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Louisiana Bayous

Tom Bol Photo Workshops - Trip report

Louisiana Bayous

This workshop is all about photographing the Bald Cypress-Tupelo Swamp in central Louisiana. Many of our photographers had never spent time in a swamp before. They were surprised at the variety of wildlife in the area and the changing colors and feel of the trees as we glided though the murky waters in rain, sun and fog.

Tom and the crew getting an early start on our flat bottom boat
An alligator cruises by a Bald Cypress trunk
Photographing cypress in Louisiana

Alligator Paradise

Louisiana has the highest population of alligators in the world. There are two million alligators in the wild and an additional million on farms. When the sun comes out, alligators haul out on logs and bask in the sun. At one point we photographed 4 alligators and three turtles on the same log. As our boat approached the gators would open their mouths and show us a toothy grin.

Plenty of room for backpacks with multiple lenses
Bald Cypress in the swamp

Rain in the Swamps

We had a couple of rainy days during the workshop. We took advantage of this to photograph droplets on lily pads. The overcast skies also made it easier to photograph wading birds in diffuse light.

Water pooling on lilypads
A foreground of speckled lily pads

Birds in Flight

There were birds flying through the swamp on every one of our photo sessions. To perfect the skill of photographing birds in flight, we traveled to a local rookery to photograph Roseate Spoonbills and egrets as they flew in and out of the rookery.

Using the 100-400mm lens for birds in flght
Swallow-tailed Kite in flight
Tom at the local rookery

Slow Shutter Speeds

We had several days with overcast skies. This was the perfect scenario to use low shutter speeds to create blurred images for a more artistic capture. Soaked anhingas would beat their wings back and forth to dry them out before flying off. Using a shutter speed of 1/15th second, Tom captured a sharp head with blurred wings in the photo to the right.

Randall photographing lily pads at the edge of the lake
Blurred cypress trees at 1/10th second
Naroath working on birds in flight

Rookery Life

One of the highlights of the trip was photographing a Great Egret rookery. Most of the nests had chicks in them. Unrully teenage egrets would wait for their parents to deliver food while squabbling amongst each other

An adult resting in the shadows
Using tripods and long lenses at the rookery
An adult Great Egret with young chicks

Fog and Mystery

Our final morning was glorious. We set off on our boat just as the sun was rising. WIth cooler temperatures during the night, we were treated to a swamp filled with fog and mystery.

Beams of light in the swamp fog
Gary and Deb enjoying the peaceful atmosphere
Hidden in the swamp

Thank you to all the photographers who joined us in Louisiana this year.

Having fun in the Louisiana Swamps

Our Louisiana workshop for 2028 is already full. Join the waitlist by clicking here in case something opens up. You can use the same link to request being on the waitlist for any of our other workshops.

Upcoming Workshops with Space Available

CREATED BY
Cree Bol

Credits:

Cree Bol and Tom Bol