Vickie and I are looking forward to seeing you on Dec. 6. The eagles have arrived, the lighthouse is looking cool and it should be a great weekend.
I need two things from you right away. I made dinner reservations for the group Saturday night. I need to give them a more firm headcount, so please let me know right away if you will be joining us for dinner (dinner is not including in workshop fee).
I also need to know if you will sharing our super-telephoto lenses. If you are, I need to know if you shoot Nikon or Canon.
We’ll meet at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, in the breakfast room of the Comfort Inn & Suites in North East, MD. Yes, the town name is North East! Vickie and I will get there around 1 p.m., so if you arrive early, come see us. We’ll have time to get to know other, go over some photo tips and talk about the weekend until about 3:00. Official hotel check-in time is 3 p.m., they will try to have rooms ready before then, but if they don’t you can check in when we break. Your room is reserved in your name.
We will then gather at the Concord Point Lighthouse in Havre de Grace by 4:00 p.m. The sun will be getting low and the full moon will be setting, so we’ll get some cool shots as darkness falls. Once the sun goes down at 4:40 p.m. and as darkness sets in, we’ll illuminate the lighthouse with a flashlight and you’ll get some really neat shots. Since it will be dark, you’ll need to have a flashlight, I highly recommend a headlamp so your hands will be free to operate your camera.
We’ll be right on the water most of the weekend, so it will be cold. Be prepared. Wear layers of synthetic or wool and avoid cotton, once it gets wet or damp you’ll freeze. Make sure you have good gloves and keep your feet warm.
I have made dinner reservations for us at 6:30 p.m. at a fun restaurant right on the bay down the street from the lighthouse. It isn’t walking distance, so you’ll need to drive. I need to give them a final headcount, so please let me know if you’ll be joining us for dinner.
Sunday morning the sun comes up at 7:10 a.m., we should leave the hotel at 6:30 and you should plan on checking out when you leave then. They will provide a hot breakfast starting at 6:00 a.m.
We will then head to the Conowingo Dam fisherman’s parking area. This is just below a large hydro-electric plant on the Susquehanna River about 16 miles from the hotel. The eagles congregate there to eat the fish that are stunned or killed when coming through the dam. I was there Saturday (see photo above) and there were about 20 eagles soaring and fishing. There are usually more when we will be there and the cold weather we are having will help drive more of them down from the north.
We will have two shooting locations where Vickie and I will have the super-telephoto lens for you to share. We will give you time slots to use the big lenses that are randomly selected. We will give you pointers on how to use the big glass and how to keep flying birds in the frame. One of us will be down by the water watching for eagles fishing and the other person will be up on a hillside where you can get great shots of eagles soaring and sitting in trees. You can obviously go where ever you like, but you can’t take our big lenses with you!
There are porta-potties at the dam and not much else. So if you want to eat or drink something during the morning, you need to bring it. You’ll be able to park close to where you are shooting, so bring extra everything and leave it in your car. If there is rain in the forecast, make sure you have rain protection for yourself and your camera.
A couple of miles from the dam is a visitors’ center that is open at 10 a.m. They have nice, heated restrooms and a good place to get warm, if you need it. It is too far to walk, so you’ll have to drive up to it. They have an exhibition of eagle photos from their annual contest, so you might want to stop by and take a look.
At noon we are officially done. You can stick around as long as you like.
As a little bonus, I’ll clean your sensor if it is dirty Saturday night at the hotel. Official disclaimer: I am not factory trained but I’ve cleaned sensors hundreds of times without any problems. I don’t not assume any liability for any damage that may happen. I can assure you I’ll take more care while cleaning your camera than I do with my own and touching the sensor is my last resort.
Locations:
Hotel: Comfort Inn & Suites at 1 Center Drive, North East, MD, 21901. GPS location: 39.626495, -75.950648 It is right off I-95, so it is very easy access.
Lighthouse: Concord Point Lighthouse, 700 Concord St., Havre de Grace, MD 21078. GPS: 39.540683, -76.084780
Restaurant Saturday Night: Tidewater Grille, 300 Franklin St, Havre de Grace, MD. GPS: 39.550652, -76.089447
Conowingo Dam Fisherman’s Parking: 2559 Shureslanding Rd., Darlington, MD 21034. GPS: 39.655155, -76.173744
Conowingo Visitor’s Center: 4948 Conowingo Rd., Conowingo, MD GPS: 39.655461, -76.178346
The schedule:
Saturday, Dec. 6.
2 p.m., meet at hotel
3 p.m., hotel check-in
4 p.m., meet at lighthouse
6:30 p.m., dinner
Sunday
6 a.m. breakfast
6:30 a.m., leave for dam
Noon, workshop completed
Things you’ll need:
- Camera and all your lenses
- Tripod
- Remote shutter release (I suggest a wired one rather than wireless)
- Extra camera batteries and charger. Make sure they are topped off for Sunday.
- Extra memory cards
- If you don’t want to share a super-telephoto lens, you might rent one. You can get them at Ritz Camera (our workshop sponsor), Adorama in NYC or online through BorrowLenses.com
- If you aren’t completely familiar with your camera, bring your operator’s manual.
- Headlamp or flashlight
- Warm clothing (not cotton)
- Warm boots
- Extra gloves
- Rain gear for yourself and your camera
- Snack for Sunday morning
Loren’s cell phone: 908-229-3447
Two things we need from you right away:
- If you haven’t told me already, I need to know if you shoot Nikon or Canon and if you want to use the super-telephoto lenses.
- Will you join us for dinner on Saturday.
It will be a fun, exciting weekend and I look forward to seeing you and the eagles. If you have any questions, let me or Vickie know.
