Every other Friday morning we will meet at a local park or natural area to explore our "wild" side. Wear comfortable walking shoes. The trips will not be strenuous but may involve walking distances of one to two miles. Today we are going to explore Chestnut Park in Palm Harbor. Tides will be fairly low, but rising. There are also several Great Blue Heron nests we'll be able to photograph. Shorebirds and waders are common under these conditions. I've often seen Bald Eagles, Barred Owls, Wood Storks and Red-shouldered hawks in the area as well. We'll meet at the very back parking lot by the volley ball court. This is near Shelters 9 & 10. You can read more about Chestnut Park at the County site.
It was a nice morning. The walk was very pleasant and we couldn't have asked for nicer weather. Not too much exciting wildlife, but still very enjoyable.
Posted March 9 at 11:39 AM
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If you answer yes, then you belong at the Florida Center for Creative Photography (FCCP). Since 2003, FCCP has served as a voice for the photography community of the Florida Gulf Coast. Whether you are a photographer, a collector, a student, or are just interested in new trends in photography, FCCP is the home for you. Join the FCCP community today!
FCCP is the largest photography related organization in the Greater Tampa Bay Area, with over 1500 members. We also sponsor almost 400 photography related events every year ranging from trips to Africa and Yellowstone to fieldtrips to a park near your home.
Big groups many times suffer from inactivity, so how active is this group? We are the most active photography group in the area and arguably the most active Meetup Group as well. While other groups struggle to offer 40 to 60 meetups in a year or two,we offer 40 to 60 separate events,classes, workshops, PhotoWalks and social activities every month. Take a look over to the left and you'll see that in a little over 3 years we've had over 1,300 great activities for all our members.
So what's it like going on a PhotoWalk with a 100 other Photographers?Well, we wouldn't know, because our PhotoWalks generally have 20 photographers or less. Because we offer so many opportunities, photographers get to pick and choose the types of walks, classes and workshops that interest them. Check out ourUpcomingandPast Meetups(look down) and you'll see a great photographer to leader ratio. We even do PhotoWalks for just two or three members, no cliquishness or last minute cancellations here (except for dangerous weather, your safety comes first with FCCP).
What kind of places do you go to on the PhotoWalks? We have on average 4 to 5 PhotoWalks per week. We've been to many of the Pinellas County Parks, Hillsborough County Parks and many city parks. Destinations include Lowry Park Zoo, MacDill Airfest, Bok Tower, Heritage Village, Florida Botanical Gardens, Sarasota Classic Car Museum, Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum, Brooksville Raid Civil War reenactment, Kennedy Space Center - Shuttle Launch, Village of the Artists - Bradenton, Florida Aquarium, American Victory Ship - Tampa, and hundreds of other great locations.
Are all the PhotoWalks elaborate or expensive? No, most of our PhotoWalks are to local parks and destinations. The parks are free as well as the Street Photography we do in places like Tarpon Springs, Gulf Port, Ybor City, Clearwater Beach and area Farmer's Markets. A few charge for parking, but most are absolutely free for all members. We get to practice macro, portraiture, landscape, wildlife, bird photography, HDR, B&W and so much more.
What other kinds of events and activities do you do?FCCP has weekly morning meetings every Tuesday and Wednesday mornings We meet at the Independent in Tampa and the Tampa Bay Computer Society in Clearwater for Coffee and snacks. We do a weekend and Tuesday night Coffee & Photography as well.
The third Tuesday of the Month we have a New Member/Old Member Mixer at different restaurants or pubs around the Bay. We go to photo exhibits at local museums and galleries, show DVD's about photography and famous photographers and many other social activities.
I've been to other photo classes and workshops and they're packed. There's no time to ask questions or even talk to the instructor.The classes have a great instructor to student ratio. We limit classsizes to 20 or less and some of the advanced classes are limited to as few as 5 students. Most of the other local clubs offer few educational opportunities and when they do, the classes are huge or fill up so quickly few members can register. Our classes aren't just offered once or twice a year, but repeat on a regular schedule. You'll have the chance to learn at your pace and have a wide range of classes, such as HDR, Beginning and Advanced Photo classes, B&W, Infrared, Lightroom, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and much, much more. New classes, Bootcamps, workshops and webinars are being added all the time.
How come you charge for your classes when many clubs don't charge? FCCP has many free learning opportunities, not just one or two per month. Every other Sunday evening we offer FREE 2hour mini-workshops. Every Wednesday morning, every Tuesday morning, one Saturday morning a month, one Thursday evening a month and one Tuesday evening a month you'll have an opportunity ask questions and get answer from "real" teachers, not a couple of guys sitting around that got their photo education from reading a book or attending a weekend workshop. Jeff taught photography for 4 years at Montana State University and for 5 years at the Dunedin Fine Art Center. You spent a lot on your camera, so spend just a little on your education.
What if I can't make it to a class or workshop? Try ourWebinarsand Webcasts. We're the only local photo group that offers classes over the internet. You get live interaction with the instructors and students with the convenience of being at your home, or even your office. We've even had students take webinars in their pajamas, how cool is that?
It's cool going out and shooting and learning all this stuff, but what do I do with all the thousands of photos I'll have? I'm glad you asked, because FCCP has a strong commitment to you and our community by getting your photographs publicly displayed. We have an ongoing, permanent display of our members photos in several local community organization buildings. We also offer our members several additional opportunities throughout the year, to display their work as well. More chance to show your work means more chances to get exposure and recognition for the great photos you'll be taking. Heck, you may even sell a few along the way. Want to learn more, or even help out? Great, we have a committee of over 25 members that oversee all of our exhibits and gallery shows and they welcome any help they can get.
So far, so good, but what's the catch, what is all this going to cost me? Most all of our activities are FREE. In fact over 85% are free. The PhotoWalks, social activities, even some of the classes, workshops and webinars are free. Sure you have to pay your own admission fees when we go to places like the zoo, aquarium and others, but we get great group rates that saves us bucks in the long run.
What's all the stuff aboutDues,Pro MembersandBasic Members? Thedues are optionaland will get you great discounts and perks. Pro Members get free camera and sensor cleanings (that alone will pay for your membership), discounts on classes, workshops and webinars the rest of the year. Pro Members get some great perks from merchants (like B&H Photo and Adorama), discounts on software (Adobe, NIK, OnOne, and Photomatix), discounts on lens rentals, and free photo printing (last year Nation's Photo Lab gave every Pro Member a no strings attached $25 Gift Card). Basic Members aren't totally left out, they get some cool perks as well, but hey it's free.
So who organizes this stuff, leads the PhotoWalks and teaches the classes?Jeff Donald,the guy in the photo over to the left, organizes the group. But he's not superman, though sometimes he thinks so, he's got the help of a bunch of great Assistant Organizers. They help with the PhotoWalks, Webcasts, website, and they even teach a few classes or workshops. But Jeff is the main guy. He's got over 30 years experience in photo retail, teaching, computers and photography. He's taught at Montana State University, the Dunedin Fine Art Center and the Digital Photo Academy, he's worked for national companies like Apple Computer and Ritz Camera, and owned his own business. If you get a chance ask him over a beer about his travels to Africa, the Philippines, and other cool places (really cool places like Churchill Manitoba, the Polar Bear Capitol of the World).
Jeez, is he like 100 years old or something? No, he just looks it, he's only 55.
Ok, so what happens next? Watch the video below and get a feel for what the group is like. Ted, he's an Assistant Organizer, put the video together and he's got some other great videos on the site as well. When you're ready, click theJoin buttonin the upper right. In a day or two Jeff or one of the Assistants will email you a getting started kit. But the rest is up to you. Sign up for an upcoming PhotoWalk ( the partial list is below the video and to the right) and get out and take some pictures. RSVP for a class or webinar, or go to the New Member Mixer, there are two every month and they're free.
So what if I want to learn more about the group?. You've gotten this far, so go ahead and click the button, you know you want to. Check out some of the links below or better yet come to one of the many PhotoWalks and get a real feel for the fun you're going to have as a member of FCCP.
See all the activities class, workshops, webinars and PhotoWalks onour calendar.
s, alligators, woodpeckers, hawks and herons.
People in this
Fun morning! So nice to meet so many of you! See you again real soon!