Havanna Travel

Destination weddings are exceedingly popular these days because of the many inexpensive holiday wedding packages accessible from a number of travel enterprises. For Steve Stevanovich it’s all about great choice in great countries. A wedding in an exciting location such as New York or London, or a soothing wedding experience on a Mexican beach, means there is something accessible for everyone.

Special cities worldwide are often host to extraordinary destination weddings and other events. For a couple deliberating something different for their wedding, the top-notch cities of the world don’t disappoint. Steve Stevanovich can treasure how the Rocky Mountain background of Vancouver inspires. He can also treasure how the aquatic attractions of Miami’s Atlantic Coast could appeal to those looking for a wedding vacation.

A wedding leisure in one of these locations also extends the opportunity for vibrant pictures that capture the core of a wedding celebration. Ponder a wedding photo with the astounding ocean and a row of swaying palm trees as your scenery. Ponder a wedding photo with the rich and bright flora and fauna that a tropical destination provides. Steve Stevanovich treasures how a areas diversity of landscape can enhance a wedding or any other leisure event.

Another instance is Innsbruck, Austria, and the proud architecture of its churches and museums. This city and many others display their cultural heritage to the benefit of travelers worldwide. Steve Stevanovich and others know how each city has a character all its own that they hold dear and enjoy offering to others.

Travel opportunities galore exist today for those looking to realize their vacation dreams. Steve Stevanovich and others take time to weigh the wide choice accessible for destination weddings, family vacations, or solo trip offerings. Opportunities for holding a wedding celebration on a lush island are abundant. So are opportunities for weddings and adventure travel in America’s proud National Parks. The travel options accessible for weddings and such are limited only by one’s imagination.

The ultimate expectation of shooting Portrait Head-Shots at home or in a hired studio, is made easy with these step-by-step instructions to help you.

Getting Started It’s really quite simple and after having read this article and with some experimentation, you’ll be shooting like a pro…

What You’ll Need, To Start From a Simple Beginning:

1. CAMERA, 35mm. SLR., (single lens reflex), will be fine if possible with a 28-80 zoom lens, or separate prime lenses 80mm., or 100mm., for head shots and 50mm., or wider for fashion shots.

EVEN BETTER, a ‘MEDIUM FORMAT CAMERA’ such as:-

Bronica SQAI, or Hassleblad 501CM, or Mamiya 6, (format size 6×6cm.), with a 150mm. or 200mm., lens for head shots and a 80mm., lens for fashion shots. NOTE, using a medium format camera, will give you a better IMAGE Quality, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, it will slow you down and:-

MAKE YOU THINK LIKE A PROFESSIONAL!

2. TRIPOD, use a solid heavy duty one. Check out the second hand market.

3. FLASH. (Studio Flash), a separate studio flash unit. Start by checking the used photo equipment stores, trying to find good second hand studio flash units.

4. FLASH METER. Visit your photo suppliers and check out the new and second hand stock. Ask for advice, it’s better to find one that you feel comfortable with.

5. DIGITAL or FILM STOCK: If your using film then 100 ASA, film speed, will do just fine in most situations. At this stage you have to decide if you want to shoot with color print film, color transparency slide film, or black and white film.

SIMPLE LIGHTING SET UP For Head Shots.

SEAT YOUR MODEL: On a stool, one or two meters in front of a plain background, talk to her, she’s nervous too. (Read that line again!) It’s Important. Keep a good ‘rapport’ with your model, she will work much better with you. Did she fix her hair and her make up OK. If possible it’s a good idea to have a make up artist and hairdresser on hand to help you, the more attention to detail the better will be the results.

SET THE CAMERA: On a tripod, at the same height as the models head, borrow a stand in model to sit in for a few minutes, while you ‘GET TO GRIPS’ with the lighting set up. At this stage, you will realize what an advantage it was, you spent your ‘hard earned cash’ on a new or used studio flash unit, with built in modeling lights, to give you some idea of your lighting effects.

REMEMBER YOUR STUDIO LIGHTING: Should be set up and ready to use, long Before your model walks on the set.

POSITION YOUR ‘BROLLY’ FLASH: About 45 degrees angle to one side of the camera position and also about 45 degrees angle above the models head. The distance between the Flash and the subject’s head, (for head shot’s), should be about one meter flash to subject distance.

PLACE A LARGE WHITE REFLECTOR: To the opposite side as your flash unit, as close as possible to the subject. Sometimes it’s a good idea to place a flash unit bounced into the reflector as fill in, taking care not to over power your ‘Key Light’. Next, place a small white reflector under the models chin, to bounce light up to the shadow area under the chin.

FLASH METERS: Now, check out what exposure you should use and set the f. stop, (aperture), on the camera. The shutter speed is not so important in the studio, as long as it’s no faster than the camera’s recommended flash sync’ speed, or slower.

IT WOULD BE a good plan to do a test run the day before, allowing you time to process your test shots and check your exposure and lighting. Many professional photographers use a medium format camera in the studio, which can be fitted with a Polaroid camera back, allowing them to make instant tests on the spot. Also there are some Pro Photographers that use medium format cameras in the studio which have been fitted with special Digital camera backs, allowing the images to viewed on screen immediately.

OTHER LIGHTS: It’s also a good idea to add two or three other lights to your studio set up, (if the budget will allow).

A HAIR LIGHT: At the back of the set and to one side, fixed about two meters high, clipping the models hair. This should have a ’snoot’ or ‘honeycombe’ fitted to the front of the light, to prevent stray light falling on the camera lens.

BACKGROUND LIGHTS: Can also be put to good use, to light up, or create effects with the background.

IT’S REALLY A MATTER of experimentation to develop your own technique, until you have perfected a pleasing effect and you are more or less satisfied with your results. In the meantime you can drive your friends and members of your family crazy in trying out your new found skills… And then…

SET UP YOUR own small portrait studio in a spare room or garage at home.

JUST KEEP ON TESTING untill you have mastered the art.

To learn more about Portrait Head Shots, go here: Pro Portrait Head Shots

Roger is from London and started out in the days of the Swinging Sixties when London was quite a place to be. Roger says that In those days he use to shoot catalog fashion shots with a 10X8 inch View camera, so the transparency images would be the same size as the image on the catalog page. “I have to tell you right now that took quite some doing. Now I spent most of my time with my website: Pro SECRETS of Money Making PHOTOGRAPHY writing and teaching photography, shooting the occasional assignment”.


To learn about Shooting Pro Fashion Photography go here: Pro Fashion Shoot

There is still a large population of 35mm users shooting in the photographic world. With Canon’s 5D announcement, the digital enticement is certainly going to be hard to resist. Will film users convert?

Full-Frame DSLR Now Within Reach

Originally, a DSLR would cost around $7,000 for a full-frame shooter. Canon’s 1Ds series was the only choice and it was an expensive one. It was also extremely heavy. Try carrying around 3.5lbs (camera and battery) and a 3.5lb lens (the Canon 70-200 2.8L IS USM), and 7lbs begins to take its toll. Canon has gone an interesting route by creating a full-frame DSLR in a conveniently small package, basically the size of its 20D, for under $3,300. A battery grip has been offered (BG-E4), and it’s nice to see Canon giving users a choice of what to use. Sometimes you just don’t want to lug around an extra pound and a half, as well as making the camera conspicuous by its size. I can say from using a Nikon D100 in the past, it was very convenient to take off the battery grip and just shoot with the camera, making it lighter and more compact to take on particular outings.

35mm Film = How Many Pixels?

This is really a controverisial subject, and quite honestly, you will get a huge variance of answers, depending on how zealous a photographer is in defending his particular format. I’ve read articles over the past several years of photographers saying anywhere from 3MP to 30MP for a DSLR to equal 35mm film. As usual, the facts are in between somewhere. Let me just state a few experiences from my own use with film.

From my own experience in shooting film and digital (about 15 years), I’ve noticed that a 6MP DSLR can just about match a 35mm Film camera’s resolution. Notice I say “just about” and I say “DSLR”, not a compact camera or a DSLR-Type camera. The main reasons are the pixel size and dynamic range.

Crash Course On Pixels

I will be covering this subject in-depth in another article, but for the purposes of this one, smaller pixels inherently have more noise, and lower dynamic range (that’s why your compact camera does terrible in low-light situations). Larger pixels inherently have less noise and more dynamic range. Basically put, larger pixels enable a much higher tolerance of light accumulation before they carry over into nearby pixels (resulting in Blooming, a very common issue with digital cameras). Think of pixels as a bucket (which is a common example most imaging professionals and photographers use). Some buckets can hold more water than other buckets. Canon’s 6MP DSLRs and Nikon’s 6MP DSLRs have just about reached the 35mm film equivalency. And in fact, I would just about say a 6MP digital image properly exposed, could match up to a film image. Overall, my observations are that a 6-8MP DSLR can match a film print. Canon’s 12.8MP full-frame DSLR at 8-microns square, easily makes this target.

Canon: Alone In The Full-Frame World

So far, there is no other company offering a full-frame digital even close to the price of the Canon 5D. In fact, we don’t have any other camera manufacturers at the date of this article, even mentioning a full-frame DSLR as a possible offering in the future. This is quite disturbing. Why? Well, it appears most camera manufacturers are concentrating on compact camera sales (these are the highest profit products), in addition to sending a message that full-frame DSLRs are not necessary to get high quality images.

It is a shame we don’t see as much leadership in the imaging technology. But we sure see a lot of hype and empty promises. Whatever happened to Foveon? LBCAST? I remember when these two technologies were touted as new and revolutionary in the DSLR sector, and how users would expect such great images, putting all other cameras to shame. Well, the shame only really started to form, when the promises became biblical. Come to find out Foveon sensors could barely survive over ISO levels of 800 (which required a second generation DSLR to come out, leaving previous 1st gen owners in the dark and irritated…and a worthless investment), and Nikon’s LBCAST sensors were just politely and purposely forgotten. And we have one manufacturer creating “honeycomb” pixels (I’ll leave that to another discussion). From my viewpoint, we have a terrible behavior from camera manufacturers denying the opportunity that people want full-frame digital cameras which mimic the 35mm film cameras most of us are familiar with using. Why are they denying us this? I guess we’ll these questions and answers for another time, but currently, Canon is the only company to step up to the plate and take a chance. Personally, I think they made a good one, and I think they know the Canon 5D is a sure winner.

35mm Film Users Should Begin The Celebration!

If you’re currently shooting Canon 35mm film cameras, your lens collection will do just fine. True, we have some who make arguments about the edge issues of wide angle lenses on full-frame digitals, but in my opinion, this is mostly an exploded issue. I’ve seen so many Canon 1Ds and 1DsMKII images which look absolutely amazing, with no edge problems, that I am purplexed at why it’s an issue. While $3,300 is not small amount of money, this price point has surprised almost everyone in the digital sector. Even in the film sector. If you’re thinking of taking the digital plunge, the Canon 5D might just be the answer.

©2005 by Jason Busch (http://www.digitaldingus.com)

35mm Film Shooters: Is It Time To Go Digital?

A part of The DigitalDingus Guide To Photography series.

Imagine being able to frame all your own photographs just as well as a professional. You can save enough money to easily pay for all the necessary tools, and the convenience of being able to do it yourself frees you from having to get someone else do it. If you’re an amateur a mount cutter, a frame clamp and a hand-operated frame joining tool is all the equipment you need to make professional looking frames. These days the tools are easy and safe to operate, inexpensive, and give you a good result. Picture framing can be divided into four areas. Cutting the bevel mount, cutting and joining the frame, mounting the photograph, and fitting and finishing the job. The tools required to perform each one of these functions are as follows.

1. Mount Cutting: A hand-operated bevel mount cutter is essential for all photographic work. The most important feature of modern mount cutters is to have one that runs on its own ruler or straight edge.

2. Frame cutting and Joining: The professional framer uses a guillotine to cut wooden frames, and an automatic v-nail joiner. But the cost is prohibitive for the small volumes of frames required by our industry. However, there are tools that give you a professional result at a fraction of the cost.

3. Mounting Artwork: Dry mounting presses and laminating machines are not the only way to safely and effectively mount down all your artwork ready for framing. We will look at vacuum press mounting, hinging methods and other less expensive options.

4. Fitting and Finishing: There are a number of hand-operated tools on the market to make this job quick and easy. These can be used safely by any person to give a professional finish to all framing jobs.

Our series of articles over the next four issues will examine each one of these processes.

Mount Cutting And Decoration

Mount cutting is the creative face to picture framing. What distinguishes one framed photograph from another is the creative use of mounts. There is a wide choice of mount board brands and colours, possibly too many! Supplies are easy to come by, and the cost of the boards is not prohibitive. The best thing about cutting your own mounts is that once you cut it you get to keep the fallout from the middle, which can then become a mount for a smaller photograph. This saves money and helps qualify the investment in the mount cutting machine.

Most hand-operated mount cutters available in art shops come with the cutting head only and not with a guide rule. For successful bevel cutting and good clean corners a guide rule that the cutting head runs on is essential for good results. The FrameCo systems are ideal for the DIY framer or small workshop.

Mount cutters also come attached to a base board or just with the straight edge rule. The baseboard makes the system steadier, easier to use and more reproducible, however to cut a few mounts per year for you’re own photographic works, the head/ruler systems are quite sufficient.

Another consideration is the sizing or cutting down of fullsize sheets. The large professional mount cutters are large enough to take the full size sheet. But a sharp Stanley knife and straight edge can be used to cut down full-size sheets into the blank sizes ready for bevel cutting. A straight 90 cutter is available from FrameCo, which will also attach to the rule. This can be used for cutting the mount board to size, and is safe and easy to use. The advantage of this optional cutting head is that it can also be used for cutting foam-core board up to smm thick. It uses the same blade as the bevel cutter.

Cutting a Single Bevel Mount

The technique for cutting bevel mounts is quick and easy. After cutting the mount board down to the right size to fit the frame, rule lines on the back of the mount board to the border size that you require. The bevel cutter head then attaches to the rule, so it’s steady when cutting. Another feature of the head is that it has a start/stop indicator line. Following the ruled lines on the back of the mount makes it easy to get good straight bevels, but to get clean crisp corners you need to know where to start and stop the cut. The indicator mark guarantees no overcuts on the corners, giving you a professional cut mount every time.

Cutting a Double-Bevel Mount

Rule lines on the back of the mount. Start and stop line guarantees perfect corners.

Cutting a Double Bevel Mount

Double mounts enhance most pictures. A narrow show of colour can pick out the dark spots in the subject, which will increase the contrast between light and dark, and thus sharpen the image. So a double mount is not only decorative, but also functional. The “secret” to cutting a double mount, so that the edges of the inner mount are exactly parallel to the edges of the outer mount, is NOT to cut two separate mounts and then stick them together. The best way is to cut the top mount first, then stick the two together with double-sided tape (ie: the top and the bottom mounts, then cut the bottom mount). The reason for doing it this way is that you use the same edge as a reference point to measure from. The mount will then be in line with one another and will look OK.

It can sound confusing, but it’s not once you get the hang of it! The most important aspect of mount cutting is that with the right tools you can get a professional result relatively easily.

Once you’ve mastered cutting single and double mounts you can also add decorative finishes to the mounts, which will enhance the image and add value to all your mount work.

The Decorative V-Groove

One of the most important techniques in decorative mount cutting is the “V” groove. This is a small v-shaped cut set into the front surface of the mount. The v-groove adds a stylish look to all your framing. It is that creative touch that gives any picture a professional finish.

The professional framing industry uses existing large mount cutters to cut v-grooves. It is a twostage process because it involves cutting two separate bevel cuts to make the “V” cut. This is difficult to do and there are no guarantees for a perfect accurate v-groove. FrameCo has introduced the GrooveMaster. This is a hand-held v-groover, which cuts the “v” directly into the top surface of the mount. The GrooveMaster also attaches to the rule that you use for bevel mount cutting, which means it is accurate and easy to use.

Now v-grooving is within reach of any DIY picture framer. And the technique is easy to master. You can purchase pre-cut mounts and decorate them with a v-groove, adding value to the mount, and making it much more versatile.

Doing your own framing is ideal for the amateur, portrait or weekend photographer. You can save on framing costs to more than offset the investment in tools and accessories. You control the mounting and matting stage, and there is a great satisfaction in doing it yourself. However if you have a retail outlet handy then I wouldn’t suggest you try and compete with the mass market of ready made frames. These frames are cheap and well made. But there is a significant market for the one off odd-size frame that is not available in the ready mades. Either cut an odd size mount to fit a standard frame or make up the frame to suit. With your own framing, however, you can produce your own work and save money doing it over the longer term.

An experienced picture framer, Gary Leete is the owner of Melbourne- based FrameCo, a company that specializes in DIY frame construction kits. For further details ph: (03) 9872 3600 or visit the website: http://www.clubframeco.com

The weather can play a big part on the type of photography we can do. Light is essential, but too much of it or light that is too directional can have an adverse effect.

Overcast days can feel dull and images can appear flat and lifeless without the shadows that the sun produces. However this doesn’t mean that you should pack away the camera and wait for the weather to change!

Sometimes you just have to look for a different image. On overcast days look for form and function. Seek out patterns and shapes. Try different viewpoints and angles and make the familiar seem unfamiliar.

Let those that see your images, see something quite different. Make the observer’s eye settle on a different message. When it is overcast, you cannot rely on shadows and raking light to bring out textures so instead think of other ways to attract the observer.

Portraits are suitable on such days. The diffuse light coming through the clouds produces evenness of illumination for your subject without them having to squint and without the glaring light and harsh shadows of full sunlight.

If you are considering portraits, then sitting your subject by a window will produce fine results as, not only is the light soft and diffuse on an overcast day, but you will also get shadow detail on the side of your model away from the light.

Additionally, you can consider focussing in on action and expressions - having your subject “doing” something will add interest to your shots and enable you to produce images that have a certain “feel” even when the weather is adverse.

Eric Hartwell runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com

A digital single lens reflex camera is an incredibly versatile and flexible piece of photographic equipment that can help you take the best photos of your life. There are several brands to choose from today that all have interchangeable lenses, allowing you to choose from a wide variety of shots from wide angle and closeups to telephoto images.

But before you decide that a digital single lens reflex camera is just what you need, first consider how you plan on using it. If you mainly like to take snapshots of your family and friends and maybe some special events like weddings and anniversaries, you probably don’t really need a camera as sophisticated and complicated as a digital SLR. In fact, a compact digital camera with a fixed lens will probably do the job just fine. So you can save yourself the added expense and steeper learning curve associated with dSLRs.

But on the other hand, if you are a photography hobbyist or perhaps you plan on increasing your photography skills in the near future, then a digital SLR camera will probably fit your needs well. Or perhaps you need a camera that can do double duty as both a simple fully automated point and shoot camera and a more sophisticated manual camera too, as more than one person with different skill levels will be using it. Happily, a digital SLR can fit the bill here too as most of them also have completely automated settings that can be used by almost anyone.

But if you decide that a digital SLR will work for you, which camera is best for you? Most likely you will need to do some research to find out what models are available in your price range and then read some digital SLR camera reviews online to learn more about which models are the best in that price range.

But from reading many of the online digital slr camera reviews by both independent reviewers and consumers, we have found two cameras that we can highly recommend based on their popularity in these unbiased reviews. For beginners, the Pentax ist DX is often mentioned as an extremely easy camera to learn and use and with a 18-55mm zoom lens and costs just under $1,000. For more advanced users that require even more features and capabilities, the Nikon D70s is well reported on by almost all reviewers that we saw, and with a 18-70mm lens, it costs around $1200. Of course, both of these cameras can be bought for less if you really make a good search for them online.

Regardless of which digital single lens reflex camera that you choose, they will all bring a higher level of photographic capability and sophistication to any photo that you take. If you follow the guidelines and tips provided above it can help you decide whether or not a digital SLR will fit your needs and help you decide also on which one will work best for you.

Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including digital photography. You can find digital slr camera reviews and a digital cameras comparison by visiting our Digital Photography website.

So many pictures and images can be spoiled by backlighting. You know the scenario: your friend is sitting in your conservatory with the windows behind her. You take the picture and she is darkened and silhouetted. The backlighting has fooled your camera and the wrong exposure (for your subject) has been selected.

The reason for this is all down to your camera. The meter in the camera calculates the correct exposure - or so you think. In fact, it calculates what it THINKS is the correct exposure, only in the example above (and any other situation with excessive backlighting) there is an abundance of light. The camera takes all the light information and averages it out. In this case, it will expose the scene less because it sees too much light.

However, your subject wants more exposure as she is not being lit in the same way. Her face is in low light or even in shadow. The camera doesn’t know this, of course.

The answer? Increase the exposure by a stop (or even two). This will increase the exposure for your subject to show face and body detail. The alternative approach is to take a meter reading not from the whole scene but from the subject alone.

Both ways will give you excellent results.

Eric Hartwell runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com.

When a dog takes on the “misery stance”, we will see the tail between the legs, the
eyes looking away from me, and the ears down and close to the head. This usually
happens because the dog is unaware of the owner’s wishes and unsure of my
intentions. It my pet photography photo sessions this can sometimes be a
challenge. When the dog looks bored or frightened or tired, these conditions make
the photo session next to impossible.

I use a low key and soft mannerism with this type of dog and my task is to make it
feel safe and happy. Before I begin photographing the pet to be seen alone or with
his the owner, we first have our “romping around time” together. I take the dog into
a fenced in area where it is free to escape for a while to eliminate if necessary, but
more important, to be free to wander around and lose some of the stress they have
when they first arrive for the photo shoot. If I am shooting several animals together,
I do this with each dog individually and deal with them individually so they are not
fearing me. I am very persistent with the animals and I treat them as if each one is
the only animal of its kind in the world. I use praise and reward to get the dog to
become confident. I always have a small bag of treats in my pocket, sometimes 2 or
3 different kinds, and I watch to see which treat the animals likes the most.

When I now bring the dog in front of my camera, I flash the strobe lights several
times while petting the dog. If his tail is not standing, the tail can be made to stand
upright by brushing my hand with the lightest touch from the base of the tail to the
tip using a fast flicking motion. This works very well with cats too. Eventually, the
dog likes this and the tail will stay up. If I am working outdoors, I have also run with
dogs while on a lead and given the lead a quick tug. Since the tail adds balance to
the dog’s movement, it will raise its tail when there is a jerk to the lead. The best
way to keep the tail up is by making the dog happy.

Most dogs are very clever and are seldom depressed. I ask the owner if the dog
knows how to respond to obedience commands and I reward the dog when it
comes, sits for me, and especially when it stays until released. I also verbally praise
the dog countless times (persistent positive reinforcement) until we become friends.
The dog no longer fears the photo session and now understands that this get-
together is all about him. By me being persistent, by returning the dog to the
targeted spot where my lighting will be optimal, and by constantly praising and
rewarding the dog when I get really good takes, I finally have the dog feeling
confident that the camera work will not harm him and that he is very special and
doing a good job. Everyone wants to know that they are doing a good job. Animals
are no different. They want to please us. I cannot shoot until the pet begins to feel
comfortable and happy. The ears and the tail go up when I squeak the squeaker that
is always near my camera. Sometimes the tongue comes out and I now feel that the
dog is ready to begin his portrait session. He is no longer unsure about the owner’s
wishes or my intentions.
He is feeling confident! I can now create a custom pet portrait that shows the dog’s
personality. If the owner is to be seen with the animal, I ask the owner to maintain a
smile or pleased look continuously because animals never stay still. Capturing
wonderful moments takes control. With the owner looking good for a continued
amount of time, I can now work the animal towards a great gesture, a smile or a tilt
of the head, and big open eyes that reveals the soul of the animal!

Michael Waine, photographer

My goal is to provide pet owners with photographic art. I love photographing
animals more than any other photography work I’ve done over the past 30 years.
I am highly motivated by the recognition I receive from pet owners who allow me to
photograph their beloved pets and animals.
Please visit my website to see samples of my work at http://www.michaelwaine.com/pets

Love is in the air at the Venice Rookery. The birds (and the bees) are there doing the thing they are so famous for, and you can take pictures of it! Seriously, though, the Venice Rookery is an ideal spot to photograph birds mating, building their nests, fighting for territory and feeding their chicks. It’s a requisite for bird photographers, and sheer delight for the rest of us.

A rookery is a breeding ground for certain birds and animals. At the Venice Rookery, you’ll see snowy egret, great egret, anhinga, great blue heron, tricolor heron, night heron, and the like. Active during the months from November to April, the birds are most photogenic showing their breeding colors in February and March.

HOW TO GET THERE

The Venice Rookery is located in a Sarasota County park within the city of Venice, Florida, about half way between Tampa and Fort Myers on Florida’s west coast. It is monitored by the Venice chapter of the Audubon Society. To get to the Rookery, take I-75 to Jacaranda Boulevard (Exit 193). Go right (north) on US Highway 41 until you see the State Highway Patrol Office located at 4000 S. Tamiami Trail. Turn left just past the Office, as if you were going there, but instead follow the road all of the way back until you reach the park in about a mile. Parking is to your left. It is free, plentiful and convenient to the Rookery on your right. There is no entrance fee.

The Venice Rookery itself is a small island in a lake, which forms a natural barrier. The island is full of small trees and bushes where the birds build their nests. They fly to surrounding areas for the good nest-building sticks and food but soon return, giving plenty of opportunities for flight shots. When the chicks are born, you will view the wonders of nature as the parents work together to feed them. You also get to see some strange behavior when the anhinga chicks stick their heads all of the way down the throats of their parents to get food.

HOW TO GET YOUR BEST SHOTS

The best photography can be had during the morning light, when the sun is over your shoulder. The birds also tend to be more active in the morning. While you can hike around the perimeter of the pond for the afternoon light, the photography access is limited and difficult. Instead, stay on the shore next to the parking lot for dramatic silhouette shots in the afternoon.

You don’t need to worry about a blind at any time because the birds have become habituated to people, who are separated from the nests by the pond. All you need to do is stand on the shore along with the other photographers and birders, and fire away. Although the area is small, it hosts a variety and a tremendous amount of bird activity. For the best shots, you’ll need big glass of 500mm or more to photograph the birds on the island, especially the chicks. You can get by with less for the flight shots or for the few times that the birds get close to shore.
Discover the place where some of the greatest bird photographers go. If you have big glass, or just want to watch tons of great bird activity in one place that is easy to get to, the Venice Rookery is the spot for you.

MISCELLANEOUS

The park amenities are minimal. It consists of the parking lot, the pond and portable toilets. There are no food services or attendants. However, because the Rookery is in the town of Venice, there are plenty of facilities close by. A gas station with a mini-mart full of vital snacks is across the street from the Highway Patrol Office. Other restaurants and facilities can be found on US Highway 41, which is a main access road through the city. Some options are Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill (4329 Tamiami Trail S.), Bob Evans Restaurant (4080 Tamiami Trail) and the Alpine Steak House (4520 S. Tamiami Trail).
Because the Rookery is in the city, there are plenty of lodging options. Make your reservations in advance, especially during the spring break weeks. The entire west coast of Florida is a hot spot during that time. If you don’t make your plans in advance, you may have to drive for hours to find a place to stay. Some options are the Days Inn (two miles away) http://www.daysinnvenice.com/, the Motel 6 (4 miles away) http://www.motel6.com/reservations/motel_detail.asp?MotelId=0364&state=FL&full=Florida&city=Venice, the Best Western Ambassador Suites (4 miles away) http://www.bestwesternflorida.com/details.cfm, and the Holiday Inn (4.5 miles away) http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hd/srqvn?irs=null.

The area is not very well shaded, so bring your sun block lotion and a wide-brimmed hat. You also may want to bring a lawn chair to take a quick break and snacks to keep you shooting throughout the morning hours. The photographic opportunities are so great; you don’t want to waste time with extraneous items.

Another bonus of the Venice Rookery is its close proximity to many other prime places for bird photography. They include the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island http://dingdarling.fws.gov/, the Six Mile Cypress Slough in Ft. Myers http://www.captiva.com/stateparks/sixmilecypress.htm, the Corkscrew Swamp Preserve in Naples http://www.captiva.com/stateparks/corkscrew.htm, and Ft. Desoto Park in Tierra Verde http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/05_Ft_DeSoto.htm. All of these locations are so great for bird photography, they deserve their own article.

Copyright 2005 Carolyn E. Wright

— ABOUT THE AUTHOR —

Carolyn Wright is a professional photographer with an active portrait, event and nature photography business. Shooting for 25 years, her award-winning images have been used in books and corporate marketing materials. Her wildlife photos will be included in the upcoming book, “Captivating Wildlife - Images from the Top Ten Emerging Wildlife Photographers” by Scott Bourne and David Middleton. She also is working with Scott Bourne on “Wolfscapes,” a photo book documenting the beauty and strength of wolves. Her wildlife images can be viewed at http://www.vividwildlife.com..

On the faculty of Olympic Mountain School of Photography, Carolyn’s passion is enhanced when teaching photography. She enjoys writing and speaking on the subject, as well, and is a regular columnist for PhotoFocus, an online magazine for serious photographers.

If you are looking to develop your digital photos, you will see how convenient it can be to have them processed online. It can be very time consuming to download all of your digital pictures onto your computer, then edit the pictures online, burn them onto a disk and drive to your local photo store to have them printed. Oftentimes, once you get into the store to print your pictures, you still have to get on a computer and spend a few minutes printing them.

Digital cameras are becoming more and more popular. The quality of digital pictures is excellent nowadays. Since it looks like digital cameras are here to stay, it’s important to find a convenient way to get your pictures developed.

Now, you can get online and upload your digital pictures, edit them to your liking and pay for them all at once. The photo developing company will send you the photos in the mail. It’s very convenient. It’s definitely worth saving yourself a trip to the photo developing store.

To compare digital photo development companies online:

Compare the cost per picture - Make sure to figure the shipping cost into your cost comparison.
Find out how long the company will take to ship the photos to you.
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Try developing your pictures online. It is easy and most websites are user friendly. You will be glad you are taking your photos with a digital camera.

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PrintYourDigitalPhotos dot com is a great source for reviews that will help when deciding who to use for your digital phot printing needs.

Digital Photo Printing
Utah Wedding Photography
Online Photo Mugs