Decisive Moments in Spectacular Light

Welcome

Hello, I’m Steve Cirone. I’ve spent decades photographing wildlife in Southern California where I have perfected specific photographic techniques for specific locations.

My photography has won many awards. I’ve served as president of the Sierra Club Photo Section and president of the Photonaturalists Club.

Imagine

Since 2007, I've been offering personalized photographic tours in Southern California. Thank you all for making this venture successful beyond anything I had envisioned!

I will guide you to spectacular nature photography spots such as the lakes, rivers, beaches, and lagoons of San Diego. Tours are customized to your needs and schedule.

Achieve

I'll show you how to determine when the light is right and where to be in relation to your subject so that you can be in the state of constant readiness. You will learn to predict and capture the Decisive Moment in Spectacular Light as it unfolds.

Along the way, we will observe amazing animals and their behavior and, hopefully, become better stewards of our environment.

 

Private Instructional Photo Tours

 

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San Diego offers an abundance of wildlife. Typical lake photographic opportunities include Wood Ducks, Snowy and Great Egrets, Little Green and Great Blue Herons, hawks, American Widgeons, Ring-Neck Ducks and Ospreys. In warm weather months, macro photography opportunities include dragonflies, spiders, and other insects.

Coastal species include Marbled Godwits, Long-Billed Curlews, Willets, Terns, Long-Billed Dowitchers, Sandpipers, Black-Bellied Plovers, and Whimbrels, just to name the regulars.

I’ll show you specific techniques for each species depending on what we discover. I photograph in San Diego almost daily, so I know what works.

We’ll cover:

You'll use your camera gear, but if you ask nicely, I might give you some hands-on time with my own equipment - using your CF card.

I get my equipment from B&H Photo. Click on the links to read more. If you decide to purchase, I'd appreciate it if you'd do it through one of these links because I'll get a small commission. I use the following equipment:

All tours are personally led by Steve and co-instructor, Elena Jones. You'll follow us in your own vehicle to the photo spots.

Price is $385 for an eight-hour day for one participant. A second photograher is only $100 additional per eight-hour day, so bring a friend. One non-photographing spouse or friend can come along for free.

To register with a credit card, use the PayPal buttons below. Additional eight-hour days can be added in the PayPal Shopping Cart window.

For date availability, email your preferences to steve@stevecirone.com or call my cell at 858-761-1020.

Private Photo Tour $385
Single Photographer
per eight-hour day

Second Photographer $100
per eight-hour day


For all of your equipment needs,I recommend these vendors. I've used them all for a long time because they have great service, selection, and very low prices. I get a small commission if you click through via my site.

 

Happy Customers

Spending the day photographing with you and Elena was exhilarating. I was anxious in anticipation - would I have the technical understanding; were my clothes right; could I meet the rigors of an all day shoot? As a 65 year old woman, I'm pleased to say I was good on all concerns.

You spotted us in 3 locales abundant with photo ops. I appreciate your generosity in sharing openly all your special winning techniques. Out of my 1400 shots, I came away with 80 that are great in my book.

And I've enjoyed getting to know you more personally, especially your loving relationship with Elena. Thank you for a great experience.

--Patricia Stevens

 

I would strongly recommend Steve & Elena's photographic tours, and you won't regret spending more than a day with them. I planned for one day only, but ended up staying for two days (and wouldn't have minded staying even longer if time permitted).

With their vast knowledge of San Diego's bird life and the best spots to shoot, there will always be something new to practice on every day - no two days will be alike. I haven't even sifted through a quarter of the 7700 images shot in the two days! So, come prepared with enough memory cards. We shot approximately 20GB each day. My pictures did not come close to this before.

Steve's equipment is great for shooting birds and can handle burst-shooting of 10 frames/second. This would not have been possible with my own camera, so I strongly recommend trying out his equipment at least for a short while. He would also be able to recommend the Nikon counterparts for all the equipment he uses should you be interested in expanding your accessories - be careful though, my wish list has grown significantly.

--Werner Janse van Rensburg (Capetown, South Africa)

 

I had never met Steve until this past week and only knew of him through a mention on Ken Rockwell's website. Given the incredible photos posted on his site and a Ken Rockwell review of a local Sierra Club slide show Steve gave during the past year, I decided that it was time for me to take a class from him.

If a fraction of his talent and knowledge could rub off, I figured it was worth a shot. I was interested in a one-on-one session to ensure maximum "bang for the buck."

As I live in the San Diego area, Steve was able to arrange for a session within hours of me contacting him. In a nutshell: it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my photographic career. Steve has a great data base to pass on and has no qualms about sharing his secrets. The latter being of particular note given that so many photographers consider everything to be proprietary. He has a vast knowledge of the local area: where (and when) to go for the best critters and can identify everything in sight.

If you don't have a complete rig, he gladly shares the best and latest equipment for you to handle/use. Lots of tips and great ideas come out during the shoots as well as during the wrap-up. And, to top it all off, Steve has a most outgoing personality and infinite patience that made our first day a resounding success.

Being local, Steve was amenable to splitting our two-day session up. His flexibility is noteworthy. So many people offering workshops seem aloof, mechanical and above their clients. Steve is none of those!! Can't recommend him highly enough!

--John Brueggeman (La Jolla, CA)

 

      Yes that was a blast, I'll be back. We have to figure a another three day shoot in a couple of months maybe. Let's see what my wallet's like. Can't wait to shoot your 1D Mark III again. Rock on.

--Todd Pacheco (Boston, MA)

 

Thank you for a great photo shoot! Before I head to the airport I wanted to let you know that I thought it was a great, well organized shoot. I'm sorry I had to leave early to get ready for my trip to Indiana.Thank your side-kick for me. She was a great help!

--Fred Mandabach