Mark Picard Wildlife Photography

Mark Picard Wildlife Photography

I just know if I am not organized things will fall off my radar. So, I start by making sure all submission deadlines, speaking engagements and workshop dates are filled in on my calendar. Of course, I call my tax man to schedule my tax preparation but then I do something I bet few of you do.

Using my camera's image metadata from the previous year I fill in probable dates for photo opportunities in my area. I find this information really useful. If there was a week that I photographed Horned Larks and Snow Buntings in the flood plains of the CT River I want to remember to check out those same fields this year. The same goes for my Winter trips to Salisbury Beach north of Boston for Snowy Owls, Merlin and Crossbills.

Peak wildflower blooms for Bloodroot, Trillium, Columbine, all the Spring ephemerals, are dates I do not want to miss. Heck, I can tell you within a day or two when Black Squirrels will show up in my yard, for about a month, leaving it the rest of the year to just the Grays. You get the idea. Knowing the most likely place and time to capture a particular subject is a big part of wildlife photography.

I think that is why people who have taken my workshops come back again and again. They know my workshops are planned for the best opportunities to capture stellar wildlife images. Now in their 6th year, these workshops offer an unparalleled opportunity to photograph the Katahdin Region of Maine including its spectacular landscapes and magnificent Moose. As a result of the big move, I will be offering expanded workshop opportunities. Still focused on the most dynamic times of year, both my Spring and Fall group workshops will allow participants more flexibility in choosing a time that best matches their schedule.

June (Spring in the North Woods of Maine) and now July provide opportunities to photograph a world coming to life after a long Winter. Moose feed heavily in the ponds this time of year, often times along side their cinnamon colored calves. Bull Moose antlers are covered in velvet and can grow as much as an inch a day. Picturesque indigenous wildflowers, rushing waterways, boreal birds and other fauna also provide inspiration and opportunities to learn new skills.

September and October workshops coincide with the Moose Rut and spectacular Fall color that the Region is noted for. Now those 35 pound calves from Spring have grown a bit weighing about 400 pounds. The massive Bull's antlers are finished growing, the velvet having been shed for the mating season. This is the time to capture these magnificent creatures in courtship and mating behavior with a backdrop of Fall color.

YOU ARE INVITED to attend my upcoming presentations of
"The Challenges of Wildlife Photography"
a digital slide presentation featuring New England flora and fauna. All events are free and the public is invited.

Springfield Naturalist Club
Time: 7:30PM Wednesday, January 20th
Location: Science Workshop Room, Springfield Science Museum

Springfield Photographic Society
Time: 7:00PM Wednesday, January 27th
Location: Reed's Landing Retirement Community, 807 Wilbraham Rd. Springfield, MA