Announcing Our Louisiana Fall Cypress Photo Tours

Lake Martin Fall Swamp Scene

I'm pleased to announce three photo tours scheduled for this fall! For early morning photography, it is difficult to predict the timing of peak fall color and mist and fog on the water. Still, these tours coincide with unique photo opportunities on tours over the past twenty years.

Late fall in Louisiana brings excellent photo opportunities for photo tour participants in the swamps. Featured here are three Louisiana Photo Tours that are timed to provide the best chance for rust-colored cypress trees and misty or foggy mornings. We visit three locations that offer access to large old-growth Bald Cypress trees growing from within the water. The tours are scheduled for the week before and the week after Thanksgiving. Louisiana boasts forty percent of North America's wetlands, and we'll visit the Atchafalaya Basin, North America's largest River swamp ecosystem. We finalize the itinerary for the tour as late as possible to ensure we are at the right place, depending upon the weather.

The tour is divided between time spent on the boat and photographing from the shore.s us to reach the prime shooting locations, primarily in the morning, weather permitting. When we photograph from the shore, we can use tripods, which allows us to use slower shutter speeds to our advantage.

The tours start at 3 p.m. on the first day and end after the last photo session on the fourth day, giving us three full days of photography.

Charles Bush Photography Newsletter – December 2024

Thinking of Spring

Roseate Spoonbill at Rip’s Rookery Jefferson Island

As the year winds down, it’s the perfect time to start planning for spring! Our Spring Bird Photography Tours are designed to capture the stunning nesting wading birds of Southern Louisiana. You’ll have the opportunity to photograph majestic egrets, herons, ibis, the vibrant Roseate Spoonbills, and Osprey in flight in their natural habitats.

Tour Highlights:

• Locations: Cazan Lake, Miller’s Lake, Jefferson Island, Lake Martin, and Henderson Swamp.

• Structure: Three half days by boat and three half days on land to ensure a diverse range of photographic opportunities.

Learn more and book your spot today—limited availability for this unforgettable experience!

Great Egret Courtship–Cazan Lake

2024 Fall Tours Completed

Lake Martin early morning

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this year’s fall tours! The stunning cypress trees with their fiery autumn hues and the golden-hour reflections made for some incredible images.

Want to see the best shots from this season? Click here to view the gallery.

Looking ahead, the 2025 Fall Tour Dates will be announced soon. Stay tuned for updates in early 2025 and be ready to reserve your spot.

Sunrise at Lake Dauterive

Photo Mechanic / Fast Raw Viewer Update

I’ve put Fast Raw Viewer and Photo Mechanic through their paces this fall during the tours. Here’s a quick update:

• Fast Raw Viewer: A fantastic tool for quickly checking exposure and sharpness, making it an essential part of my workflow. But it won’t replace Photo Mechanic as the import and keywording tools are lacking.

• Photo Mechanic: Still my go-to for downloading and keywording images efficiently.

I’ll publish a detailed comparison soon, including insights from real-world use on the fall tours. Watch out for this on the blog!

Photo Computer Backup Strategies

Backup strategies are a hot topic, especially as we handle ever-larger files. I’ve been working closely with a client to develop a robust backup system tailored to photographers, particularly those using Apple computers.

New options, including improved cloud integrations and hardware setups, are making it easier to protect your images. I’ll be sharing these insights in an upcoming blog post to help you create a backup plan that works for you.

Stay Connected

Thank you for being part of the Charles Bush Photography community. As always, your passion for capturing the beauty of nature inspires everything we do. If you have questions about tours, tools, or techniques, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Happy holidays, and here’s to another year of extraordinary photography!

Warm regards,
Charles Bush

November 17–20 Photography Tour Trip Report

With a fantastic group of participants, I had the pleasure of leading a memorable trip into the swamps of Southwestern Louisiana. During our journey, we explored three stunning cypress swamps: Lake Dauterive, Lake Martin, and Lake Fausse Pointe. Despite facing high winds and a day of intermittent rain, we returned with some incredible photographs that truly captured the beauty of the region.

Having led tours to Lake Dauterive and Lake Martin for many years, I’ve learned the best spots to visit and how to navigate around choppy water. However, the winds during this trip presented some unique challenges. Lake Martinturned out to be the most accommodating, with its numerous sheltered areas providing respite from the gusts.

This was my first year including Lake Fausse Pointe, and it proved to be a fantastic addition to the itinerary. Its serene beauty and photographic opportunities make it a place I look forward to visiting again.

If you’re passionate about capturing the magic of Louisiana’s swamps, consider joining us for one of the spring tours. I’ll also announce next year’s fall tour dates soon—don’t miss out! Check them out here.

Check out a gallery of images for this trip and the preceding one here.