Bolivar Flats on the Bolivar Peninsula offers unique bird photography opportunities with its shallow water and exposed sand bars. Tim will take a small group of photographers out to Bolivar Flats to demonstrate the techniques he routinely uses to capture images of shorebirds down low at their own eye level. Participants will use a ground pod while lying down on the sand bars to get low level shorebird photos. Prepare to get down and dirty and take some great eye-level…

After this field trip, you will wonder why you waited so long to start photographing birds on the wing! The rookery at Smith Oaks offers endless opportunities for bird in flight photography. Kathy Adams Clark will instruct and guide participants in the following topics with the goal of helping to simplifying the process of photographing birds in flight: Review of camera and lens settings. Learning the right settings to take full advantage of the technology at your fingertips Plenty of…

Bolivar Flats on the Bolivar Peninsula offers unique bird photography opportunities with its shallow water and exposed sand bars. Tim will take a small group of photographers out to Bolivar Flats to demonstrate the techniques he routinely uses to capture images of shorebirds down low at their own eye level. Participants will use a ground pod while lying down on the sand bars to get low level shorebird photos. Prepare to get down and dirty and take some great eye-level…

Two of the most iconic birds in North America visit Armand Bayou every winter and spring. The American Bald Eagle and Osprey spend November through April hunting and fishing the productive waters of the bayou. Once threatened by the use of pesticides, the recovery of these species is a great testament to the value of clean water and habitat preservation. This is an incredible viewing and photographic opportunity to be located in Houston’s own backyard. We’ll begin our experience with…

After this field trip, you will wonder why you waited so long to start photographing birds on the wing! The rookery at Smith Oaks offers endless opportunities for birds-in-flight photography from a multi-level platform reserved for us.

Explore the world of beach landscapes and abstracts, using the simplicity of sand, sky, water, and even long exposures to create surreal images. Suggested Equipment: Bring a couple of zoom lenses ranging from wide to telephoto. If you have a macro lens, bring that as well in case we see some tiny abstract opportunities, like sea foam bubbles. A polarizer can be helpful. A neutral density filter might be useful for long exposure effects.  A tripod is highly recommended, as…

The Galveston Railroad Museum houses one of the largest collections of vintage railroad cars and engines in the U.S. We have arranged special, after-hours access to these trains for this Night Photography field trip. We will be able to photograph in the warm light of the setting sun, and then learn how to progressively add more light with flash and flashlight "light painting,” using these incredible trains as the subject. Suggested Equipment: Tripod is a must, camera body, wide angle lens, medium…

Join Scott Buckel on this unique experience on Galveston Bay to photograph birds in flight from a boat. One of the best ways to learn to photograph birds in flight is to practice and this trip will provide ample opportunities to do just that! The number of birds, Brown Pelicans in particular, is amazing, providing many photo opportunities as the birds come and go from the islands. In Galveston Bay, there are man-made islands where large numbers of breeding birds nest. This special trip, arranged by FeatherFest, allows us to approach these islands while following a special protocol to minimize impact on the colonial birds.

Photographing shorebirds is fun and challenging as they are almost always in motion. Your leader Tim Timmis has mastered this! We will seek out the birds on East Beach or wherever they may be hiding, to capture the action.  We may also head to the boat dock area behind the Strand to get close-up shots of Pelicans and other birds as they wait for the shrimp boats to come into port. Techniques that will be used include fast and slow…

Join Chris Rankin at the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge near Anahuac, Texas, to explore Wildlife Photography from A Car. Chris will introduce you to photographing wildlife from a car/truck while exploring the beauty and diversity of the Anahuac National Wildlife Reserve. Established in 1963, Anahuac NWR’s primary focus is to protect and manage the coastal marsh for migrating, wintering and breeding waterfowl.

The 10-story glass Rainforest Pyramid at Moody Gardens enables you to see the rainforests of the world in a whole new way, offering ample opportunities for interesting photographs. A walkway leads you through the canopy level, where you can explore the exhibit from a new vantage point. You can see monkeys, sloths, and other free-roaming tree-dwellers closer than ever. Ruth discusses and demonstrates techniques to observe and capture images of these rainforest inhabitants.

Take advantage of a rare opportunity to explore this excellent rainforest habitat before opening hours. You can capture images without taking a trip to the Amazon rainforest! Within the Moody Gardens rainforest, Ruth takes participants to a special area to photograph tropical frogs.

Here's an ever-popular photography field trip that's become part of our FeatherFest tradition! Join Sky King Falconry and Kathy Adams Clark to photograph various captive raptors and other trained birds in natural settings and perches out on a private West End property. This is a great opportunity to see and photograph these birds. Kevin from Sky Kings Falconry will pose raptors in natural settings and possibly fly the birds while discussing the behavior of the birds. Sky Kings Falconry is…

Chris will introduce you to photographing wildlife from a kayak. Enjoy paddling in a provided kayak while slowly exploring the marshes of Galveston Island State Park, one of the area’s premier ecological jewels. This 2,000-acre public park offers a multitude of habitats that support a wide variety of birds like herons, egrets, Roseate Spoonbill, shorebirds and possible overhead raptors like osprey looking for prey.

Join David Paulissen on this unique experience on Galveston Bay to photograph birds in flight from a boat. One of the best ways to learn to photograph birds in flight is to practice and this trip will provide ample opportunities to do just that! The number of birds, Brown Pelicans in particular, is amazing, providing many photo opportunities as the birds come and go from the islands. In Galveston Bay, there are man-made islands where large numbers of breeding birds nest. This special trip, arranged by FeatherFest, allows us to approach these islands while following a special protocol to minimize impact on the colonial birds. There are no restrooms on the boat and we will not land on any islands.

Join Kathy Adams Clark on one of the Palisade Palms Towers to photograph flying pelicans at eye level as they fly in formation along the coast. This is a unique opportunity and a lot of fun. We have arranged for balcony access with plenty of room for tripods and gear, so space is not a problem. Bring your larger flight lenses, along with a second body and wider lens to shoot as they fly right past us. We will also shoot gulf and shoreline landscapes plus abstract seascapes from this unique bird’s-eye perspective. And as the sun sets, we might have a great chance to shoot Galveston cityscapes, too!

The Pleasure Pier is one of Galveston’s top attractions. A giant Ferris wheel and roller coaster dominate the pier that extends into the Gulf of Mexico. From nearby jetties, participants will photograph the setting sun and twilight sky. From under the rides, we’ll photograph lights in motion and stretch our creativity. We will not be going on to the Pleasure Pier for this event. This photography field trip is a FeatherFest favorite! Suggested Equipment: Camera, tripod, wide angle lens. Note:…

Join Ruth Hoyt on this unique experience on Galveston Bay to photograph birds in flight from a shallow-draft boat. One of the best ways to learn to photograph birds in flight is to practice, and this trip provides ample opportunities for that! The number of birds, Brown Pelicans, in particular, is amazing and provides many photo opportunities as the birds come and go from the islands.

Bolivar Flats on the Bolivar Peninsula offers unique bird photography opportunities with its shallow water and exposed sand bars. Tim will take a small group of photographers out to Bolivar Flats to demonstrate the techniques he routinely uses to capture images of shorebirds down low at their own eye level. Participants will use a ground pod while lying down on the sand bars to get low level shorebird photos. Prepare to get down and dirty and take some great eye-level…

Meet Sean Fitzgerald at the north end of the Strand to begin a walk to streets with interesting details and abstract possibilities as well as street life full of decisive moments for you to capture. Sean will explain his thoughts on street macro photography and how to look for and shoot tiny urban details and turn them into large scale abstracts that tell a story (and look great on your wall)! And Sean will show you how travel and street…

The tip of the Bolivar Peninsula offers a wide variety of photographic opportunities. This trip, led by Kathy Adams Clark, will begin with a ferry ride across the Houston Ship Channel providing an opportunity to photograph birds around the ferry landing. From there we will travel to the North Jetty for an opportunity to photograph American Avocets and other wading birds. Finally, the group will photograph wading birds in several marshes nearby. Locations are subject to change based on tide, wind, and location of the birds.

Join Sean Fitzgerald on this unique experience on Galveston Bay to photograph birds in flight from a boat. One of the best ways to learn to photograph birds in flight is to practice and this trip will provide ample opportunities to do just that! The number of birds, Brown Pelicans in particular, is amazing, providing many photo opportunities as the birds come and go from the islands. In Galveston Bay, there are man-made islands where large numbers of breeding birds nest. Hector will teach you his tricks and methods for capturing birds in flight. This will include metering modes, focusing techniques and other skills for catching artistic shots of the birds of the area.

Here’s an ever-popular photography field trip that’s become part of our FeatherFest tradition! Join Sky King Falconry and Ruth Hoyt to photograph various captive raptors and other trained birds in natural settings and perches out on a private West End property. This is a great opportunity to see and photograph these birds. Kevin from Sky Kings Falconry will pose raptors in natural settings and possibly fly the birds while discussing the behavior of the birds.

Bolivar Flats on the Bolivar Peninsula offers unique bird photography opportunities with its shallow water and exposed sand bars. Tim will take a small group of photographers out to Bolivar Flats to demonstrate the techniques he routinely uses to capture images of shorebirds down low at their own eye level. Participants will use a ground pod while lying down on the sand bars to get low level shorebird photos. Prepare to get down and dirty and take some great eye-level…