Guest Review – Shoot The Light Workshop, Manatees At Crystal River, Florida

By Mike Johnson

Website:  http://www.mojphoto.com

I recently spent a few days on a Shoot the Light Workshop (www.shootthelight.com) with Charles Glatzer and five other photographers.

Our subjects were the manatees that spend the winter in the spring fed pools on the Crystal River in Florida.

This seems to be a popular tourist attraction, which makes the photography difficult in two ways:  first, there are a lot of people at the springs which means framing images is challenging.  Second, the folks visiting the manatees kick up a lot of sediment in the shallow waters, making a clear image difficult.

We stayed at the Crystal River Best Western (http://www.crystalriverresort.com)  which is right on the water and a short boat ride to the springs.  They also have a full dive shop  where you can rent all the gear needed.  The water is a constant 72 degrees due to the springs and you will need a wet suit.

As for gear, I used a Canon 5d markII with a 16-35mm lens.  The camera was protected by an EWA underwater bag which I purchased at B&H.  At first glance, you think the bag is risky.  But it performed flawlessly over a four day period. (Link to EWA at B&H Photo).  While expensive, it is a fraction of a dedicated housing.

It is best to go the springs at high tide.  It seemed that the manatees would leave the springs and go to the river before low tide and return at high tide.  I don’t know if their behavior was unique to our visit or varies during the winter.  It would be something to check out.  You an hire a guide to take you to the site, or rent a boat or pontoon to go yourself.  It is easy to find, so I would recommend renting your own boat.

Manatees are one of nature’s odder creatures.  Here is the Wikipedia writeup: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manatees.
They are very gentle and spend a lot of time on the bottom.  They are mammals, so they need to go to the surface every few minutes for air, which provides some of the better photo ops.