We had a marvelous time at the Winter Wings Festival this past weekend! It included taking photographers out to Klamath NWR for some bird photography. Jordan got us on a couple of thousand Snow Geese which was simply fantastic! We spent a few hours set up on them as they did what Snow Geese do on migration. Between Bald Eagles and their own urges, they would take to the air over and over again. And as the wind kicked up, they were challenged to land in what they thought was their perfect spot. With the D5 / 800mm locked in place (and braced against the winds), I shot some video of the elegance these birds have in the air. Enjoy!
I pride myself on having all the tools I need to tell a story and nothing more. It’s the old, less is more and, spending capital wisely. More importantly, I really push myself to have the right tools with me at the time I need them. I have list after list to make sure of that. So missing a photograph because of being stupid really spools me up!
I was out shooting in this new locale for us, The Celery Fields and had a great photo opportunity that I missed. I missed it because of a tool I own but rarely, rarely use and because of that, I left it at home. In my own head, why own a tool if you’re going to leave it at home? That’s just stupid as well as poor business sense. Yet that’s what I did and I regret it. The tool, a simple polarizer! Yep, the photo above of the Green Heron, the polarizer would have effectively removed the highlight reflection on the water and pads. That would have made the heron pop and the story complete. Even though I was shooting with the gorgeous 800mm on the mighty D5, without the 52mm drop-in polarizer, I came back empty-handed. The polarizer is back in my bag, I would make that mistake again. The moral of the story, if you own there is a reason and leaving it at home defies that reason. I hate being stupid!
The MP Series made in conjunction with MindShift and Think Tank is the PERFECT bags for your winter travels! The MP-1v2, MP-3v2, and MP-7v2 are designed to fit each photographer’s unique gear requirements. How? Just check out the videos! In a nutshell, full 360 foam, padded shoulder straps and it still fits in the overhead of every plane (except upper deck on 747). Want to buy yours, follow this link and you can order and get it coming to you instantly!
And how do I pack the MP-1v2 with my gear, here ya go!
It’s so GREAT to hear from all of you who got new camera gear under the tree this Christmas! The excitement level is off the charts this AM, so are the questions! I have some resources here that might help as I’m not going to get to all the emails today (have a project to move forward). First are these two videos which cover a lot of the questions I’ve seen so far. Next, you can check out all the camera settings I use and more videos on gear on my Moose Gear page. Lastly, use the search engine here on the site for even more info. Most of all, remember to have FUN as that’s what photography is all about!
You wanna show in your photograph “mass” but don’t know which lens to use. This is a very common dilemma that perhaps I can make a suggestion. My example here is from Bosque del Apache where the mass is the flock of birds as they take to the skies. There might be thousands upon thousands in your viewfinder at a time! Now how do you bring that site (cause we can’t bring the sound with a still) to life? It comes down to how much of your frame is filled with birds. The easiest is with a long lens. The hardest is the wide lens as you need more acreage with more coverage. Before the event happens, no way of knowing which will be the best lens choice. What I recommend if you have to pick, go long first as you’re basically guaranteed the shot. In the perfect world, you have two bodies with two lenses so if you have the acreage filled with the mass, you can make the wide shot. It’s merely food for thought, but might help you next time you have to make the choice.
