Psst… Hey. I’m over here. Yup, that’s right. I found myself.
I’m the guy who would rather talk to a Polar Bear than almost anybody on earth.
The guy who prefers photographing owls to watching football. Even the playoffs.
Who given a choice between a round of golf at St. Andrews in Scotland and a sunrise shoot with Great Egrets thinks that you’re silly to even ask the question. (Egrets, of course)
I found myself. I’m a wildlife photographer.
Sure, I’ve done weddings. I’ve done commercial work for big names like Dunkin’ Brands and ‘Banker & Tradesman’. I still do location portraiture.
I teach lots of classes and workshops, and I love helping others to learn more about photography.
But left to my own devices, I’m a wildlife photographer, and if you’ve watched this blog evolve over the last two years, you probably figured that out.
But it wasn’t always like this.
For years, I just bounced around shooting landscapes, buildings, drag races and air shows. I didn’t know it, but I had not yet found my passion in photography, because I never really tried.
I assumed that wildlife photography of any real caliber was out of reach – and it took a breakthrough for me to figure out that I really could do the kind of photography that I love so much.
How about you? Have you found yourself yet?
Before we start looking for you, here are a few announcements for this week!
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Our next freeze-yourself-silly event is coming up. It’s The Great Snowy Owl Hunt, set for Sunday, January 22.
LensProToGo will join us again and will bring along an assortment of Canon and Nikon gear for everyone to try out. This is a great way to get a look at camera bodies, lenses and tripods you’re thinking about buying.
We’re still in the midst of an irruption of Snowy Owls, most likely due to the population of Lemmings crashing in the arctic. That’s something they do about every 3 to 4 years. When the owls run low on Lemmings (their favorite food), they head south looking for something else to eat.
Like a lot of wildlife photography, you have to sacrifice something – but the rewards are incredible!
This is a fun workshop, even if the owls elude us – but we sure hope they don’t.
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A lot of folks have asked me what I have in the Arctic Tour pipeline, so I’ll share it here.
Our Kaktovik Polar Bear Photo Tour is locked in for the last two weeks of August, 2012. We have three 4-day tours to Kaktovik, where we’ll put you close (but not too close!) to these magnificent Polar Bears.
Polar Bear Mom & 1st-Year Cubs, Kaktovik, AlaskaCanon 5D MkII. Canon 100-400mm L IS @ 400mm.ISO 640, f10, 1/1250th second.
Our native Inupiat Eskimo guide gets us close enough that with even a medium telephoto, you’ll have frame-filling images of these incredible animals.
We currently have 6 spaces remaining. You in?
That’s what’s ready to go now. Here’s what we have in the planning stages!
Torngat Mountain National Park. At the extreme northern tip of Labrador lies a Canadian National Park that is defined by mountains, glaciers and wildlife. With the highest mountain peaks east of the Rockies, abundant Polar Bears, 10,000 caribou and the only tundra-dwelling Black Bears in the world, this promises to be a feast for the wildlife and nature photographer!
My research is complete and I’m making my test run this summer. If you’re interested in joining me (at a massive discount), send me an e-mail and let me know. We’ll work out the details.
Baffin Island. That’s right. Baffin Island, specifically Sirmilik National Park. You’ve seen Baffin Island on the map, set 2200 miles north of Boston, less than 800 miles from the North Pole.
Hasn’t it called to you too?
The wildlife population includes Polar Bears, Caribou, Arctic Fox, Arctic Hare, wolf, countless seabirds and marine mammals including Narwhal, Beluga Whale, Seals and Walrus. It sounds fantastic!
This one is still in the research stage, so make a mental note to check back in with me late in 2012 to see how things are coming.
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Now back to finding yourself – photographically…
Finding yourself is simple. Not necessarily easy, but simple. At least that’s how it was for me.
What is it about photography that really excites you? Uncovering that secret is the key to finding your passion in this craft.
You can explore all sorts of subjects, from shooting kids and grandkids to macro to sports to portraiture – and yes, even wildlife.
Is there some subject that really gets you going? Is there something you would love to do, but you think is beyond your reach?
Try it - and I’ll help!
Here’s my challenge to you for this week. Try something new – something that you’ve always wanted to try, no matter what it is.
Shoot a minimum of 25 different images and see what problems you run into. When you’ve identified the problems you face, e-mail me and I’ll try to help you overcome them.
Free. No obligations. Seriously. For the next 4 weeks – until February 15, 2012, I’ll offer free e-mail support as you work through your challenges.
It’s time for your breakthrough – the next step is up to you. And I’m ready to help!
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