Henry Rifle Forums

My buddy needed me to drive him up to Columbia today. I decided to drag the Pup along and we went to the zoo after dropping him off. I haven't been there since I upgraded my equipment, and (hopefully) my skills. Anyway, here are a few of the first edited images.

Wow! Stunning images. Beautiful work. Thank you.

Edited a few more this morning.

These guys were a lot of fun to get some shots of.
This was a tough one. Very low light and glass to shoot through.
This was another difficult shot. The glass was very reflective and dirty. I had to play around a good bit in editing with blacks and light levels to get a natural look.

CT_Shooter wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 16, 2024 9:53 pm

Wow! Stunning images. Beautiful work. Thank you.

I can't say it any better. What ever you spent on the upgrades was well worth it.

Amazing shots as always. I love it when you post new photos. I had a friend who tried to get me back into photography about ten years ago, but when I found out what he paid for ONE lens... I nearly stroked out. Quality equipment and knowing how to use it... outstanding results.

I enjoy posting here. The other two places I post are photography related, so it's nice to get feedback from a more general slice of the population. I've said it before, but the nature photographer group the Pup and I joined locally definitely is a humbling experience. At each meeting we can each bring 3 of our photos to show to the group. There are some very high level images being displayed there. We do have a range of experience and talent in the group, but the average of both is quite high. I will have to admit being quite happy on the occasion when one of my images comes up on the screen and you hear a low murmur from the group. I entered 5 of my photos in the annual contest the association runs each year. The entire membership consisting of 2 states with 12 local chapters all vote on the winners in each category. If I manage to snag even an honorable mention, I will consider that a great honor. Not sure my work is up to scratch for that, but I'm enjoying the ride.

BrokenolMarine wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 18, 2024 4:16 pm

Amazing shots as always. I love it when you post new photos. I had a friend who tried to get me back into photography about ten years ago, but when I found out what he paid for ONE lens... I nearly stroked out. Quality equipment and knowing how to use it... outstanding results.

Equipment is important, but the real difference is the photographer. There are some genres of photography that require relatively little in the way of equipment, and others that really benefit from having the "good stuff". Normally, a good photographer can get by with less than bank breaking gear.

Unfortunately, the genre I am most interested in is more gear dependent. You can get by with a budget camera and a simple 70-300 zoom, but you will quickly feel constrained by your tools. The mainstay of wildlife photography is the long lens. My long lens ran me a tad over $1000. The good ones are more in the realm of a decent used car, anywhere from $6,000 to $15,000.

The bottom line, though, is that if you can't take good images with a decent $1000 to $2000 lens, you won't be able to with a $15000 lens. The extra money translates to slightly sharper, faster autofocus, better low light capability, and more robust construction.

Most serious amateurs probably spend less on their equipment that a serious fisherman spends on a boat. It's all about priorities. I probably have around $6000 purchase price invested in the gear I carry. That wouldn't buy much in the way of a new boat these days. Not to mention the vehicle required to haul it to and from the water, assuming you don't already drive something that would suit.

^^^^^^^^^^

That’s great you get nods from the very experienced folks out there. We rookies here sure do enjoy your pics and appreciate your posting them here. Great stuff that we get to enjoy. My wife took a pic of our pup’s head in profile just with her phone and managed to capture him is a very pleasing light. I’ll get it from her phone and post it just for fun.

clovishound wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 19, 2024 12:47 pm

BrokenolMarine wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 18, 2024 4:16 pm

Amazing shots as always. I love it when you post new photos. I had a friend who tried to get me back into photography about ten years ago, but when I found out what he paid for ONE lens... I nearly stroked out. Quality equipment and knowing how to use it... outstanding results.

Equipment is important, but the real difference is the photographer. There are some genres of photography that require relatively little in the way of equipment, and others that really benefit from having the "good stuff". Normally, a good photographer can get by with less than bank breaking gear.

Unfortunately, the genre I am most interested in is more gear dependent. You can get by with a budget camera and a simple 70-300 zoom, but you will quickly feel constrained by your tools. The mainstay of wildlife photography is the long lens. My long lens ran me a tad over $1000. The good ones are more in the realm of a decent used car, anywhere from $6,000 to $15,000.

The bottom line, though, is that if you can't take good images with a decent $1000 to $2000 lens, you won't be able to with a $15000 lens. The extra money translates to slightly sharper, faster autofocus, better low light capability, and more robust construction.

Most serious amateurs probably spend less on their equipment that a serious fisherman spends on a boat. It's all about priorities. I probably have around $6000 purchase price invested in the gear I carry. That wouldn't buy much in the way of a new boat these days. Not to mention the vehicle required to haul it to and from the water, assuming you don't already drive something that would suit.

Exactly... an amateur with a good eye can take really good pics with a decent camera. A pro with all their skills and experience can take really good pics with basic equipment. The same pro with really good gear can do amazing things.

Years ago, Miss T took an idea I had for a transport cover for our Wilderness System Commander kayaks and perfected it. When I posted pictures online, the idea took off and they started to sell like hotcakes. She was even shipping them out of the country. Eventually, she contacted Wilderness systems and worked out a deal to sell them the design, and they put them on their website.

An order came in once from Canada, from a professional Wildlife Photographer for two covers, plus some custom covers for equipment. She knocked it all out and he was thrilled. He said he hauled gear in the kayak to reach distant locations taking pics of things that could EAT him. In those instances you needed HIGH dollar lenses that could reach out and touch is subjects, take really long shots clean and crisp... so Grizzly Bears couldn't reach out and touch you back.

He told me what his setups cost at the time and I was shocked. Replacing the contents of his floating hard camera case containing his lenses alone would cost enough to buy a custom TRUCK. That didn't include the multiple camera bodies and other accessories he hauled around. BUT, he made a living with the equipment.

I used to have some of his shots, but when our computer was hacked and locked up we lost thousands of pictures.

There was a lady I occasionally ran into at one of the local swamps. She was an amateur, but had a canvas cart with probably $30,000 to $40,000 worth of camera equipment. She said her husband bought her any gear she took a fancy to. Apparently, he could afford to.