Tour Itinerary

- 2012 Tour now over. I'm currently accepting registrations for Feb, 2013. More details coming soon!

Tour Dates: February 22th - 26th - Limited to 10 participants

Evening Arrival: Introduction, Slide Show and Welcome Dinner - Feb. 21, 2012

We’ll begin the tour with an introduction, Slide Show and a “get to know you” dinner

The introduction will focus on the tour itinerary. We’ll show images created at each location that we will visit and discuss about what to bring, what to expect and what subjects to photograph and how to take full advantage of each location.

The introduction will be followed by a slide show with potential opportunities you may experience during the 5 day tour.

A “get to know you dinner” will allow us to introduce each other and talk a little bit about each participant, background and different experiences. After dinner we’ll head back to the hotel and get ready for our tour.

Day One & Two: Landscapes, Waders, Egrets & Herons

Our first location is going to be about 1 ½ hours north of the hotel. This location is well known for the terrific opportunities to photograph Landscapes, Waders, Plovers, Egrets and Herons. During that time of year, we’ll experience mating behavior, habitat and courtship.

We’ll explore and stay at this location for the early morning and late afternoon hours. During the morning and afternoon, we’ll have a chance to photograph birds in flight at a very close range. We'll break for lunch during the harsh light at nearby restaurant and return in the afternoon. Plan to shoot in the afternoon until the light is gone.

This location requires you to get wet but don’t worry, not that wet. We’ll cross ponds during low tide for ultimate opportunities. If you don’t feel comfortable getting wet, that’s okay. There are plenty of opportunities for you to take advantage of without getting wet.

Some Of The Topics You Will Learn:

At the end of the day, we can also explore creating silhouettes against the beautiful Florida sunset if the conditions are right.

 

 

 

Day Three: The Bird Rookery & Photoshop Seminar with Tim Grey

Day three, we’ll get up early and travel south to one of the largest bird rookeries accessible to photographers in Florida. This is going to be our playground. This is also where you will enjoy Tim Grey Photoshop Seminar.

At this location, we’ll photograph beautiful breeding colors birds, courtships, nesting behavior, habitat, and chicks. Be prepared to photograph extensively during the two days we are going to be there.

During the morning, we’ll concentrate on photographing nesting behavior and courtship. We’ll photograph close ups and feeding behavior. You’ll learn how to use and set up your flash as fill. This is a great opportunity to tune up your composition and fill flash technique. Our Leaders/Instructors will be working with you closely to make sure you learn and understand the critical aspects of a successful fill flash technique.

During the harsh light hours, we’ll gather for a well deserved lunch. We’ll discuss about what we’ve learned so far and how we can improve even more. Feel free to share your images with the group.

Photoshop Classroom Seminar you will learn how to enhance your images using Quick Mask, workflow, editing your images, and the software we use to make it all work.

 

 

Day Four: Burrowing Owls & Photoshop/Lightroom Seminar With Tim Grey

We’ll spend our fourth day in S.W. Florida. We’ll start our morning photographing nesting Burrowing Owls and their habitat. This location is a prime location to photograph owls.

After lunch, we’ll drive back to the hotel where Tim will continue teaching his amazing Photoshop & Lightroom skills.

We’ll wrap things up with dinner and head back to the hotel for our final workshop day!

Day Five: Anhinga, Cormorants, Wetlands and Landscapes

We will say farewell to the tour at the one and only Everglades National Park. Everglades National Park, the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, boasts rare and endangered species. It has been designated a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, and Wetland of International Importance, significant to all people of the world.

We’ll start our morning taking advantage of the beauty of the Everglades at a location with amazing landscape opportunities. We’ll get there well before sunrise and find the perfect composition. Once the amazing and vivid sunrise colors disappear in the horizon, we’ll quickly move to Anhinga Trail where we are going to experience remarkable close up opportunities of native birds like Anhinga and Cormorants.

During our last visit, we were able to achieve incredible close ups (see image) with a 70-200mm lens. The opportunities are incredible!

During the afternoon hours we’ll go back for more opportunities and of course for a killer sunset. We then will drive back to the hotel.

 

Accommodations

 

Our base camp will be located in Sarasota, Florida which is right in the middle of all the action. This hotel will feature everything you and your company needs for a pleasant stay!

You are welcome to stay at any hotel in the Sarasota area as well. However, Tim's Photoshop seminars will take place at the following hotel:

Coming soon!

What's Included

 

• Tour Guides
• Locations entry fees
• Locations permits
• Photography field classes
• Photoshop/ Lightroom seminars

 

What's NOT Included

 

• Lodging
• Transportation - (Car pool highly recommended)

 

Photography Equipment Recommendation

 

Because of the large range of possibilities within the tour, it is critical that you bring the adequate gear.

This is what we suggest but you are free to bring what you wish.

• One or Two DSLR's
• Tripod
• Flash
• Ball head
• Wide Angle lens
• 70-200mm lens
• 300mm lens or larger
• Lots of cards
• Laptop computer
• External Hard-drives
• and a positive attitude!

Tour Video 2011

 

 

 

Tour Video 2012

 

What You Need To Know

 

It is important that you are well prepared for the tour. Most locations will require us to get our feet wet. Don't worry.... Our equipment will stay dry. Bring comfortable weather clothing as the temperatures can reach 70 degrees and as low as 30 degrees.

Contact me if you have any questions regarding gear.

Tour Guides & Photography Instructors

 

• Maxis Gamez - Local guide, photography instructor.
  
  

Please visit our experienced Tour Guides & Instructors web pages to learn more about each unique teaching techniques..

 

Tour Pricing and Other Information

 

• $1,999 (USD) per participant for the complete Tour package.
  
  
• Relatives (non-photographers) can join us free of charge. However, classroom seminars with Tim Grey are limited to paid participants only.
  
  
• $1,000 Non-Refundable deposit unless you find someone to replace your spot. Deposit should be paid at the time of registration. Remaining balance should be paid no later than February 1st 2012.
  
  
• If you are traveling to Florida, do NOT purchase your airfare tickets until limited participants number has been achieved. Maxis will advise via e-mail.
  
  
• Please e-mail Waiver Form at the time of registration.
  
  
• Please e-mail your waiver form to maxisgamez@gmail.com
  
  

 

Please note that this tour requires a minimum of 5 participants with a Maximum of 10. If the tour does not meet the minimum required participants, we will refund your payment and deposit in full.

Contact us if you have any questions.