My Photos Equip I Have

ginger_55

Last Sunday, we went to the old Navy Base where I understood there was a marina where an Osprey lived. Some distance out in the water, sure enough, an Osprey family. No take offs, no landings. With my equipment, my success rate was not terribly high. Perhaps, possibly, it would have been higher with a tripod, but I like to handhold. I did. I got this photo. With no take offs and no landings, I am happy with this.

I am sure longer glass would be beneficial to my success rate in such situations, but I also suspect that it would change my photography. I like to grab my camera, my backpack and "run", or at least go. I like the feeling of freedom and stalking with a lens: kind of a primitive feeling. I am sure I would buy a 600 mm lens if I had the money. But how much I would use it, I suspect, I am more of a 400 mm lens, handhold type person. I took the TC off as soon as I realized that there would be egrets in flight. It is too slow on the focus. Can't get a good lock soon enough.

Here are mine:













All of these were taken Sunday June 11, 2006

I didn't know I had a "good" osprey shot, or I would have worked it
up sooner.

My problem on the others...........I have so many. I keep thinking of
Steve saying once that it takes too much time to work up a shot to spend
time on a bad shot.

Well, when I am busy as I have been...............it just seems like, "What am I going to do with another egret", or even an Osprey for that matter. So I work up as much as I can, try to go to new places and things..........whatever. I am just trying to have fun!

I love to be where these birds are, I don't always like working up the shots, and I would love some variety. I have been looking for the Wood Storks. I heard they were breeding down in Beaufort, where I don't know and probably don't have access. They will be here..........that was one reason I went to Boone Hall and got butterflys on Monday. I was hoping to find a Wood Stork. Not yet............. but soon!

That was a great wood stork shot, Harry! Any Wood Stork sighting would be exciting to me right now.

ginger

erich6

Ginger,

I'm still learning a lot about photography but in the last couple of years that I've been shooting (seriously) I'm becoming more and more convinced that it's better to shoot more and process less. Not only do you enjoy yourself more (who wouldn't rather be out there taking shots than sitting in front of a computer?) but you also learn more and have a better chance of capturing that dream shot. To boot, I've found that when the shot is just right it requires much less touch-up and processing later on. All-around a good thing.

Without taking lots of pictures you're down to a few samples and then you feel like you have to "salvage" just so that you can show something for it. It's a blessing that you can devote the time you do to your photography. Enjoy it!

Erich

BTW. These are very nice for handheld. Are you using your reworked 20D?

raian

ginger, nice shots. 400mm. I can only envy you. Someday I'll have it too.

Anyway, woodstorks.. I've seen four of them recently, flying over my field. I don't know where they are going. Or where they are coming from. I've seen them several times when I was out there with the dogs. No camera.. besides they were too high for my 200mm anyway

You sure do get around town, girl! I hope to get to the agility field this saturday morning.. if I can get up early enough.. I work until 2:00 a.m. on friday nights, so I'm usually not real motivated to get up before 7:00 a.m. on saturdays.

ginger_55

Thanks, Erich! No, I just checked, online, the status of my 20D still at Canon. Accepted, whatever that means, but not shipped yet.
I use Bill's when I can. These were shot with Bill's camera. I was really diligent to shoot all weekend, including Monday, as I knew Bill would have the camera the rest of the week.

The advantage to Bill's is that the sensor is totally clean, or it was when he first let me use it. There are a few spots on it now, but very few.

His belongs to the company he works for, it is also a 20D, so I do use my lenses.

I would have worked up that Osprey shot, I thought there was a good one on the card (I check them in the car), but I couldn't find it when I got home. Then I was shooting so much, working other stuff up for dailies, etc. If not for wanting to post tonight, I might have missed it, and it is just about the best Osprey shot I have taken. There is one I was shooting last year, way up on a pole on a busy highway to an island.

This is only the second Osprey I have seen, and I was told about it. We got lost finding it, and I still don't know where we were well enough to get there. Besides, my experience with Ospreys is that it is a long sit and wait game!

Thanks again for stopping,

ginger

Andy

You got your camera back!

raptorcaptor

Hi Ginger, Nice Osprey shot! We finally have a breeding pair near where I live, but they are very hard to get close to. I also shoot with a 400mm lense and it is a good size for hiking around with.

ginger_55

Hi, Raian, thank you for stopping! I can see that if you work til 2 AM, you would not be terribly motivated to get up early AM that same day!

I envy you the woodstorks. I know there are some here already, but I have not been out every day..............all day! Last Monday when I wanted birds, it was terribly windy! I mean extremely windy. Very few birds out!

I have to check, but Bill may have left his camera, and I may go to Magnolia today!

ginger

jwear

people with long glass ----sit and sit wait and wait .good for some things but does take the fun of hunting and roaming well unless doc is along to carry it for us

Dick on Aruba

I'm always glad to see you having a lot of fun with your equipment. These
captures standing as proof. Well done.

Dick.

ginger_55

Thanks, Dick!

actually, this is not complaining.................but sometimes it is a lot of work. So I try to make it as pleasurable as possible.

Funny, I will work hard for "nothing", but for "pay", I choke!

This afternoon, it will be work, trying to breathe and get my equipment into the rookery and out again. The payoff will be to see which baby birds are where. I am particularly anxious to see if the red winged black bird babies are still there.

ginger