Tom and I celebrate great photos from photographers on our workshops by selecting a Photo of the Month. For May we chose an image from our Texas Birds Workshop. The image was taken by Brian Kennedy at the Laguna Seca Ranch near McAllen, Texas. Brian is a bird and landscape photographer from Fayateville, Georgia.
Congratulations to May 2026 ‘s featured photographer – Brian Kennedy
The Story…
I like photographing birds in flight, but I really like portrait shots of different species. On this particular trip I brought the big glass to make better portraits. I shot everything wide open and thought the backgrounds turned out beautifully. Like butter, as Tom would say.
I purchased the 600mm f4 lens from Nikon. I am shooting Nikon now. It is a beautiful piece of glass. I plan on using it for my astrophotorgaphy as well. It will give me some beautiful images when mounted. For birds in flight I used the Nikon 100-400mm.
When I first started bird photography 20 years ago, it was all about getting the classic bird portrait. I had the 600 6.3 lens but it is not the f 4. The auto-focus flicks on and stays put. I love being able to switch the converter on and off. It was perfect for when the Painted Buntings came in and I could snap from 600 to 840mm. The Black-crested Titmouse also looked great at 840mm.
I liked the sharpness of the Green Jay image. The body pose and head placement both appealed to me because it is a classic portrait pose. There is eye contact but also an interesting shape to the body. Those are the two elements I always look for.
When I sit there with my hand on the shutter, I am waiting for the perfect pose. This is just what I wanted. The eye contact is key. I am not a fan of birds starring out to space.
I only see Green Jays in Texas. I am coming back in February 2028. I love the bird workshops, Texas Birds, Bosque. I also like landscapes, Monument Valley, Death Valley.
The perches add so much to the images at Laguna Seca. Gene sets up perfect perches. He really knows what he is doing. The perches have to be interesting to compliment the birds.
They cannot just be twigs. I am trying to create the same kind of perches in my own yard. I have some property in Fayateville. I am thinking about getting a kiddie pool, creating a drip and then setting up some perches. I’ll use local perches, probably from flowering trees.
EXIF Data:
Camera: Nikon Z9
Lens: Nikon 600mm f4
Aperture: f5.6
Shutter: 1/1600th second
ISO: 250
Manual Mode, auto ISO
Exposure Comp: -.3
About Photographing at Laguna Seca Ranch
Absolutely go to Laguna Seca Ranch. It is an incredible experience. The amount of birds you will see at the ranch sitting in the blinds, you would never catch that variety on your own. Being in the blind is really advantageous. They come in so close. They are constantly coming back and forth into the blinds.
With someone like me with bad knees, it is the perfect thing for me. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel. It is easy. The longest walk you are going to do is from your car to the blind.
The Summer Tanager was elusive at first. He was in the trees to the left and would not come out. The background was perfect from where I was sitting. He came down to take a bath in the water. He was not interested in landing on the perches, I switched to 840mm with the TC and tried to capture different head positions. I liked the head tilt in this one.
I kept missing the Caracara and the Scissortail Flycatcher on the first raptor shoot. On the second shoot I was in the blind with Gene Gwin. I stood up with my 100-400 mm and saw some movement on the left by the tree. I swung my lens around and the auto-focus just locked right on him. I was using the Wide-Area large pattern with bird eye detect.
Brian’s Tips for Bird Blind Photography
1) Bring water. It’s hot.
2) Keep your eyes open and look around. Don’t just stare through the viewfinder because you’ll miss a lot. You will not see things coming in from the left and right side. It is easy to get wrapped up in a single bird
3) Try to listen to what’s coming in. The bird calls would clue me into whether I was looking for a big bird or a little bird.
4) The bird activity comes in waves. Be patient. You cannot expect to see everything in a day. It is a matter of time. Be ready
5) I found myself taking a lot of images that I probably should not have taken. You just cannot take your finger off the trigger. Those are the reddest cardinals I have ever seen in my life. I probably took 15 thousand images over 4 days.
6) If have 2 slots in your camera, use both slots. You will fill them up pretty quickly. Don’t be in the position where you miss a shot looking for a card.
On Brian’s Horizon:
Texas again in 2028
Bears in Lake Clark
Bosque & White Sands
Greece
Africa
Just 1 Space Left: Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula July 7-12, 2026
Just 1 Space Left: Patagonia Photo Tour November 29-December 10, 2026
Thanks for reading our trip reports!
Happy Spring
Tom and Cree