THE BOAT

Many of the tours and workshops I lead are water-based trips.

 

The boat we use is my personally owned 19 ft. customized 2011 Fiesta pontoon with 70 hp four-stroke Yamaha outboard.  This boat is quick, quiet and there is no annoying engine exhaust like on older boats with older two-stroke engines.

I have customized this boat to provide the best and most stable shooting platform possible.

Custom features include:

A tri-toon set up featuring three fiberglass pontoons instead of just two making the boat more stable and quiet than boats with just two aluminium pontoons.

Enhanced pedestal seating to maximized the room on deck and make shooting easy.

GPS controlled trolling motor allowing precise boat positioning no matter the water depth and wind conditions.

Dual Power Pole shallow water anchors allowing the boat to be kept at the precise angle needed for you to get the best shots possible.

Side-wall mounted monopod/gimbal head camera supports, which allow up to 4 photographers to use gimbal heads.  Thus, no tripod legs cluttering up the boat deck.

Custom camouflage for those situations where stealth and being hidden from the birds makes all the difference in getting the birds close. Some species like swallow-tailed kites get a lot closer to a camouflaged boat. 

So, come join me on one of my boat-based photography tours or workshops.  Great images of such species as swallow-tailed kites, snail kites, barred owls, and roseate spoonbills await.

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