ImageLight

About the Location

Santa Rita Lodge, Madera Canyon, Arizona

Madera Canyon is one of the most productive hummingbird locations in the United States, and Santa Rita Lodge sits right in the middle of it. Up to 15 species pass through the canyon's feeders and riparian oak-juniper woodland over the course of a year — more variety in one place than almost anywhere else north of the border. That density is exactly what makes this workshop possible: instead of chasing birds across a landscape, we let the landscape bring the birds to us.

Hands-on instruction

What You Will Learn

Other subjects to photograph

While we will be at this location primarily for the hummingbirds, there are many other species of birds and mammals that might be seen and possibly photographed:

·       Acorn Woodpecker

·       Arizona Woodpecker

·       Bell's vireo

·       Black hawk

·       Black-headed grosbeak

·       Bridled Titmouse

·       Elf Owl

·       Gambel's Quail

·       Gould's Turkey

·       Mexican Jay

·       Mexican whip-poor-will

·       Painted redstart

·       Pygmy owl

·       Sulfur-bellied flycatchers

·       Summer and hepatic tanagers

·       Whiskered screech owl

·       Zone-tailed hawk

Mammals often sighted here:

·       Arizona Gray squirrel

·       Black bear

·       Coatimundi

·       Whitetail deer

·       Raccoon

·       Rock squirrel

Day 1

3:30 pm to Sunset

We will jump right into hummingbird photography as we start our first session. We will begin with introductions and workshop housekeeping, then get our equipment ready to shoot. We will go over simple settings and a little about hummingbird behavior. Stations will be set up (one photographer per station), and we will be on our way shooting hummingbirds as the light allows.

Day 2

6:30 am to 11:00 am

The early morning is one of the best times to get glass on these hummingbirds. We are in a canyon, so the light will rise over the hilltops to illuminate the birds. The hummingbirds are usually very active, so we should have plenty of subjects to capture. This morning we will have an introduction to flash photography. We will learn how to make captures where we can freeze the wings and use background elements to improve our images.

11:00 am to 2:30 pm

During the mid-day light, the birds aren't nearly as active, so we'll take this time to break for lunch and rest up for the evening shoot. Instructors will be on site to answer questions if you'd like to keep shooting. You'll also have time to head into town for a meal or back to your cabin to download images. There is also an area where other birds visit the feeders — a good time to work on your skills just a short walk from your cabin.

3:30 pm to Sunset

Using the skills we've already learned, we will continue our instruction on using flash to capture these entertaining subjects. We will rotate stations to make sure everyone gets to use all the different setups.

Day 3

6:30 am to 11:00 am

Today we'll take our skills to a new level. Flash photography is a fun activity for photographing hummingbirds, and now we'll advance to combining available light and flash — the best of both worlds. We'll use natural light to get realistic results, but this time we'll add flash to augment the light and bring out the color of the birds — not to stop the wings, but to add a burst of color to the hummingbird's feathers. These are the ultimate shots.

11:00 am to 1:30 pm

We'll take a shortened break for lunch. Take a walk on the nearby trails on your own and rest up for the next part of the day.

1:30 pm to 3:00 pm

We will gather as a group to work on post-processing of our images, covering Lightroom Classic as well as a bit of Photoshop and other programs to get the most out of the images we're creating. This is an opportunity to submit raw images for Terry to work on at this event.

3:30 pm to Sunset

During this session, we will work on all aspects of hummingbird photography using available light, bounce light, full flash setups, and available light combined with electronic flash.

Day 4

6:30 am to 10:00 am

This will be our final session, working with all the different lighting setups to really refine our skills at hummingbird photography. By now you will have gained experience photographing with available light and electronic flash, both as a primary light source and as a color enhancer for your hummingbird images. The goal is for you to take home these skills to use in future photography sessions with hummingbirds and other subjects.

The workshop is over at 10:00 am sharp. You must check out of your rooms by 11:00 am.