I have been photographing here in Florida for the last 30 years or so and have come across some very pristine landscape scenery and wildlife over those years. I wish to offer and share some of the knowledge that I have acquired in those years about the areas that I call home. I live in Punta Gorda, about midway between Tampa and Naples on the west coast.

     Charlotte Harbor and its maze of rivers and tidal creeks that empty into it offer some of the finest photographic opportunities anywhere in the world. Sunrises and sunsets here are often spectactular to say the least.The saltwater Mangrove trees line the edges of the shoreline of the harbor and estuaries and are rich in shore birds and sea birds, including the large White Pelican in late winter season. The extreme low tides in the Harbor offer some interesting views of the sand flats. Macro photography here is on knees and elbows.

    Spring offers an abundance of nesting birds and low water levels in many of the upper sections of the rivers and creeks. lower water levels and saltwater extreme low tides offer very interesting shoreline details. Macro photography opportunities here are endless. We have three varitities of Mangroves,the Red, Black and the more common White mangrove.

      I offer boat trips in my new 17 ft. Blue Wave outboard boat. We make a full day of photographing, from sunrise to sunsets depending on your schedule. Space is at a premium on the boat and therefore I limit my tours to two photographers and gear. I have 2 large dry storage lockers onboard which will keep your camera equipment dry. I have a large cooler on board for you lunches. I provide the ice and bottled water and you can bring whatever. I can even bring a small gill and have hot dogs and hamburgers on shore if that is what you want for a nominal fee.

     Many of the local bird rookeries offer some outstanding photography. Many species of shore birds take on mating plumage with intense color variations during the spring. Courting ritials, and nest material gathering and construction images are endless. Once the eggs have hatched out the many species of baby chick images are also virtually endless.

     For you bird photographers, I can arrange either a land or boat trip to some fantastic bird rookery photo opportunities. We have nesting Great Blue Herons, Cattle Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Wood Storks, Anhinga, Glossy and White Ibis and Night and Tricolor Herons generally during the months of late Jan. thru to the end of April/June.Take a tour through my gallery of folders of just a few of some of my favorite images made in many of these places located  at this site, http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmwnaturesimages/. 

    These are just examples of the rookery images that I have made over the years. I have litterly watched many of these small birds grow up during a nesting season. Sad to say, not all make it to the fledging stage. Competition amoung these tiny birds is tough. There is only so much food supply to go around. Some species of birds will actually abandon their chicks if the water levels drop or rise substantually as to effect catching small fish,crabs and shrimp to adquately feed the young.

     Watching these rookery nesting ritials over the years has really given me a much better understanding of just how fragile these bird's environment really is. So much of this critical habitat has been lost thru years of coastal development as well many environmental catastrophys that can occur far inland that will have a pronounced effect of not only the birding community, but also the vast marine and freshwater fisheries.

     Mangrove Trees and the brackish water vegetation of the eusterauries surrounding this Harbor are under constant evaluation by special interest groups as well as national governmental groups to ensure that future development of any magnitude does not impact these fragile marine fish nurseries and bird rookeries. I do not mean to beat the environmental drum here, but if it were not for many of these groups the images that you see here would no longer be possible.

     Sunset images at many of the rookeries are almost surreal. The colos of the sky as day fades into night is something that continues to amaze me everytime I come to photograph them. There are no two alike, and there is no such things as a bad sunset....some are just more spectular than others. This time of day is very magical, as not only are the birds returning with the last nesting material of the day but birds by the hundreds make their last journey of the day returning to the rookeries to roost the night.       

         

Sunsets out along the Harbor are equally as spectacular and I have a few locations that offer outstanding images. The afterglow of colors set against old rustic wooded docks and rocky shorelines are the norm here.

     I also offer some of the best backcountry canoe trips to one of Florida's most primeval out of the way locations know to man. Fisheating Creek is just one of those places that you will never forget once you have been there. Come explore and photograph this pristine and historic creek of "Old Backwoods Florida".

     This shallow narrow winding creek, with it's large overhanging Oak Trees and Spanish Moss laden Cypress Trees, offers outstanding landscape and macro photography as well as the occasional wildlife, such as the Florida Whitetail Deer, Wild Turkey and numerous Water Birds, Alligators and even the occasional Wild Boar. They and many other species live along the banks of Fisheating Creek. 

     I offer groups trips of up to eight people in four canoes plus my own canoe. We have day trips and overnight camping trips from up to three days. We don't travel very far, as photographing is the name of the game here and we maximize on just that. Full photo instruction for the novice and the experienced alike is what I have to offer on these adventures. I find the images and you make the captures.

     Camping overnight along the banks of this creek in the remote wilderness of Florida is an experience that will have you talking in your sleep. My campfire stories will be passed on, I'm sure. I've had some very pleasent experiences here, as well as some unexpected encounters with male bull alligators. Its what makes this place so unique. 

     If you like what you see and want to join me for a day, a couple of days or a week photographing Florida, then send me an email of what you best like to photograph, the type of equipment that you have to use and how much time you can devote to doing it, and I will put together an itinerary for you and then we can finalize it to make it be a most memorable adventure. 

    

     I do not have package trips as I like to tailor my "Memories and Moments in Time" to best fit just exactly what you want to do and for how long you want to do it.

     By boat or by canoe overnight camping trips are best during our dry cooler season, generally from Oct thru April. Of course in Florida ya can get rained out pretty much anytime of the year and some years ya might even have heavy frost or snow. Wouldn't that be a hoot....... “Florida Snow.” Don't laugh!, It's Happened.

     If ya don't like being on the water, well no problem there either, as I have a long list of places that I can take you to more than fill your photo library with wonderful images. I can arrange for as much time as you want to spend photographing what Florida has to offer. Once again tell me your interests and timeframe and I will fill in the blanks to make your time here in Florida a memorial one for sure.

      Look thru my Gallery of images for just some of the interesting subjects and Old Florida landscape to get an idea of what you could quite possibly be able to take home with you. 

     If your a bit new to photography...no problem again, as I have taught just about every aspect of photography there is. I now specialize in digital photography and photo editing and enhancement.

When your on one of my tours, you do the photographing and I help point out the photo compositions and guide you to getting the shot of a lifetime.  Below is more information and my pricing guide to plan your photographic adventure of a lifetime.                            

Charlotte Harbor, Peace & Myakka Rivers,     Shell, Hunter & Prairie Creeks                      

      This information will be helpful in planning your photographic adventure with us. 

     Our tours are a bit different, in that we do not package them for a specific duration, subject matter or do we package motel stays and airline transportation. What we offer is a day or two or a week, whatever you feel that you want to spend doing what you love to do and that is Photography.

     Come and join me in exploring and photographing these pristine areas and historic creeks and rivers of “Old Florida” by boat. The winding Creeks and Estuary Rivers, with their large overhanging moss-laden Oak and Spanish Cypress trees, offer outstanding landscape and shoreline images. The occasional wildlife animals such as the Florida Whitetail deer, wild hogs, the Osceola turkey, large alligators and water snakes and numerous water birds all can be found here. Old fishing shacks and derelict shrimp boats can be found along the mangrove shorelines and creeks of the famous Charlotte Harbor. Nesting birds in rookeries are a favorite for many of our clients during the spring into early summer.

     We offer full photo instruction in digital/film photography and image editing enhancement. Our tours are structured for the novice and the experienced photographers to make anyone of these photo adventures one of the most memorable trips of your life.

     We will spend the entire day to any one of the areas of your choice and explore the opportunities of the subjects you most like to photograph, including a nice sunset when available. For our macro photographers and when the tides permit, we can get out of the boat and wade the very shallow waters along the mangrove shoreline or one of the many sand flats for macro photography. So bring shorts and an old pair of tennis shoes just in case the opportunity is presented.

     I have spent literally thousands of hours exploring and photographing these pristine places over the last 30 years. The diversity of how we get to those images and how long you want to spend is how I would like to set up your photo adventure.

     We also have numerous land based photo tour locations that offer the potential for outstanding images. I prefer to tailor your photography tour to fit the subjects that you most like to photograph.

     So Here’s the Deal. You provide as much info about yourself and your equipment and the time of year that you would like to book, and we will put together an itinerary with a few images that will represent the type of images possible in the location of your tour. We then can finalize your tour plan together to give you the best opportunity for the images of a lifetime. Images, that are outstanding enough to grace any magazine cover.

     Here are some guidelines that will assist you in preparing for your adventure tour. We provide all day photo tours. We begin at the first light of day for spectacular sunrises to the last waning light of day for equally spectacular sunsets if your time permits. We have land base tours that utilize vehicles to take us to our destinations. We also have a brand new 17 foot outboard boat that tours the waters of Charlotte Harbor and the many rivers and creeks that make up the freshwater and brackish waters of the estuaries that lead into the Harbor. 

     Our tour areas are vast and widely scattered, especially by boat. It is nearly impossible to cover all of them in one day let alone a week. So careful pre-planning is vital to ensuring the greatest percentage of success in getting the images that you would like to obtain. We would also suggest planning for an alternate based on weather changes, especially in the winter to spring. We can provide you an alternate plan based on the number of days you wish to book.

     Some of the backwoods areas of Old Florida are best explore by canoe. We can arrange for a single day or several days of canoeing/camping along a 17-mile stretch of one of the finest pristine places I know, “Fisheating Creek.” Ask for a separate brochure on this tour.

Request our "NEW" CD of images set to nature music of just some of what Florida has to offer. Book a trip within 1 month of receiving your CD and receive a 25% discount on your tour with us and receive a free CD screen saver of 30 of my favorite Florida Images.

This is our schedule of fees for a full shooting day basis:

     LAND BASED TOURS ARE: 

    1 day  - $350.00/day min. 

    2 days -$600.00
    3 days or more up to 5 days - $250.00 /day

     POWER BOAT TOURS ARE:

    1 day - $400.00 /day min. 

    2 days-$700.00

    3 days or more up to 5 days - $300.00 / day

Power Boat Tours are generally limited to two photographers . Costs are shared between group participants. Trip dates are flexible, but suggested weekdays and non-holiday weekends are the best days to avoid crowded waterways. A $200.00 “Non-Refundable deposit”, weather permitting, is required per booking 2 weeks in advance of the trip. If you have to cancel your tour with me, I will transfer that deposit to another booking time.

A cooler with ice and bottled water is onboard for your lunches and munchies and drinks, which you provide for. There are two large dry storage lockers on board to accommodate all of your equipment. There is a rechargeable battery power system on board to keep your batteries fresh and ready. Bring your battery charger.

Some tour locations offer lunch at dockside. A special shore side hot lunch cab be arranged for an additional $10.00 per person. Lunch includes grilled hamburgers/hotdogs, potato salad, baked beans and soda. No beer on tours, please. You may also bring a bag lunch.

All ground transportation is included to and from the local Charlotte County airport to your motel and the tour for our out of town participants. We can provide a list of nearby motels and car rentals if you prefer upon request. We generally do dinners together in the evenings to be able to discuss the next day’s event and go over photo technical stuff, after which I return you back to your motel.

* Non-photographers or spouses are welcomed when space is available upon advanced notice.

Contact at: Email JMWNaturesImages@comcast,net 

                    Telephone: 941-629-5854, cell 941-258-5396

        We are now pleased to announce as a compliment to our Florida Photo Adventure Tours, we are now offering extended workshops. These workshops will be 1 to 3 days, and longer if need be, and will be tailored to meet the needs of the participants. Subjects such as Nature Scenic landscapes, including panoramic multi-images, Wildlife (animals and birds) and Macro/Close Up photography. These workshops will cover exposures and the use of your camera’s histogram for the proper of your subject. We will cover how to improve on compositions, eliminating unnecessary elements and how to look for ”the picture within the picture”.

       Digital photography has opened up a whole new way of compositional visualization. The desktop darkroom offers the photographer nearly unlimited photo opportunities, once you understand a few basics of composition. Multi-imaging is an entire workshop in itself, and can be an exciting new way of seeing what is before your. The possibilities are endless. Workshops may also include not only field shooting but also some instruction in Adobe Photoshop.

      The wildlife section covers the use of natural blinds and camo blinds. It also covers where to best located yourself to offer you the best opportunity to capture your intended subject. This section also covers how to best find your subjects in National/ State parks. Tips on how to move through the woods as silently and nearly undetected as possible. My past experience as a woodsman and hunter has given me better insight as to where and how to find my subjects.

      The cost will be $65.00 per person, per group of 6 people minimum per workshop day. A maximum of 10 people and longer duration workshops can be arranged.

      I will also be available to do a One on One workshop for those people wanting more personal instructions. I am available to travel to your intended destination for extended personal instruction. Please include all my travel/lodging and per diem expenses in your itenery.

      Please give me a call or send me an email for further information as to how we can, together, best structure the subject material for your workshop.

Thanks,

J.Michael

All of the images on this site are copy righted by JMW Nature's Images. Any unauthorized downloading/copying of any image without my expressed written permission will be considered an infringement of the US Copy Right laws and those persons will be prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.