Come join us at Dinner Island Ranch (DIR) for some late afternoon and evening photography. Perhaps we can capture some afternoon thunderstorms, a gorgeous sunset, and maybe some moonlit landscapes; whatever nature decides to give us. For sure, it’ll give us cows, and they’re just so cute! Most likely you’ll see many birds. Maybe even the elusive Crested Caracara!

Dinner Island Ranch is a HUGE piece of property. I highly recommend you do a little research (if you haven’t been here before) to get a lay of the land before showing up. Click the LINK here. In short, it was once owned by the Hilliard family as a cattle ranch but also grew a bit of citrus and sugarcane.  Eventually the State became the owners of the property and its now operated as a Wildlife Management Area (WMA) that still allows cattle ranching. And there are cows everywhere roaming the prairie and woods. There are a few buildings located on the property that make for great photos. And as a WMA, there are plenty of birds and other wildlife. I’ve seen deer and alligators, and of course, mosquitoes.

Lets meet at the Check Station circled in red below. While there, I’ll pass out some paper maps of the area that you can follow. I recommend we all take the advice of my friend Jennifer Renwick in her latest blog post about slow photography (this was also posted on our private Facebook page). And by ‘slow photography’ I don’t mean long exposure! 😄 It’s about going out with no expectations and just looking around, seeing what excites you, what makes you want to get out of your car and explore. Then, taking your time, getting to know your subject, exploring all the angles and coming up with your unique way of photographing the subject. 

I’ve found that everyone has different interests when it comes to DIR. There are the cows and birds (and other wildlife), there are the former cypress domes teeming with gorgeous moss-covered trees, there are man-made structures and wildflowers, there are waterways with lily pads, and prairies galore! So much to fill up an afternoon and evening.

At the check station, we’ll go over the areas on the map so you can decide what you’d like to do, and where you’d like to explore. You can pair up with others or head off on your own. This is totally up to you. 

Please be sure to RSVP to let me know you are planning to attend. Click the button below.