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Showing My Nephew the Ropes (of Wildlife Photography)
Colorado CJ
Registered Users Posts: 155 Major grins
My 10 year old nephew is very close to me, always wanting to go with uncle on hikes, prospecting, etc... He got an Ipod for Christmas and has been really showing an interest in photography.
So, this weekend, I spent two days with him hiking and showing him the ropes on wildlife photography. He hasn't been out with me before while I was photographing wildlife so he hasn't got very close to wild animals. Today that changed.
Most of the photos below were taken with my Tair 3 300mm F4.5 lens.
Here is a photo of my nephew while we were out at the local lake looking for Kestrals.
26-Feb-2012-1 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
26-Feb-2012-2 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
We didn't get a shot of the Kestrals that day, although we did see them. We got a decent shot of an owl anyway.
26-Feb-2012-3 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
We then headed for the high country to see if we could find some deer and elk to photograph.
His mom didn't pack a heavy coat, so he had to make due with some of my old hunting clothes
26-Feb-2012-7 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
On the hike I saw a herd of around 60 elk in the distance. My nephew got real excited as we made our way towards the herd. Along the way I explained to him how to go about getting close to elk and deer and to follow my lead. We got to within 100 yards or so and I thought that was close enough for him. He took out his ipod and started shooting away, it was great watching him get so excited about photography.
26-Feb-2012-4 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
We later came up on a small herd of young mule deer. I again showed him the way to get close to these animals to get the most out of his photography. We got a lot closer to these as they posed no real danger compared to elk. He was again shooting away and making videos as we got to within 20 feet of some of the mulies.
Here he is shooting away with his ipod.
26-Feb-2012-4b by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
26-Feb-2012-5 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
26-Feb-2012-6 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
26-Feb-2012-11 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
He even picked up my Tair 3 and took this shot while I was out shooting some film. Not a flattering photo, but VERY good for a little kid using a fully manual 300mm lens
26-Feb-2012-8 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
We had a great time and it was fun watching him getting all excited about getting close to the wildlife. I've been wanting to pick up another body for some time, but after today, I'm GOING to make it a priority. The ipod is nice, but I'd like for him to be shooting with a DSLR the next time I take him out on one of my photography trips.
Here is a parting shot taken with my new Auto Takumar 55mm F2.2
26-Feb-2012-9 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
So, this weekend, I spent two days with him hiking and showing him the ropes on wildlife photography. He hasn't been out with me before while I was photographing wildlife so he hasn't got very close to wild animals. Today that changed.
Most of the photos below were taken with my Tair 3 300mm F4.5 lens.
Here is a photo of my nephew while we were out at the local lake looking for Kestrals.
26-Feb-2012-1 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
26-Feb-2012-2 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
We didn't get a shot of the Kestrals that day, although we did see them. We got a decent shot of an owl anyway.
26-Feb-2012-3 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
We then headed for the high country to see if we could find some deer and elk to photograph.
His mom didn't pack a heavy coat, so he had to make due with some of my old hunting clothes
26-Feb-2012-7 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
On the hike I saw a herd of around 60 elk in the distance. My nephew got real excited as we made our way towards the herd. Along the way I explained to him how to go about getting close to elk and deer and to follow my lead. We got to within 100 yards or so and I thought that was close enough for him. He took out his ipod and started shooting away, it was great watching him get so excited about photography.
26-Feb-2012-4 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
We later came up on a small herd of young mule deer. I again showed him the way to get close to these animals to get the most out of his photography. We got a lot closer to these as they posed no real danger compared to elk. He was again shooting away and making videos as we got to within 20 feet of some of the mulies.
Here he is shooting away with his ipod.
26-Feb-2012-4b by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
26-Feb-2012-5 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
26-Feb-2012-6 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
26-Feb-2012-11 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
He even picked up my Tair 3 and took this shot while I was out shooting some film. Not a flattering photo, but VERY good for a little kid using a fully manual 300mm lens
26-Feb-2012-8 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
We had a great time and it was fun watching him getting all excited about getting close to the wildlife. I've been wanting to pick up another body for some time, but after today, I'm GOING to make it a priority. The ipod is nice, but I'd like for him to be shooting with a DSLR the next time I take him out on one of my photography trips.
Here is a parting shot taken with my new Auto Takumar 55mm F2.2
26-Feb-2012-9 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr
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How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
“There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are.”
I didn't get any very good pictures this time out, I was mostly spending time instructing my nephew and helping him get close in. After the deer encounter where he was about 20 feet from some of them (just small guys, no real danger), if there were walls, he would have been bouncing off them . He got REAL excited.
I've been planning on picking up a gently used K20D for some time. Looks like I need to sell some lenses and pick up one as soon as possible. I'd like him to use my Kx with an autofocus lens (for now), while I use the K20D and the monster Tair 3.