I partnered with the Kalamazoo Nature Center once again for a songbird workshop.  While the weather did not cooperate the first two sessions, the third brought in great weather and finally an evening with some subject matter.  The star for the last session was definitely the Black-capped Chickadee but we also had a visitor that seemed to not leave our seed alone on the ground.

A Chipmunk was around the entire evening and at the end of the night, when the lighting had left our perches, I did a quick setup with an angled rock to try and entice the little bugger out of the grass and up on a nice rock.  All in all, another good workshop.  Stay tuned as more workshops will be coming.  For the time being, be sure to think about joining us for the full day workshop on Adobe Photoshop techniques to make good images great images.  Stay tuned!

When: Saturday, August 20th (9am – 5pm)
Where: Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, Spruce Lodge
Audience: Adults with Digital or Film SLRs (limited to 10)
Fee: $150 per person (click HERE to download registration form)

Join Josh & Dave for a full day workshop on one of our most requested lesson and workshop topics: Photoshop and Image Workflow from Start to Finish. This workshop will focus mostly on Photoshop techniques to make good images great images! The day will start with a shooting session on Wintergreen Lake and follow inside beautiful Spruce Lodge at lakes edge for the remainder of the day. We will step you through taking your images through the entire workflow of getting them on the computer, managing those files, working the images in Photoshop, and finish with actually printing the image on a high quality Epson pigment-ink printer. That’s right; you will take a print home with you! Bringing a laptop with Photoshop installed will be useful for this class but is not necessary. Every participant will receive a binder with handouts stepping through all the topics we will teach. Areas for notes will be included and this notebook will be yours to take home.

Included in your fee:
   *Full day workshop with Josh & Dave at your fingertips
   *Water, coffee, snacks and lunch provided
   *Binder with handouts & instructional material
   *High quality 8×10 print of one of your images

Some of the topics will include:
   *Workflow (from taking the shot to printing the shot)
   *Cropping & sizing images
   *Curve corrections & color saturation techniques
   *Introduction to layers
   *Cleaner cloning (other than using the clone tool)
   *Sharpening for print and web output

About Josh & Dave’s experience:
   *Dave has 30+ years in Graphic Design experience working in all versions
    of Adobe Photoshop as well as extensive knowledge in RAW & Digital
    Workflow.
   *Josh has 5+ years of targeted knowledge in Adobe Photoshop for
    Photographers, RAW & Digital Workflow, and a teaching style that tames
    the beast known as Photoshop!

Josh & Dave have been photographing and teaching for years. Take advantage of this unique course with Josh & Dave’s expertise in Photoshop and the Digital Darkroom! Space is limited. Registration and payment deadline August 5th. Click HERE to download registration form.

7 excited souls made the treck to an amazing place for Bird-watching this past weekend.  They allowed myself and my wife Kara to lead them into the woods in search of birds and good photographs.

Magee Marsh was the target and boy did we hit it!  Our trip began late afternoon on Friday and the fact that all participants were there and ready to go well before 3 showed how excited everyone was for this Glances At Nature Trip.

(In the image above, notice the Cottonwood Tree ribs behind the Warbler.  It  really puts it in perspective just how small Warblers are)  Friday was an absolute stellar day for birding at Magee.  Rarities such as Barn Owl, Blue Grosbeak and the illusive Whip-poor-will were seen by many of the participants.  Photographers dragged heavy gear all around and captured some great imagery.

The birding even continued in the town of Port Clinton where we stayed each night.  Every evening, Common Nighthawks were heard and seen and the sounds of Gulls and other Seabirds could be heard right from the hotel.

Click HERE to hear one of the Warbler calls heard all weekend!!! 

In the end, the group tallied a bird list of 99 and almost as importantly, had great food & spirits at local restaurants each night.  Rare birds such as Barn Owl, Blue Grosbeak, Whip-poor-will, and a Marbled Godwit stole the show but each day, all participants worked hard at new techniques in birding and photographing.  Enjoy some of the quotes below from participants who seemed to really enjoy the weekend.

New trips and workshops will be posted soon.  Stay close to the blog and sign up for another great Glances At Nature adventure with Josh today!

Per tradition, a Spring doesn’t go by without a trip to Crane Creek (Magee Marsh).  This year, I scheduled a Glances At Nature Trip to bring down a group of 7 participants (3 photographers and 4 birders).  The trip sold out in less than a month of being advertised which didn’t come as a huge surprise given how many people have been asking for this trip.  Ahead of the GAN trip, Kara and I were able to head down early and spend some much needed time birding together for a day and a half ahead of my group.   We made it down there Thursday evening and while the weather was quite nice, the birds were less than exciting.  It was pretty dead actually.  While it was slow, it was nice walking the boardwalk for a while and then getting down the road to the hotel a bit early.  We were able to scope out some fun local restaurants and make sure all was well with the hotel.

We awoke Friday to a nice morning of weather and started birding early.  We barely made it a hundred feet down the boardwalk when one of our favorite friends found us, Paul Cypher (see his blog by clicking HERE).  We spent the majority of the day birding, photographing and simply having a great time.

Friday was an amazing day for the birds and lots had moved in the night before.  Northern Parulas were singing all over the place and the diversity was super.  Black-throated Greens and Palms seemed to be the most cooperative for Photography and I snagged some nice images.  My favorite image, oddly as it seems, was of a female Red-winged Blackbird.  Females are typically pretty secretive and after years of attempts, I pulled away with a nice image of a female singing.

Our trip was great and it was an absolute pleasure running into the many great friends (like Scott Jennex and Chuck Owens to name a couple) who I hadn’t seen in a while.

A bit before 3pm, we met up with my group and the start of my Warbler trip began.  Stay close to the blog as a full post about the trip (including participant photos) will be coming soon!

Kara and I met up with some good friends yesterday after work to go after a rare Michigan bird that has been around for a few days (amazingly).  I was disappointed to hear that Kara heard about this bird earlier in the week and never said anything.  What!!!!  She didn’t realize the magnitude of the particular bird so no biggy.  Luckily, after a lot of looking I found the bird shortly before leaving.  Yes!!!

Actually, the way I found the bird just shows how important it is to look at every bit of movement you see and every little peep you hear when searching for a rarity.  After hearing the leaf clutter at ground level, our bird was sounding very much like the many White-throated Sparrows around the trails but looking in the direction with my bins and waiting for the bird to pop up from behind a down log yielded our Warbler which made all the searching and driving worthwhile.

I can’t help but share a new Discovery Channel commercial that I think every birder would love.  It’s great…

Discovery Flamingo Commercial

Our work is now featured in the new Aveda Concept Salon in Battle Creek called LynnIvan.  This is an amazing new salon that offers all the comforts you would expect and more.  Click HERE to view more information about show-casing our work in your office or place of business.

Our work flows perfectly amongst the rich blues & slate browns throughout the salon.  LynnIvan is located in the heart of downtown Battle Creek at 89 W. Michigan Ave.

6 Photographers joined me for a fun workshop focused on photographing ducks.  There was a mix of skill levels but everyone went away with new tips and tricks for getting great duck images.

The workshop took place on beautiful Wintergreen Lake at the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary.  By having 3 different evenings to shoot, it meant we saw a diversity of species and had the best luck with getting at least one evening with nice lighting.

While some were there to learn new techniques, others were either there to go after new species like Redhead & Scaup or to simply get re-energized in the wonderful world of Photography.

A major part of the the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary’s history is their re-introduction of Trumpeter Swans to the Midwest.  Whether the weather is bad or the other ducks aren’t cooperating, a small group of Trumpeters is always there modeling for the cameras.

One of the more fun aspects of the workshop was the blind I built especially for our sessions.  It’s very basic but allowed all participants to lay low to get on the birds’ level while still being camoflauged.  Many participants loved this and were already thinking of similar setups they could use on their own.

Another workshop is in the books but there are 2 more currently scheduled and my Summer and Fall trips should be public soon!  Stay close to the blog for lessons and to see our new imagery as Spring continues to bring us outside shooting more and more.

When: Friday & Saturday, June 3 & 4 (3pm-5pm)
Where: Pierce Cedar Creek Institute (to register, click HERE)
Audience: Adults with Digital or Film SLRs ( limited to 8 )
Fee: $50 per person

Join Josh for a 2-part approach to Songbird Photography. This will be a great workshop stepping participants through some of the techniques typically not thought about when trying to capture better bird images. Part 1 will focus on beginning Songbird techniques including exposure, being ready before the action happens and knowing the species you’re after. For part 2, we will explore more intermediate techniques on capturing Songbirds away from feeders, work on backgrounds as well as composition and beginning setups. Josh will help participants get out of Auto modes and be more creative with the gear they already own. Take advantage of this 2-part Workshop which allows for more time in the field.

Each session will include time in the field shooting and ample 1-on-1 time with Josh every step of the way. Josh has been photographing and teaching about birds for years. Take advantage of his prep time, fun teaching style and sign up today! Space is limited. Registration deadline May 30.

For the past few months, I’ve started working with the fine folks at Green Mountain Digital, the company that creates all the iPhone/iPad/Driod apps for National Audubon.  They have stunning digital app products and for any users with the above devices, you should definitely check ‘em out.  Their apps include Field Guides to Birds, Flowers, Mushrooms, Butterflies, etc.

We’re excited that their Bird Apps feature some of my photography and I am now writing for their blog with a naturalist/photographer view from the Mid-West.  Check it out!

www.blog.audubonguides.com