Taught by Dave Ficke
Cost $100/person
Maximum 6, minimum 3 students
Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm ~John Muir.
As we transition from winter, leaving the cold behind with warmer days wildflowers do their annual rebirth. For those of us living in Southern California, and climate change, wildflower season often is problematic. Typically, wildflowers have a season and that can vary from just ok to wow all depending on the amount of rain and the warmth of the days. Not enough rain, poor showing, good rain better showing. Then you factor in the heat. If the temperature warms mildly, possibly a good wildflower season. If the temperature jumps up, the wildflowers tend to dry up right before your eyes. We will do our best to organize our trips when conditions are optimal.
We will be covering safety, camera settings macro – telephoto lenses, tripods, clothing, lighting and how to take wildflower images.
February 9th – first Zoom meeting – students will learn about lenses and camera settings and what they will need for being in the field. Students will be given a few weeks to get some of the items they will need for field work. Students will have two weeks to practice around their home and submit images for discussion on 2nd zoom meeting.
February 23rd Second zoom – this is designed for students to share some of their images, share what went well or not so well.
February 28th first field meeting – Southern entrance to Joshua Tree National Park.
Late March (date TBD) – Dogwood flower shoot in the San Bernardino Mountains and other possibilities of mountain wildflowers – date to be determined based on weather.
Questions? Contact Dave Ficke yosemitedave1@gmail.com
Presented by Dave Ficke
Dave Ficke is an American nature and wildlife photographer and conservationist. Dave’s thirty years as an environmental educator and life-long wildlife enthusiast has nurtured a love of nature and its beauty, which he has captured in his photographs. Long an advocate of conservation and stewardship of our natural environment, he has passionately taught those principles as a high school science teacher. Dave believes in experiential education and for 33 years took his high school students on weeklong field trips to Yosemite, canoeing down the Colorado river and sharing many other outdoor experiences with his students.
Dave’s entire career has been influenced by his dedication to environmental conservation; his roles as both photographer and field biology teacher have reflected this. Dave believes he can capture a great many people’s attention regarding the rapid loss of species in our wild places across the globe, with his camera as well as his in-depth knowledge of earth’s rapidly deteriorating ecosystems. “It’s critical that our students understand that all of us are part of this earth ecosystem, and we need to protect our wild places and the species that live there.”