Welcome to the home of Gerlach Nature Photography!!
with John Gerlach and Dixie Calderone
812 - 350-0799
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We have added new photo workshops in 2021. They include the bird photo sessions in Texas during March and again in April, plus we are conducting some wildlife, macro, and landscape workshops based at our Idaho home in July. Our floating blind workshops are sold out for 2021 and 2022, but asked to be put on the waiting list. As we can only accept three participants, they sell out fast.
To become an expert at bird photography and photograph some gorgeous birds you have never seen before, join us in Texas! The workshops are limited to only ten and 2022 is almost sold out, so contact Dixie now at (812) 350-0799! By the way, the bird photography at the Laguna Seca Ranch is out of this world!!!!!!
Detailed brochures are available on this page by clicking on the appropriate Brochure button. Call Dixie directly at (812) 350-0799! to enroll.
And John has been using his first mirrorless camera - the Canon R5 since October! It is fabulous! In 45 years of professional photography, the Canon R5 along with the new RF lenses are the best photo gear I have ever had! Never did I think cameras would let me so easily capture the images I seek.
We had to cancel the 2021 hummingbird photo workshops due to the border being closed from the Covid threat. Things now look like Covid will be less of a threat going forward and we fully expect to run all of our workshops from now on. We have a couple spots remaining in each of our 2022 hummingbird workshops now, so grab them while they are available. And judging by all the folks enrolling in our workshops, many others feel the same way. If you wish to join us in the next two years, enroll now. Half of our workshops for 2021 are sold out and all are getting close to being full, so call Dixie now at 812-350-0799 to secure a spot. All of our workshops that are currently scheduled for 2021 and 2022 are listed below. We are planning to add some new offerings and will let everyone know through our free newsletter when a new program is ready to promote.
We look forward to being with you and teaching you a whole lot about photography this year!!!!!
John & Dixie
WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS
Birds of South Texas Photography Workshops
Feb. 15 - 20, 2021
Feb. 20 - 22 Extension
April 19 - 24, 2021
Photograph the unique birds of South Texas at the Laguna Seca Wildlife Photographers Ranch
Green jays, Audubon's orioles, Long-billed Thrashers and more are attracted to the permanent blinds with small ponds in front of them.
Floating Blind, Yellowstone Landscapes and Wildlife, Macro Photo Workshop
July 11 - 17 or July 18 - 24
July 25 - 31, 2021
Wildlife photography in Yellowstone and in our floating blinds and landscapes and macro
3 participant limit
Grand Tetons Autumn Color Photo Workshop
Sept. 24 - 30, 2021
The rugged Grand Tetons tower above the forests, lakes, and rivers. This workshop is timed to coincide with superb autumn colors and wildlife activity. The Tetons are a landscape and wildlife photographers dream.
Northern Michigan Autumn Color Photo Workshop
Oct. 3 - 9, 2021
October 10 - 16, 2021
We will take you to magnificent landscape spots that are ideal for the prevailing weather conditions. The colorful reflections in the many lakes there and the Lake Superior vistas offer splendid photo opportunities.
Great Smoky Mountains Autumn Photo Workshop
Oct. 22 - 28 or Oct. 28 - Nov. 3, 2021
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 and wonderful streams are a delight to photograph.
Grand Tetons National Wildlife and Landscape Photo Workshop
Nov. 28 - Dec. 4 * Dec. 5 - 11 * Dec. 12 - 18, 2021
The rugged Grand Tetons tower above the forests, lakes, and rivers. This workshop is timed to coincide with superb winter scenes of the Grand Tetons and lots of wildlife. Moose and bighorn sheep are especially likely to be photographed.
Limit of 5 Participants
Your hotel room, all meals, and transportation are included in the tuition!
Yellowstone National Park
Jan. 23 - 29, 2022
Jan. 30 - Feb. 5, 2022
John began leading photo tours during Yellowstone's quiet winter season during 1991. Learn to make superb landscape and wildlife images amid the snow in the best places found in Yellowstone. We spend five full days photographing the interior of the park. Selecting photo destinations to fit the prevailing weather is crucial for success! We are experts at doing that.
Birds of South Texas Photography Workshops
March 1 - 6, 2022
March 6-8, 2022 Whooping Crane Extension
April 16 - 21, 2022 (We know this weekend falls on Easter, but it is a super fabulous time to photograph the birds at the ranch!)
Photograph the unique birds of South Texas at the Laguna Seca Wildlife Photographers Ranch
Green jays, Long-billed Thrashers, Crested Caracaras, and many more are attracted to the permanent blinds with small ponds.
Hummingbirds at the Bull River Guest Ranch
British Columbia
May 15 - 21, 2022
May 22 - 28, 2022
May 29 - June 4, 2022
Learn to photograph hummingbirds with multiple flash and natural light. The swarms of hummingbirds let you shoot 20,000 images or more. It is incredible!!!!
Floating Blind, Yellowstone Landscapes and Wildlife, Macro Photo Workshop
July 10 - 16, 2022
July 17 - 23, 2022
July 24 - 30, 2022
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
Grand Tetons Autumn Color Photo Workshop
Sept. 24 - 30, 2022
The rugged Grand Tetons tower above the forests, lakes, and rivers. This workshop is timed to coincide with superb autumn colors and wildlife activity. The Tetons are a landscape and wildlife photographers dream.
Northern Michigan Autumn Color Photo Workshop
Oct. 3 - 9, 2022
October 10 - 16, 2022
We will take you to magnificent landscape spots that are ideal for the prevailing weather conditions. The colorful reflections in the many lakes there and the Lake Superior vistas offer splendid photo opportunities.
Great Smoky Mountains Autumn Photo Workshop
Oct. 22 - 28 or Oct. 28 - Nov. 3, 2022
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 and wonderful streams are a delight to photograph.
Grand Tetons National Wildlife and Landscape Photo Workshop
Nov. 27 - Dec. 3 * Dec. 4 - 10 * Dec. 11 - 17, 2022
The rugged Grand Tetons tower above the forests, lakes, and rivers. This workshop is timed to coincide with superb winter scenes of the Grand Tetons and lots of wildlife. Moose and bighorn sheep are especially likely to be photographed.
Limit of 5 Participants
Your hotel room, all meals, and transportation are included in the tuition!
Instructional Photo Articles
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!
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.