Charles Bush Photography – July 2025 Newsletter
Sunrise at Lake Dauterive during peak fall color. Cypress silhouettes and misty reflections are a signature of our November photo tours in Louisiana.
Exploring New Paths and Preserving Old Ones
Hey folks,
📸 Ready to Join a Tour or Get Help With Your Photography?
🍁 Fall 2025 Cypress Swamp Tours – November dates available now
🐣 Spring 2026 Bird Photography Tours – Book early for April–June
🧠 1:1 Photography Consulting – Get help with gear, printing, or workflow
July has been a month of transition, tough decisions, and hopeful moves here at Charles Bush Photography. Between equipment sales, website refinements, and photo tour prep, I’ve had my hands full. Here’s what’s been going on behind the scenes:
What's New This Month
1. Nikon Lens Sales and Gear Transitions
I’m making some changes to my lens lineup and offering select Nikon gear for sale. If you're interested in a well-maintained 600mm PF or 100–400mm Z lens, feel free to contact me directly for details and availability. I’m considering consolidating with the 180–600mm Z lens to keep things more streamlined and flexible for tour work.
2. Fall Photo Tour Updates
Preparations are in full swing for the 2025 fall swamp tours. If you haven’t reserved your spot yet, now’s the time. We’ll be photographing peak color in cypress swamps at Lake Dauterive, Lake Fausse Pointe, and Lake Martin. View Fall Tour Details Here
3. Spring 2026 Tour Planning
While we’re gearing up for fall, spring 2026 tour planning is already in motion and signups are open. These tours tend to book well in advance, so if you're thinking about joining us for nesting season in April, May, or June, view the Spring 2026 Tour Info and reserve your spot.
A Snowy Egret in full breeding plumage, captured during nesting season at one of our spring tour locations in south Louisiana.
4. Website and SEO Improvements
This month, I focused on tweaking my site’s navigation and internal linking to make it easier for visitors to find tour pages and consults. You might notice "Classes" has been removed from the top menu and blog posts are now simply labeled "Blog." Subtle, but these changes should help.
5. Teaching and Consulting Work
I recently worked one-on-one with an experienced artist and longtime exhibitor who was transitioning from a Windows setup to a Mac. She was having print issues with a new lab. We tackled Mac configuration challenges, calibrated her displays, and ultimately traced the problem back to the print company itself.
6. For Nikon Z8 Users: New Resources
If you're using a Nikon Z8, there's a lot of fresh material for you this month:
Popular Blog Posts This Month
A Quick Ask
If you’ve enjoyed a tour or found value in one of my posts, please consider sharing the site or leaving a testimonial. It really helps keep this work going.
As always, thanks for following along.
– Charlie
Louisiana vs. Caddo Lake Photo Tours: What Sets Them Apart
Explore why Louisiana's cypress swamps might be the best-kept secret in nature photography.
Interested in photographing ancient cypress trees in peaceful, crowd-free swamps? Check out the Fall 2025 Tour Details or view the Fall Tour Gallery to see what's waiting for you in Louisiana.
Fewer Tours, More Unique Images
Caddo Lake is well known among photographers—and that’s part of the problem. There are pages and pages of tour companies offering workshops there, which means lots of overlap in imagery, access, and timing.
In contrast, Louisiana's cypress swamp tours—like mine—are few and far between. You won’t be jockeying for tripod space, and you won’t come home with the same images as everyone else. In fact, most people have never heard of places like Lake Dauterive or Lake Fausse Pointe—and that’s what makes them special.
"I have been to Caddo a number of times and found that LA has just as much if not better photography potential. Both areas depend on the weather conditions for those 'killer' images. I will stick with your tours." — James Saxon
Size and Separation: Louisiana vs. Caddo
| Feature | Lake Dauterive + Lake Fausse Pointe (LA) | Caddo Lake (TX/LA) |
|---|---|---|
| Combined Area | ~33,500 acres | ~25,400 acres |
| Connected System | Yes – narrow, seasonal channel | Single continuous lake |
| Navigability | Only at high water; often impassable | Generally accessible year-round |
| Traffic & Tours | Very limited; few operators | Dozens of tour companies |
| Image Overlap Risk | Low – highly original | High – frequently photographed views |
The combined area of Lake Dauterive and Lake Fausse Pointe is larger than Caddo Lake. Though technically connected, they're best treated as separate destinations. I’ve navigated the narrow channel between them on several long trips, but it’s very shallow—and unless the water is high, the passage can become impassable.
There are boat launches on both lakes. It’s wise to pick one and stay there for the day. If the wind shifts after you’ve crossed between them, you may not make it back.
This natural division means each basin offers a different light, a different rhythm, and a quieter photographic experience.
Wildlife, Atmosphere, and Culture
While both regions can produce stunning images, Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin brings a flavor all its own:
Ospreys, egrets, spoonbills, ibis, and herons nest here in spring
Fog, Spanish moss, and golden cypress dominate in fall
And there’s Louisiana food and culture waiting after the shoot
Caddo has cypress and mist. Louisiana offers that—and a deeper sense of place.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for the road less traveled—with more photographic potential and fewer people traveling it—Louisiana might just surprise you.
Take a look at the Fall 2025 Cypress Swamp Tour or browse the Fall Tour Gallery and start imagining what you could create out there.
Nikon Z8 Custom Settings Reference (Printable PDF)
Z8 Custom Settings Reference Sheet Now Available
As part of my ongoing series on optimizing the Nikon Z8 for real-world use, I’ve created a complete printable reference to all available options in the Custom Settings Menu (a–g).
This is not just a list of what I change — it’s a fully organized layout of all configurable options across the Z8’s Custom Settings Menu. Each item is grouped by section (AF, Exposure, Display, Controls, etc.), with side-by-side columns to compare the Nikon ID (like “a6”) to your chosen settings. I designed this to be used alongside your camera in the field or at your desk — whether you’re resetting things after a firmware update, or building your own personalized configuration.
📝 What’s Inside the Download
Every item in the Custom Settings Menu (a1 to g22)
Clear organization by section (Autofocus, Controls, Display, etc.)
Columns for Nikon’s default ID, function name, and your custom setting
Landscape printable layout for easy annotation and review
Whether you’re copying my setup or building your own, this PDF helps you stay organized — and avoid digging through menus mid-shoot.
If you’re looking for the quick-start version of my setup (the few changes I recommend for most wildlife photographers), head over to this post for a full walkthrough and downloadable quick sheet.
📌 Coming Next: I’ll be testing and writing about the Focus Limiter feature on the Z8 — a powerful tool for avoiding missed focus due to foreground clutter. Stay tuned!