Tag: Photography Workshops

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Oaxaca Mexico: Trip Report

Tom and Cree just finished their Oaxaca Mexico Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. They traveled with their group to Oaxaca de Juarez in the mountains of Mexico to photograph the colorful people, places and food of the area. They loved the photo opportunities there so much that they decided to return for another workshop in Oaxaca in January 2025. We hope you will consider joining us.

To see photos from our 2024 Oaxaca Mexico Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here

Note about covid on this workshop:

On the fourth day of the workshop Cree tested positive for covid. We want to share this experience to help you understand what that looks like on a workshop. As soon as Cree felt a sore throat she used a rapid test and it was positive. She immediately isolated from the group and spent the next 3 days in her room watching Netflix and learning online Spanish. Because she isolated so quickly, no one else on the group came down with covid. Tom tested negative and was able to continue teaching. He decided to wear a mask for the remainder of the workshop to protect others.

A few take aways from this experience:

Realize that covid is still going around and as a traveler you could catch it. If you have any syptoms that could be covid, notify the trip leaders immediately.

Always travel with several rapid tests, masks and extra medication in case you need to stay longer. We recommend talking to your doctor about bringing covid medications.

Realize that if you test positive you cannot travel with the group and will need to isolate yourself. You will need to pay for any extra rooms, meals or transportation required for your isolation. We strongly recommend travel insurance for all of our workshops for that reason.

Fortunately, the recent strains have been fairly mild and most people recover quickly. Preparation and early detection are key to keep the group protected. Keeping everyone healthy is a top priority at TBPW.

What’s next:

Tom and Cree will be heading to the jungles of Borneo and the volcanos of Java for the Indonesia Workshop. Then it is off to Alaska for Northern Lights and the Iditarod. Very different packing for those two workshops!

Thank you for reading our trip reports!

Tom and Cree

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December 2023 – Photo of the Month

Tom and I celebrate great images from workshop participants by selecting a Photo of the Month. For December we chose an image taken on our Bosque and White Sands Workshop. The image was taken by Tim Crull during a stunning sunset at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge. Tim is a wildlife and landscape photographer from Indiana and he loves grizzly bears!

Congratulations to December 2023 ‘s featured photographer – Tim Crull

Tim Crull at White Sands National Park

The Story… 

When we arrived at the Roosting Pond, there were only a few ducks there. We could hear cranes from a distance and we started to see them flying towards us.

We needed the right sky color. Then we needed the cranes to fly right in front of it.

I began tracking multiple groups of cranes. Sometimes the cranes were not close enough. Othertimes they overlapped and did not look as good. I just kept trying until I got what I wanted. Just keep shooting.

Everything has to come together to get the right shot. I waited until I got an odd number of cranes with just the right separation between them.

Photo of the Month – Trio of Sandhill Cranes by Tim Crull

EXIF Data:

Camera: Canon EOS R5

Lens: 600 mm

Aperture: f4

Shutter: 1/1000 sec

ISO: 500

Mode: Manual, auto ISO

About Photographing in White Sands

I had never been there before. I’ve been to other sand dunes like in Death Valley. The white sand makes it really amazing.

I went two days before the workshop but could not get in early. Going with a workshop means you can get in before sunrise. This makes all the difference in the world.

It’s all about the light there. The sand reflects the different colors in the sky like no where else.

Sunset at White Sands National Park

Tim’s Tips for Photographing at Bosque

Tip 1

You need the right weather. Keep going back until you get it. A sunset with red or orange is what you want.

Tip 2

Shoot a lot. You won’t know the position of the birds and groupings until later.

Tip 3

Practice tracking birds with your camera and lens before you go.

Tip 4

The first day the 600mm felt like it was too much. But that was really all I used for the rest of the trip. The 100-500mm Canon lens was what I used in White Sands, in addition to the 24-105mm

Tip 5

Experiment. Try some slow shutter speeds. I shot the Snow Geese at 1/30th of a second and that was new for me.

Snow Geese at 1/30th second

On Tim’s Horizon:

Bears in Katmai National Park in Alaska

Iceland

Chilkat, Alaska for Bald Eagles

Denali National Park

Northern Lights

Tim at Bosque with his Canon 600mm

Tom and Cree just returned from a family vacation in the jungles and beaches of Mexico. Great to relax and enjoy sunsets with Spotted Eagle Rays swimming by us.

We are finishing up a very successful 2023 year. Thank you to all of you who joined us on trips this year. We hope to see you again in 2024: 2024 Schedule and 2025

Enjoy your holidays with friends and family!

Tom and Cree

www.tombolphotoworkshops.com

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Bosque & White Sands Trip Report

Tom and Cree just finished their Bosque and White Sands Workshop and want to share the highlights with you. They traveled with their group to two locations in New Mexico to photograph thousands of birds in flight and capture dazzling pink skies on white gypsum sand dunes. The photos were so good this year, we decided to add another workshop there in 2024..

To see photos from our 2023 Bosque and White Sands Workshop, check out our trip report, click here

What’s New:

This year is the peak of the 11 year cycle for Northern Lights Photography. That means the displays promise to be dazzling for night photographers. Three spaces available on our Northern Lights and Iditarod Workshop in March 2024. Learn more

What’s next:

Tom and Cree will be taking a break for a few days in the jungles of Mexico. They will be at home for the holidays and then working on a few Online Classes for January.

Happiest of Holidays to you and your loved ones!

Tom and Cree

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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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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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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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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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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