In conjunction with Florida’s Natural Legacy Juried Photography Competition and the Florida Master Naturalists St. Lucie Chapter, the Savannas Preserve State Park will be hosting a series of photography workshops in January. These workshops will be held in the Savannas’ new education building at 2541 SE Walton Road, Port St Lucie from 9 a.m. to noon. Pre-registration is required. The fee for each workshop is $30.
What is the best time of day to photograph nature and the outdoors? How do I photograph a gray sky? What techniques can be used for photographing birds in flight? What kind of equipment is best for nature photography? These questions and more will be discussed in the “Basic Nature Photography” class on Saturday, Jan. 7 from 9 a.m. to noon. Mary White, president of the St. Lucie Chapter of the Florida Master Naturalists, will present this workshop leading up to the master naturalist sponsored Florida’s Natural Legacy Juried photography competition held at the park. White is an assistant instructor for the master naturalist program, and an award-winning nature photographer. This program is designed for beginning to intermediate photographers. Topics for the class will include: Lighting and composition techniques, how to photograph a gray or blue sky; dark and light subjects; using manual mode and settings; birds in flight and beach photography. We will also review photographing moving water, protected species and taking photos in various weather conditions. A special segment on etiquette and ethics in the field will be offered.
Learn how to improve your nature photos and have your questions answered at this very popular class. Students are asked to bring their cameras and camera manuals. Pack a lunch and we will have a question and answer session following the workshop. Mary White will be presenting a new workshop titled, “How to Choose Images for Photo Contests: What are Judges Looking For?” on Sunday, Jan. 15 from 9 a.m. to noon. This workshop will review the most important things to look for when choosing images to submit to a photography contest. What is the number one thing judges want to see? What are the top criteria commonly used by photo contest judges? Following this, we will talk about presenting your images for competition. How do I finish my image to showcase it in the best possible way? What medium do I choose? What types of framing and matting do I use?
On Saturday, Jan. 21 from 9 a.m. to noon, videographer and master naturalist assistant instructor John Nelson will be offering a workshop on using your camera to shoot video. If you are photographing with a DSLR camera, chances are your equipment has the capability of producing some great video clips. Participants should bring their cameras and camera manuals. Nelson is the President of Audubon of Martin County, a Toyota Together Green recipient, and a contributor to National Geographic’s NatGeo.
Pre-registration for each class is required and questions may be directed to the park education center at 772-398-2779 or Mary White, 772-359-6213.
