Bird Photography: Sunrise Excursions

Start the day in the best possible light. Join instructors Anne Simmons and Fernando Romo for early-morning bird photography adventures timed to capture peak wildlife activity and beautiful sunrise color.

We’ll depart from Chicago Photography Classes before dawn and travel together to hand-selected locations, giving you the chance to relax, talk photography, and arrive ready to shoot. In the field, Anne and Fernando will provide hands-on guidance with camera setup, autofocus techniques, tracking birds in motion, and composing compelling images in changing light.

After the session, enjoy a boxed lunch before returning to the school with new skills, new friends, and images you’ll be excited to edit and print.

Let us handle the driving — you focus on making great photographs.

Excursions:

• Friday, April 24th: INDIANA DUNES 5:15am-1:30pm-ish (8 persons)
• Friday, May 1st: NORTH PARK VILLAGE NATURE CENTER 5:45am-12:30pm-ish (8 persons)
• Saturday, May 2nd: BIG MARSH 5:15am-1:30pm-ish (8 persons)
• Sunday, May 3rd: SKOKIE LAGOONS 5:45am (or 6:30am if meeting at lagoon) to 1:30pm-ish (8 persons)

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

• Transportation to and from the locations
• Boxed Lunch
• Individual instruction to get your camera settings right for shooting birds
• Hands-on guidance in the field to get that ideal shot
• Expert spotting by Fernando Romo to find & identify the birds

*Recommended to rent a long lens of at least 400mm to experiment for the day if you do not have one

What to expect: Must be physically fit to hike on un-groomed trails for at least 3-4 hours while carrying your gear. Most trails are relatively level (and some might be paved) so no intense inclines, some involve sand. Birds are unpredictable and move around a lot so depending on activity, we may be moving quite a bit. 

Weather: These are “rain or shine” events as it’s impossible to predict the weather and sometimes bad weather makes for great photography so be prepared. 

Fernando Romo: 

Fernando Romo is a highly sought after birding guide based in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and has an extreme talent for spotting the rarest birds and being able to photograph them. He has been introducing people to the wonders of nature on guided conservation travel for the past 20 years. His passion for nature conservation and photography has taken him all over Mexico, Patagonia, Antarctica, Pantanel, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Galapagos Islands, Argentina, Chile and Alaska, to name a few! He leads numerous expeditions throughout the year including CPC’s “Monarchs in Mexico” and “Birding in Puerto Vallarta”. Fernando is extremely passionate about birds and it rubs off on all those who bird with him. Whether you are new to nature photography or not, Fernando makes sure that you walk away with a great learning experience and a memory that will last forever.

Anne Simmons:

Anne Simmons first took her Photo I class with Richard Stromberg himself back in 2008. She is an artist and uses photography as one of her mediums. She has a passion for nature and adventure travel and loves to share that with others. She now organizes CPC’s “Monarchs in Mexico” and “Birding in Puerto Vallarta” trips and plans on continuing sharing these and other unique experiences in nature with the school’s community.