Behind the Lens: Through the Eyes of a Wildlife Photographer
“I would do a tour again in a heartbeat. It will become an annual excursion for us.”
Lynn Fisher has an extraordinary hobby – wildlife photography. She considers herself a semi-professional photographer and travels all over to take one-of-a-kind photos of wildlife such as birds, deer, reptiles and more. Originally from Maryland, she lives there part of the year and Estero, FL for the gorgeous winter months.
One day she was eating at the Pub and Grill in Ave Maria, Florida and the waitress saw her 750mm lens camera and asked if she or her husband had been on an Orange Jeep Tour. They had not so immediately they went to the Ave Maria Welcome Center to find out more. Carol at the front desk gave them information and they knew it would be a great time so they booked a tour right away.
Mike, the OJT Adventure Guide customized the tour for Lynn and her husband, Clark. He checked the weather and informed them the best day and time to go to capture the shots they desired. They decided on the sunrise photography tour.
“That morning the light was a perfect golden glow. I have thousands of pictures of tri-colored herons who take their wings and fan them out to create shade, so fishes appear. But to me, what makes a good picture is seeing the wildlife do something different. The Belted Kingfisher is one of the most difficult birds to take a picture of. They’re skiddish and most photographers cannot capture them. I haven’t been able to take a photo of the Keltic until our tour. Mike is so seasoned he can spot birds right away in a tree or even in flight. Mike actually heard the Belted Kingfisher and if he didn’t say that I would have never gotten the shot. As much as I am around birds, I can’t tell what they sound like. And it was like the perfect storm… there she was on a tree branch with a fish on her mouth!”
“I just love when wildlife is in their natural environment, on a tree or bushes – not on a human-built structure. And this tour was Intimate – only myself, my husband, and our tour guide. We were truly the only people there which keeps it much more natural.
Mike pointed out spider webs, and capturing cobwebs are so cool. I thought to myself ‘I’ve got to photograph these’ and ironically, they have gotten the most response from my Facebook friends. They all were like ‘Wow – where did you get this?!’ The cobwebs are intact which is rare to find.” 
“Honestly, The Orange Jeep Tour in Ave Maria exceeds expectations for many riders. Travel through 6-mile cypress, corkscrew swamp, and while they are beautiful to walk through, very peaceful, this was a different experience. I would do a tour again in a heartbeat. It will become an annual excursion for us.”
A special thank you to Lindy Fish photography. You can view more photos from the tour by clicking HERE.