May 2025 Charles Bush Photography Newsletter

Hi everyone,

I’m excited to bring you the May 2025 edition of the Charles Bush Photography newsletter. This month, I’m sharing a couple of new blog posts, highlights from our recent photo tour, and a peek at what’s ahead for the fall and spring tours. Let’s dive in.

📸 Recent Blog Posts

Travel Computer

1. Traveling with a Photography Computer System

Post: Photo Travel Computer System
If you’ve ever struggled with managing and editing your photos while traveling, this blog post is for you. I walk through the computer system I rely on while on the road—including what works, what doesn’t, and why it makes all the difference during photo tours.

2. AI Comparison + Email & Website Update

Post: An AI Comparison and Email Update
This post covers how I’m using AI in my photography workflow, an update on my email address, and some quick behind-the-scenes changes at Charles Bush Photography. It’s all about staying efficient and responsive.

🌿 May 2025 Photo Tour Wrap-Up

Cattle Egret Chicks on the Nest

Gallery: May 2025 Photo Tour Gallery
We just wrapped up our spring photo tour, and it was a memorable one—bursting with bird activity, glowing cypress trees, and good company. Check out the gallery to see what we captured together. You might spot a few of your favorites in there!

🍂 Fall 2025 Cypress Photo Tours Are Booking Now

Lake Daueterive in the Fog

Info & Signup: Fall Cypress Photo Tours
Spots are already filling up for this year’s cypress tours. If you’re drawn to misty mornings, autumn reflections, and photographing from the boat, now’s the time to reserve your spot.

🌸 Looking Ahead: Spring 2026 Bird Photography Tours

Roseate Spoonbill in Flight

Stay tuned! I’ll be announcing the details of our Spring 2026 bird photography tours soon. If you’ve been wanting to photograph nesting spoonbills, herons, and egrets in full breeding color—mark your calendar.

Thanks as always for being a part of the community. I love sharing these updates with you and hope they inspire your own photography adventures.

Until next time,

—Charlie

Travel Computer System for Photo Tours Using Apple Devices

When I’m leading a photo tour, my work doesn’t stop when we put the cameras down. Between scouting, coordinating, and organizing the day’s images, I rely on a lean yet powerful travel computer system to keep everything running smoothly.

Why I Need a Travel Computer System for Photography Tours

While out in the field, I still need to:

• Communicate with tour participants when we’re not shooting

• Check the weather for planning sunrise and sunset shoots

• Explore bird activity on apps like eBird or Merlin

• Download and evaluate images right after a shoot

• Keyword, caption, and title photos using Photo Mechanic

• Import into Lightroom Classic when I have time

• Post to Facebook and Instagram, time permitting

• Stay on top of emails and client communication

None of that is feasible without a compact, dependable, fast mobile system. Here's what I use.

I’m embarking on my Second Spring Bird Photo Tour this weekend, so I’m documenting the system I’ll use on the trip.

My Travel Photography System: Apple Laptop, iPad, and Road-Ready Gear

An AI Generated Image of my Travel Computer System. The image ddoesn't include the OWC Thunderbolt Dock of the Sonnet CFExpress Reader

1. MacBook Pro M3 (14") – Apple Laptop for Travel Photography

This is the same machine I use as my main computer at home. It’s fast, quiet, and handles everything from large Lightroom catalogs to multitasking across weather apps, eBird, and Photo Mechanic without missing a beat. I prefer the 14" model for the balance between screen space and portability.

2. External Storage: Mirrored 1TB SSDs for On-the-Road Backup

I bring two 1TB SSDs set up as a mirrored pair. That gives me instant redundancy without needing to back up separately after every import. If I lose a drive or one fails on the road, I’m still covered.

3. Sonnet Dual Card Reader – Fast Imports for Travel Shoots

My Nikon Z8 shoots to both CFExpress and XQD cards. The Sonnet card reader handles both formats and is compact enough to toss in my bag. It’s a dual-slot version, so I can check and download images from two cards simultaneously—perfect for fast turnarounds between shoots.

4. iPad as a Second Monitor with Apple Sidecar

The trackpad’s fine in a pinch, but I like a mouse for speed when editing or managing files. I also use my iPad as an extended display using Apple’s built-in Sidecar feature. It simplifies the Photo Mechanic selection and tagging process by allowing me to spread out my workspace, keeping metadata and previews in full view while selecting images on the main screen.

5. OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock – Central Hub for Travel Connectivity

When I need to plug everything in and charge up quickly, this dock simplifies it. One cable connects the MacBook Pro to power, storage, card reader, and even my iPad if I’m using it wired.

This Mobile Apple Photography System Just Works

My Photography Travel Computer System: Optimizing Workflow for Wildlife and Nature Photography

I’ve refined this setup over the years to strike the perfect balance between performance and portability. Whether I’m downloading images in a hotel room or reviewing shots in the passenger seat, this kit helps me stay productive on the go.

A Quick Update, Email Change, AI Comparison, Photo Tours

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Perched in Golden Swamp Light

Email Update

Just a quick heads-up — I’m retiring my decades-old bushfoto@bellsouth.net email address. If you’ve contacted me in the past, you might still have that one saved. For a while now, I’ve been using charlie@charlesbushphoto.com for newsletters and group emails, and that’s now the official address moving forward.

Why the change? AT&T/Yahoo migrated the account and broke quite a few things in the process. I recently stopped receiving mail on my phone, and the fix involved upgrading to a paid plan. That was the last straw. So please take a second to update your contacts.

Spring and Fall Photo Tours

If you're hoping to get out this spring:

👉 There’s space available for the May 18th tour – grab your spot here.

Looking ahead:

🍁 Fall tours are also open – check availability and details here.

AI Captioning and Keywording: Perplexity vs. ChatGPT

A recent client suggestion led me to test Perplexity, an AI chatbot, for generating image metadata. I started by feeding it this basic description:

"A photograph of a Black-bellied Whistling-Duck in a cypress tree with an out-of-focus green background. Provide keywords, captions, and titles."

Perplexity’s Output

Keywords:

• Black-bellied Whistling Duck

• Dendrocygna autumnalis

• Whistling duck

• Cypress tree

• Bird perched

• Out-of-focus green background

• Wetland bird

• Pink bill

• Black belly

• Chestnut body

• Gray face

• Long-legged duck

• Nature photography

• Wildlife

• Birdwatching

• Waterfowl

• Tree perch

• Louisiana swamp (if location relevant)

• Quiet natural setting

Captions:

• A Black-bellied Whistling Duck perched gracefully in a cypress tree against a soft, green blurred background.

• The striking Black-bellied Whistling Duck rests in a cypress tree, showcasing its distinctive black belly and pink bill.

• Perched high in a cypress tree, this Black-bellied Whistling Duck stands out with its vibrant plumage and long legs.

• A serene moment captured of a Black-bellied Whistling Duck in its natural habitat, framed by the lush greenery of the cypress swamp.

Titles:

• "Black-bellied Whistling Duck in Cypress Tree"

• "Perched Beauty: Black-bellied Whistling Duck Among Cypress"

• "Whistling Duck in the Green: A Cypress Tree Perch"

• "Nature's Whistler: Black-bellied Whistling Duck in Cypress Habitat"

Overall, it’s a good result — clean and descriptive, but limited. Since it lacks memory of my formatting or preferences, I’d still need to rework the output for Lightroom Classic, Photo Mechanic, or my stock site.

Why ChatGPT Still Wins for My Workflow

Then I tried dropping the same image into ChatGPT — where it already had context from our previous work. Here’s what came back:

🖼️ Image Metadata – ChatGPT Result

Title / Headline:
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Perched in Golden Swamp Light

Caption (Alamy/Stock-style, 150 characters):
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) perched on a cypress branch in spring light, Louisiana wetlands, with fresh green foliage.

Keywords (50, comma-delimited):
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck,Dendrocygna autumnalis,whistling duck,perched duck,wading bird,waterfowl,cypress branch,Louisiana bird,spring foliage,wetland bird,swamp bird,duck species,nature photography,birdwatching,bird on branch,profile view,bird portrait,South Louisiana,ornithology,duck habitat,tropical bird,subtropical wetlands,marsh bird,wetland wildlife,forest bird,bright plumage,colorful bird,long-legged duck,branch perch,cypress swamp,green foliage,bird closeup,feather texture,pink legs,natural light,early morning light,wildlife photograph,swamp environment,springtime bird,American duck,wetland ecosystem,southern wildlife,quiet pose,tree limb,avian species,non-migratory bird,stillness,native duck,nature scene

Hashtag Keywords (for social/blog use):
#BlackBelliedWhistlingDuck #WhistlingDuck #DendrocygnaAutumnalis #LouisianaBird #CypressSwamp #BirdPhotography #WetlandWildlife #SpringBird #PerchedDuck #AvianPortrait

This version fits directly into my Lightroom metadata panel or Photo Mechanic presets with no cleanup needed. The keyword format, the precision, and the match to my style makes this a much better fit.

While Perplexity has potential, particularly for quick keywording, ChatGPT still delivers the better, more integrated result — especially when it already knows my workflow. And in addition, I simply needed to drop in the image to get the result.