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September 2023 – Photo of the Month

Tom and I celebrate great participant images by selecting a Photo of the Month. For August we chose an image taken on a Strabo Photo Tour, the Impressions of France. The image was taken by Cheryl Sackett in the Loire Valley town of Chedigny. Cheryl is an avid travel photographer and did a masterful job capturing the elegance of the French countryside.

Congratulations to September 2023 ‘s featured photographer – Cheryl Sackett

Cheryl in the Priest’s Garden at Chedigny

The Story… 

I love table settings and have photographed them before. I liked the lighting in the area and the small set of stairs in the background. It was very elegant the way they had it set up.

This scene is from the restaurant in Chedigny, France where we ate lunch, La Clos des Roses. It felt like a very private restaurant with the number of people in it.

The food was excellent. it was probably the best meal of the trip. I remember the main meal was two types of veal. The meat was very tender and both versions were delicious. We also got to meet the chef and she was very cute.

We were already sitting down at lunch and my cell phone was the only camera I had at the moment. I looked over my shoulder, saw the scene and wanted to capture it.

La Clos des Roses restaurant in Chedigny, France

EXIF Data: Apple 11 Pro – we were already sitting down at lunch and my Canon camera was put away. All of my other photos were taken with my Canon.

Monet’s Garden at Giverny

About Photographing in France

I loved seeing the iconic Paris sites like the Eiffel Tower and the Seine. I also liked getting out of the city. The small village of Chedigny was beautiful and takes you back in time.

The grandeur of the chateaus in the Loire Valley was amazing. The architecture was wonderful. We stayed in a castle called Domaine de la Tortiniere. It was an old chateau with modern settings like a pool and conference center. I stayed in a very quaint annex overlooking the chateau.

Hot air balloon photography over the Loire Valley

Cheryl’s Tips for Travel Photography

Tip 1

I travel very simply with my Canon camera and one or two lenses. For this trip I mostly used my Canon 18-400 mm. It covers just about everything.

Tip 2

I try to get the big picture first and then go for smaller details.

Tip 3

In Chedigny I was looking for interesting scenery and the smaller pictures. I loved the shutters and flowers near the windows. I like to capture people in the background. It was great that there was nobody there but us.

Vin rouge

On Cheryl’s Horizon:

Ouray, Colorado

Greece

Egypt

Oaxaca, Mexico

Costa Rica

Antarctica and South Georgia

Cheryl – the French Chef

Tom and Cree will be closer to home for their next tour, Ouray Fall Colors. In October they are headed to Slovenia with Strabo Tours again. Slovenia is known for its striking variety of landscapes: coastal Mediterranean towns, rolling foothills like in Tuscany and charming mountain towns like in Switzerland. Take a look at other Strabo Tours here.

We hope you have some good Fall trips planned!

Tom and Cree

www.tombolphotoworkshops.com

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August 2023 Photo of the Month

At Tom Bol Photo Workshops, we celebrate great participant images by selecting a Photo of the Month. For August we chose an image taken on the Ecuador Cloud Forest Photo Tour created by Elaine Bedard. Elaine photographs pets, birds and nature in rural Connecticut. Ecuador was her first workshop out of the country with us. You can see a portfolio of her images here .

Congratulations to August 2023 ‘s featured photographer – Elaine Bedard

Elaine with a Canon 600 mm lens

The Story… 

Cree and I were patiently waiting out front of the lodge. I was just sitting quietly and seeing what would come in. He flew in and started eating bananas.

The bottom of the frame is the banana feeder. I used the new remove tool in PhotoShop to take out the banana tray. Then I darkened it using a linear gradient.

I always shoot the 100-500 mm lens at 500 mm. This meant I could focus on getting the exposure right. I start by working the shutter speed in manual mode with auto ISO on. I capped my ISO at 6400 for this trip and use Topaz Denoise afterwards.

II watch what the bird is doing. After I get a baseline photo of the bird, I try to predict interesting behaviour. It’s not Rapid Fire, but Intentional Fire. I look for a head tilt, an interesting walking motion and then I use a short burst when it gets interesting. If the bird does not move, I stop shooting.

August 2023 Photo of the Month

EXIF Data:

Camera: Canon R6

Lens: 100-500 mm at 500 mm

ISO: 3200

Shutter Speed: 1/1250 sec

Aperture: f/7.1

Shooting Mode: Manual mode with auto ISO

Equitorial Antpita at Zura Loma Preserve

About Photographing in the Ecuador Cloud Forest

This is a bird photographer’s heaven. It is one of those places you have to experience. It really is so different from New England. The light is different and you have the canopy of the trees. It has a nice diffuse quality to it.

At the reserves, there is often space between the perches and the background canopy. This creates really good bokeh.

The climate is also different. It is very comfortable to be there in the summer, but damp.

The birds come in every color of the rainbow. It is not just little brown birds like where I live. The beauty of Ecuador is that birds are abundant and they come right to you. The lodges and reserves are built around the birds. There are so many species there that you would never see otherwise.

Collared Inca at Guango Lodge

Elaine’s Tips for Photographing Birds

Tip 1

Learn and study bird behaviour as you are taking your shots. This way you will be able to predict where the bird will go and what it will do.

Tip 2

Know how to operate your camera. Know your settings. For fast moving birds you want to have this locked down. I want my settings to be the last thing I think about. My camera should already be ready to go before the bird lands.

Tip 3

Once you get a decent bird photograph, ask yourself, “How can I make this different.” How can I go beyond a bird on a stick.

I try to get the ethereal fell of being there in the image. In Ecuador, the mist, fog and dampness helps create that feel.

Tip 4

I use a radial gradient to create a moveable light” in my images. This creates a highlight in the overall image. I also use a neutral gray filter to accentuate the feathers in the photo.

Buff-tailed Coronet at Birdwatchers House

On Elaine’s Horizon:

Route 66 Albuquerque to Amarillo

The Pantanal in Brazil

Northern Italy

Texas Birds

Yellowstone and Grand Tetons

Costa Rica

Elaine getting low for a Violet-tailed Sylph

Tom and Cree just returned from paddling through the heart of Canyonlands in a canoe . Check out this article that Tom wrote for NBCNews when Skyler was much younger, click here. They are headed to arctic Alaska next to work on a project for Nikon and scout a Fall trip in the arctic.

Enjoy the end of summer!

Tom and Cree

www.tombolphotoworkshops.com

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Ecuador Cloud Forest Trip Report

Tom and Cree just finished their Ecuador Cloud Forest Photo Tour and want to share the highlights with you. We used three different techniques to photograph hummingbirds and were dazzled by the variety of large and small perching birds. The trip was so successful that we are looking into a new session in 2025.

To see photos from our 2023 Ecuador Cloud Forest, check out our trip report, click here

Want to join us in Ecuador in 2025? We are considering adding a session from January 11-18. Send us a note if you are interested,  contact us here.

Drop in on our Image Celebration tonight, August 10 at 5 pm Denver time to see work created on our workshops during the last 4 months. Send us a quick note to get the Zoom link: send us a note.

In August we will be out of the office for most of the month. We will be canoeing on the Green River through Canyonlands and in Arctic Alaska, scouting and working on material for Nikon. The best way to contact us will be through email, creetbp@gmail.com

Happy summer wherever you are!

Tom and Cree

Ecuador Workshop
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Photo of the Month July 2023

At Tom Bol Photo Workshops, we celebrate great participant images by selecting a Photo of the Month. For July we chose an image taken on the Redwoods and Rocky Coastlines Workshop created by Scott Harrison. Scott worked as a digital imaging specialist for the LA Times for 33 years. His journalistic approach to photography comes out in the breadth of images he created on the workshop. You can see more of his images at www.harrysonpics.com

Congratulations to July 2023 ‘s featured photographer – Scott Harrison

Scott on the Redwoods and Rocky Coastlines Workshop

The Story… 

On the second session on the evening walk I wanted to get a scene setter. I hoped to capture the overall picture. We started up the trail and met with the fog. I started using my 16 mm lens and shot about 20 versions of this scene.

I was trying to use the trail as a leading line. In half of the photos I included a person to give scale to the forest. Almost all of the people were members of our group.

My style – I always use 2 camera bodies. This time I had a 24-200 mm on one. My second lens is always special, in this case a 16 mm. Sometimes I use a LensBaby, sometimes an old manual focus lens.

I like to mix in a variety of focal lengths to tell a story. This keeps the images fresh and not repetitious. By adding a specialty lens I also get creative effects.

July 2023 Photo of the Month

EXIF Data:

Camera: Canon EOS RP

Lens: 16 mm

ISO: 100

Shutter Speed: 1/60 sec

Aperture: f/4

Shooting Mode: Shutter Priority

Exposure Comp -.03

Colors in the fog on the Damnation Creek hike

About Photographing in the Redwoods

I love it!

I’m not a landscape photographer per se, but I like to walk around and photograph things. It is a different world in the Redwoods. I loved the quiet and peacefulness. That is why I was often by myself on the workshop.

I was happy to be in the fog. In Southern California I deal with high contrast lighting all the time. In the fog the lighting is flat and I had the ability to capture more detail. The colors are also saturated. I found the colors were so bright that I had to desaturate them in PhotoShop.

Coquille River Lighthouse in Brandon, Oregon

Scott’s Tips for Photographing on a Workshop

Tip 1

Because of my background, I hate shooting the same photo that everyone takes. I stay away from the Grand Canyon and the parks in Utah. If I am there, then I take photos of the crowds in the foreground taking photos in scenic spots.

About 15 years ago I started taking road trips by myself. To plan my trips I used iphone apps like Roadside America. I also use Fotospot and Atlas Obscura. These apps give me information on all the unusual places in the country. I try to find things that other people do not photograph.

From my training with newspapers, we used to travel to a new town and go right to the local drugstore and look at the postcard rack. Find things outside of the mainstream, including in your own home town.

Tip 2

Join the local camera club and do photo walks. Going as a group can really help.

Tip 3

Listen to what the leaders are saying. I took the fern photo because Cree mentioned dialing back the exposure compensation to create a moody shot. I underexposed by 2 stops for that one. I also created a whole series from the Simpson-Reed Grove in black and white.

Low Key Fern in the Simpson Reed Grove

On Scott’s Horizon:

Route 66 in Oklahoma

Tucson and Saguaro National Park

South Dakota Badlands

New Zealand and Australia

Scott wandering in the redwood forest at the Lady Bird Johnson Grove

Want to join us in 2025: Redwoods and Rocky Coastlines July 9-13, 2025 Space Available!

Online Image Celebration: Join us on August 10 at 5 pm Denver time to see more of the work created on our workshops in the last 4 months. This is a great way to celebrate new work. Sometimes people need more time to edit their images. If you were on a workshop you are invited to send in 3 images to creetbp@gmail.com. If you would like to join us, send a quick message here and we will send the link.

Tom and Cree are headed to Ecuador next for Ecuador Cloud Forest Workshop. In August they will be out of the office on a wilderness canoe trip in Canyonlands, Utah and then on a scouting trip in remote arctic Alaska.

Enjoy the end of summer!

Tom and Cree

www.tombolphotoworkshops.com

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Trip Report: Arizona Hummingbirds

Tom and Cree just finished their Arizona Hummingbirds Workshop and want to share the highlights with you. The birds were very active both during summer temperatures and just after the evening monsoon rains. It was great to be at the Santa Rita Lodge again, with beautiful light in Madera Canyon and a visit or two from the local coati.

To see photos from our 2023 Arizona Hummingbirds, check out our trip report, click here

Our next bird workshop opening is Texas Birds in Spring and there are 3 spaces available: click here

We are on their way to Ecuador for the Ecuador Cloud Forest. They will be photographing beautiful hummingbirds, tanagers and toucanets in the misty jungle. If you would like to join us for a future Ecuador Cloud Forest Workshop, join the interest list or ask to be on the waitlist for 2024, contact us here.

In August we will be out of the office for most of the month. We will be canoeing on the Green River through Canyonlands and scouting a fall workshop in Arctic Alaska. The best way to contact us will be through email.

Happy summer wherever you are!

Tom and Cree

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Trip Report: Redwoods and Rocky Coastlines

Tom and Cree just finished their Redwoods and Rocky Coastlines Workshop and want to share the highlights with you. We had a late season rhododendron bloom this year and the pop of colors was beautiful in the foggy forest. Cool, summer temperatures meant we had diffuse light for the trip and this gave the forest a moody feel. This is a great workshop for photographers interested in both landscapes and filter use with seascapes.

To see photos from our 2023 Redwoods and Rocky Coastlines, check out our trip report, click here

Next National Park Opening is Grand Teton National Park: click here

Cree and Tom are on their way to Arizona for the Arizona Hummingbirds Workshop next. Then they are off to Ecuador to photograph some of the most interesting hummingbirds in the world in the Ecuador Cloud Forest.

Tom will be giving a free online talk on July 13 for Singh Ray Filters called From Sandals to Snowboots: Photographing Easter Island and Lofoten, Norway. If you were on either of those workshops you will see some familiar images. Register online here.

Be sure to check out our page of Immediate Openings to see where we have space available.

Happy summer wherever you are!

Tom and Cree

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Trip Report: Brown Bears of Lake Clark

Tom and Cree just finished their Brown Bears of Lake Clark Workshop and want to share the highlights with you. Spring cubs and roosting puffins were the highlights this year. Cold wet weather meant we had diffuse light for the trip and the bears stayed active all day. This is a great workshop for photographers interested in both bears and puffin, with very little walking to get to either.

To see photos from our 2023 Brown Bears of Lake Clark Workshop, check out our trip report, click here

Next Bear Workshop Opening: click here

Cree and Tom are on their way to California and Oregon for the Redwoods and Rocky Coastlines Workshop next. We’ll be looking for foggy, sun beams illuminating the forest canopy.

Happy 4th of July wherever you are!

Tom and Cree

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June 2023 – Photo of the Month

At Tom Bol Photo Workshops, we celebrate great images by selecting a Photo of the Month. For June we chose an image taken on the Tanzania Photo Workshop with Strabo Photo Tours created by Joan Carroll. Joan is a well-rounded travel and outdoor photographer. She regularly sells her work through Fine Art America. Check out her numerous online galleries for FAA. We hope you enjoy Joan’s images as much as we do!

Congratulations to June 2023 ‘s featured photographer – Joan Carroll

The Story… 

We pulled up to the spot and I do not remember which vehicle got there first. It was a pretty amazing scene.

I went back and forth between shooting the 800 mm lens to get a close up view of the animal leaping into the water, and using the 100-400 mm lens to get a wider view of the scene. I really liked the environmental view with animals in both the foreground and the background.

I am a fan of the environmental view. A close portrait of an animal is fantastic. But putting it in the environment gives it a sense of place and is really important.

I was looking at the photos of this scene. I must have 1000 images of it. At the end of the series a crocodile took down one of the wildebeest and stopped the action. Before that, the wildebeest were slipping in from the side of the pool and leaping over the top of each other.

When I looked back on the series of images, I could see the crocodile lurking in the scene, just waiting for the right moment. This made me wonder if the wildebeest knew it was there. Were they swimming for their lives. Animals are smarter than we think. Did they have the awareness of the wildebeest all along?

June 2023 Photo of the Month

All the dust and the whole environment….it’s not something there are really words for.

Of the 1000 images of this sequence, I chose the one where the wildebeest was leaping the highest. He leaped the highest but landed right by the shore where the crocodile was waiting.

EXIF Data:

Camera: Nikon Z9

Lens: 100-400mm at 240

ISO: 5600

Shutter Speed: 1/3200 sec

Aperture: f/11

Shooting Mode: Manual with auto ISO

Exposure Comp +.67

Elephants wrestling at sunset in Serengeti National Park

About Photographing in Africa

Oh my gosh! The two trips to Africa have probably been the most exciting things I have done….ever.

It is so dynamic. It is always changing. It is not like a landscape where you have time to figure everything out and adjust your settings.

I’d still be stuck there if someone hadn’t said “Let’s move on.” I’d just keep shooting.

I’m paying for that now with 44,000 images from the trip. I was going to be more mindful of how many photos I took this time. But when I got to the Serengeti, all bets were off!

Zebra herd at the waterhole

Joan’s Tips for Wildlife Photography

I don’t consider myself any kind of expert.

  1. Stand next to Tom and Cree and do what they do. Keep your ears open for tips and re-evaluate what you are doing.
  2. Be aware of the whole scene and what the possibilities are. Pay attention to the flow of what’s going on. Have global awareness.
  3. Have all the right equipment, batteries and cards.
  4. Get a lot of rest. Be ready to go for every shooting session. I was there to photograph animals and do as much as I could. Know what you want out of a photo trip.

On Joan’s Horizon:

Bears in Lake Clark National Park

Eagles in Chilkat, Alaska

Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands

My all time favorite trip was to the Canadian Arctic. We landed at Grise Fjord on Ellesmere Island and took a sledge out onto the ice to go ice diving. The silence was incredible.

Joan and er husband Benny enjoying an African sunset

Why Strabo?

Tom has been doing workshops for Strabo Photo Tours for decades. He likes how trips are well organized and cater to photographer’s needs. Tom and Cree currently do at least one trip per year with Strabo.

Current opening: Impressions of France Sept 9-17, 2023 Space Available!

Tom and Cree are headed to Alaska next for a Bear Workshop in Lake Clark National Park and then for a tourism shoot for the Mat-Su Visitor’s Bureau.

Enjoy your start to summer!

Tom and Cree

www.tombolphotoworkshops.com

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May 2023 Photo of the Month

At Tom Bol Photo Workshops, we celebrate great images created on our workshops by selecting a Photo of the Month. For May we chose an image from our Louisiana Birds and Bayous Workshop created by Nancy Lehrer. Nancy is primarily a street photographer. She signed up for this workshop to learn more about wildlife and bird photography. We hope you enjoy Nancy’s images as much as we do!

Congratulations to May 2023 ‘s featured photographer – Nancy Lehrer

The Story… 

We were heading towards an alligator on the boat. I heard Tom yell, “Look at the light, look at the light.”

In that part of the swamp there was less moss. It seemed like there were two parts to the swamp. There were light green, mossy parts and then there were these dark green and brown parts. When we arrived in this spot I had not seen the dark green part before.

I was trying to get the reflections and the floating algae. I shot about 20 frames, but the focus wasn’t right. I focused on the reflection and not on the plants. I decided to try a wider angle lens instead. I grabbed my 24-105 mm lens. I wanted to capture the feeling of a bowl. Wide angle images give more of a fisheye feeling. I wanted the feeling of a lake in front of the trees.

I didn’t put the tops of the trees in the image because they are in the sun light. It would be too much contrast with the understory. By focusing on the reflection, the viewer can see the sky in the reflection on the water. I also wanted to capture the side lighting that brought out the yellow tones on the trees

May 2023 Photo of the Month

EXIF Data:

Camera: Sony A7 R5

Lens: 24-105mm f4

ISO: 640

Shutter Speed: 1/125 sec

Aperture: f/9

Shooting Mode: Aperture Priority

Shot at 30mm, handheld

Great Blue Heron taking flight

About Photographing in Louisiana’s Swamps

I am really not a wildlife or landscape photographer. I found that photographing in the swamp was very much like doing street photography. The actors were the animals. We were gliding on the boat like I’d be walking down the street, very slowly.

It was very peaceful in the swamp. The animals were in their habitat. I found myself just looking around for animals, birds, turtles, alligators.

Great Egret feeds chicks in a mixed wader rookery

Nancy’s Tips for Bird Photography

  1. Get a camera that has really good Auto Focus. I rented a Sony A7 R5 for this trip and it made a big difference.
  2. Using a monopod really helped me be stable. It meant I didn’t have to worry about fatigue. I practiced with it at home on the birds in the backyard.
  3. Be a good motion detector. Look for motion and then follow the bird.
  4. Look for birds that are stationary and getting ready to take off. That’s the only way I can count on getting birds in flight.
  5. Connect the bird to the landscape. It’s just like street photography. The background should tell a story.
  6. Watch the behaviors. Keep shooting different behaviors and decide later which is the best image.

Louisiana has more alligators than any where else in the world

On Nancy’s Horizon:

Hokkaido, Japan for fishing villages and the Ice festival

Iditarod in Alaska

The Silk Road in China

Anywhere in eastern Europe: Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, Czech Republique

Nancy, the wildlife photographer

Where are Tom and Cree?

We are headed to Africa to photograph in Tanzania for two weeks. Then it’s up to Alaska for our annual Brown Bears at Summer Solstice trip. We have space for 1 male photographer if you’d like to join us from June 18-23. We’ll be photographing brown bears with cubs in Lake Clark National Park. Click here for more information.

We’ll be posting photos from these two trips on Instragram @tombolphoto and Facebook. We’d love to see your photos on our Photos for Inspiration TBPW Facebook Page.

Thanks for reading our posts!

Tom and Cree

www.tombolphotoworkshops.com

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Trip Report: Louisiana Birds and Bayous

Tom and Cree just finished their Louisiana Birds and Bayous Workshop and want to share the highlights with you. The birds and alligators in the swamp were abundant and the flat bottom boats made it very easy to get up close for photography. This is a great workshop for both landscape and wildlife photographers, with very little walking.

To learn more about our Louisiana Birds and Bayous Workshop, check out our trip report, click here

Still looking for a trip to join in 2023?. We have 1 opening each on two very popular trips: Bears at Summer Solstice and Route 66 East. Check out our new page called Immediate Openings to see all openings for 2023

Cree and Tom are on their way to Tanzania with Strabo Tours next. With 14 participants, it will be our largest trip of the year.

Thanks for reading our posts. Happy spring wherever you are!

Tom and Cree

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