PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM HEADED TO ST. PAUL ISLAND IN THE PRIBILOFS ON SATURDAY
FOR THREE WEEKS WITH 19 LUCKY PHOTOGRAPHERS AND WILL BE UNABLE TO RESPOND TO
ANY E-MAILS UNTIL AUGUST 14.
AMAZING BEGINNER
About five weeks ago, I loaned my girlfriend, Gloria Hopkins, a Canon
400mm f/5.6 L lens (my beloved "toy lens") and an EOS 3 body. Up until
then, she had been using a Nikon F-100 and the Tamron 200-400 zoom lens and
complained frequently that she was rarely able to make sharp images with the
Tamron lens. It was obvious, however, that she did have a good eye for
composition.
In the short time that she has been working with the Canon lens, one
that I have championed as the "best buy in the history of photography " for
a beginning bird photographer who cannot afford $6000 for a 500mm f/4 lens,"
she has produced many wonderful images. We have photographed together, at
Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Boynton Beach, FL, at the Lake Walk-In-Water near
my home, and at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. While we are
photographing, she never asks for any help, except for some tips on using
Canon's Evaluative metering.
Her work has been a real eye-opener for me, as she has been able to
produce many fine images with intermediate telephotos (I loan her the 300mm
f/4 L IS lens once in a while) in places where I am constantly using the
Canon 600mm f/4.0L IS lens and multipliers...... She has been photographing
birds for less than a year! Go figure. Last week, while we were shooting
from my car at Indian lake Estates, Gloria nailed the Whooping Crane calling
from the back seat, while I missed the shot several times from the driver's
seat. The attached photo is Gloria's!
You can see more of Gloria's fine work (heck, she does have a good
teacher....) on her web site at:
http://www.gloriasbirds.net/index.htm
or at
http://www.photocritique.net/cgi-bin/phtg?GLORIA+HOPKINS
You can let Gloria know what you think of her images by e-mailing her at
gdh@gate.net or posting a critique on the Photocritique site.
Bryan Geyer of REALLY RIGHT STUFF produces the finest lens and camera body
plates available anywhere, as well as a superb line of flash arms. Each
is tailored for a specific piece of equipment--there simply are no "generic"
items in the RRS catalogue. You can call (805/528-6321 Mon-Fri, a.m. to 5
p.m.,
PST), fax (805/528-7964), or write (Really Right Stuff P.O. Box 6531 Los
Osos, CA 93412)
to request the RRS catalogue which includes lots of great basic INFO on
tripods and ballheads as well as all of Bryan's wonderful products. To get
acquainted with RRS, you can visit
http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/index.html but do NOT expect to find the
catalogue there. While I receive all of my RRS items on a complimentary
basis, please note that I would--as I did early in my career--buy every
single item if I did not. They don't call it Really Right Stuff for
nothing!
To read "An Evaluation of the Canon EOS 1v Camera Body" by yours truly
(illustrated with 5 full-color images), click on:
http://www.wildlight.com/equipment/2000/07/14
To read my illustrated article on using Custom Function 4 on various Canon
camera bodies (illustrated with 3 full-color images) click on:
http://www.naturephotographers.net/am0800-1.html
At both of the above sites, you will find lots of additional photography
information.
BIRDS AS ART INSTRUCTIONAL PHOTO-TOUR UPDATES.
Only two folks have signed up for the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Shorebird
IPT (AUG 28-30). Ideal early morning high tides should make for some great
photography for those who would like to crawl through the muck.
The SEPT 22-24 Cape May Raptor IPT is sold out. There are openings on the
other two workshops.
The SEPT 9 JBWR FIELD SHOOT is sold out. There is room on the AUG 26 FIELD
SHOOT. And lots of room for the two "The Art of Nature Photography" Full
Day
y How-To Seminars in the NYC area;
AUG 27--Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY, and SEPT 10--Bayside, Queens, NY
See the web site for details and additional INFO.
Best and great picture making to all.
Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
