Hey Ya'll! Hope you're having a great week! Me?  Fantastic! I just got back from one of my camera clubs (Goldsboro Area Photography Club) workshop. Thought I would tell you about it. Our camera club is a very active club and we have some sort of workshop every month. This month was Wildlife photography . At our meeting which we have once a month also we had a great presentation by one of the wildlife photographers in the group and it was fantastic .  He showed us great examples on the how and the why of wildlife photography. Now I am not by no stretch of the imagination a wildlife photographer. I don't really have the patients for it. But I do like to do it in a workshop environment . So once or twice a year I become a wildlife photographer. 

Our workshop was lead by one of our senior wildlife photographers and he did a great job! Kudos MIKE! Usually when we have one of these workshops we go to a wildlife preserve. Pungo National Wildlife Preserve or Alligator River Wildlife preserve or Lake Mattamuskeet . All in North Carolina. Great places to go to see bears, geese, swans and all kinds of wildlife. This year we went to South Carolina to Huntington Beach State Park and then to Brookgreen Gardens located in Murrells Inlet.  What I liked about this is that there were real bathrooms there and we didn't have to drive around all day looking for wildlife. It did require a three hour drive to get there and we wanted to be onsite by 6 am.  So that meant a O'dark thirty wake up and leaving the meetup place by 3 am.  It was a nice enough drive. We carpooled there and being able to catch up with friends along the way kept us awake and lively. We arrived at Huntington Beach State Park a little after 6 am parked and headed to the causeway where we could view wildlife on both sides. Big water features supplied food and resting places for the wildlife from all sorts of birds and alligators. Got some great shots of some wildlife and some unique marsh landscapes. We then went to a couple of different spots in the park and had more opportunities to see some more wildlife and visit the bathrooms and park store for refreshments .  The weather for the day was Hot with continued Hot! Temps were at 90ish degrees Fahrenheit with a heat index of 105! At about 10:30 we headed to Brookgreen Gardens which was just across the highway from the State Park. We got our tickets and got in. Price is 22 dollars for adults with discounts for seniors and military. But the price is well worth it . I've paid more for less.  The gardens were fantastic and manicured to a tee! Big live oaks with Spanish moss hanging from the trees.  Artwork and fountains and pools are all over and there is a small art museum with hand carved work there.  There is also two or three places to eat there. We ate at the main restaurant and the food and AC was excellent!  After we had a nice lunch we headed out to the small zoo that is located in the gardens. They had all sorts of small animals from eagles, owls, farm animals, red wolfs and otters. I would highly recommend Brookgreen gardens for everyone! It is a very beautiful place but I would also suggest that you go when it's not quite as hot! When it got to be about 3 pm we were about done and headed back home another 3 hour drive and had time to mull over the days events and cool off in the car AC. We got home about 6. This was a full day of fun and shooting and being with friends for some wildlife .  I really enjoyed both Huntington Beach State Park and Brookgreen Gardens and would recommend it to anyone! So until next week get out and shoot!