Northern Ohio Songbird Photo Tour - 2012

Available Dates: May 12,13, 2012

Fee: $650 two full days shooting in the field with mid-afternoon slideshows and photoshop demonstrations.

Deposit: $200

Target Group Size: 3 photographers

From: Macedonia, OH
For those flying in, Cleveland Airport is your best bet (CLE)

I spent my childhood in many of the forests we'll be shooting in. In know the areas like the back of my hand and where nearly every bird nests. Warbler photography is perhaps the most difficult of all bird photography. On this workshop we strive for quality over quantity, and often only walk away with two or three truly stunning shots per day. But the rewards are sweet. The quality of these images surpasses weeks and weeks of work at migrant traps and has the advantage of depicting the birds in their preferred environment and breeding habitats.

During the Warbler Workshop, Matthew shows you how to get that perfect shot, whether we are photographing a Blue-winged Warbler picking bugs out of Hawthorne blossoms, or a Scarlet Tanager singing from the top of a rugged fallen log, the workshop focuses on giving the images that extra touch that separates the good images for the work of a master bird photographer. Matthew also knows exactly which parts of the forest to shoot from and when, how to take advantage of the birds’ daily patterns and work with the light. Matthew provides natural props to enhance compositions when appropriate.

Unlike the other warbler and songbird trips I lead, this one takes place in metroparks around the Cleveland metropolitan area. That gives us easy access to hotels and food, but requires the participants to follow me in their own vehicle to the shooting locations. Most locations are within 20 minutes of our hotel. We simply pull off the road or shoot at the edge of trailhead parking lots or up to several hundred feet down the trails. I have all the bird's songs memorized and am very good at quickly locating any species for the group.

Equipment: I recommend bringing a digital SLR with matching lens. When you calculate your digital crop factor (usually 1.5x the normal focal length or so for digital cameras today) and slap on your tele extenders (1.4x or 2x) you should have the equivalent of at least 600mm. Please be familiar with using the equipment you bring. While I have experience with basic Nikon, Canon, and Olympus systems and can help guide you along, you could miss a rare photo opp when adjusting settings or even looking through the viewfinder with new equipment.

If we have cloudy weather, the photos often turn out as good or better than in sunny weather, but having a fill flash really helps bring the colors to life in overcast conditions.

Physical Activity Requirements: Low activity. We’ll be shooting near the car most of the time. We may walk across a couple small fields. You certainly don’t need to be athletic to do this workshop. If you can walk a normal city block or go grocery shopping you should be just fine. One of the biggest hassles of the workshop is simply taking out the equipment from the vehicle and putting it back in every couple hours.

Likely Species on the Northern Ohio Workshop - species in bold have historicly been the most cooperative, and a sampling of other species usually oblige as well:

• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Tree Swallow
• Eastern Bluebird
• Scarlet Tanager
• Willow Flycatcher
• Acadian Flycatcher
• Bobolink
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
• Warbling Vireo
• Yellow-throated Vireo
• Prothonotary Warbler
• Yellow-throated Warbler
• Blue-winged Warbler
• Common Yellowthroat
• Yellow Warbler
• Cerulean Warbler
• American Redstart
• Chestnut-sided Warbler
• Indigo Bunting
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak
• Swamp Sparrow
• Song Sparrow
• Chipping Sparrow
• Henslow's Sparrow
• Baltimore Oriole
• Orchard Oriole

Contact Matthew Studebaker for your reservation today!

Once a participant commits to doing the tour, a down payment is required right away to reserve the date. Payment can be made with personal check or money order. Unfortunately, refunds are impossible.

Make Checks out to: Studebaker Studios, LLC
and mail to:

Studebaker Studios
c/o Matthew Studebaker
3339 Fox Run Drive,
Richfield, OH 44286

matthewstudebaker@gmail.com