Southern Ohio Warblers and More Workshop - Lake Hope

Available Dates: May 2-3, 2009

Fee: $750 includes all lunches, dinners, and two full days shooting in the field with mid-afternoon slideshows and photoshop demonstrations.

Deposit: $300

Limit: 3 participants

From: Two nights near Athens, Ohio

Southern Ohio is known for its expansive forests and bountiful wild areas. It is situated in the Appalachian foothills and in the spring, comes alive with small streams falling down the hills and blossoming red-bud trees, and the forest is filled with songbirds arriving in fresh plumage from Central and South America. It's one of my favorite places to be. 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 showing the birds in their preferred environment and breeding ground.

During the Warbler Workshop, Matthew shows you how to get that perfect shot, whether we are photographing a Prairie Warbler picking bugs out if a Redbud Tree, or a Louisiana Waterthrush singing from the top of a mossy rock in the middle of a stream, 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 also provides natural props to enhance compositions if desired.

What you need:

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.

• 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.
• Once a participant commits to doing the tour, a down payment is required right away to reserve the date. Pay with personal check or via PayPal to matthewstudebaker@yahoo.com. Unfortunately, refunds are impossible. For a one day tour, the entire amount is needed to secure your date. For multiple days, the down payment will be at least half the total amount, then the other half when the participant arrives.

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 van and putting it back in every couple hours.

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

• Rose-breasted Grosbeak
• Scarlet Tanager
• Eastern Pheobe
• Acadian Flycatcher
• Blue-grey Gnatcatcher
• Warbling Vireo
• Red-eyed Vireo
• Yellow-throated Vireo
• Yellow-throated Warbler
• Louisiana Waterthrush
• Pine Warbler
• Blue-winged Warbler
• Common Yellowthroat
• Yellow Warbler
• Cerulean Warbler
• American Redstart
• Black-and-white Warbler
• Prairie Warbler
• Northern Parula
• Ovenbird
• Indigo Bunting
• Eastern Towhee
• Song Sparrow
• Chipping Sparrow

Contact Matthew Studebaker for your reservation today!

Make Checks out to:
Matthew Studebaker

7325 Austin Powder Drive
Solon, Ohio 44139
matthewstudebaker@gmail.com