2017 dates coming soon!

Join Southwest Florida professional photographer Joe Fitzpatrick for a great day of photography instruction. Your photo subjects on this all-day photography workshop will be the Florida Burrowing Owl and the colorful town of Matlacha. Your day-long adventure will begin when you board our van at the Understand Photography Learning Center & Studio. During our drive to our morning shooting locations, Joe will share interesting facts and insights about the area and the wildlife we will be photographing, as well as the best techniques to capture memorable images.

The morning's session will focus on the Florida Burrowing Owl. The owls, a "species of special concern", are protected by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission. Joe will instruct you on how to photograph these unique birds without disturbing them as they nest and care for their young. You will learn what exposure modes work best and how to use them, how to use your flash to control the light, how to isolate the owls from busy backgrounds, composing your shots for maximum impact, and more.

Because it is important not to stress the owls, especially while they are nesting, this workshop is strictly limited to five participants.

Mid-day we will break for lunch. Bring your own or join Joe at a local restaurant. Following lunch, we will photograph the fun and colorful town of Matlacha.

Have fun, improve your photographic skills, and return home with memorable images. At each location Joe will share his techniques, enabling you to overcome exposure, lighting and compositional challenges. With his guidance, you will learn to control the complex features of your camera. Joe’s easy to understand style of instruction will help you to become the photographer you long to be.

Stuff You Want to Know

Where will we meet?

We'll meet at Understand Photography Studio at 7:45 a.m. to leave promptly at 8:00 a.m. If you are located in Fort Myers, let us know and we'll make arrangements to pick you up at a location on our way.

When will we return?

We'll return back to Understand Photography Studio about 5:00 p.m. Please don't make any immediate plans after in case we run late due to traffic.

How will we get around?

We will be taking a van to travel to our shooting locations. We will be walking for much of the afternoon as we explore Matlacha.

What about lunch?

You can join Joe at a local restaurant or pack your lunch if you prefer. Cost of lunch is not included in trip.

What will we be photographing?

The morning will be spent photographing the burrowing owls. The afternoon will encompass a variety of subjects: landscapes, historic buildings, and local color.

What skill level is required?

This photo adventure is geared to photographers of all skill levels. We strongly suggest that you take our beginning DSLR course if you are not familiar with the basics of exposure: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.

What will I learn during the Photo Adventure?

At every step of your Photo Adventure Joe will be at your side, sharing his techniques. We will cover:

• Which of your camera’s exposure modes is preferred for each shooting condition.
• Which metering mode works best for each subject.
• Using the histogram to improve your exposures.
• How to take advantage of your camera’s various auto focus modes.
• Composition.
• Filters.
• Advanced techniques tailored to your level of knowledge.

What equipment should I bring?

This Photo Adventure encompasses a wide range of subject matter.

• DSLR camera or advanced compact (bridge camera). Ideally, lenses to provide the equivalent coverage of full frame lenses from 24mm to 300mm or longer. For “crop” DSLRs this means lenses in the range of 17mm to 200mm or longer. A lens with close focusing ability so you can fill your frame with a flower is useful. A speedlight will be useful at times.
• A circular polarizer if you own one.
• Tripod
• Remote shutter release. Useful, but your cameras timer will suffice in a pinch.
• Memory cards — bring them all!
• Batteries — you will need spares.
• Sunscreen

What to wear:

Wear comfortable clothing that you can sit or kneel in. The owl's habitat is open fields so you will be in the sun.