Smyrna Chapter Meeting April

Do you think you have to travel far for great photographic wildlife opportunities? Think again! With the right knowledge and approach you can take great wildlife images close to home. Using photos taken in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area as a case study, we will explore how to identify prime wildlife habitat suitable for photography, techniques for getting close to wildlife, and how to make the most of your wildlife encounters. Whether you’re just getting started in photographing wildlife or have logged significant hours ‘out in the field’, you’ll leave with practical tips to capture images of wildlife close to home.

Caught in the Act: Capturing Wildlife Close to Home

Harris Clayton:  My journey into photography began after I learned you could make a waterfall appear silky smooth just by changing the camera’s shutter speed (a foreign concept to me in the mid 2000’s). By 2009 I had purchased my first DSLR and fell in love with nature photography in the woods where I lived. I always enjoyed photographing wildlife, but it wasn’t until I moved close to the CRNRA in 2015 that I began to focus more intently on finding and photographing wildlife. I primarily share photos on Instagram, Facebook, or on my website (harrisclayton.com) to inspire a love of wildlife in others, but also have sold calendars and had an image of a turtle featured on the 2023 CRNRA annual pass.