Shorebird Photo Tour

Workshop Dates: dates: August 13-14, 2011

Fee: $400/weekend. Includes two full days shooting in the field plus slideshow and photoshop demonstration.

Deposit: $200. Make personal checks out to, “Studebaker Studios LLC” mailed to:

Studebaker Studios, LLC

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

Target Group Size : 4 Participants per weekend

From: Conneaut, Ohio

On the shores of Lake Erie is a small and humble town called Conneaut. The name Conneaut, to birders, immediately brings to mind the small bit of land jutting into the harbor, the end consists of mud and sand. This spit of land attracts many water sport enthusiasts along with a small number of birds - so what makes it special? While there may only be one or two dozen interesting birds on the sand spit at any given time, the area allows the photographer to approach with great light angles in both morning and evening, get close to the birds, and if you get low to the ground, include fantastic backgrounds consisting of distant breakwalls and marsh grasses. There's also wonderful species variety here. Despite its humble appearance, I actually prefer making shorebird images here to both Cape May, New Jersey and Fort De Soto, Florida. I'll show you where to be and when, how to approach the somewhat flighty birds, what angle and direction to shoot, tricks on how to get the perfect pose, etc. We usually walk away with 500 - 1000 images per day of which one in thirty or so are keepers.

Workshop goals
Shorebirds can be difficult to approach. Learn how to get close, how to control your backgrounds, reflections, composition, light, and get that perfect head turn.

Where to Stay
We will meet each morning in the hotel lobby of Day’s Inn 600 Days Boulevard, Conneaut, OH 44030(440) 593-6000. This is where I recommend staying, but feel free to camp or stay at any of the other hotels in the area.

Best airport to fly Into: Cleveland Hopkins International (CLE) is the largest airport in the area, and is about a 1.5 hour drive west of Conneaut.

Cell service:
We should have good cell service the entire trip.

Weather:
Be prepared for temperatures in the low 60’s (f) in the early morning, when the birds are most active. Some years, we see 90 degrees by late afternoon, so dressing in layers is a good idea. We’ll be shooting rain or shine. Conneaut beach is both sandy in some areas with shallow fresh water, and in other areas fairly muddy. Sunrise is around 6:30am, Sunset about 8:15pm.

Transportation:
Each participant must have their own transportation. Carpooling will be optional from the hotel, which is only a few miles away from the beach. We don’t usually have to drive to any other location.

Food:
Please have breakfast on your own before we meet in the morning. There is fastfood in town (McDonalds and Burger King), or you can ask the hotel if they can put out their continental breakfast early for you, or you may wish to simply make coffee in the room and pack some granola bars. We will eat lunch and dinner as a group, but restaurant options will be generally somewhat humble and limited in the small towns in the area. We usually eat at either Bob Evan’s or Denny’s.

What to pack:

• Bring a tripod that you don’t mind getting wet and muddy.
• DSLR camera
• Your longest lens (500mm minimum when you count crop factor and tele-extenders)
• Flash plus better beamer if desired. I probably won’t use flash on this trip.
• Extra memory cards or laptop to download images
• Rain gear
• Knee and probably elbow pads. I never used to recommend this but every single year at least one person says they really wish they had both. We are often crouching down low on sand which can really start to get sore after a while without some sort of padding.
• Bug spray (usually insects are usually not bad at all on this trip, but better safe than sorry)
• Notepad and pencil if you want to take notes during my photoshop demo
• Bring a sample of your own work if you like. It can be fun to share during lunch break to get to know each other’s work.
• A positive attitude. One negative person can put a cloud over the whole trip but good attitudes are contagious as well!
• I strongly recommend bringing a pair of chest waders. Why chest waders when we only shoot in puddles or less than a foot of water? Chest waders allows you to sit down in the water and get comfortable while shooting from low angles. Waders keep you dry and allow you to simply rinse of mud and sand when we are done. If you don’t already own a pair, buy something light weight and breathable. I have a pair called “frog togs” and I love them. They have built in boots so that I don’t have to dry out a pair of over-shoes after being in the water. Your local sporting goods or hunting store will probably have several options for you to try on.
• A skimmer or ground pod is generally not useful at Conneaut, but feel free to bring one just in case.

Physical requirements:
I emphasize setting your camera less than a foot above the water’s surface when possible. This can be physically challenging for some folks. If you opt to shoot from a higher angle, it will be more comfortable, but you may have difficulty controlling your backgrounds and reflections. Many people say using an “angle finder” eye piece allows them to shoot from a much more comfortable position, however these eye pieces get take some getting used to when tracking shorebirds foraging quickly in random directions. Again, many participants say this workshop is hard on their knees and elbows so bring knee and elbow pads.

Tentative Schedule

• Breakfast on our own
• 6:30am Meet in the hotel lobby of Day’s Inn 600 Days Boulevard, Conneaut, OH 44030(440) 593-6000
• After quick introductions proceed to sand spit while going over technique basics
• In the morning practice finding photogenic angles and making close approaches to skittish birds
• Take a lunch break after light gets harsh around midday
• Lecture about shorebirds and advised techniques
• Break for free time on our own
• Afternoon shoot from opposite side of sand and ponds
• Late dinner near hotel for those who want to join, go over images; bring some photos from your personal portfolio for show and tell if you like. It can inspire and help others learn as well.

Likely Species on the Shorebird Photo Tour - species in bold have historically been the most cooperative, and a sampling of other species usually oblige as well:

• American Avocet
• Buff-breasted Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper
• Semi-palmated Sandpiper
• White-rumped Sandpiper
• Baird's Sandpiper
• Stilt Sandpiper
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Short-billed Dowitcher
• Sanderling
• Red Knot
• Dunlin
• Ruddy Turnstone
• American Golden Plover
• Black-bellied Plover
• Semi-palmated Plover
• Killdeer
• Sora
• Great Blue Heron
• Herring Gull
• Ring-billed Gull
• Bonaparte's Gull
• Forster's Tern
• Caspian Tern
• Bank Swallow
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Blue-winged Teal

Contact Matthew Studebaker for your reservation today!