As a wildlife photographer, I couldn’t wait to see Season 3 of Wild Photo Adventures, ever since watching the teaser trailer months back. I’ve been a fan of the show since the start, and so, when Doug sent me out a DVD of this latest season, I couldn’t wait to pop it in and see what he had in store this time round…
Your wild photo adventure begins here
For those that are not familiar with the show, you can check out my previous blog posts about season one and season two, but in essence, Doug travels to different parts of America to photograph the various wildlife and nature that can be found there. Along the way he is joined by a guest co-host for each episode and between the two of them, they offer advice and tips for the subject at hand.
HIGH DEFINITION
For those that are familiar with Wild Photo Adventures, season three offers more of the same as seasons one and two, with the difference being that this new instalment is filmed in HD, offering a much better picture quality than before, as well as a very nice new intro sequence (that alone will get you wanting to grab the camera and head off to some remote location!) and some updated on screen graphics during the shows themselves. It certainly looks and feels a lot more polished than before and shows how much Doug has learned since he started out!
Photographing pelicans from a canoe in Florida
I’ll quickly apologies now for my crude screen grabs which absolutely do not show things off to their best!
TWELVE EPISODES
Season three covers the following episodes:
- Wild Spring Flowers, Great Smokey Mountains, Townsend TN
- Wild Horses, North Carolina
- Storm Chasing in the mid-west
- Summer Wildflowers, Great Smokey Mountains
- Atlantic Puffins, Machias Seal Island, Maine
- Moose and Loons, Maines Northern Woods
- Shenandoah National Park
- Florida Everglades pt1
- Florida Everglades pt2
- Waterfowl pt1
- Waterfowl pt2
Episodes 12 & 13 are reserved for behind the scenes to the show and season highlights and well worth a watch. They give you a much better understanding of how this call team work round the clock to produce the show, and also shows what fun it can be at times (Doug, if you ever come to the UK, give me a shout 😉 ).
Atlantic Puffins episode is one of my favourite
My personal favourite episodes this season were Ep 5, Atlantic Puffins (maybe in part because I watched it after having only recently photographed Puffins for the first time myself), the Ep 9 Everglades part 2 (I’ve a huge soft spot for Florida, having shot there many times) and Waterfowl part 2, but as you can see from the various screen shots here, he covers an awful lot of terrain throughout the season.
VARIETY
It’s great to see Doug photographing a good variety of subjects in very different scenarios. And there are certainly a fair few covered in season 3. From the comfort of a hide…
One of the more comfortable shooting locations
To being camouflaged head to toe in wetlands grass, after a pre-sunrise arrival…
Doug blends in well with the surroundings
To gorgeous open lakes surrounded by mountains!
Another beautiful location from episode 6
It’s fair to say, the true spirit of wildlife photography is captured and even when things don’t go to plan, you never feel like Doug is having anything less than a great time just being out there in the elements!
REAL PASSION
And that’s the thing I’ve always liked about Wild Photo Adventures back since the start, is that Doug is very passionate about the outdoors. You can really sense his love of being out there (to coin his phrase, it’s not just about the photo, it’s outdoor experience) and really takes his time to explain what he’s doing and why, in a simple fashion and on the assumption that the viewer may be an amateur as much as they may be a professional. It’s a good approach to take, because a beginner will learn what Doug is doing and why with regards to camera settings and technique. Then, those of you who are more advanced will be able to fully appreciate the frustration when Doug spends hours laying in a cold stream waiting for the weather to turn, but doesn’t, or share in his excitement when the stumbles across a beautiful scene that was completely unplanned.
The show provides a lot of good information
Wild Photo Adventures has always done a good job of reconfirming for me that if you live in the USA, I’m highly jealous of all that it has to offer. Season 3 is absolutely no exception to that, and seeing all those beautiful locations in high definition only makes me want to see them for myself all the more. Above all, the show, without fail always makes me want to grab my camera and head out the door to find my next subject to point the lens at. It really is quite inspiring stuff and I can’t recommend it enough for anyone who loves wildlife, loves photography and loves adventure!
Captured images are also shown throughout the show
So, if want to find out more about the show, head over to WildPhotoAdventures.com and watch the trailer – but be prepared, if you’re anything like me it won’t be enough, and you’ll very quickly want to see the whole show for yourself, followed by a huge desire to jet off to another part of the world to have your own wild photo adventure!
