Being an avid bird watcher myself as well as a lover of anything and everything found in nature, I’m going to ask you all what could be better than capturing and sharing those special moments we spend in the natural world with others through the miracle of photography?
Well, besides being there in person to enjoy the grandeur that nature has to offer us firsthand, how about learning for free how to take great outdoor photographs to share with others at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge visitors center for starters?
And to top that off, I would suggest instead of just one free class, three free photography classes would make the proposal that much better.
I mean seriously, who would argue with that?
I’d certainly hope nobody would because that, in fact, is what’s coming to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in January, February, and March of 2023.
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In years past, long before life came to a grinding halt from the covid epidemic, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and I started offering free beginning outdoor photography workshops on the second Saturday in March of each year, purposely coinciding with their annual Swan Day event to be more precise.
But back in March of 2020, literally just 3 days before that year’s event was scheduled to take place, both the photography workshop and swan day activities were, unfortunately, canceled due to the rising health concerns from covid.
Sorry to say but that was the last opportunity we had to hold a photography workshop on the bird refuge until now that is.
So as the calendar changes to 2023 and we usher in yet another new year, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and I are offering not one, not two, but three outdoor photography classes at their visitor’s center and all of them are, yes, you guessed it, free.
Instead of one 2-hour class as in years past, this year’s photography workshop will be enhanced and spread over three different Saturdays, one in January, February, and March of 2023.
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Anyone interested in attending either one, two, or all three classes can sign up for the free tickets and attend each one as they will cover different subject matters pertaining to outdoor and nature photography.
The tentative itinerary will be explained later in this post but is subject to change a bit if needed as I work on modifying some of the content from my previous workshop into three smaller ones.
All of these photography classes will be held at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge visitors center located at 2155 West Forest Street in Brigham City, Utah.
Sign up early for each one and don’t forget to share these classes with anyone else that might be interested in learning about photography.
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We truly appreciate all the support and readership for our website since we launched it over 4 years ago and it’s why we offer free photo classes at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge each year.
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So if you love nature and birds like we do, it is our hope you’ll head on over to our subscribe page and sign up for email notifications for future blog posts so you can actively follow and enjoy our blog.
We also have a small but growing YouTube channel you can sign up for and follow where we do periodic updates about current conditions on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour route as the occasional nature clip when we are able to capture something interesting with our video camera.
You can also help support not only our website but the Bear River Migratory Bird refuge as well when you order one of our own unique Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge t-shirts or hooded sweatshirts shown below, completely designed and currently offered solely by us through one of our print-on-demand production partners.
As shown below, for each one of our unique Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge-themed t-shirts or hooded sweatshirts ordered with this link through March of 2023, we’ll donate $5 for each t-shirt and $10 for each hooded sweatshirt to the Friends of The Bear River Refuge, a non-profit organization that helps fund refuge projects and assists in bringing educational programs such as the eagle, owl, and swan day events to the refuge each year.
January 14, 2023 Photography Class
The class will start at 11:30 am and go on for an hour.
The main focus will be an introduction to photography in general and will cover some of the gear needed as well as the basic concepts of photography such as light and composition.
The class will be held at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge visitors center and the free tickets to this particular class are now available online and are highly encouraged to make sure there is seating for all interested in attending as the last workshop we offered filled to capacity in just a couple of weeks.
In addition to the photography class, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge annual Owl Day event is also taking place throughout the day and offers a variety of activities and two different live bird presentations, one at 10:00 am and the other at 1:00 pm.
Tickets are required for the bird presentations and are available at the same link listed above for the photo class.
February 11, 2023 Photography Class
For the second class, learning how to take better wildlife photos will be the intent with an emphasis on bird photography in particular.
The goal is to briefly touch on gear specific to bird photography and how to use light and composition to your advantage for a better bird photo.
In addition to the photography class, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge will be hosting its annual Eagle Day event throughout the day at the visitors center.
The start time for the class will be 11:30 am and the free tickets for the photography class are now available for all who want to attend.
In years past, a live bald eagle presentation has been a large part of the event and hopefully, that will be the same this year.
March 11, 2023 Photography Class
The third class will cover specific topics such as sunset and waterfall photography and how to take great photographs of each, including how to take a sunset photo with nothing but your camera phone.
The start time for this class will be 11:30 am and the free tickets for this photography class are now available so sign up now for the class.
In addition to the photography class, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge will be hosting its annual Swan Day event throughout the day at the visitor’s center.
This is also one of the best times of the year to visit the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour route to view and photograph the migrating tundra swans as they spend a few weeks on the refuge this time of the year during their spring migration back to Alaska and Canada.
Conclusion
I hope after this is said and done all three photography classes are filled to capacity and I get to share my passion for nature through photography with all of you.
Photography is an enjoyable hobby and a compelling photo or two is a great way to help encourage others to get out and enjoy nature as well as learn about the wildlife that is all around us.
