Gear we use and abuse - Binoculars

The single most important bit of kit I carry in my bag is my binoculars.

Not my camera or long lens? No.

If I cannot see my subjects to begin with then I have no hope of getting into a position to get images of them.

When I go out to photograph wildlife, I always tell my self that I am going to see the wildlife and if I can get a photo well that is a bonus. On days like these, that is sometimes hard to reconcile in your mind - but I try all the same. But the good thing about those times is that I was able to still enjoy watching because I had my binos.

Now these are very personal bits of kit and what some people like others really dislike.

But here are my thoughts based on many many years of bird and wildlife watching, even before the photo bug took hold.

Best size is generally 8 or 10 x. I have tried larger magnifications but it makes for blurry images due to movement, although you can get IS models, but the subject can be much harder to find. I once tried out the Canon 12 x image stabilised models and just found it so much more difficult to find the subjects, particularly the smaller birds in the trees.

I would also recommend getting at least 40 in the second number - the size of the object lens. The bigger the number, the brighter the image as more light is getting in. I have used the dinky 8 x 25 compacts but found them to be pretty poor for serious wildlife watching.

Now the final thing is how much to spend. Well it all depends on how serious you are, but essentially, as with camera lenses you generally get what you pay for. You can get reasonable working models from about £100 to 150 in the UK but as you spend more the image just keeps getting better.

If you don't believe me go to one of the Optics centre that are around some of the larger nature reserves. Pick up a £100 pair and then pick up the equivalent Zeiss, Svarokski or Leica, usually around the £1000 or more mark, and tell me you can't see a difference.

But you have to pick a pair that meets your price range.

I currently use a very fine pair from Opticron, 8 x 42 SRGA models. Conventional shaped binoculars, bright, sharp and pretty light. But that doesn't stop me lusting for the latest Leica HD models.

So never go out without them, as even if you don't get any photos, you will see so much more

Martin

Use Protection-Be Safe

Now that spring is with us and summer is around the corner the weather is warming up and the bugs are coming out to play, we need to get our sensible heads on, Firstly we spend alot of time outdoors and need to take precautions against the sun, Cancer is a real threat and sunburn is just plain uncomfortable, Make sure high factor sun cream is applied regularly and take a cloth to keep your hands as dry as possible, Sun cream and cameras don't work to well, I had a Canon 5D -yes film- years ago that i took travelling and the hand grip peeled due to coming into contact with suncream and bug spray, So that brings me onto bug spray-nearly every country now has mosquitoes and not all of them are night time fliers, Early mornings and evening sessions become a pain in more ways that one, When shooting badgers in used to wear a wide brimmed hat and a net over my head to get some peace from the most annoying things on the planet, When shooting in foreign countries you may also need malaria tablets as well, Bug spray can help keep all biters at bay but most sprays and cream tend to be scented so be careful when trying to shoot animals like deer and downwind will be the only way to get close enough to shoot, If you are approaching a deer and he suddenly lifts his head and licks his nose then he knows you are around, As mentioned bug spray and camera gear don't work so either use gloves-i use a think cotton camo pair in the summer-or take a cloth and keep as much off of the cameras as possible, Whilst talking of bugs lets mention Ticks, Now they are not that common in the UK but they are around and where you find deer you will find ticks and ticks that can carry Lyme disease this is a very real danger to your health, Here in the USA Lyme disease is wide spread and not nice-flu like symptoms that if left untreated will cause lasting health problems, Get a friend or partner to check you for ticks, I have had them on me in Switzerland, France and India , Care is needed when removing them so as not to break the head off, I use a tick remover that i bought from a vets for my dog,Its like a minute claw hammer that you slide under the tick and slowly pull and twist at the same time, I was told that a tick breathes out of its rear end as its head is buried so a blob of vaseline over the tick will make it reverse out as it tries to get air, Sensible clothing with long sleeves and a wide brimmed hat will all help keep you cool and safe


Dave

Following on................

From this post I was asked to put up some more of the images I used in the portfolio but just before I put them up I would like to thank all of you who left kind comments for me. They are very much appreciated.

Brown Honey Fungus Armilleria Ostoyae
taken in Warwickshire

Buachaile Etive Mor, Glencoe, Scotland

Loch na h Alaise, Rannoch Moor, Scotland

Slavonian Grebe, Loch na Keal, Isle of Mull







Martin

Gear we use and abuse-Think Tank Security

As air travel is getting harder and harder for the photographer and with a trip or two coming up i decided to push the boat out and buy a new bag for my kit, Not just any bag but a bag designed specifically for the travelling photographer, The Think Tank security is designed to fit the maximum amount of gear into the bag and still meet airline requirements for over head lockers, I somehow managed to get my 600F4,200-400,24-70,14-24,Flash +beamer,2 pro bodies and leads into it, The great thing about the bag is that it has an extendable handle and wheels so the airport staff wont see you struggling with the weight (until you are on the plane and try to lift it into the locker) Its an incredibly well made piece of kit and has some nice features like a rain cover, built in steel rope, backpack straps incase you decide to have it on your back and lots of pockets for filters etc, And one of the best features is that it doesnt 'scream' Photographer, It just looks like a normal case, Not cheap but an investment and if it makes air travel easier then its well worth the initial outlay, Next month i am off to Colorado so that will be its first real test although this coming weekend i am off to the Smokey mountains again so will be taking it then as well


Dave

Blow my own trumpet time

I recently put together a body of print work consisting of a total of 15 mounted prints, all at A3 size for submission to the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain.

Yesterday was judgement day!!!!

So while I was at the RPS Nature Group Exhibition at Smethwick looking at some fantastic images from the members in print and projected form, my carefully crafted work (?) was being poured over in deepest Surrey.

Well I received the good news yesterday evening that I have net the criteria so now have a Distinction i.e DPAGB.

The work I submitted consisted solely of wildlife and landscape images so though I would share some of them below.

Bittern at Slimbridge, Gloucestershire












Sanderling at Titchwell, Norfolk










Stonechat at Cley, Norfolk








Martin

Photoshop Zoom Burst

In the good ol days of film i would sometimes set your camera to get a long shutter speed-1 sec or more and then when hitting the shutter button smoothly zoom and you would get a 'zoom' effect on the image, I played with this a few time on plants and landscapes etc, The other day i shot for the first time a baseball game, The images came out great-very sharp but some of the backgrounds were a tad busy so i thought i would have a play and came across the zoom burst effect on Photoshop, I know its not a wildlife image but this effect can be used say on a lions head to draw the eye into it and give it a dynamic effect, I am not really one for manipulating images but to have a play around every now and again is a good thing, For the baseball image here i firstly went to filter>blur>radial blur.Then set to best quality,Zoom and i dragged the slider up to 100%.Hit the OK key and the whole image had the zoom effect, I then 'painted'the player back in with the history brush and carried on normally doing the levels,curves,sat etc, Its not an every day effect but it cleaned up the background and made the player really 'pop' out in the image

Dave

More News - WWF Wildlife Photographic Awards

While browsing today, I came across this piece about Photographic Awards from the WWF.

Some decent value to the prizes so might be worth a go if you are into this sort of thing.

Martin

News - Canon Firmware and Software Updates

Launched yesterday from Canon, there are now firmware updates for the Canon EOS 50D, as well as the 450 and 1000 D bodies. Link is here.

Also the Canon RAW processing software, Digital Photo Professional (DPP) has been updated to Version 3.6.1 and can be found here for both Win and Mac.

Martin