Join OM System Ambassador Lee Hoy in Southeast Arizona in mid-August for an exciting Introduction to Macro Photography workshop! The summer monsoon season transforms the deserts, grasslands, canyons, and Sky Island mountain ranges of Southeast Arizona into an extraordinary destination for macro photography. Seasonal rainfall brings renewed vegetation, flowering plants, and an abundance of fascinating subjects, including butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies, grasshoppers, katydids, beetles, spiders, and an incredible diversity of reptiles and amphibians. From the lush riparian corridors of the San Pedro River to the oak woodlands and mountain canyons of the Huachuca and Chiricahua Mountains, photographers will discover a remarkable variety of macro opportunities. Mid-August offers a particularly exciting combination of summer insect activity, dramatic monsoon weather, and opportunities to photograph species that become more active following seasonal rains.

Mastering natural light is an essential component of successful macro photography, and Southeast Arizona provides wonderful opportunities to explore the creative possibilities of shooting without flash. The warm, directional light of early morning and late afternoon can beautifully illuminate the delicate patterns of butterfly wings, the intricate details of dragonflies, and the remarkable textures of reptiles and amphibians. Photographing with natural light allows you to preserve the atmosphere of the environment while creating soft backgrounds, pleasing colors, and a sense of place. However, working in shaded mountain canyons, dense vegetation, or beneath monsoon clouds requires an understanding of exposure, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. You will learn how to adapt to rapidly changing light conditions, recognize beautiful natural backgrounds, and use available light to create compelling macro photographs that go far beyond simple documentation.

Learning to use diffused flash opens an entirely different world of creative and technical possibilities. Flash photography is especially valuable when photographing small insects, spiders, reptiles, and amphibians in shaded habitats or during the lower-light conditions that frequently accompany the summer monsoon season. Properly diffused flash allows photographers to reveal extraordinary details, from the intricate compound eyes of a robber fly to the delicate textures of a tree frog's skin or the colorful patterns of a jumping spider. You will learn how to balance flash with ambient light, control reflections and shadows, and use short flash durations to minimize motion blur when photographing active subjects. The goal is not simply to add light but to create beautiful, natural-looking illumination that reveals the extraordinary complexity of the miniature world.

Designed specifically for beginning and intermediate macro photographers, this workshop emphasizes the combination of technical skills, creative vision, and exceptional fieldcraft. You will learn how to use super-telephoto lenses to photograph larger butterflies, dragonflies, and damselflies from greater working distances, allowing you to capture wary subjects without disturbing their natural behavior. We will explore the advantages of dedicated macro lenses for smaller subjects, the creative use of flash diffusion, and the techniques needed to produce sharp, detailed images at high magnification. Focus bracketing and focus stacking will be introduced as powerful tools for increasing depth of field while maintaining excellent image quality. Equally important, Lee will emphasize the art of fieldcraft—learning where to find subjects, understanding their behavior, approaching them without causing disturbance, and recognizing the environmental conditions that produce the best photographic opportunities.

Southeast Arizona during the summer monsoon season is a paradise for curious macro photographers. Every flowering plant, streamside thicket, rocky hillside, and woodland trail offers the possibility of discovering something extraordinary. This workshop is about much more than learning camera settings; it is about developing the observation skills, patience, technical confidence, and creative instincts necessary to become a better nature photographer. Whether you are photographing a colorful butterfly resting among summer wildflowers, a dragonfly hunting along a desert stream, or a tiny amphibian emerging after an afternoon thunderstorm, you will learn to see and photograph the remarkable natural world that so often goes unnoticed. Join us for an unforgettable macro photography adventure in the Sky Islands of Southeast Arizona!