New Mexico 2025 Tour Session I

Cost

• $2,500 (Airfare, hotel, meals, transportation, and park entrance fees are not included.)

• $750 non-refundable deposit due on signup. Balance of $1,750 due by November 15, 2024

• Free 2 Hour Image Review and Processing Bonus Session after the tour to help with processing questions

Tour Objective

To come home with high-quality and memorable images of the diverse birdlife of New Mexico.

Description

One of nature’s true spectacles is witnessing the clouds of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese that call New Mexico their winter home. It is a feast for the eyes as well as the ears and is something you will never forget. We will have an abundance of opportunities with these species and we will be able to capture all types of photos of them. We will concentrate on creating beautiful photos of them against snow capped mountains, landing and taking off, displaying, backlit shots, small in frame shots and anything else that you could imagine.

In addition to the cranes and geese, New Mexico is rich in other bird life. Instead of limiting ourselves to one location we will be spending time in a multitude of habitats which provide photographic opportunities with many of the other resident birds of New Mexico. We will visit some local ponds where there are up to 10 species of waterfowl that are tame and approachable. We will spend time in the foothills photographing songbirds like Cactus Wren and Black-throated Sparrows. Weather permitting, we will go to the top of the mountain for some specialty high elevation birds where the prize species are Black and Brown-capped Rosy Finches. The views from the top are amazing and so is the opportunity to photograph these nomadic high elevation species.

Please note that Bosque Del Apache is a shell of what it used to be and unless something drastically changes with management, we will not be going there. On my last visit there were no cranes at all and only a few dozen geese. But do not worry as there are nearby locations that are filled with cranes and geese that allow close approach and countless opportunities to create memorable photos.

Travel

Fly into Albuquerque and we will be based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. (hotel recommendations and exact locations to be given after deposit). You will be responsible for renting your own vehicle, arranging airline travel and making hotel reservations .

Hotel 

TBD

Schedule

Morning Sessions: We will meet at our agreed upon locations at sunrise, so expect to be up early enough to be ready to shoot at sunrise. Morning locations are all close to our hotels and most mornings will be less than a 20 minute drive to get to our shooting locations. If we have full sun then we will stop after the light gets harsh and go back to the hotel. There will be about an hour drive one morning to get to the top of the mountain for montane species.

Lunch Time: Optional image review session where we will review the images from the morning. We will work on things like processing and composition and I will make suggestions or answer any questions.

After Lunch: we will have some personal time before our evening sessions.

Evening sessions: we will arrive to our evening locations leaving time for some scouting and preparing for the best light of the day. On cloudy days we will limit our lunch and image review time to shoot as long as possible.

In order to make the most of our time and come home with as many high quality images as possible, expect to leave each day early and come back late.

Meals

Most hotels offer a continental breakfast that opens at 6:30 a.m., which leaves time to grab some food and be on location for sunrise. Lunch and dinner is with the group, if you desire.

What to Bring 

Photography Gear

• There are a large variety of birds which we will photograph between 400mm-600mm (minimum focal length of at least 400mm lens is required). A prime lens or telephoto zoom would be ideal.

• If you own a telephoto prime and a zoom you may want to bring both

• 1.4 teleconverter is optional but highly recommended

• I recommend bringing a back up camera.

• Bring lots of extra batteries and a rapid charger.

• Bring as many  memory cards with as much storage as you can as it is not uncommon to fill up 320gb or more in a single session.

• I also highly recommend bringing a laptop or other external storage to transfer your images from your memory cards.

Other Gear

• Elbow and knee pads if you prefer to lay down for ground level work while photographing.

• Portable chair or pad to sit on if you prefer to photograph while seated.

• Ground pod, monopod or tripod - whatever you prefer to shoot with.

Clothes

• Bring warm winter clothes

• A warm hat and gloves

• Waterproof Coverall is recommended for photographing waterfowl

• Muck Boots

Weather

We will be out in all weather conditions and will shoot in the sun, snow or rain. It can be very cold in January in New Mexico. Morning temperatures are often in the teens to low 20’s and daytime temperatures can warm up into the 50’s. I recommend layers so that you can shed them as the temperature warms up. Also it can be very cold and snowy at the top of the mountain so be prepared with ample warm clothing.

Physical Activity

We will be photographing waterfowl at water level with the birds so expect to be laying (or going as low as possible depending on your comfort level) down at the water’s edge or even going a little into the water. For most other species there are only short walks from the car to the best shooting areas

My Responsibilities

I will get you in front of the birds and assist in creating the highest quality photos as possible with each opportunity we have. I will help with obtaining the most pleasing backgrounds and compositions. I will help with field craft techniques and with attracting the birds when needed. I will also put us in the most productive spots to be able to produce high quality photographs of the highest species diversity possible. I will be there to answer all questions and to help facilitate any other needs you may have.

My Ask

Enjoy yourself as much as possible and get cards full of beautiful photos.  I love to talk birds, cameras and gear. I am here to help so anything that you need, please just ask.

Insurance

Travel insurance is strongly encouraged.