JUST ANNOUNCED

For more information and to register please click here

 

Is your organization looking for fun and easy fund raiser to generate revenue for your camera club or group? How about joining forces to host an “Art of Nature Photography” seminar in your area.

“Working with Steve Gettle is a “win-win-win” situation. Bringing Steve in for a program is a quality addition to any venue or event, and raises important revenue that supports other programming efforts. And he’s easy to work with to boot. Participants in his seminar “The Art of Nature Photography” found him informing, entertaining, and more than meeting their expectations. For the Center, our reputation for offering quality programs was enhanced; and the financial folks who watch our bottom line were thrilled. We’ll be bringing Steve back”

Art Weber

Director, The National Center for Nature Photography

“We recently partnered with Steve Gettle to bring his “The Art of Nature Photography “ seminar to Grand Rapids. Steve was a pleasure to work with and made it very easy to coordinate the event. We raised enough money to purchase a new digital projector for our club.”

Thanks Steve.

Diane Durand

President, Grand Rapids Camera Club

Contact Steve steve@stevegettle.com if you are interested in hosting an “Art of Nature Photography” seminar in your area

Feedback from past attendees

“When it comes to teaching nature photography with a digital camera you are destined to be this generations John Shaw.”

Bob J

Toledo, OH

“I have been a member of camera clubs for nearly twenty years and that was bar none the best program I have ever attended “

John L

Windsor, ON

“I have attended three of these seminars in the past year or so and to be honest I wasn’t sure I was going to learn anything new but I was sadly mistaken. You really opened my eyes to what it means to “make” a photograph instead of “taking” a photograph. ”

“It was like going to see a great magician and then having him show you how to do all the tricks after the show. I believe my photos are really going to improve after your seminar. ”

Todd  B

Flint, MI

“THE ART OF NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY”

A ONE DAY SEMINAR

Please join Steve for an intensive one day nature photography seminar.  Steve will share his knowledge gained from over twenty five years experience creating stunning images of the natural world.  He will cover all aspects of nature photography, from capturing grand sweeping vistas, to the tiny world of macro photography. He will also discuss how and where to photograph the beautiful flora and fauna of the natural world. Attendees from beginners to advanced shooters will learn tips, tricks, and techniques to help them take their photography to the next level.  The entire seminar will be illustrated using hundreds of Steve’s images to highlight and reinforce the topics being discussed.  While the seminar will have a definite focus on digital photography, most of the information presented will apply to film photography as well.

A brief overview of the topics to be covered:

Equipment for Nature Photography

Learn what equipment you need for the different types of nature photography. This section will help you to buy the right equipment the first time. You will learn what features you need as well as what features are nice to have as well as how and when to use these features.

• Camera bodies
• Lenses
• Tripods/tripod heads
• Electronic Flash
• Camera Bags
• Filters and other accessories

Get the exposure you Want Every Time

Understand how your camera sees light. Learn how to shoot perfect exposures every time. You will also learn how and why to read the histogram and more importantly how to bend it to your will.

• Exposure theory
• The different exposure modes and when to use them
• Understanding the Histogram
• Exposure Compensation
• Controlling Depth of field
• Shutter speed and motion effects
• jpeg vs raw shooting
• ISO’s effect on exposure

• How exposure affects the image

It’s All About the Light

Attendees will learn about light and how it affects the final image. You will also learn how to read the light, and how the light should affect your choice of subject matter. Attendees will not only learn how to control the light, but also when and why they should control light.

• Quality of light
• Direction of light
• Color of light
• Filters to control light
• Flash and fill flash

Composing Stunning images of the Natural World

We will focus on the many elements that make up the composition of a beautiful image, using many examples and real world situations. In this section, you will learn how to use balance, symmetry, and visual harmony to create pleasing compositions.

• The “rules” and when to break them
• Finding the picture
• Working the subject
• Visual paths
• Vertical vs horizontal
• Balance
• Pre-visualization
• Positive and negative space
• Shooting panorama’s

Different Types of Nature Photography

In this section, we will discuss in detail all of the different genres of nature photography as well as when and where to find subject matter to photograph.

• Mammals
• Birds
• Reptiles and amphibians
• Landscapes
• Plants and flowers
• Macro

 

 

 

I am leading photo tours to some of the beautiful places of the world.  The main focus of these tours will be to put my clients in great situations to create beautiful photography of the natural world. I plan on keeping group sizes small and filling the tours with like minded people, photographers and perhaps photographer’s spouses. The tours will only be to destinations that I am familiar with and have pre-scouted, to help ensure a successful shoot.

Please help me decide possible locations for future Photo Tours, take a moment to participate in my Photo Tour Destinations Poll

TAKE THE POLL

 

Private Instruction

I am pleased to announce that starting this Spring I will be offering personal one on one and small group field workshops. These workshops will be tailored to your interest and skill level. Are you new to photography and want to get some basic instruction. Have you been shooting for a while and have a particular skill you would like to improve? Perhaps you are the adventurous type and want to spend the day in a floating blind shooting waterfowl with me. Each workshop will include a half day in the field working on whatever skill or technique you want to learn more about. At the end of the shoot we will go have lunch and talk more shop and, if you like, review your portfolio. COST                                 $295.00/Half day for private lesson BRING A FRIEND              $225.00/Person for a half day lesson BRING TWO FRIENDS     $200.00/Person for a half day lesson

Just a few of the possibilities

Basic Camera Instruction Are you new to photography and want to get started off on the right foot? If you’re like most people you most likely learn better hands on, solving problems and getting answers to questions as they come up. I can help take the mystery out of photography. It really doesn’t have to be all that complicated. You will come away with a basic understanding of exposure, composition, and lighting, you will know how to make your camera do what you want it to do.

Macro Photography Macro photography is one of the most accessible types of nature photography. It can be done virtually anywhere and you can get world class results with a minimum of equipment. Come spend a morning in the field with me learning the ins and outs of this challenging genre of photography

Backyard Bird Photography Spend half a day in my blind shooting Cardinals Chickadees Woodpeckers and other backyard birds. All on attractive perches with great light and great backgrounds. I will also teach you what you need to know to set up your own bird photography studio. All you need to bring is a camera and lens in the 300mm range.

Floating Blind Photography You and I will spend the morning on a lake in floating blinds photographing waterfowl and whatever else we can find. All you need to bring is a camera with a long lens (400mm or greater) and a pair of heavy neoprene waders. *Note because of extra setup time as well as equipment needs an additional $100.00 charge will apply to this special workshop.

Flight Photography With the advent of autofocus flight photography has become more accessible to the nature photographer. I can help you get your camera setup properly as well as teach you many different tips and techniques to help you get these exciting images.

High-speed Flash Photography Just bring a camera that accepts a pc cord and we will plug my high-speed flashes into your camera. Not only will you get some great one of a kind images you will also learn the basics of how to do this very unique and spectacular type of photography. *Note because of extra setup time as well as equipment needs an additional $100.00 charge will apply to this special workshop.

 

SPRING IN THE NORTHWOODS

Memorial Day Weekend 2011

Friday May 27th thru Monday May 30th

SOLDOUT

Just added:

Thursday June 2nd Through Sunday June 5th

SOLDOUT

This trip is being timed to coincide with peak wildflower season in Northern Michigan. Working out of Mackinaw City we will be shooting at the very northern tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, an area that I have been photographing for well over a decade. At this time of year the woods should be filled with wildflowers including many varieties of lady’s slippers, columbine, dwarf lake iris, trillium, bunch-berries, fringed polygala, and numerous other orchid species.

Macro Photography

In addition to wildflower photography this is a great time of year to do macro photography. It is very likely that we will have some nice quiet dewy mornings to go out and find some macro subjects to photograph. From dew covered flowers and insects to macro abstract subjects you will learn tips and tricks to master this often difficult subject matter.

Birds of Prey

Note: on the second weekend I was not able to arrange to have the birds of prey model shoot

As a bonus, I have also arranged to have a birds of prey model shoot one day during the workshop. The Howell Nature Center will be bringing up at least three of their birds for participants to spend an afternoon shooting. These trained models (that cannot be released back into the wild for various reasons) will be setup on attractive perches for attendees to photograph.

Instruction

This workshop is being specifically designed to maximize our time in the field photographing, and learning in a hands on, real world fashion. We will be identifying and solving photographic problems in the field as they come up. The group size is purposely being kept small enough (no more than eight participants) so that everyone will be able to get questions answered and have time for one on one instruction.  Any down time that we are not in the field actively shooting (evenings etc.) will be spent critiquing the days shoot and learning from each other. We will also spend time working in photoshop learning how to optimize our images to make them look their best.

Each participant will be encouraged to bring a portfolio of 25 images to share with the group (if you are comfortable doing that). In addition to the feedback I will provide daily on what we are shooting in the field. I will also be doing private portfolio reviews for any participants that would like feedback on their work.

Cost $340.00 per person Weekend one

$325.00 per person Weekend two

Which includes tuition, the cost for the birds of prey shoot, and the mid-day meal each day during the workshop.

 

Other trips in the planning stages

 

The Galapagos Islands and cloud forest of Ecuador     Fall 2012

This truly is a nature photographer’s paradise featuring abundant wildlife with little to no fear of people, beautiful unspoiled scenery, a unique ecosystem, unlike anything else on earth.  Read more about one of my recent trips to the Galapagos Islands here: Galapagos Islands

Along with this trip, I plan on offering an extension to the cloud forest of Ecuador to photograph hummingbirds with high-speed flash. I will have all of the flash equipment necessary all you will need is a camera to plug the pc cord into. Here are some images I was able to make last time I was there Ecuador Hummingbirds

Costa Rica Spring 2013

During the first two weeks of March 2009 I  travelled to Costa Rica to photograph and scout locations for possible photo tours.  I brought my high-speed flash setup to work some of the amazing hummingbirds, as well as, some of the nectar feeding bats in the area.  I spent time at lodges throughout the area in search of the mort productive and photographer friendly places. While Costa Rica has some amazing birds, I  also photographed some of the other native wildlife such as the unique insects and animals of the area. Here are some images I was able to make the last time I was there in two parts here is part 1 Costa Rica 1 and part 2 Costa Rica 2

Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

While I have been to these areas nearly a dozen times, I have been invited to give a presentation at the Photographic Society of America’s annual meeting in West Yellowstone this year. When I am out there, I plan on scouting some possible lodging and seminar locations for a possible future photo tour.

If you are interested in getting more information about these trips when it becomes available, please signup for my newsletter at the top of the page and I will make sure you get any updates.  If you would like specific information about one of these trips or you are interested in joining me, feel free to email me directly at steve@stevegettle.com

 

 

 

Last week I travelled up to Northern Minnesota in search of northern bird species whose idea of going south for the winter is coming down to the far northern edge of the US. I picked a great time to do this because it was brutally cold when I was up there.  One morning it was -40 degrees without the windchill!

I have to say I was very impressed with how all of my equipment handled these extreme temperatures.  Everything preformed well although a little stiff and a little slow.  I did have to keep my external flash battery in my coat or it would lose it’s charge in just a few minutes. I was dressed for the weather and was relatively comfortable for the most part.  Although if I had to carry my tripod very far my hands would freeze solid in under ten minutes.  I cannot wear very heavy gloves and still be able to operate my camera.  In such extreme cold the tripod (or any surface) acts like a heat sink and literally sucks the heat right out of your hands.

I also located a small flock of Boreal Chickadees a tiny little bird that spends most of its time in Canada and Alaska. They are very similar to our more common Black-capped Chickadee, also pictured below.

One of the main reasons I was up in Minnesota was to try and find Great Grey Owls and Northern Hawk Owls. These owls migrate south usually in search of food. Some years, when the vole population in Canada crashes we can have owl invasions, when thousands of these magnificent birds come to northern Michigan and Minnesota. This however was not one of those invasion years, I was only able to find one Great Grey Owl and a few Northern Hawk Owls. Here are some photos I was able to make of a Northern Hawk Owl.