The very first Tampa Bay Spoonbills tour of the season is now concluded! See the images and there is a last minute cancellation for the February 18th-19th iteration. Do you want the spot?
ISO 2000 | f/5.6 | 1/3200 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area
Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS with 1.4x extender and the Sony Alpha 1
The first photography workshop of the 2023 season turned out to be an overcast one! While the first part of January was quite cold for Florida’s standards, the weather had nicely warmed up, bringing many clouds in its wake. Hopefully, we will have more sun for the next session. The image above displays an adult Spoonbill with its wings fully up after having landed in the shallow water.
ISO 4000 | f/5.6 | 1/3200 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area
Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS with 1.4x extender and the Sony Alpha 1
You will notice some fairly high ISOs in all the images on this post. I use multiple techniques to denoise my images, which when stacked together allows for more leeway in the field. I tend to prefer to shoot at a high shutter speed, above 1/2500 sec., so to completely freeze the movement when possible. Avoiding motion blur comes before lowering the ISO in my world. The image above shows the moment before take off when the wings are at their highest point to prepare for the very first wing beat.
ISO 6400 | f/5.6| 1/2000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area
Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS with 1.4x extender and the Sony Alpha 1
This is an attempt at a very tight closeup around the bird’s head while being in flight. Having the eye popping out between two feathers gives a nice flair to this creation. Note that their was some motion blur… 1/2000 sec was not enough to fully freeze the movement. However, this image was created early in the morning and I preferred not to pass above the 6400 mark on ISO.
Ospreys / Spoonbills mix Photography Tour – $1,390
March 18th-19th 2023 / 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 .
Black Skimmers Colony Photography Workshop – $1,090
June 3rd-4th 2023 / limit 6 people – 1 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 .
Tampa Bay Spoonbills Rookery Photography Tour – $1,490
January 21st-22nd 2023 / limit 5 people – Full
February 18th-19th 2023 / limit 5 people – 1 open
April 15th-16th 2023 / limit 5 people – Full
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 .
