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Photo of the Month November 2023

Tom and I celebrate great images from workshop participants by selecting a Photo of the Month. For November we chose an image taken on our Chilkat Eagles Workshop. The image was taken by Marni Nagy on a snowy day on the Chilkat River in Alaska. Marni’s creativity extends to her business as well. Check out Capturing Couture to see her beautiful, custom camera straps. Perfect item for the Holidays!

Congratulations to November 2023 ‘s featured photographer – Marni Nagy

Marni on the edge of the Chilkat River

The Story… 

I was off to the side. I got a different angle than everyone else. One of the eagles, the one I call Mohawk, was the aggressor all week. Based on her size, I think she was a female. She was often the one going after other eagles. I have the before and after sequence from this image. The eagle who had the fish flipped over and had it’s back on the ground to get it’s talons in the air.

I didn’t realize that eagles were scavengers. Eagles would grab a salmon and bring it out of the river and then another eagle would come in and take it. There were plenty of fish to go around in the river.

I was working on protecting my ISO. This was my biggest learning from the workshop. Tom and I discussed exposure compensation vs ISO. He recommended giving up exposure compensation to have a lower ISO.

Having a day of snow was just magical. Even the grasses became pictures.

Photo of the Month – Eagle Dance on the Chilkat River

EXIF Data:

Camera: Nikon D850

Lens: Sigma 150-600 mm at 600 mm

Aperture: f6.3

Shutter: 1/2500 sec

ISO: 1100

Mode: Manual, auto ISO

Exposure Comp +.3

Mature Bald Eagle in Flight

About Photographing in the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve

I had never been to Alaska. Only to Colorado. I feel like the vistas in Alaska were much grander than in Colorado. When the fog rolled in I could really get the layers with the trees. The mountains were stunning. I turned my landscape into a black and white image. There were so many layers of majesty.

The number of eagles made it very easy to find a photo. The difficulty was to find a picture that showed the quantity of eagles. I wish I had gotten a better shot of just how many eagles were sitting there. It was just amazing.

Across the scenic Chilkat River

Marni’s Tips for Photographing Eagles

Tip 1

Go to the right place. At Chilkat the eagles were all right there.

Tip 2

You needed to have patience. Some of the groups would leave after 20 minutes because there were no eagles. The eagles would always show up if you waited long enough.

Tip 3

I was at 600mm most of the time. Bring a long enough lens.

Tip 4

Try using manual mode, with auto ISO for wildlife. I had not shot in manual before. I will use this again. I used the group area tracking in the D850 and liked the results.

On Marni’s Horizon:

Bosque

Iceland

Northern Lights

Marni and new photo friends

Tom and Cree are headed to Bosque for the last 2 workshops of the year. Sandhill cranes fly through vibrant New Mexico skies as they land on the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge. For the last two days of the trip we photograph soft hues of pink and blue over the dramatic dunes at White Sands National Park. Keep an eye on Facebook and Instagram for posts.

The Northern Lights have been spectacular in Fairbanks this fall. Get in on the action on our Northern Lights and Iditarod Workshop in March 2024. Three spaces available. Click here to learn more.

Thanks for following our posts!

Tom and Cree

www.tombolphotoworkshops.com

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Holiday Gift Guide

Join us for the annual Bol Holiday Gift Guide and Celebration. Each year Tom and Cree recommend their favorite gifts for photographers. Everyone is welcome to attend. Send a link to your spouse/partner if they are shopping for you!

This online event is Sunday, December 10 at 5 pm. Click here and ask for the Holiday Guide Zoom link.

New this year: send in your favorite image from 2023 for a special Photo Image Celebration: Best of 2023. One image per person to celebrate your best work.

Seasons Greetings!

Tom and Cree

Photo by Keith Eisele
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Chilkat Eagles Trip Report

Tom and Cree just finished their Chilkat Eagle Photography Workshop and want to share the highlights with you. They traveled with their group to the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve in Haines, Alaska to photograph more than 3000 eagles. Expect to see this trip again in 2026.

To see photos from our 2023 Chilkat Eagle Workshop, check out our trip report, click here

What’s New:

Tom’s recent portrait with the new Nikon Plena Lens from our Route 66 Workshop will be published in the next few weeks. Our two models from the photo shoot should be happy to hear this.

Interested in joining us in Alaska to photograph northern lights? Three spaces on our Northern Lights and Iditarod Workshop in March 2024 are open. Photograph Northern Lights from Talkeetna, Fairbanks and right outside the boundary of Denali National Park. We follow the Iditarod for three days and learn all about photographing sled dogs in action. We even fly out to one of the Iditarod checkpoints to get closer to the action. Learn more

If you are interested in travel and wildlife photography, we have just one space open up for our Orangutan and Volcanos in Indonesia Photo Tour. Learn more

What’s next:

We will be in Monument Valley scouting for future trips for the next week. We already have a record 35 people on the Interest List for this workshop. We are glad so many of you want to join us.

We hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Tom and Cree

Chilkat Eagles
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Route 66 East Trip Report

Tom and Cree just finished their Route 66 East Photo Workshop and want to share the highlights with you. They traveled with their group from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Amarillo, Texas photographing people and places from a time gone by. Speedlights, strobe lights and neon lights were all part of the trip instruction. Expect to see this trip again in 2026.

To see photos from our 2023 Route 66 East Workshop, check out our trip report, click here

What’s New:

Tom published another new article for Nikon called Tips for Photographing Fall Color: Click here to read the article. You will see photos from several past workshops like Ouray and Acadia.

Interested in joining us in Alaska to photograph northern lights? Three spaces on our Northern Lights and Iditarod Workshop in March 2024 just opened. This workshop will take you to three different Alaskan towns to photograph aurora as well as to the heart of the Iditarod. We even fly out to one of the Iditarod checkpoints to get closer to the action. Learn more

We will be in Haines, Alaska for the next two weeks to photograph eagles on the Chilkat River. If you are interested in travel and wildlife photography, we have just one space open up for our Orangutan and Volcanos in Indonesia Photo Tour. Learn more

Happy trails!

Tom and Cree

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Photo of the Month October 2023

Tom and I celebrate great participant images by selecting a Photo of the Month. For October we chose an image taken on our Ouray Fall Color Workshop. The image was taken by Mike Iles just outside of Ouray, Colorado. Mike is an avid landscape photographer from Oregon who is now branching out to wildlife and macro photography.

Congratulations to October 2023 ‘s featured photographer – Mike Iles

Mike Iles in Ouray, Colorado

The Story… 

This is a place off of County Road 5. We walked through the bushes and the scene was right in front of us.

I took a picture where Mt Sneffels was more centered in the frame. I showed it to Tom and he suggested I move the mountain a little bit to the left side of the frame. So I went back down through the bushes and took this shot. As soon as I looked at the back of my screen, I knew I got it right.

The shot is destined to be a metal print, hanging in my house. This photo really represents the mountains and the whole area of the workshop.

The mountains in Oregon are not as knife-like, or sharp as in Colorado. I was in awe of the mountains in Colorado.

I know the 24-105 mm lens shoots well at f8. That’s its sweet spot. I had enough light to shoot at ISO 100. I looked at my histogram to be sure. The sky was to die for. It was gorgeous.

I have learned to always shoot in manual over the last ten years. I like it because I have more control of my settings.

Photo of the Month – Mt Sneffels in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains

EXIF Data:

Camera: Canon EOS R6m2

Lens: Canon RF f4 24-105 mm at 85 mm

Aperture: f8

Shutter: 1/60 sec

ISO: 100

Mode: Manual

Aspen with Sunstar

About Photographing in Ouray, Colroado

Absolutely gorgeous! The mountains feel like they are towering above you. It’s so high that I can hardly breath there. The clouds in the sky were gorgeous almost every day. I like shooting puffy clouds.

If you don’t like yellow, don’t go to Ouray. The color was stupendous. It felt like we were there at peak time. It was just magnificent.

Abstract Aspen on Owl Creek Pass

Mike’s Tips for Landscape Photography

Tip 1

Slow down. Make sure you look all the way around, especially behind you. Study the scene and take more photos than you anticipate.

Tip 2

Shoot what you enjoy.

Tip 3

Shoot a variety. I post everything from backyard flowers, old buildings, moutains, rivers. I am least adept at street photography. I shoot anything that catches my eye.

On Mike’s Horizon:

Bosque and White Sands

Louisiana Bayous

San Juan Islands

Iceland

Black Hills of South Dakota

Rocky Mountain National Park

Mike enjoying the Colorado aspens

Tom and Cree will be closer to home for their next tours, CHilkat Eagles and Bosque del Apache. They are currently in Slovenia leading a tour for Strabo Tours.

We recently had a few openings become available for our Northern Lights and Iditarod Workshop. This is the perfect trip for anyone who has already done our Fairbanks Northern Lights Workshop and wants more Northern Lights, more sled dogs and more scenic winter Alaska scenes. Click here to learn more

Enjoy your Fall trips!

Tom and Cree

www.tombolphotoworkshops.com

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Trip Report: Ouray Fall Colors

Tom and Cree just finished their Ouray Fall Colors Workshop and want to share the highlights with you. Colors were peak this year on Red Mountain Pass, so we spent several photo sessions on the Million Dollar Highway, driving all the way to Silverton. The trip was so successful that we are offering it again in 2025.

To see photos from our 2023 Ouray Fall Colors Workshop, check out our trip report, click here

What’s New:

Tom just published an article for Nikon called the Bear Essentials: Click here to read the article. Interested in joining us in Alaska to photograph brown bears? Three spaces on our Brown Bear Safari in August 2024 just opened. This workshop involves more walking than our Lake Clark trip, but gets us to locations with bears pouncing on dazzling red salmon. Learn more

We will be in Slovenia for the next few weeks with Strabo Photo Tours. If you are interested in travel and wildlife photography, we just had two spaces open up for our Orangutan and Volcanos in Indonesia Photo Tour. Learn more

Happy autumn wherever you are!

Tom and Cree

Our Workshop 2024
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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