Little Egret fishing

With Wildlife Photographer Michael Snedic and Birding Guide Barry Davies

TBA

A video, showing just some of the birds photographed by participants
during our Bowra Birding and Bird Photography workshop

Michael Snedic, one of Australia’s most accomplished wildlife photographers and tutors, has teamed up with Barry Davies, a highly respected and experienced Birding Guide, to present an 8 day birding and bird photography workshop, ‘out west’. In this workshop, Barry’s immense birding experience will help participants find and identify numerous species of birds by studying their behavior, habits and habitat. Michael’s experience as a leading bird/wildlife photographer and tutor will also be utilized to help you improve your bird photography, including tuition on birds in flight, composition, lighting and correct exposure, focal points and much more. The majority of the trip will be spent at one of Australia’s birding hotspots, Bowra Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, Queensland, where there are lots of different habitats, and therefore birds, to locate and photograph. Below is some information on Bowra Sanctuary, courtesy of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy website:

Bowra Bird Photography Workshop participants

Brown Falcon

Bowra protects 15 regional ecosystems, none of which occur on other AWC properties:

• six of these broad ecosystem types are listed as threatened.
• five of the ecosystems are not found in any national parks, while another seven are poorly protected in national parks.

The condition of Bowra is very good. There is a fine-scale mosaic of habitat types, with good structural complexity, thus supporting a diversity of wildlife.

Splendid-Wren

• Mulga communities, often mixed with Poplar Box and bloodwoods, dominating the low scarp and elevated ridges in the northern section of the property.
• The southern section of Bowra comprises mainly alluvial plains decorated by gidgee and Coolabah open woodlands. Low sand ridges rise marginally above the plains, hosting Cypress Pine and more bloodwood and Poplar Box.
• Majestic River Red Gums guard the length of Gumholes Creek, the property’s major watercourse. Permanent, deep waterholes are a feature of this creek. Bowra lies within the catchment of both the Warrego and Paroo Rivers, two of the most biologically significant rivers within the Murray-Darling basin.
• Bowra hosts numerous other wetlands ranging from Bluebush swamps to gilgais and other smaller swamps.

Red-capped Robin

For more information on this workshop or to make a booking:

Please contact Michael using the contact form or phone +61 408 941 965

Being onboard a boat and experiencing close-up encounters of Humpback Whales is very special. These majestic mammals often venture quite close to the boat and the types of behaviours encountered vary from ‘mobbing’ the boat, ‘spy hopping’, breaching as well as tail flukes. It can, however, be quite difficult to capture these behaviours with your camera. This exciting new workshop is designed so that you will acquire all the skills necessary to capture great shots of whales. Michael will not only present some group sessions, he will also talk to each participant individually, to make sure their cameras are set up correctly and that they are ‘up-to-speed’ with their photographic techniques. Once everyone is set up, Michael will walk around the boat talking to participants, to make sure they are ready for when the whales start to appear.

The workshop tuition starts at the Redcliffe Jetty and then will continue onboard Brisbane Whale Watching’s ‘Eye Spy’, captained by the very-experienced Kerry Lopez. Any whale sightings in the vicinity are closely monitored and Captain Kerry will get as close as is legally allowed to the whales. Often, the whales will swim right up to, and under, the vessel itself.

Photographic tuition is geared towards various skill levels and Michael is very patient with participants. Questions are very welcome!

• Composition
• Recommended Aperture
• Recommended Shutter Speeds and ISO
• Focal Points
• Focus Styles
• Metering
• Exposure Compensation (for Aperture Priority)
• Lighting
• Continuous Shooting
• Whale Behaviour
• And Much More…

Previous Whale Photography Workshop participants

For more information on this workshop or to book your place, please contact Michael on +61 408 941 965 or by using the contact form.

Maximum 8 participants