Southern Maine Coastal Spring Birds Photography Workshop

This bird-centered photography workshop is for advanced beginners through experienced photographers. The 1-day course will provide in-the-field instruction and opportunities designed to help you capture exciting bird images, and the 1.5-day course will additionally focus on how to tell compelling stories through photography. In both, the focus will be on migrating shorebirds, but we should also have opportunities to work with other groups as well, including terns, swallows, and warblers, among others.

Instructor Bio

Loren Merrill is a wildlife photographer and science writer with a doctorate in wildlife ecology and animal behavior. Loren’s approach to photography is heavily influenced by his background in natural history, ecology, and animal behavior, and his goal is to capture images that help communicate stories of the natural world to others. While he has conducted research and pursued photography on four continents, Loren’s ties to Maine run deep: he grew up searching for snakes, turtles, and birds in the Midcoast area, and his first field job was for the Audubon Society’s Project Puffin in 1995.Loren is a dedicated instructor receiving a number of teaching and mentoring awards while in academia, and he works with each participant to help them achieve their goals.  Decades spent in the presence of wild animals have provided Loren with unique insights into their behavior, and he is able to parlay that knowledge into being better prepared to understand and anticipate his subjects’ action. To paraphrase Louis Pasteur, wildlife photography favors the prepared mind.

Workshop Description

Our subjects for these workshops will be birds found in Southern Maine’s coastal zone during the spring. This includes an array of shorebirds, terns, gulls, and migrating passerines. We will be shooting at a few different beaches, and— depending on weather and avian activity levels— we will likely visit a few terrestrial areas to work with warblers, vireos, thrushes, and other woodland birds. This will allow us to work on shooting under different environmental conditions and with very different subjects: shorebirds foraging on the beach, birds-in-flight, terns diving for fish, songbirds in a multi-dimensional environment, etc.

Late May is an excellent time to be photographing birds in Maine: most birds will be in their full breeding plumage, and there will be opportunities to capture birds in and among some of the spring flowers. Locally breeding birds will be engaging in courtship behaviors and territorial defenses, both of which can provide exciting content.

1-Day Workshop

The objective for this 1-day workshop is to provide you with opportunities to capture some compelling images of birds in their natural environments. This workshop will be more of a photo-safari, in which Loren will take participants to some of his favorite locations for photographing birds in Southern Maine. The workshop will be entirely field-oriented with Loren providing one-on-one instruction while out in the field.

We will meet early (about 6:30am) at a predetermined location in Biddeford and will go from there. There will be breaks for meals and snacks, which participants should bring with them (although folks will have time to grab lunch if they don’t want to bring one). We will have informal group discussions during snacks and lunch about the challenges and break-throughs people have experienced during the day. The workshop will wrap up around 4pm.

1.5-Day Workshop

The objective for this 1.5 day workshop is to provide you with the tools, both conceptual and technical, to improve your bird photography. The workshop will combine classroom time with field time emphasizing hands-on learning. Classroom time will be split into two sessions: an introductory session the first afternoon (covering conceptual ideas and approaches to wildlife photography with a discussion of shooting techniques) and an image review and editing session mid-day on the second day. Field time will be split into three sessions: an afternoon/evening shoot on the first day and then a morning shoot and a late afternoon shoot on the second day. There will be breaks for meals and a little bit of downtime following the morning shoot of the second day.

We will meet at a predetermined location in Saco or Biddeford on the first day for our first classroom session around 12:00pm. Expect about 3 hours of classroom time followed by our first field shoot. Bring lunch and snacks since we won’t wrap up until about 6pm.

The next morning, we will meet early (about 6:30am) for a field shoot with the 1 day workshop participants, followed by a break for breakfast. We will then meet at the classroom for a photo-editing tutorial during which Loren will go through his workflow and edit some of the participants’ images, if they are interested. This editing session will be followed by lunch and then by another shoot in the field. The workshop will wrap up around 4pm.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a lot of experience or expensive gear to take this workshop?

This workshop is geared towards those with some level of experience and familiarity with their camera. You should be able to adjust the white balance, ISO, shutter speed, and aperture settings in your camera. I will work with each participant to help them maximize their camera’s capabilities.

What about transportation?

Participants are responsible for their own transportation, and we encourage carpooling.

What about lodging?

Maine is a popular place, and many hotels and B&B’s fill up fast. We ask that you stay close to our predetermined meet-up locations (somewhere in the Biddeford/ Saco/ Scarborough area).

What should I wear?

The most recommended piece of gear is a pair of sturdy shoes, ideally waterproof or water resistant. We may walk across uneven, hard, wet surfaces, so hiking shoes with good tread are very helpful. We also like to layer, which usually means a base layer of synthetic, fast-wicking material, a warm fleece or soft shell, and a down jacket for cool mornings. In addition, I like to lie down in the sand when shooting shorebirds at the beach, so I recommend water-resistant/proof pants and top, and/or a light-weight, portable water-proof ground pad. Other suggested items are found below:

• Insect and tick repellant
• Sunscreen
• Waterproof outerwear
• Wool socks
• Gloves
• Two hats (one for warmth, the other for sun protection)
• Rubber boots (not absolutely necessary, but there may be mud or wading in some locations)

Should I be concerned about ticks?

Yes. All outdoor activities in New England carry the risk of picking up these nasty hitchhikers. Please use bug repellent that you can apply to your skin, or even better, permethrin, which you apply to clothes you plan on wearing in the field. Also, give yourself an extensive review when you get home at night to check for ticks.

What happens if the weather doesn’t cooperate?

Please keep an open mind when it comes to your expectations about what “good conditions" are. May weather in Maine can be unpredictable; it can be sunny, humid and in the 80s, or it can be overcast, rainy, and in the 40s. We’ll be keeping an eye on the weather so we can be prepared for whatever it throws at us. We want to teach you how to shoot in all conditions! Wet conditions can yield some of the most novel, exciting wildlife images.

What does my tuition cover?

The price of the workshop includes all fieldwork, group instruction, and individual tutoring. It does not include travel insurance, meals, transportation, or lodging.

Should I bring a laptop?

Yes. We recommend you bring your laptop to follow along during classroom time and to take notes. We also recommend you bring a card reader so that we can share and critique your photos if you’d like. If you're joining us on the 1.5-day workshop and you have photo-editing software on your computer (e.g., Lightroom) you’ll be able to work on editing images during our afternoon classroom session on the second day.

What camera equipment do you recommend I bring?

• DSLR or mirrorless camera
• Lenses equal to or greater than 300mm are recommended (this can include zoom lenses)
  • I’ll be shooting with a 300mm prime lens with a 2x converter
• A sturdy tripod and head
• Portable stool if you don’t want to lie down on the beach
• Waterproof camera bag
• Extra camera batteries
• Extra memory card if your card is under 50GB

Cancellations

The payment is 50% refundable in the event you have to cancel, as long as the cancellation is made 21 days before the trip. After that time, your payment is non-refundable. Alternately, 100% of your payment will be refunded if a replacement can be found prior to the trip.