Equipment

You can make great nature images with any camera. Photographic skill matters more than the equipment used to take a photograph. That being said, I also believe that photographic technology has progressed a lot in the past few decades, and more great photographers are producing more great images today than at any other time in history.

Film or digital?

For my photographic interests, digital. Modern digital SLR cameras provide all the quality (and more) that can be achieved with 35mm film. I have printed 12" x 18" images from a Nikon D70 (just a 6 megapixel camera) that are simply stunning. Although they can be expensive to purchase, digital cameras also cost nothing to operate.

Shooting digitally is a tremendous way to learn photographic skills quickly through experimentation. Imagine shooting ten rolls of lousy slides. Looking at the results a week later when you get the images back from the lab, you'll probably learn some things, but you're also out something like a hundred dollars. Now imagine shooting ten gigabytes of bad pictures. Who cares? Look at them right away, learn from what you did wrong, and shoot ten more gigs the next day. You can even look at them while you're shooting, and make adjustments on the fly. If you're willing to learn from your mistakes, your rate of great photographs will increase every time you shoot.

My Equipment

Until recently, I used Nikon gear. The first camera I ever owned was a Nikon N70, and I continued to shoot with Nikon equipment until late 2006. I was generally very impressed with the optical and mechanical quality of Nikon gear. I have recently switched to Canon, and I'm quite happy with my decision. I think both systems have their strengths, but with my interests shifting more and more toward bird photography, I'm glad I chose Canon. If you're interested in learning more about the merits of each system and the justification for my switch, just send me an e-mail.

Bodies

  • Canon EOS 1D Mark II N
  • Canon EOS 40D
  • Canon EOS 30D

Lenses

  • Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
  • Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
  • Sigma 180mm f/3.5 APO Macro DG HSM
  • Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM
  • Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM
  • Canon EF 1.4x teleconverter
  • Canon EF 2x teleconverter

Other Accessories

  • Canon 430EX flash (+ Better Beamer)
  • Canon 580EX flash (+ Better Beamer)
  • Lexar and SanDisk CompactFlash cards
  • Gitzo 1548 carbon-fiber tripod
  • Wimberley gimbal-type head
  • Really Right Stuff BH-55 ballhead

Software

  • Adobe Photoshop CS3

If you're interested in my photographic approach and ethics, click here.

 

Have any questions about me or my photography? Send me an e-mail.