Two Day Sea Otter Workshop

I spent a lovely two days exploring Elkhorn Slough and playing with sea otters. The weather couldn't have been more different day to day. Tuesday was bright and sunny while Wednesday was overcast and far cooler. Captain Yohn Gideon (Elkhorn Slough Safari) , an achomplished photographer himself, was able to maneuver the pontoon boat into just the right position for all of the workshop participants to obtain wonderful images of the otters and some of the numerous shorebirds.

Since we were doing back to back morning shoots I decided to stay in Moss Landing over night. What I thought was going to be a mere convienience turned out to be an ultimate luxury! Four people on the tour booked rooms at the Captain's Inn Bed and Breakfast. Every little detail was perfect! Melanie was the perfect hostess... cookies waiting for us in the room, a wonderful warm breakfast to start us off and warm coffee and tea at night. Located in an historic building, the Captain's Inn is a nautical paradise. Each room is based on a theme and decorated with boat parts and memorabilia including a wheel house and glass floats to make even the most avid collectors envious! I have to admit, the bed was so comfortable I was tempted to stay in it and sleep the day away! If you head down to Moss Landing, do yourself a favor and spend at least a night if not more in the Captain's Inn.

The Coup d'etat was obtained by both Michael Kern and Enrique Aguirre. Otters are extremely curious creatures. I've seen them steal canvases off of boats, blankets and balls from beach goers and even a dive float. However, this one took the cake. A Sony Video Camera... AND she was holding it the right way as if she were filming us! Check it out on Enrique's blog. I'm just bummed I was in the back of the boat and missed the shot. Too much fun!

Some times you get lucky

I've been wanting this shot for a long time now and today I got lucky. I was in a bit of a fog this morning when I picked my friend Jim up for a day of shooting. We left San Francisco just a bit past 6AM. Houses were dark as we past, traffic was light and the air was crisp. We drove straight up to Mt Tam to check out a spot for the sunrise. Jim got the sunrise shot while I became completely entranced by all of the moss and lichen on the rocks that look as if they have been randomly dropped in place along the mountain side.

Once we finished on Mt Tam we headed straight down to Moss Landing. We had intended to rent a canoe and head out into the slough. We were a little bit side tracked by a group of ruddy ducks and buffle heads that were feeding right near the beginning of the slough. By the time we actually got to the kayak rental operator it was well past 2 PM. We had our safety training, attached a set of stabilizers to the canoe, loaded up the gear and ventured out into the slough. We made pretty good time and decided we could venture up the channel for a bit. That's where we found three separate mom and pups. The low canoe allowed me to get this eye level shot of one of those mom's with her pup. I can't wait to go back and try for more.

Thanks so much Jim! It was a great day!

Wonderful Sunday

I spent the day co-leading a workshop in one of my favorite California shooting locations, Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing with my friend Jim Goldstein. We kept our group small so that everyone had room to spread out and swing their longs lenses on the pontoon boat. Captain Yohn maneuvered us into just the right position for all of our shots and cut the engine often to keep the motor vibrations from affecting our images.

We were extremely fortunate to have a light layer of fog which lifted just enough to create a giant soft box effect. The lack of harsh shadows made it easy to get detail in even the darkest subjects like the Brandt's Cormorant. I love their deep blue eyes.

We were mainly after Sea Otters but I kept being distracted by the abundant birds. There is a large Elegant Tern colony on the end of the rock jetty and we practiced our flight shots with great glee. Three hours on the water passed by in a heart beat and before I knew it, I had several full memory cards and it was time to head home back to shore.

We'll be heading out there again for another workshop this winter with the hopes of capturing some newly born Sea Otter pups. There were a lot of amorous otters around so we are hoping for lots of young this year. Maybe you can join us!

Photos from the Boat

I finally had the chance to head out to Gull Island and I can't wait to go back! The wind died down overnight but the rain settled in for a dark overcast sky with light drizzle. I punched my iso up to 800 and then 1000 to try and compensate for the rocking of the boat. It seemed to work pretty well. and I was pleased with many of the shots. Of course, I could have spent much more than 2 hours cruising the bay. We followed an enormous raft of sea otters, my focus shifting from otter to wave and back to otter. For all of the wave shots and fuzzy otters I managed to get several in focus shots too! And! I got a puffin in the wild. Not too bad for my first ever... now I am hooked on these cute little guys, I want to go to Iceland and hang out in a rookery like I did with the penguins in the Falklands. Every new discovery opens the door to 20 more opportunities.

Sea Food Lovers

Took a quick trip down to Moss Landing with my friend Jim this past Wednesday. We rented a boat and went in search of Sea Otters. We didn't have to look for very long at all, barely out of the marina and we were surrounded by adorable fuzzy faces.

I'm looking forward to going back earlier in the morning for better light on these guys. Before I can do that I am in Moab, Utah on a photo shoot. Sea to desert in three days. =)