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I remember about 30 years ago I was driving through Shenandoah National Park and we saw a black bear. It was the first time I had seen a bear in the wild. I jumped out of the car with my trusty “point-and shoot” and snapped a couple pictures before the bear amble off into the brush. I couldn’t wait to get the pictures developed. I went by the camera store got the photos and I was so excited that I ripped into the photos in the store and I found the bear pictures. Needless to say unless I told you there was a bear in the photo you probably would not have known it. My photos were terrible. As we were leaving the store I walked by a bunch of books and on the bookshelf was Freeman Patterson’s book Nature & Wildlife Photography. I was thunderstruck. A lightening bolt hit me and I believe I actually looked at my wife and loudly proclaimed…..’”Crap I got the wrong college degree”. I immediately bought the book and realized that instead of being a Safety Engineer working for the Fire Department I should have been chasing animals all over the world with a camera. Thus my life-long passion for nature photography began. I made lots of mistakes over the years, bought a lot of the wrong equipment and had to make the leap from Film to Digital which for me was painful as I came kicking and screaming…………………more like a lot of whining, into the world of digital photography. Over the years I have developed a couple Life-long rules that I will share:
1. If you hang around really great photographers your photography will improve. Hang around really mediocre photographers…..well you get the idea. Remember a Big Ego doesn’t rub off and make you a better photographer.
2. Use quality equipment- If you put a 10 dollar filter on a $1,500 dollar lens it shows.
3. Use a Big sturdy Tripod- I use a Gitzo with a Really Right Stuff Ball Head. 4. If it is worth going to a location once go back again. I have been to certain waterfalls dozens of times and every year I go back and get things that are different.
5. Do a lot of research before you go across the world with a tour leader you don’t know. (I have been traveling with the same folks for over 20 years.)
6. Break the rules every now and again. Just because someone says to use a wide angle lens maybe you should try something different.
7. It is supposed to be fun damnit. I have to remind myself that very often.
8. Cameras don’t take pictures people take pictures. I have bumped into really great photographers that were using really old antiquated gear and they were getting great shots.
9. If you walk too far carrying too much gear on the first day of your vacation you will regret it.
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