UPCOMING DATES AND LOCATIONS

Grand Rapids, MI

Park Congregational Church, 10 E. Park Ave. NE, Grand Rapids (downtown)

Saturday March 27th 9:00AM to 4:00PM (doors open at 8:30)

Cost $79.00 per person

$10.00 Discount for members of a Camera Club

Register Online Here

Indian Springs Metro Park in White Lake, MI

5200 Indian Trail  White Lake MI  48386     Phone: 800-477-3192

Fall 2010 Date TBD

Cost $79.00 per person

Space is limited to only 40 people

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
• Heads
• Electronic flash
• Camera bags
• Filters

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
• How exposure affects the image
• Understanding the histogram
• Exposure compensation
• Controlling depth of field
• Shutter speed and motion effects
• JPEG vs RAW shooting
• ISO’s effect on exposure

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 plan on 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.

Trips currently in the planning stages:

The North Channel of Lake Huron from a sailboat

September 16th through the 21st

This very unique trip is being planned for September 16th thru the 21st of 2010. This tour will be unique in a few ways. First of all, we will be travelling by sailboat, a 37 foot cutter rigged sailboat named “Little Wing”. “Little Wing” is piloted by Captain Bill Penistan, who has been sailing for over 50 years, more than a decade of that in the beautiful Georgian Bay and North Channel area at the very northern end of Lake Huron, bordering Canada.  The North Channel, with over thirty thousand islands and countless secluded coves, bays, and inlets, promises to be a photographers paradise. Travelling by sailboat with a dinghy to get us on and off the many islands we will visit will give us unprecedented access to this beautiful area. This trip will be limited to only four people.  I will post more information as it becomes available.

Captain Bill is offering a special one time introductory rate of $1,375.00 Canadian dollars (as of the writing of this that is under $1,300.00 US dollars). There is a double berth in the bow of the boat if you have a spouse or significant other that would like to join us the cost for the second person would be $1,050.00, assuming you will be bunking together.

Scouting Report

In late June Captain Bill took my family and I on a four day sailing trip to scout the location for this workshop. To say I was blown away would be an understatement.  The North Channel has a rugged beauty that I have not experienced before and travelling by sailboat, with a dinghy to get ashore provided us with unparalleled access to this stunning landscape. While trying to combine a family trip with a photographic trip is not my preferred way to work, I was able to get out a few times and get some “work” done.  This first shot is from an overlook on South Benjamin Island the boat you see in the distance is the Little Wing.

The first couple of days the weather was pretty socked in so I concentrated on family time and did some intimate landscapes which were abundant. If you are “liken” lichen this is the place for you. All of the rocks were covered with lichens of all types and colors.

Here are some pictures of the fleet.

Here is a picture of our fearless Captain; Bill Penistan (with my son Jacob at the helm). I found it funny that Captain Bill was amazed that I could identify many of the local birds by their song, but thought nothing of the fact that he knew where almost every rock (above and below the water) was in this area. I really would not feel comfortable travelling in these potentially dangerous waters with a Captain less experienced than Captain Bill.

Here is a shot of yours truly in the galley, that’s boat talk for kitchen.

Did I mention it was really beautiful.

We would love to have you join us on this special trip. A couple of things you need to know before you sign up. We will be travelling by sailboat, which means tight quarters with very little storage space, basically a step above camping. We certainly will not have access to a regular shower, (my family and I bathed in the lake). We will be in the wilderness without access to the corner store etc.. So while you must pack lightly, you must also pack everything you need. There is electricity available on board to charge laptops and batteries etc.

If you have questions or want more information please feel free to contact me at my studio 810-231-8118 or by email steve@stevegettle.com

Thanks

Steve

Here is a link to the Exploration Sail website  (Captain Bill’s company)  http://www.explorationsail.com/

Other trips on the short list:

The Galapagos Islands and cloud forest of Ecuador

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: http://www.stevegettle.com/pages/2008/07/

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 http://www.stevegettle.com/pages/2008/08/

Costa Rica

I spent the first two weeks of March 2009 I will be travelling to Costa Rica to photograph and scout locations for possible photo tours.  I plan on bringing my high-speed flash setup to work some of the amazing hummingbirds, as well as hopefully, some of the nectar feeding bats in the area.  I will be spending 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 hope to photograph 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 http://www.stevegettle.com/pages/2009/04/19/ and part 2 http://www.stevegettle.com/pages/2009/05/

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.