Upcoming
In Light of Nature
Photography Workshops

Monte Vista Crane Festival One-Day Photography Workshops, March 10, 11,12, 2023

Three single-day photography workshops for beginner and intermediate photographers

Sandhill Cranes performing courtship and pair-bonding dance

Bird-in-flight photography of raptors

Proceeds benefit the Monte Vista Crane Festival and Friends of the San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuges

Learn more about this workshop

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San Luis Valley Photography Intensive March 15-19, 2023

NOW FULL

San Luis Valley Photography Workshop focussing on landscape and wildlife photography.

Sandhill Cranes performing courtship and pair-bonding dance

Bird-in-flight photography of raptors

Small group to provide ample individual focus on your photography goals

Field sessions and hands-on post-processing sessions using Lightroom and Photoshop

Learn more about this workshop

My Approach to Teaching Nature Photography

Emphasizing

Teaching digital photography technique that is practical
Developing robust and ethical nature photography strategies
Understanding the fundamentals while also embracing the latest technology
Individualized attention to help you advance the skills you are interested in improving
Continuous learning and skill refinement
The workshops I teach are for learning and improvement at all levels

Integrating the Art and Science of photography

You will learn how to capture the emotion of a scene to tell an interesting story.
We do not separate “landscape photography” from “wildlife photography”.
The best images convey the context of the natural scene while also capturing the emotional behavior of the wildlife in that scene.

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Learning the behavior of wildlife

You will learn how to anticipate wildlife behavior to capture exciting images
We teach you how to photograph wildlife without disturbing or impacting them
You will learn how to optimize the quality of your images in challenging lighting situations

About the Instructor

Ed MacKerrow is a full-time professional nature photographer
His images have been published internationally, including magazine covers, winning first-place awards in prestigious photo contests
Ed has a Ph.D. in Optics and has published multiple research papers on light
Ed has published research on raptors and conducts official scientific surveys of wildlife
Ed teaches the why of nature photography, versus memorization — allowing you to advance your photography in a meaningful way
Ed serves on the North American Nature Photography Ethics Committee and is a strong proponent of ethical nature photography
Ed works closely with USFWS wildlife refuges in New Mexico and Colorado.

“The quickest way to become an old dog is to stop learning new tricks”
— John Rooney

Testimonials

“The instruction was great! I learned quite a bit camera settings even for my small camera. Ed was very helpful and answered all questions.”

“It was a well valued experience. I look forward to my next opportunity to be out in the field with you.”

“Ed packed a ton of information into his one-day workshop that you’d normally get over the course of a week. He gave me a fresh way to capture a location that I had previously photographed several times over the years. In fact, one of my images from that workshop was selected for a competitive exhibition in Denver just a month later.”

“Ed’s technique as an instructor is caring and supportive and not just technical in nature. He really wants his students to succeed. He goes above and beyond the workshop description. I continue to recommend his workshops to all.”

“Ed has a wealth of knowledge about nature photography. I look forward to more workshops with him in the future”

One of my main goals in traveling to Colorado for Ed’s San Luis Valley photography workshop was simply to follow the sandhill cranes up from the Bosque del Apache. After three trips to Socorro, I’d fallen in love with these birds and wanted one more chance to share their beauty with my audience. My other goals – to understand manual exposure and tripod use, specifically for shooting wildlife.

To my delight, I received this and so much more during the 5 days of shooting with Ed. A passionate teacher and former physicist, he taught us everything from cameras to the scientific properties of light, to wildlife behavior. We covered a lot territory too, traveling up to the continental divide through Creede, and two trips the Colorado Sand Dunes. Most important – he encouraged everyone in the group to practice his personal techniques in the field, focusing on creating better habits for both wildlife and landscape photography that ultimately led to taking better pictures.

After each morning’s shoot, we’d come back for post-processing sessions where Ed generously shared his personal techniques and workflow with Lightroom, Nik, and Aurora. Compared with the three workshops I’d been on to date, this was by far worth the investment. It was a very fun trip!

I’d say he is the perfect choice for any amateur to professional who wants to learn specific techniques and viewpoints from a generous professional. If you feel like you have more than enough knowledge under your belt, consider hiring him as a knowledgable guide who will take you to gorgeous locations during the very best light.

“Ed gave me great individualized attention and helped me advance my photography in a comfortable way”

“Just wanted to let you know how much I have been enjoying your articles “Photo Ops” in the Bosque Watch Newsletters. I am just starting back up my long dormant hobby of photography and find your articles both informative and inspirational. I was just there this past week and can’t wait to get back, too bad it is such a long drive from Denver.“

“During and after Crane Fest I heard many positive comments about how nicely you and your photography workshops worked out, …, and your donation on top of that! Thanks so much.”

I wanted to let you know I’ve had an incredible run in 2016-17 in my photography and your workshop was a key to that success. I have been accepted into juried competitions from New York to San Francisco and from Chicago to Houston (about a dozen all together). And one of the photos from your workshop has sort of become an “iconic” one of mine that has been selected several times for shows.

Recently attended one of Ed’s classes and was very pleased with the way he coaches and interacts with his students. I relearned how to use fundamentals of exposure and focus to greatly enhance my skills in bird photography, from an obvious expert in his craft.

In Light of Nature operates ethical photography workshops with official permits from the relevant US agencies and is specifically insured for photography workshops.

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Bosque del Apache reflections

Upcoming In Light of Nature Photography Workshops