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Photography
Workshops:
Four
courses are currently being offered: Wildflower Photography,
Backyard Nature Photography, Close to Nature, Photographing Butterflies
and Introduction to 35mm Photography. See course
outlines below.
Prerequisites for these courses: Students should
be equipped with, and familiar with using, a 35mm camera, macro
lens, medium telephoto lens, fill flash (if available) and tripod.
Participants should bring sufficient film or digital memory cards
for a full day of photography. A water-repellent pack or camera
hood will be useful to protect gear in case of rain. It’s
also helpful to tuck your camera’s operating manual into
your gear bag.
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Wildflower
Photography :
Length: Weekend seminar (Friday evening through Sunday afternoon)
for groups of 6 or fewer students. Private instruction available by
appointment. Wildflower workshops are usually scheduled in April and
May. Contact us for more details and dates of upcoming classes.
Educational
Objectives:
Anyone interested in learning how to improve their flower photography
will benefit from the combination of classroom presentations and
personal instruction offered by nature photographer Connie Toops.
Connie will explain the various types of cameras and lenses suitable
for photographing flowers, with emphasis on close-up techniques.
Using graphic depictions and actual images, she will unravel the
mysteries of exposure, quality of light, depth of field, and composition.
In the field, she will demonstrate and encourage students to practice
using in-camera and hand-held meters, reflectors, diffusers, fill
flash, tripods, and wind-blocking techniques. She will also discuss
ethical issues of not trampling flowers or harming the surrounding
environment in the process of photographing them.
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Backyard
Nature Photography :
Length: Weekend
seminar (Friday evening through Sunday afternoon) for groups of
6 or fewer students. Private instruction available by appointment.
Contact us via email for more details and dates of upcoming classes.
Educational
Objectives:
Convert your backyard into a wildlife photography studio. Lure
bluebirds, hummingbirds, small mammals, turtles, and toads into
close focus. Connie Toops reveals how to create plantings, water
features, and feeders that critters can’t resist. Learn
what camera equipment, blinds, and techniques she employs in her
backyard photography, which has been featured on Nature’s
Best Photography (Outdoor Life TV series) and in Popular Photography,
Nature’s Best, Birder’s World, and Gardening &
Outdoor Living magazines.
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Close
to Nature-- Photographing Butterflies
Length: Full day class for groups of 6 or fewer students.
Private instruction available by appointment. Typically scheduled
during June, July and August. Contact us via email for more details
and dates of upcoming classes.
Educational Objectives: Butterflies
and the flowers they visit for nectar can make stunning subjects
for photography. Connie Toops will present a photo-illustrated introduction
to the life cycles that generate butterflies. She will outline how
to plant gardens attuned to their needs. Connie will also explain
in detail how to choose the right cameras and lenses for butterfly
photography. Connie will cover subject selection, photographic composition,
lighting, exposure, and techniques for recording behavior and action
shots. The class will then move outside to the butterfly gardens
planted at Lost Cove so participants can practice photographing
swallowtails, fritillaries, monarchs, and other colorful species,
as well as caterpillars feeding on host plants.
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Introduction
to 35mm Photography:
Length: Weekend seminar (Friday evening through
Sunday afternoon) for groups of 6 or fewer students. Private
instruction available by appointment. Contact us via email for
more details and dates of upcoming classes.
Educational Objectives: Photography offers
limitless opportunities for people of all ages to observe nature
and share their observations with others. The process of composing
pictures also encourages curiosity about nature’s cycles.
Join Connie Toops for a fun and educational introduction to
photographic concepts, plus the opportunity to put your new
skills into practice in the beautiful outdoor setting of Lost
Cove. This fundamental class will cover: selecting equipment,
understanding composition, choosing photographic subjects, lighting,
and exposure.
Students
are invited to bring five photos (slides or prints) to share
with the group in a critique situation. These may be some of
the participants’ best work or images they would like
to know how to improve. Connie Toops will draw upon her thirty
years of experience as a professional nature photographer to
offer constructive criticism that will improve students’
technique and perception. This class will help students learn
to avoid common mistakes and create more dynamic pictures.
See Also: Photo
Tips
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Due
to the secluded location of Lost Cove, site visits are by appointment
only. Contact us via
email for details.
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