It always a pleasure to kick start the new bird photography season! I am pleased with the banking shot above and especially with the flicked feathers at the end of the right wing. When the positioning is right, the mangrove trees can provide a really nice green background.

ISO 640 | f/5.6 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area
Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS coupled with a 1.4x extender and the Sony Alpha 1
At some point, we were working with a group of Spoonbills that were very close to the mangrove tree roots, which was not the best situation for pleasing backgrounds. Advising the participants close to me to look for headshots while having the other birds right behind the front one, I did just that in the image above. The result is a stunning pink on pink effect. I will definitely try to do more of this in the future!!

ISO 640 | f/5.6 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area
Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS coupled with a 1.4x extender and the Sony Alpha 1
Another classic image I am always on the lookout for is the flight just above the blue water. Note that with flight images I do my very best to keep the reflection on the water as part of the image.
Black Skimmers Colony Photography Workshop – $1,090
June 25th-26th 2022 / limit 5 people – 2 open

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 3 shoots at the Sarasota Bay Black Skimmers colony. We shoot along the beach, where the nesting colony is easily accessible. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .
Ospreys / Spoonbills mix Photography Tour – $1,390
March 26th-27th 2022 / limit 5 people – Full
April 23rd-24th 2022 / limit 5 people – 1 open

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 2 boat-based Osprey shoots at the Vero Beach Cypress Lake + 1 land-based Spoonbills shoot at a local rookery. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .
Tampa Bay Spoonbills Rookery Photography Tour – $1,490
January 29th-30th 2022 / limit 5 people – Full
February 26th-27th 2022 / limit 5 people – 1 open

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 3 shoots at the Tampa Bay Spoonbills rookery. We typically shoot while wading in the water in the mornings and from the boat in the afternoon. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .