Welcome to the home of Gerlach Nature Photography!!
with John Gerlach and Dixie Calderone
johngerlachphotography@gmail.com 812 - 350 - 0799
Subscribe to our private mailing list to receive our latest announcements and photo tips!
Tell your Friends!
John has been using his first mirrorless camera - the Canon R5 since October of 2020! It is fabulous! In 45 years of professional photography, the Canon R5 along with the new RF lenses are the best photo gear John has ever used! And now Dixie uses the mirrorless Nikon Z9 with equal enthusiasm. Never did we think cameras would let us so easily capture the images we seek! We use our camera gear precisely and quickly when necessary. Read the articles below describing how we easily capture quality images. Be sure to read the article: USE CUSTOM SHOOTING MODES FOR FAST CAMERA CHANGES. By using the custom shooting modes, putting frequently changed menu items in the MyMenu list, and assigning some camera options to specific buttons on the camera, we rapidly make numerous camera changes to suit the circumstances. You can too!
Upcoming workshops are listed below. We are planning to add new programs and announce them through our free newsletter.
We look forward to being with you and teaching you a whole lot about photography this year!!!!!
John & Dixie
PHOTO WORKSHOPS
Birds and Landscapes of Arizona
Feb. 11 - 17, 2023 Soldout
March 18 -24, 2023 1 spot left
March 29 - April 4, 2023 Soldout
Spend 3 full days photographing the wildlife at the Desert Photo Retreat just north of Tucson, plus birds at local hotspots on other days. And photograph the giant saguaro landscapes around Tucson. Limited to only 4 participants
Birds of South Texas Photography Workshops
Feb. 24 - Mar 2, 2023 ( 1 spot left)
April 14 - 20, 2023 (1 spot left)
Photograph the unique birds of South Texas at the Laguna Seca Wildlife Photographers Ranch and Martin Refuge
Late Spring at Grand Tetons National Park
June 18 - 23, 2023
Landscapes, macro wildflowers, and wildlife during the fabulous June with plenty to photograph and terrific weather!
Floating Blind, Yellowstone Landscapes and Wildlife, Macro Photo Workshop
Ask to be on our waiting list!
July 9 - 15 or July 17-23 or July 25-31, 2023
Join us for an intensive week of wildlife photography in Yellowstone and in our floating blinds, plus learn landscape and close-up photography.
only 3 participants
Songbirds at our Water Drips, Macro, and Yellowstone Photo Workshop
1 spot available
August 27 - Sept. 2, 2023
Join us for an intensive week of bird photography at our home where numerous birds are attracted to our water features. Maco and Yellowstone also included.
only 3 participants
Grand Tetons Autumn Color Photo Workshop
Sept. 24 - 30, 2023
Sept. 30 - Oct. 6, 2023
This workshop is timed to coincide with superb autumn colors and wildlife activity. The Tetons are a landscape and wildlife photographers dream.
Great Smoky Mountains Autumn Photo Workshop
Oct. 19 - 25, 2023
Explore and photograph the Great Smoky Mountains while enjoying the stunning autumn colors. This workshop is perfect for landscape photographers who wish to be inspired by beautiful scenes and learn cutting-edge landscape photography techniques. The mountain vistas, rocky steams, historic mills and cabins, and elk are delightful to photograph.
Grand Tetons National Park Wildlife and Landscape Photo Workshop
Nov. 26 - Dec. 1, 2023
Dec. 2-7
Dec. 8 - 13
Photograph the rugged mountains in Grand Teton National Park and wildlife with special emphasis on moose and bighorn sheep.
Your hotel room, all meals, and transportation are included in the tuition!
Monster Texas Deer Photo Workshop
November 15 - 19, 2023
Everyone wants to photograph huge whitetail bucks during the peak of the rut and now we have the perfect private place to do that. Enjoy three full days at the famous Tipps Ranch where huge buck deer are plentiful and easy to photograph!
Kenya Wildlife Safari
Ask to be on the waiting list to be first in line for our next tour!
Dec. 29, 2023 - Jan. 11, 2024
Join our deluxe Kenya photo safari to photograph the wildlife of the Masai Mara, Amboseli, and Samburu. Go with experience! John has led more than 3 dozen previous Kenya safaris. Everyone has their own row in the safari vehicle, and we fly from park to park!
_JPG.jpg)
Yellowstone
Late Jan. and early February 2024
We are putting this one together and will post the details as soon as we can put everything together.
Lots of changes coming!
Instructional Photo Articles
Shoot Sharp Wildlife Photos
I have had many questions about how I make such sharp images of wildlife. So, I starting writing about this topic and it grew and grew and grew. I cover 25 key points that cover the things I do that make it so easy to capture sharp wildlife images consistently. The focus of this article is on wildlife, and I realize I will need to write a similar article about how I shoot sharp close-up and landscape images as many of my techniques are different for those subjects. Enjoy the article and may your wildlife images sharpen up considerably.
The Birds of South Texas
We enjoy warmer temperatures in March and April and love photographing birds. Photographing birds in south Texas is wonderful. The birds are colorful, varied, and unusual to us as many species barely make it across the border with Mexico here. This is a pyrrhuloxia and our article describes some of the birds we photograph along with some key photo techniques we find effective. Please join us on a photo workshop down here! The photography at the ranches is incredible!
AF Microadjust your Camera and Lens
Learn how we adjust the autofocus on our Nikon and Canon DSLRs. By using the AF microadjustment tools in our cameras, we make sure our autofocus is right where it should be. To eliminate variables like wind and mirror slap that contribute to less sharp images, we light the focus target with flash set to 1/8 power to use the short flash duration to negate image-softening factors so we can precisely check autofocus accuracy and make it accurate if it is off. This is a crucial step for DSLRs!
Exposure Methods we are Using Now
Our exposure methods have changed over the years and they continually to change a little as new exposure aids are added to cameras. No doubt our methods will continue to evolve over time. This detailed article describes what we do as of March 2021. It is fast and delivers well- exposed images consistently that you see here on this site.
Floating Blind Wildlife Photography
I have used a floating blind to closely approach wildlife living on the water or along the shoreline for more than 20 years. It is tremendously easy to do, super fun, and relaxing. Read this article to learn all about it. For the first time, we are offering a floating blind workshop at our Idaho home for three lucky participants.
Get more reach for wildlife with a Teleconverter or In-camera crop, or Both?
Since getting the new Canon R5 in Nov of 2020, I shot over 100,000 wildlife images by May of 2021. This article explains what you must do for best quality.
_JPG.jpg)
Exposure Mode Options we Prefer
We use manual exposure and Auto ISO most of the time. But, for those who have trouble with manual exposure or prefer to always use an automatic exposure mode, aperture-priority does work well in certain situations. This article covers the when and how of our exposure mode options.
Telephoto Lens Options for Wildlife
Photography
One way or another, you need a long lens to photograph most wildlife well. This article explains the many choices you have to get the magnification you need!
Use Dripping Water to Photograph Birds
I suspended a tiny tube to drip water in a natural rock cavity in the aspen forest near my home. I hoped it might draw some birds to within camera range. Little did I know how well it would work during the autumn migration. Since early August, migrating birds flock to it and provide terrific photo opportunities. I suspect this technique will work for you too!
_JPG.jpg)
Automatic Focus Bracketing
Learn how we shoot focus brackets automatically to cover extreme depths of field in macro and landscapes.
