Merry Lea to host nature photography workshop Oct. 9-12

WOLF LAKE, Ind. – "Natural History for Nature Photographers" is the theme of a photography workshop at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College near Wolf Lake, Ind., from Oct. 9 to 12.

The annual event features lectures, illustrated slide shows and critique of student work, interspersed with free time outdoors. David Miller, Ph.D., will lead this year's workshop. Miller is an entomologist and avid nature photographer who recently retired from 20 years as program director at Merry Lea.

"Just as a portrait has more meaning if you know who the person is, a nature photograph is more meaningful if you know the species in the picture," Miller said. According to Miller, most top nature photographers are not only artists but also careful students of the natural world. "The more you know about your subject, the better your photographs are going to be," he says.

It is helpful to know when the species you hope to photograph are active and to be able to predict their behavior when approached. It is also helpful to be able to recognize the key species for a given ecosystem. "If you are hoping to capture a wetland, you don't want to focus on a Giant Ragweed that happens to be growing there as well," Miller said.

Merry Lea's nature photography workshop will be held at Merry Lea's Farmstead site, just south of Wolf Lake, Ind, in central Noble County. It begins at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 9, and ends at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12. The cost of the workshop is $475, which includes all meals from Thursday supper through Sunday noon and lodging at Rieth Village, Merry Lea's biological field station.

A beginners' overview will be offered Thursday, Oct. 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at no extra charge for those who need help with basic composition, lighting and camera use.

For more information, call (260) 799-5869. For a registration form, visit www.goshen.edu/merrylea/merrynews/upcoming.php. Directions are available on Merry Lea's Web site as well.

Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College is a 1,189-acre nature preserve located in central Noble County, midway between Fort Wayne and Goshen. Merry Lea's landscape includes a diversity of forest, prairie and wetland ecosystems. The center provides environmental education to people of all ages, including over 7,000 school children each year. Merry Lea was created with the assistance of the Nature Conservancy and the generosity of Lee A. and Mary Jane Rieth.

Editors: For more information about this release or to arrange an interview, contact Jennifer Schrock at (260) 799-5869 or jenniferhs@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys and U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.