Kevin Loughlin

Keynote Presentation:
Galápagos Islands: Darwin’s Smoking Gun

WED 3:30 - 5 P.M.

Once the islands were a way station for whalers and pirates.  Then the Galápagos Islands, an archipelago 600 miles west of the coast of Ecuador, found a new identity  when a young British man, Charles Darwin, arrived during the voyage of the HMS Beagle in September 1835.  Darwin spent several weeks exploring four of the main islands and his observations were pivotal to his eventual realization that organisms change with time, that they evolve.  Today the Galápagos finches remain a clear and unambiguous example of the reality and ongoing nature of evolution by natural selection. 

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The Galápagos are ecologically unique.  Formed from the plate tectonics of the Pacific Ocean floor, the archipelago has never been connected with mainland South America.  Yet it has been repeatedly colonized by a remarkable assemblage of animals and plants that, once present, each followed their own evolutionary trajectories.  Visitors to the Galápagos thus enjoy remarkable and close up experiences among such creatures as giant tortoises, marine and land iguanas, the world’s most northern species of penguin, the world’s only flightless cormorant, and an array of others including sea lions, flamingos, sea turtles, exotic fish, and myriads of seabirds such as boobies, storm-petrels, frigatebirds, and the remarkable swallow-tailed gull.  High levels of endemism among animals and plants are seen throughout the archipelago, the most important factor in making these islands deserving of the term unique as well as continued strong  conservation efforts. 

Kevin Loughlin takes pleasure in the opportunity to discuss photographing the fauna and flora of the Galápagos Islands as well as delving into the remarkable natural history of the islands. He will share some of his adventures as well as discuss his new book Galápagos: A Natural History. 

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Keynote Presentation

Meeting Location Celebration Hall at St. Anastasia 5205 A1A S

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Price: $35

Difficulty Level: All Levels

Max No Participants: 100

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Watch Your Background! at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm

THU 7 - 10 A.M

What lies behind your subject can make or break your final image. Learning to pay attention to all elements in your image, light angle, shadow, composition and especially the background, will help you get better photos. We will also discuss using different lenses and depth of focus to isolate your subject or show it in its environment with these techniques: 

• Composition… choosing what to include 

• Seeing beyond your subject 

• Depth of field to improve your "focus" 

• Using telephoto compression 

• Seeing the light (and shadows) 

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Field Workshop

Meeting Location: St. Augustine Alligator Farm, 999 Anastasia Blvd. 

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Price: $100 + Annual Photo Pass

Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate

Max No People: 12​

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Suggested Gear List: Monopod or tripod, and a medium telephoto lens, somewhere in the range of 100-400mm.

Watch Your Background! at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm

FRI 7 - 10 A.M

What lies behind your subject can make or break your final image. Learning to pay attention to all elements in your image, light angle, shadow, composition and especially the background, will help you get better photos. We will also discuss using different lenses and depth of focus to isolate your subject or show it in its environment with these techniques: 

• Composition… choosing what to include 

• Seeing beyond your subject 

• Depth of field to improve your "focus" 

• Using telephoto compression 

• Seeing the light (and shadows) 

​

Field Workshop

Meeting Location: St. Augustine Alligator Farm, 999 Anastasia Blvd. 

​

Price: $100 + Annual Photo Pass

Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate

Max No People: 12​

​

Suggested Gear List: Monopod or tripod, and a medium telephoto lens, somewhere in the range of 100-400mm.

Watch Your Background!