Plants are all around us and thus provide constant camera fodder. On its floriferous face, botanical photography would seem easy, but as befits a huge subject, plant photography can range from dime-sized subjects to epic landscapes and casting them in their best light can be tricky. As almost always, pictures are a means to tell a story, and this program will discuss and share examples of essential interactions between flora and fauna. Attendees will also receive some tips on using ever-improving camera technology to make life easier for the plant photographer.
About the Instructor: Jim McCormac worked for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for 31 years as a botanist, and later specializing in wildlife diversity projects, especially involving birds. He has authored or coauthored six books, including Birds of Ohio (Lone Pine 2004); and Wild Ohio: The Best of Our Natural Heritage (Kent State University Press 2009). The latter won the 2010 Ohioana Book award. He is a coauthor of the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II book. His latest book, coauthored with Chelsea Gottfried, is Gardening for Moths (Ohio University Press 2023). Jim writes a column, Nature, for the Columbus Dispatch, and regularly publishes a natural history blog. He has written numerous articles in a variety of publications and has delivered hundreds of presentations throughout the eastern United States. He was named 2015 Conservation Communicator of the Year by the Ohio League of Sportsmen. Jim is an avid photographer, shooting a range of natural history subjects. He has had hundreds of photos published in various forums. His photography can be sampled at https://www.jimmccormac.com/
*Member Discount will be applied at check out*
Program Audience: Ages 14+
Location: We will meet in the Visitors Center for a presentation and then attendees will drive down to the Red Barn Reserve for the photography portion.
Accessibility: The first part of this program will be seated indoors. For the photography portion, we will be outdoors on varying terrain.
Recommended Attire/Supplies: For this workshop, please bring your camera of choice! Generally, DSLR/mirrorless type cameras have high quality macro and wide-angle lenses and will be great for this workshop, but iPhone cameras can also capture stunning images. The presentation won't be as helpful for those, but the field work after and learning about things like composition and background could be useful for iPhone users.