Family Wildlife Photography Tours

A teacher friend once told me to set no more than two rules at a time for children, so here they are for this excursion:

1. Look in every corner of your viewfinder before pressing the shutter. (Beginners tend to look only at what's in the center of a frame.) This is a first lesson in photo composition.

2. Follow our wildlife-watching rules. Photograph your animal subject as is. No fair spooking critters with noise, running or thrown objects, which can distress them.

Start your novice shutterbug out with a point-and-shoot digital camera. Beginners can see immediate results, and you can delete unwanted shots instead of wasting money printing them.

For the best results, begin your photo tour where animals are contained.

F-Stop 1: Calusa Nature Center

Along the trails at Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium in Fort Myers, they can shoot a bobcat and albino raccoon in their cages. Once they get quick with the shutter finger, take them to the butterfly house. With a flash, they can capture the snakes, scorpion and baby alligators inside the nature center.

F-Stop 2: Everglades Wonder Gardens

Now it's time to graduate to action shots, and the animal shows at Everglades Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs furnishes just the opportunity. Start with the panthers in their cages and alligators in their ponds. Try action shots of an alligator feeding frenzy (heed signs warning against placing children on ledges) and sliding otter show.

F-Stop 3: Babcock Wilderness Adventures

Older children have more patience for shooting animals in their natural habitats, and Lee County provides endless locations. Again, start easy. At Babcock Wilderness Adventures in North Fort Myers, kids can warm up at the snake display, then hop aboard the swamp buggy tour to shoot Cracker cattle, sandhill cranes, white-tailed deer and alligators in the wild.

F-Stop 4: “Ding" Darling Wildlife Refuge

For shots of birds, head to J.N. “Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island. Go at low tide, when roseate spoonbills, herons, egrets and white pelicans (in winter) gather to feed. For aerial views, climb the observation tower. In late mornings, alligators lumber out onto the banks to sun themselves – make sure to keep your distance for safety's sake.

F-Stop 5: Manatee Park

Those quick enough on the draw can graduate to our showy marine animals. Head to Manatee Park in Fort Myers in winter or spring to capture the gentle sea cows as they surface for air. Or take the family on a dolphin excursion and see who can capture the graceful acrobats as they leap and frolic in the boat’s wake.

Taking pictures together as a family enhances our many wildlife attractions and tours by involving kids in an interactive experience. They tend to learn more about the creatures they're shooting and remember them long after they’ve returned home.