Tips & tricks for getting the best shot

Well here's a few words to the wise to ward off some common problems while trying to get the perfect shot:

• Early bird catches the worm?  Early morning time is great for wildlife photography.  The lighting is great, there is less chance of rain clouds, and there are many species of birds and other animals that hide out in the late afternoon heat.

• Tread as quietly as possible as to not scare away your subjects.  Wildlife is very timid.  Especially be conscious on wooden boardwalks as heavy footsteps will scare everyone away.

• Snap now - Crop later.  Think quick and hit the shutter as soon as you see a good shot because wildlife does not ever sit still very long and they always seem to have somewhere to go.  One out of 10 pictures will be the gem (if you're lucky!).  Almost as bad as taking baby pictures.

• Remember that the climate here promises late afternoon showers in the summer season, so don't get caught in the rain.

• Our climate tends to be higher in humidity, esp. in the summer, so I keep a lot of zip lock bags handy to keep film and other equipment dry.

• Don't leave camera, equipment or film in cars.  They get incredibly hot locked up in there resulting in all kinds of damage.

• Conveniently, there are several film processing places on Sanibel including Arundel's, CVS, and Bailey's Center amongst others.