Tallahassee Year Round

[Kari Post]

Florida State University has a graduate program in Conservation Biology so I'm looking into possibly doing my master's or doctorate's there. I've never been to Tallahassee though and wonder what type of opportunities exist for nature photography in the area. If I attend FSU, I'd relocate to Tallahassee for at least a couple of years, so I'm looking for info on opportunities for bird, wildlife, landscape, and any other nature photography year round. Thanks in advance for your help!

[Michael Pancier]

Hi Kari. There are some great beaches and conservation areas in the Panhandle area.

Here are some links to the Florida State Parks in that area .... http://www.floridastateparks.org/information/1TankAdventures.cfm

As James would tell you, you're better off going to the University of Florida in Gainesville .... North/Central Florida offers amazing areas for nature work as I'm sure you've seen here.... and you can be a Gator too rather than a Nole ....

[Judd Patterson]

A couple hours west of Tallahassee and you are in prime country to go looking for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (like I did in 2006). :) Besides the long-shot wildlife, I think you'll find that north Florida is much less photographed than south Florida. That's not to say that there are no opportunities, just that it hasn't become "swamped" like the south. There are still lots of birds and gators up there, and some amazing natural areas with cool species like pitcher plants...I keep wanting to drive up there to photograph Apalachicola National Forest. As Michael mentions, the seascapes of the panhandle are hard to beat too. Good luck deciding on a location for your graduate studies...it's a big move, but most conservation biology programs are situated near some great photography opportunities.