Announcing the 2022 Stick Marsh Roseate Spoonbill IPTs

What’s Up?

Me watching lots of Sunday NFL games. I have been swimming every day and enjoying it.

Today Monday 15 November 2021, is another cool clear day with a NW breeze in Central Florida so it will be all work and little play for me. I have lots of e-mails to answer, most dealing with IPT business and with the Used Gear Page. To those who wrote over the weekend, thanks for your patience. I will get back to you today. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took more than two hours to prepare including the time spent on creating the Stick Marsh card. It truly is an amazing place and hope that you can join me on one of these IPTs. Or both!

Via e-mail from Morris Herstein

I never thought that I could make in-flight photos of birds successfully. That goal was accomplished during the recent workshop at Stick Marsh only because I listened to your advice and instructions. For the first time I realized how important sun angle was, teachings that you had been communicated for a long time. The result of two days shooting produced the most satisfying images of Roseate Spoonbills I ever could have imagined.

Stay well and safe. Thank you. Morris

Via e-mail from Joe Usewicz

Wow. So many photos to go through. Stick Marsh was a great learning experience. Positioning. Wind impact. Landing zones. Working on backgrounds. I clipped too many incredible reflections. Great fun. Just amazing opportunities.

Warmest Regards, Joe

I created this image during an In-the-Field Instructional Workshop on 26 March at Stick Marsh in Fellsmere, FL. I used hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 220mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure for this raw file was dead-solid perfect. AWB at 9:02am on a sunny morning. Right-center Zone AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and worked very well. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the hi-res version. Image #1: Photographer with point-blank Roseate Spoonbill

Discovering Stick Marsh

I had been hearing about Stick Marsh for well more than a decade. Everyone who mentioned it felt that you needed a boat. After trying to photograph Florida’s most-wanted avian subject for several decades with long lenses, I finally visited in March 2020. Once I got the lay of the land, I realized that photographing from the shoreline would be much better than being in a boat. Roseate Spoonbill is the holy grail subject for bird photographers visiting Florida (and for those who live here as well). When I think that I have been living just one hour ten minutes from this spot, I really do want to kick myself. But I won’t. I spent a good deal of time at Stick Marsh in 2020 and learned a ton. I cannot wait to get back there this season.

Click on the composite image to enjoy the incredible quality of the hi-res JPEG. Coming soon: An instructional video: Your JPEGs Do Not Have to Suck. Clockwise from upper left back around to the center: spoonbill with mangrove background; spoonbill head and shoulders portrait; spoonbill braking to land; spoonbill dramatic landing pose; adult Black-crowned Night-Heron; spoonbill with nesting material; Great Egret returning to nest; incoming spoonbill; and Limpkin landing.

Do both IPTs back to back and enjoy a $300 discount: protect your travel and time investments against bad weather by signing up for both IPTs for $4698.00.

Stick Marsh, where the living is easy. Photograph incoming Roseate Spoonbills in flight at point blank range with intermediate telephoto zoom lenses. This year I will be trying the new Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, often with the 1.4X TC. Longer lenses either on a tripod or hand held are best for the green background stuff. There will be endless flight photography opportunities with a variety of species; in addition to the spoonbills, we should have some excellent chances on Limpkin, Great Egret, Cattle Egret, Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, Double-created Cormorant, Anhinga, Black and Turkey Vultures, and more. Folks with 500 and 600mm f/4 lenses will have lots of opportunities to hone their skills working on a tripod or hand holding.

There will be five morning photo sessions averaging four hours. We start in the pre-dawn. The first four morning sessions will be followed by a working brunch. The cost of brunch is included. There will be two after-brunch photo-sessions on sunny days (averaging about an hour) to try for bathing spoonbills, usually centered around 1:30pm. There will be one after-brunch photo critique session (probably on DAY 3). And there will be one Image Processing session after brunch.

We will be based in or near Vero Beach. The deposit is $799.00. Call Jim at the office any weekday at 863-692-0906 to pay by credit card. Balances must be paid by check.

What You Will Learn on a Stick Marsh IPT

• 1- You will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button..
• 2- You will learn to work in Manual exposure mode even if you are scared of it.
• 3- You will surely learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography.
• 4- You will learn the pro secrets that will help you to become a better flight photographer.
• 5- You will learn to zoom out in advance (because the birds are so close!) 🙂
• 6- You will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
• 7- You will learn to spot the good and the great situations.
• 8- You will learn to understand and predict bird behavior.
• 9- You will learn to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
• 10- You will learn to choose the best perspective.
• 11- You will learn to see and control your backgrounds.
• 12- You will learn to see and understand the light.
• 12- You will learn to see and create pleasing blurs in pre-dawn situations.
• 12- You will learn to be ready for the most likely event at all times.

And the best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever you are and whenever you photograph.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance for both big international trips and US-based IPTs is highly recommended as we never know what life has in store for us. I strongly recommend that you purchase quality travel insurance. Travel Insurance Services offers a variety of plans and options. Included with the Elite Option or available as an upgrade to the Basic & Plus Options you can also purchase Cancel for Any Reason Coverage that expands the list of reasons for your canceling to include things such as sudden work or family obligation and even a simple change of mind. My family and I use and depend on the great policies offered by TIS whenever we travel. You can learn more here: Travel Insurance Services. Do note that many plans require that you purchase your travel insurance within 14 days of our cashing your deposit check or running your credit card. Whenever purchasing travel insurance, be sure to read the fine print carefully even when dealing with reputable firms like TSI.

Typos

In all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.