Wild Florida
Are you ready for an adventure? Do you want to photograph Florida the way it once looked? Grab your camera and immerse yourself in some of Florida’s still remaining wild and rustic locations. These photography workshops are led by National Geographic photographer Raymond Gehman and conservation photographer Greg Matthews. Come out with these experienced photographers who have already scouted the areas. Let them take you to the best spots at the best times to explore the true wild Florida.
Raymond and Greg’s purpose is not only to transport you to these wild places but also to guide and teach you on your photographic journey. Between the two of them, Raymond and Greg have decades of experience and are well versed in most major camera brands (Nikon, Canon, etc.). They are also extremely knowledgeable about all manner of photographic techniques including HDR (high dynamic range), photostitching/panoramas, night photography, long exposures, flash, and tilt/shift, among others. Subjects on these photo workshops will range from macro imagery to epic landscapes to wildlife encounters.
Some of the Wild Florida Photo Workshops will be followed by a detailed, group critique of the photographs after there has been an opportunity to edit the images.
Dinner Island Ranch is is a former cattle ranch that has been left to grow wild and is now a wildlife management area. It has wide open, epic landscape views, with lots of open prairie, grassland, and wetlands, dotted with oak and palmetto hammocks. There are lots of huge old oak trees covered in dripping moss!
We drive in on a circular, windy road that is just plain charming. It is really quiet in Dinner Island Ranch. You will see no other people! You can stop wherever and whenever you want, rest under the shade of the large oak trees. The wildlife ranges from white-tailed deer, to wild boar, owls, hawks, caracaras, and wading wetland birds. It is also a habitat of the wild Florida panthers.
We will arrive before sunrise, and the sunrises there are nothing but stunning! We will be providing you with the transportation from West Palm Beach, so you don’t have to worry about driving!
Raymond provides expert photographic instruction on the landscape images, and Greg is an expert on shooting the wildlife. The combination cannot be beat!! So please come and take photographs galore on this adventure to a place that looks the way Florida used to be!
Price: $250 for the day
The price includes a group critique of the students’ photos on a day that follows and is convenient to everyone.
Blue Cypress Lake sits at the origin of the St. Johns River. The Lake is over 6500 acres and is home to one of the largest local osprey populations. The osprey utilizes large, old Bald Cypress trees which grow directly out of the lake, creating a unique landscape. Old growth Cypress canvas the lake covered in old Spanish moss reminiscent of a primordial time.
We leave before dawn so that we can capture the glorious sunrise. The workshop originates at Middleton’s fish camp which has been located there for a few generations. After loading into 14 foot John boats, we set out onto the water to photograph the landscapes and wildlife of the lake. The unusual, misty atmosphere through which we glide in the boats as we zig-zag amongst the Cypress trees cannot be adequately described in words.
This workshop generally takes half a day and is limited to a small number of people.
Price: $250 for the day
The price includes a group critique of the students’ photos on a day that follows and is convenient to everyone.
Everglades National Park is the largest tropical wilderness and the largest wilderness of any kind east of the Mississippi River. It is the third-largest national park in the lower 48 states after Death Valley and Yellowstone. It has been declared an International Biosphere Reserve, A World Heritage Site, and a Wetland of International Importance, one of only three locations in the world to appear on all three lists. The Everglades are a network of wetlands and forests fed by a river flowing out of Lake Okeechobee. The Park is the most significant breeding ground for tropical wading birds in North America, contains the largest mangrove ecosystem in the western hemisphere, is home to 36 threatened or protected species including the Florida panther, the American crocodile, and the West Indian manatee, and supports hundreds of species of birds, fresh and saltwater fish, mammals, and reptiles.
We will arrive at the Anhinga Trail Royal Palm Visitors’ Center near dawn. We will be in place to shoot sunrise over the wetlands. We will then spend several hours walking the Anhinga Trail, photographing wetland birds and alligators. After a lunch break, we will explore some of the other trails and highlights including the Flamingo Center, Eco Pond, Mirazek Pond, Pa-Hay-Okee Overlook (where we will see the legendary River of Grass), and Long Pine Key, among others.
Instruction will focus on capturing moments of wildlife behavior including using the proper shutter speed to stop in-flight motion and feeding activities. Participants will learn how to reduce distracting backgrounds in the wildlife photographs. We will also explore the primordial Everglades landscape, finding interesting focal points that will bring dimension to your images. We will return to the Anhinga Trail for sunset in order to blend the sublime golden light with what you learned about photographing wildlife and landscape images.
Price: $250 for the day
The price includes a group critique of the students’ photos on a day that follows and is convenient to everyone.
WILD FLORIDA PHOTO GALLERY
MEET THE INSTRUCTORS
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