Tom and Cree just returned from their Louisiana Bayous Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Eight photographers joined us in heart of Cajun Country to photograph moody Bald Cypress, alligators and a variety of wading birds. Highlights of the workshop were photographing in fog and seeing so much wildlife.
To see photos from our Louisiana BayousWorkshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Cree and Tom are Ohio with a small group of photographers photographing the spring Warbler Migration. They will finish the month with a landscape workshop in Monument Valley.
Any upcoming openings?
Just Added: Alaska Kenai Explorer July7-12, 2026 Calving glaciers, whales, snow capped mountains, eagles and more. Read details
Also in Alaska: Travel to Alaska next March and photograph the Last Great Race – the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Photographers will learn to mush a sled, photograph dogs in action and wait for aurora to light up the sky at night. A true Alaska Adventure. Read More
Tom and Cree just returned from their Texas Birds in Spring Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Two sessions of photographers joined us in the tip of Texas to photograph vibrant songbirds from photo blinds. Highlights of the workshop were photographing the Painted Bunting and Greater Roadrunner.
To see photos from our Texas Birds in Spring Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Cree and Tom are in Lafayette, Louisiana this week with a group of photographers. They will finish their streak of bird photography workshops with a stop in Ohio for Spring Warblers.
Any upcoming openings?
We have 2 spaces available on our Texas Birds in Spring Workshop next year May 11-16, 2026. This workshop requires minimal walking and is the perfect way to become a better bird photographer.
Ouray Fall Colors : September 28-August 2, 2025 2 Spaces Available. The best of Colorado’s aspen forests just in time for brilliant yellow foliage.
Tom and I celebrate great photos from workshop participants by selecting a Photo of the Month. For April we chose an image taken on our Texas Birds Workshop. The image was taken by Ed Miron at the Laguna Seca Ranch in Texas. Ed is a wildlife and landscape photographer from Fort Collins, Colorado.
Congratulations to April 2025 ‘s featured photographer – Ed Miron
Ed in the bird blinds at Laguna Seca Ranch
The Story…
Well, the story was you told us we might see a Scissor tailed Flycatcher. I looked on the map and saw the very limited range where you could see these things. So I knew it was pretty special.
I was concentrating on photographing a cardinal that was out to the left. Cree pointed out a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on the right. It was just on a branch as I recall. I just wasn’t quick enough and then it flew away. But then it, it did a loop and came back and I had a second chance. And this time I was more prepared and I got the shot.
Prepared for me was changing the camera to pro capture mode. I also had to switch on the tele-converter. I increased the shutter speed to 1/4000th of a second. Someone who’s very skilled could do it very quickly but it probably took me a little longer.
The flycatcher looped around and came back a third time and that’s when I really nailed the shot. So I had a wonderful lens and I had a very cooperative flycatcher.
When I got the camera, I saw a YouTube video on the Pro-capture feature and it was interesting. I played with it just a little with our bird feeder like a year ago in our yard at home. After that, I never had a reason to use it. I knew before this trip I would use it. And I revisited and I saw that the Olympus has three different Pro captures, a dizzying array of settings. And then at the Texas Birds Workshop it was pro capture Boot Camp.
We spent half a day devoted to capturing birds in flight. I was so fortunate that the flycatcher came in the day after we had so much practice with Pro-capture. I felt like I was up to speed.
Pro-capture is a game changer for birds in flight.
April 2025 Photo of the Month by Ed Miron
EXIF Data:
Camera: OM System 1 Mark ii
Lens: 180-300mm with 1.2 built in teleconverter
Aperture: f5.6
Shutter: 1/4000
ISO: 4000
Manual Priority with Auto ISO
About Photographing from the Bird Blinds in Texas
The bird blinds were just unbelievable. I mean, the birds come to you and they come in a flurry. And it’s so well thought out. The placement of the bird blinds. The fact that you have some blinds just for morning use because the sun’s behind you. Then other bird blinds you just go to in the afternoon. The blinds are really thought out with photographers in mind.
I loved the fact that they have this wide area of a hundred yards of a cleared field behind the perches. You could get great bokeh. I think it took more skill designing the bird blinds and setting them up then to take good photos in them . I mean in a way, it’s a little bit like cheating because it just seems too easy.
Before the workshop I spent a morning photographing a Marsh Wren in Fort Collins. They’re hard to photograph. They like to stay hidden in bushes . They’re very skittish when they come out. It took a lot of time and I got one great photo. In the bird blinds you really get a lot of good photos quickly.
So I think a birder would be in heaven there. Somebody who’s not a birder would also really like the trip because they would get a lot of fantastic photos of birds that would emotionally resonate with anybody, even if you know nothing about birds.
I walked away knowing a lot more about birds.
Green Jay on a perch with Blue Plumbago
Ed’ s Tips for Photographing Birds
Tip 1
You really want to have the best longest lens you can get, even if you have to rent a lens. It was much more important to have a longer lens for birds then it was for bears.
Tip 2
Patience. Sometimes the blinds were insanely busy and some times they were slower. You don’t control the birds so flexibility and patience is important.
Northern Cardinal courtship behavior
Tip 3
Having a knowledgeable birder with you will help you get better photographs. Having you and Tom call out the names of birds when they entered the area kept us alert. We learned what behavior to look for like the mockingbirds attacking the raptors. And then, the cardinal behavior between the male and female giving it food. Also the puffing up of the Bronzed Cowbird.
Tip 4
When you are in a bird bling you are alert, you’re in the moment. You have to pay attention. It is exciting. You may just have seconds. Your adrenaline is really up. It is incredibly fun!
On Ed’s Horizon:
Ohio Warblers
Greenland
Nome, Alaska
Lofoten Islands in Norway
Where are Tom and Cree? We will be traveling to several locations for workshops in May: Louisiana, Ohio and Monument Valley. We will do our best to return your messages as soon as possible!
Workshop Openings?
Join us for the 2026 Iditarod! We have space available. Photograph the Last Great Race and fly into the remote Iditarod Checkpoint of Rainy Pass. We’ll photograph aurora at night if it is out! Read more
We have two last minute openings for our popular Ouray Fall Color Workshop Sept 28-Oct 2, 2025. Photograph dazzling yellow aspen leaves in the Colorado High Country. Read more
Tom and Cree just returned from their Tucson & Saguaro National Park Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Ten photographers joined them in the Sonoran Desert to photograph landscapes, cactus, birds and blossoms. Highlights of the workshop were photographing backlit cactus at dawn and seeing so many desert birds at our blind.
To see photos from our Tucson & Saguaro National Park Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Cree and Tom are off to Texas next week for their Texas Birds in Spring Workshop. They will be joining 8 photographers to photograph rare south Texas birds like Green Jays, Pyrhuloxia and Bobwhite Quail.
Any upcoming openings?
Just one space left on our Louisiana Bayous Workshop May 7-11, 2025. Explore the cypress swamps by boat looking for herons, egrets, spoonbills and alligators. Photograph nesting Great Egrets chicks at a private rookery. This trip is already full in 2026.
Ouray Fall Colors : September 28-August 2, 2025 1 Space Available. The best of Colorado’s aspen forests just in time for brilliant yellow foliage.
Tom and Cree just returned from their Costa Rica Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Ten photographers joined them in the rainforest of Southern Costa Rica to photograph spectacular mammals, birds and reptiles. Highlights of the workshop were photographing the Fiery-billed Aracari and seeing a Northern Tamadua Anteater.
What’s Next: Cree and Tom are off to Tucson next week for their Tucson and Saguaro National Park Workshop. They will be joining 10 photographers to photograph the Sonoran Desert and it’s magnificent backlit cacti at sunset.
Any upcoming openings?
Just one space left on our Louisiana Bayous Workshop May 7-11, 2025. Explore the cypress swamps by boat looking for herons, egrets, spoonbills and alligators. Photograph nesting Great Egrets chicks at a private rookery. This trip is already full in 2026.
Ouray Fall Colors : September 28-August 2, 2025 1 Space Available. The best of Colorado’s aspen forests just in time for brilliant yellow foliage.
Tom and I celebrate great images from workshop participants by selecting a Photo of the Month. For February we chose an image taken on our Baja Whales Workshop. The image was taken by Marni Nagy off the coast of Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. Marni is a California photographer who owns a business that makes custom camera straps: Capturing Couture
Congratulations to February 2025 ‘s featured photographer – Marni Nagy
Marni at San Ignacio Lagoon
The Story…
For this image I had my 150-600 lens all the way out. A guy named Bertrand was in the front of the boat and would not move. So I moved to the left side of the boat. The whale jumped another time right before the picture that I got. It was wavy and bumpy. I found it was easier to stabilize the camera shooting from the side of the boat.
It was dumb luck to get the boat in there. With wildlife photography you are just lucky most of the time.
I was shooting pretty quick. Tom had us up at over 4000th of a second for shutter speed. It was pretty sunny, so ISO was not a problem.
The boat gives the breach context and scale. In my new job I am always asking my media folks to give me more context. They submit close up images of race cars. I always want to see the track or something in the background for context.
February 2025 Photo of the Month by Marni Nagy
EXIF Data:
Camera: Nikon D850
Lens: Sigma 180-600
Aperture: f6.3
Shutter: 1/5000
ISO: 4100
About Photographing in Baja
Baja was great. Whales galore. The whales were so close that they filled the frame. It was hard to get context because we were so close.
There were some behaviors that I did not even know I wanted to get. I was very happy to get a shot of the “golden rainbow” feeding behavior that creates a rainbow when the whale spouts.
The Sea of Cortez side was all about the different kinds of animals. I had never seen dolphins like that, They were small and black with stubby little noses.
The sealions had so many expressive faces. I took photos of everything we saw: Great Blue Herons, kingfishers, jellyfish. The sea lions had the most personality of all.
I always have a bit of gear envy on these trips. Most people had the new stuff. I was super impressed with the quality of the images from my Nikon d850. After holding it up for so long shooting whales, I started to think about how to create a small tripod support system to help with the weight. A mono pod might have helped.
I was sceptical that we would really get to pet the whales. On the second day we were headed back. The boat slowed down. Everyone was saying “Come on, come on.” The whale turned around and came to out boat. It was just magical. We all willed the whale to come over.
When I photographed the Blue Footed Boobies, they were getting bounce light off of the bird poop on the rock. It made everything really bright. I waited until the birds were doing something interesting with their heads. That was my first time photographing Blue-footed Boobies. They have weird little eyes. They look a bit creepy and have interesting feathers.
Blue-footed Boobies
Marni’ s Tips for Photographing in Baja
Tip 1
Sunscreen.
Tip 2
The shots I like the most are the images with some background in them. I was on a workshop once with Joe McNally and he said, “Take a picture that can’t be shot in a zoo”. A whale with the Baja coastline in the background is definitely not from the zoo
Tip 3
Don’t throw anything away. I didn’t lock the pelican shot in the camera. It was brighter int he camera and I brought the exposure down in Lightroom. It was the shape of the water that made the shot for me.
Brown Pelican on the Sea of Cortez
On Marni’s Horizon:
Patagonia
Iceland
Finland
Galapagos
Baja Workshop
What’s coming up?
Happy Hour: Winter Image Celebration – Join Tom and Cree on March 19 at 6 pm MDT Denver time to see what everyone has been shooting lately. Submit your 3 favorite images from this winter and settle in for a photo expo. Click here to ask for the link
Where are Tom and Cree? They are in Alaska right now photographing in the arctic. The weather looks good and aurora activity should be high this week. Next up they will be heading to Costa Rica with 12 photographers to explore the rainforest and photograph sloths, monkeys and macaws.
Workshop Openings?
Last minute opening for Louisiana Bayous, just one space May 7-11, 2025 also just one space left for August 22-29, 2025 Greenland.
Tom and Cree just finished their Brown Bears of Lake Clark Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Their group of 10 photographers flew down the remote Alaskan coastline to Lake Clark National Park. Numerous opportunities to photograph bears on the beach digging for clams were a highlight for everyone.
To see photos from our Brown Bears of Lake Clark, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s new:
Our address is new! Please add our new address to your contact list for future mail:
Tom and Cree just finished their Nome Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. They traveled with a small group of 5 to remote Nome, Alaska to photograph arctic birds and primitive muskox. Several of the photographers in the group commented on how special it was to photograph animals in the wild that they had never seen before.
To see photos from our Nome Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s new:
Tom and Cree have settled into their new home in Palmer, Alaska and have their offices up and running. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions about workshops.
Tom and Cree just finished their Texas Birds in Spring Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. They traveled with their group to the South Texas Plains of the Rio Grand Valley. They spent 4 days photographing songbirds and raptors from bird blinds. The group was delighted to photograph abundant Painted Buntings, several types or warblers and several types of orioles.
To see photos from our Texas Birds in Spring Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s new:
Tom and Cree sold their house in Colorado and will be moving back to Palmer, Alaska during the first week of June. They are driving all the way up the Alcan over a period of 6 days. Expect us to have more limited communication during that time. Our new address will be:
Tom Bol Photo Workshops
6342 N Mountain Meadow Trail
Palmer, Alaska. 99645
Any upcoming openings?
Yes! Our schedule was full before but due to a few cancellations, we have 4 workshops with space available this year. Check out our Upcoming Openings Page
We also added some new workshops for 2026 including:
Tom and Cree are headed to Badlands National Park in South Dakota for landscape and wildlife photography. They are hoping for stormy skies in order to photograph lightning using the new Pre-Release technology.
Tom and Cree just finished their Louisiana BayousPhoto Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. They traveled with their group to the swamps around Lafayette, Louisiana to photograph the reptiles, trees and birds in the Bald Cypress bayous. Our group were delighted to photograph Barred owls, nesting egrets and Roseate Spoonbills in flight.
To see photos from our Louisiana Bayous Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s next:
Tom and Cree are headed to Badlands National Park in South Dakota for landscape and wildlife photography. They are hoping for stormy skies in order to photograph lightning using the new Pre-Release technology.
What’s new:
Cree just had a two page spread of her Bohemian Waxwing image published in the Spring 2024 Living Bird Magazine. It was the background for a Nikon ad promoting the Z8 camera.
Any upcoming openings? Yes! Our schedule was full before but due to a few cancellations, we have 4 workshops with space available this year:
