November 2025 DPA Newsletter
November 2025 DPA Newsletter:
Expert Bird Photography Tips
Announcing: Celebrating Senior Shutterbug Champions Podcast Series (Coming Soon)
Private Holiday Photo Workshops
November FinerWorks Winners!
Hudson Valley Photo Instructor Brian Diescher shares a scenic time-lapse video capturing our favorite season here at the Digital Photo Academy headquarters!
We offer photo workshops in hundreds of scenic locations like this one in 24 cities across North America—each rich with photo opportunities.
November settles the season into calm. The last leaves linger, daylight fades faster, and the air takes on a quiet chill. For photographers, it’s a time to capture the subtle beauty of transition—bare branches against soft skies, warm light on cool days, and the quiet textures that hint at winter’s approach.
Digital Photo Academy is pleased to bring you the latest updates and photography inspiration in our monthly newsletter. This is all made possible by our valued sponsor, Finerworks.
Announcing: Celebrating Senior Shutterbug Champions Podcast Series (Coming Soon)
A new podcast series celebrating creative vitality no matter what age!
🎥 Watch our 1-Minute Preview Video
(Full 30-minute interview coming soon!)
Pop culture often buries the generations before it—but those voices and talents haven’t faded.
Celebrating Senior Shutterbug Champions is our upcoming podcast series spotlighting the world’s most accomplished senior photographers—the artists behind the iconic images that defined their generation over 50 years ago.
They continue to create, teach, and inspire, proving that artistry and energy don’t end with age.
Inspired by the success of our Celebrating Senior Shutterbugs Facebook page and the remarkable stories it reveals, this series asks: What about the photographers and cultural figures who helped define past eras? How are they still creating and contributing today?
We’re kicking off with acclaimed photojournalist Rick Friedman, whose four-decade career includes photographing presidents, scientists, and public figures for outlets like Time, National Geographic, Newsweek, and The New York Times.
Primer of the Month
Each month, we share a primer with insights from our instructors across the continent. It’s a chance to learn from experienced photographers and see how they approach their craft, through tips, advice, and a behind-the-scenes look at their photography.
Branching Out: A New Perspective on Bird Photography
By Digital Photo Academy Instructor Christopher Munoz in Washington D.C.
1) Don’t Let the Cold Months Stop You
There are few aspects of photography that draw as much interest and passion toward the art as getting that elusive perfect bird photograph. Fast-moving subjects that can be there one second and gone the next as they dart in and out of shadow can become addicting to chase.
But for many bird photographers, their camera straps tend to get hung up for a time when the chill of late fall into pre-blooming spring, with its more barren and monotone landscapes, takes over for a few months. Step out into that more frigid environment and see the landscape where our feathered friends live in a different light.
2) Pull Back and Include the Environment
Almost all of us have, and for good reason, obsessively looked to fill our camera’s frame as much as possible with the feathered beauties that we seek. And why wouldn’t you? It is incredibly satisfying and beautiful to capture those crisp details, vibrant colors, and myriad expressions and behaviors that they can display.
But what if you pull back a bit and recognize the homes of our feathered friends as the compositional beauties that they are?
3) Use Bare Branches to Build Your Composition
During this brisk time of year, the barren and leafless bodies of the trees offer the photographer multiple advantages. You can see further into your wooded landscape without the obstructions of the chlorophyll-filled curtains blocking your view.
You may need access to a longer lens if you are set on getting as close to that woodpecker as possible while it drums quite a distance away. But in constantly doing so, there are countless different gifts of composition given to you by nature that are going completely overlooked.
Every one of those thousands of branches has unique angles and textures. On their own, shooting them can create beautiful works of art that almost channel the spirits of traditional Japanese woodblock prints.
When you can get one of our favorite flying subjects to pose in that perfect spot on one of the most dynamically dramatic arms of a dogwood, maple, or any other seasonally resting shrub, you may just have snapped a masterpiece. And one of the best parts: you don’t necessarily need the longest or most expensive telephoto lens to get it!
4) Train Your Eye for Wider Compositions
As you peer into the trees, start shifting your focus away from being laser-set on our beautiful feathered friends. Use your peripherals after spotting one, and concentrate on the different shapes surrounding it.
Instead of placing your subject in the center frame, think about where its position on its perch would best serve a wider compositional view of the landscape.
This can be uncomfortable at first if you have always birded in a more traditional manner, but with time and practice, you’ll start seeing nature’s angles and frames in new ways.
5) Embrace Overcast Skies for Soft, Minimalist Shots
Skies are another consideration to make while shooting. Overcast days are a favorite for me!
The blues of the sky can certainly make for beautiful backdrops in this kind of photo, as can a few nice, puffy clouds. But a slightly slower shutter speed on a completely overcast day can lead to beautifully blown-out white backgrounds that lend an awesome minimalist feel.
Not to mention the soft, even light you get under the natural diffusion of the cloud cover.
6) Adjust Settings to Balance Light and Detail
Hold that camera steady or try a monopod, and don’t forget how much better noise reduction has become in editing programs if you really want to bump up the ISO to speed up your shutter or shrink your aperture.
I love working at f/8 as it provides a good depth of field for your surroundings while still allowing for a workable shutter speed.
In the past, I would go up to ISO 3200 max, and only if absolutely necessary. With today’s advanced denoise tools, I’ll comfortably double that to ISO 6400 or even higher if I’m in a low-light pinch. Still, keeping the ISO as low as possible remains a good rule of thumb.
7) Use Pops of Color for Striking Contrast
Under those skies is a plethora of species to work with after a short hike into your favorite local trail.
The bright red crown of a pileated or red-bellied woodpecker can add a powerful pop of color against the muted tones of leafless trees. Some of my favorite prints come from draining much of the brown from the trees in post-processing, creating color splash effects uncommon in bird photography.
A cardinal among winterberries complements the scene beautifully, while a turkey vulture against bare branches provides dramatic contrast. Even without bold color, the dynamic lines and angles of the branches can stand on their own as a work of art.
8) Create Your Own Opportunities at Home
You can even set up a bird feeder next to a tree on your property and not have to leave your own backyard.
Setting up a feeder behind your place the day before a snowstorm can be a great way to capture action for snowy compositions. The red of a cardinal against fresh snow is one of my favorite results, but even the earth-toned sparrow can make for a striking, subtle image.
9) Share, Print, and Profit from Your Work
I have provided some examples of my own work to give you an idea of the types of compositions available to you if you adapt your mindset a bit.
After a little time and effort, you may find yourself with your own shots that make for some of your favorite new desktops, wallpapers, or framed prints.
Your passion may even lead to selling prints to others who appreciate your work. The fierce angles, textures of leafless trees, and pops of color against muted landscapes provide incredible opportunities to create and share.
So get out there — and chase those cardinals in the snow!
🎄 Private Holiday Photo Workshops
Capture Your Signature Style for the Season
Price: $375 | Duration: 3.5 hours | Location: Your time, your place
Get ready to photograph your holiday memories with confidence and creativity. In this private, hands-on session, a Digital Photo Academy instructor will guide you through key photography techniques—lighting, composition, camera or phone settings, and more—so you can tell your holiday story in your own visual style.
Whether you’re capturing a Christmas feast, a Kwanzaa celebration, or candid family moments, this 3.5-hour personalized workshop will prepare you to document every detail beautifully. Perfect for individuals, couples, or small groups.
📸 You’ll Learn:
- How to capture group portraits, intimate moments, and festive details
- Creative lighting and framing techniques for holiday photos
- Tips for photographing meals, ceremonies, and special effects like twinkling lights or snowfall
| Ready to book your private session? Contact us! |
| 📧 DPABooking@DigitalPhotoAcademy.com 📞 1.877.372.2231 | 917.597.7053 |
Artist Spotlight: Timi Ogundipe
As a rare exception to our usual celebration of photography, we tribute Timi Ogundipe for his soulful creativity spanning street art, fine art, and conceptual installation.
We encourage you to connect with Timi—and if you do, say hello from all of us. Enjoy his self-portraits herein.
About Timi and His Work:
Timi Ogundipe is an East Coast–based artist whose work combines abstract painting and street art. He’s best known for his freehand circles, which he calls cyphers—a series he’s been expanding for years, drawing thousands of circles by hand as part of a personal, long-term project.
Working with spray paint, house paint, and markers, Timi builds layered surfaces that mix the energy of graffiti with the precision of pattern. His art has appeared in Miami, Boston, and Berlin, often shown in both galleries and public spaces.
November FinerWorks Award Winners
Every month, our judges select 2 of our social media members to receive an HD Metal print of one of their photos, printed by our sponsor Finerworks.
We choose one winner from each of our Facebook groups:
“Celebrating Senior Shutterbugs” and “Digital Photo Academy Community”
| Posted on our “Digital Photo Academy Community” Facebook group by Jesus Trejo: |
| Posted on our “Celebrating Senior Shutterbugs” Facebook group by Gayle Fischer: |
Monthly Small-Group Photo Workshops in 24 Cities
Plus Private Classes on Your Schedule
Since 2006, Digital Photo Academy has offered hands-on photography workshops in 24 cities across North America.
Access the live cities page on our website to explore upcoming photo workshops in your area. Elevate your photography skills with help from our experienced instructors in interactive sessions!
Our Social Media
Connect, share, and spread cheer! Join our Facebook groups to participate in our monthly prize contests in collaboration with Finerworks.
Facebook Groups:
“Celebrating Senior Shutterbugs” and “Digital Photo Academy Community”
Main Pages:
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