Photo Tour 3-25-10

This was a windy day and I had to find a boat landing and trip route where we could stay out of the wind and the big water as much as possible. I ended up putting the boat in @  the public landing near Palmetto Bay Marina.   We stayed in Broad Creek and went out as far as Harbor Town and back again for a beautiful (4) hour trip. These are some images that Sherry Winarski sent me from the day.

Pair of Laughing Gulls

 I recently returned to Hilton Head Island....a place that I briefly called home 25 years earlier.  But, this visit would be different.....different because I planned to capture the beauty that I remembered through the lens of my camera.  My memories of the island included huge oak trees with crooked limbs covered with hanging moss; shrimp boats in the distance headed to sea; immaculately manicured entrances to plantations; endless miles of bicycle paths; glistening bodies of water and traffic circles! Of course, there's much much more and I intended to revisit all of it.

Sunset  and Boat wake @ Broad Creek

I photographed sunset at Harbor Town; the old cemetery on highway 278; the marina at Hudson's Seafood Restaurant; sunrise and sunset over the Atlantic just to name a few. 

Pelican lifting off

One evening I picked up an island magazine "100 Things To Do In Hilton Head" and was thrilled to read about Eric Horan's Wildlife Safari! I am a self-professed "workshop junkie" so I immediately dialed Eric.  Eric promptly returned my call and described the safari to me and of course my only question was "when are you going next"?  Photographing wildlife was a new experience for me.

Oyster Catchers - Broad Creek

Photographing fast moving wildlife from a bobbing boat was new for me....but, I had a blast! Eric was very knowledgeable and helpful regarding technique for the situation. Also, his knowledge of the Hilton Head and Low Country wildlife and eco system was fascinating.

Brown Pelican @ Harbor Town

Bottlenose Dolphin saying Hi!

He has spent so much time in the area watching and studying the various species that he knew exactly what their next move would be! I am very pleased with my photos from the safari and can't wait to safari with Eric again.  What an unexpected pleasure for my return to Hilton Head.- Sherrie Winarski

Photo Tour 2-23-10

These images were by Barbara Dunn of Hollidaysburg, PA  Website - http://barbi.smugmug.com/ 
Blog - http://mybirdtales.blogspot.com/


We had a beautiful day on the water and Barbara got some outstanding images! Enjoy:)

#3 My personal best of a dolphin. I've been on dolphin cruises and felt lucky just to see a fin here and there so I was thrilled to capture this awesome creature almost entirely out of the water. I like the water splashing and you can even see the eye if you look closely.

#2 Eric introduced me to the Oyster Catchers and the oyster banks. Though I managed to get several good flight shots - I liked the angle of this particular picture where I could see both the top and bottom of the wings in motion.

#5 This gang of Brown Pelicans each with a different pose cracks me up. They look like they could get into some trouble - like teenagers with nothing to do ;-) I like the colors.

#4 Such a gorgeous couple! I like everything about this picture. Eric stopped the boat so we could see and photograph the Oyster Catchers on their territory. I think this pictures shows-off the lovely oyster shells and the vibrant orange color of the beaks and how about those eyes - wow!

#1 There is something so pleasing to me about the color in this image. A clean, simple background with just a few wisps of grass in the foreground allows all the focus to be on this handsome Great Blue Heron. I especially like the blue lore (that small patch in front of the eye) that shows this bird is in breeding plumage. And of course - he's honking!

 I'm just throwing this one in for fun - I thought it was just so cool to see the huge pair of pelican and the petite pair of oyster catchers together. 

See "Lowcountry Wildlife Photo Tours" info & amp; downloadable brochure @ http://www.horanphoto.com

"Photo of the Month" March 2010

This image represents March in my 2010 Lowcountry Calendar (http://www.southernlight.biz/). It was made during one of two shows I co-hosted here in the Lowcountry for Doug Gardner, producer of “Wild Photo Adventures”, his wildlife photography show that airs on PBS on Sunday evenings.

We visited an active Brown Pelican rookery in the Charleston Harbor. As with all rookeries, care must be taken, not to get too close when photographing or just observing nesting birds. Crowding them will disrupt the bird’s natural behavior; and could even push chicks out of the nest. Seabird rookeries, like this one at Castle Pinckney, are protected by state and or federal law, which forbid you to set foot on the island. We were happy to anchor our boat just off the shoreline in order to safely observe and photograph these magnificent birds. Long telephoto lenses are made for capturing subjects at a distance and we as photographers and good stewards of the natural world need to use them that way, keep our distance, get our images and not scare the wildlife by pushing or crowding them. This is especially true during nesting season.

But too often, over zealous photographers ignore the basic rules of field educate, in pursuit of their getting their pictures. If we all don’t start working within the state & federal regulations for our wildlife refuges and parks we will soon find ourselves with restricted access or locked out all together. All you have to do is look at the restrictions just imposed by officials at Lake Mattamuskeet and Pocosin in western North Carolina, confining photographers to the roads and paths. This may be in part, because they are short handed and don’t want to police photographers or deal with the extra permitting, but having to deal with a few irresponsible photographers may have encouraged their decision to strip away the freedoms for all of us, freedoms we all take for granted living and working in this country. No more photo blinds or special access! This makes it very difficult, if not impossible to get good behavioral shots of migrating waterfowl.

Photo tip: For the best chances to capture great wildlife photos one must do some simple observation and a little homework. Study your intended subject’s natural behavior and patterns so you know how to best approach them before you ever trip the camera shutter. Try taking your binoculars into the field and spend some time just observing, interview a biologist friend or ask one that works with the DNR or US Fish & Wildlife Service, and even sit down at the computer and do a little googleing. You will be rewarded with new knowledge and much better pictures J

Eric Horan

To view “Wild Photo Adventures online go to: http://www.wildphotoadventures.com/

To see more of my work please visit: http://www.southernlight.biz/