PHOTO WORKSHOP - Bosque & White Sands Itinerary

with Bruce Taubert
November 10-14, 2010
Cost: $1,995
Register by: September 10, 2010

The workshop departs from and returns Albuquerque, NM. Departure is at 8:00 a.m. and we will be loading gear at 7:30 a.m. If you are from out of town we recommend you book lodging for the night before the workshop begins to ensure you are on time for departure and also the night the workshop ends as you will probably return late in the afternoon or early evening and we would not want you to miss your flight home if you are delayed for any reason.

TENTATIVE ITINERARY
Please be aware that shooting locations stated in this itinerary may change. Each day we will determine which locations are best based on lighting conditions, in the hopes of giving you the best opportunities possible.

Day One

When we get to Socorro, your instructor will give a presentation of his own photography, highlighting techniques that work best when photographing birds.
We'll be out until past sunset at Bosque del Apache, putting Bruce's techniques to the test.

Day Two

Sunrise and early morning activities will center around the early morning flights at Bosque. The birds are quite active at dawn, so be prepared for early mornings. We'll provide breakfast snacks to keep your strength up.
We'll return to our hotel for an early lunch and a bit of rest and downloading time, followed by an image critique from 1-3 p.m.
The rest of the day we'll either travel the farm loop or marsh loop road, which provide excellent viewing of the wetland wildlife that inhabits this spectacular refuge. We will also likely head down one or two of the various walking trails.

© Instructor Bruce Taubert The farm loop, which has many viewing platforms, passes close to the foraging areas of the Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese. From that loop you can also view the migrating ducks, such as Mallards, Pintails, Widgeons, Shovelers and Teals. From both trails you will also see raptors, such as Bald Eagles Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Harriers, Merlins and Kestrels. Many birders come to see the two or three elusive Whooping Cranes and if they are persistent, they can add these beauties to their life list.

Day Three

Another early morning finds us at a pond where snow geese like to take off, then we'll head to the newly-harvested fields for more great bird photos.
After we're done at Bosque, we'll make our way to White Sands National Monument, where we've made special arrangements to be out past sunset. The moon should be rising with a little sunset light still in the sky, making for an incredible opportunity to capture it as it rises over the dunes.

Day Four

Like at Bosque, we will be out photographing during the sweet light in the early morning and in the late afternoon, with the afternoon devoted to downloading photos for an image critique.

Day Five

We'll enjoy one more sunrise at White Sands, enjoying the pink glow on the gypsum dunes before returning to Albuquerque.
We may conduct another leisurely lunch critique if there is time.

The workshop is expected to return to Albuquerque by approximately 5:00 pm. Again we recommend out of town visitors book lodging for this night and return home the following day so you do not risk missing your flight in case we are delayed for any reason.