Wildlife Photography across the Water: Florida weekend

Sunday, 13 June 2010

Florida weekend

We travelled down to Florida on Thursday afternoon to meet with some friends that are over from the UK for their holidays, Its been a busy social time and there hasn't really been any wildlife photography done although we have seen some as wildlife is very prolific everywhere in Florida, Yesterday we did something that i have wanted to do for as long as i can remember and thats take a ride on an airboat and it can only be described as brilliant, We went on an ultimate airboat tour which was booked for an hour but in reality was closer to 2 hours, We went out across the Central Florida Everglades, It was stunning as was the weather, We took in loads of scenery and wildlife, The highlights being 4 snail kites and although fairly distant we did get some shots, We came across some gators and had a close encounter with purple Gallinules with a chick, The birds were so close that with the 200-400 on the D300 all i got was head shots, A beautiful bird that is like a colourful coot, If you are ever in Florida then its a must do, Not only do you get to go fast but the captain had great knowledge of what was around and where and for around $45 per person was great value for money, We did see some sandhill cranes but not well or good enough for shots but when we left i spotted 2 adults with young and managed to get some close ups so all in all a really lovely day-mid 90s and cold beer what more could you want
I had a play with some slow shutter speeds to try to emphasize the speed

I had the D3s with the 14-24 and the D300 with the 200-400 and most images went to the D300 which worked really well, I havent used it for a while and had forgotten just how good it is
So just a quick trip and we are back in NC on Monday, A great trip and great to meet with friends

Dave

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Bio's

David Courtenay, a self taught wildlife and nature photographer, has been capturing images for over 30 years. He has had a passion for wildlife since early childhood and remembers being glued to the television whenever Survival, Wildlife on One and other natural history documentaries were shown. In the 2006 he swapped his established career for the life of a wildlife photographer, such a move demands a measure of uncompromising passion and commitment.

David has travelled extensively throughout Europe as well as spending more than 7 months in India working with local guides and trackers in search of Bengal Tiger, Asian One horned Rhino and Asian Elephant. He has also photographed Wildlife in Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, Africa, Canada and America. Working closely with Conservation companies he tries to raise funds to help Wildlife that has been put on the endangered list by poaching and habitation loss

Martin Dyer has had a passion for avian wildlife since childhood, particularly raptors. Photography was also another keen interest and it was with the specific availability and control of the whole process that digital offers that Martin was then able to combine the two in 2003. Based in the UK, Martin is a regular visitor to Scotland, specifically the Isle of Mull to watch the Eagles resident there. Other trips to Europe and around the UK are usually part of Martin’s agenda in a typical year.

However, as a firm believer on making the most of the local patch, Martin has spent a lot of time and hard work creating a wildlife garden which is reaping the rewards with many new species and varieties of wildlife. A keen member of a number of wildlife photographic groups, Martin is keen to expand his portfolio into other areas of wildlife, and has already established a wide portfolio of images of fungi.