The "Post a Picture You Took" thread

[DougO 5262]

My current D500 is well past its shutter expected self-destruct count, buttons have gotten a bit sticky, but it's still the best camera I've ever had. Dang near the perfect camera for me, and now I'm going to end up paying double for something that will take another decade to catch up to what I need.

[naija 2961]

Nikon took about as long as it could to get into mirrorless properly and paid a dear price for it. 

[dieucla98 2954]

They took a while but I'm convinced they did it right. The new lens lineup is stellar, outperforming the F mount counterparts significantly. In camera stabilisation, huge AF improvements. I'm looking forward to the lower weight and smaller profile. 

Battery life is my only concern. But that's not unique to Nikon, that's universally an issue with mirror less.

 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Feeling a bit stagnant lately. When I stay in town, I find myself driving around my usual haunts but not pulling out the camera much. On my Fridays off I take drives to shoot, but since I can only get so far and be able to get back in time to help with the kids in the evening, I feel like I have seen most things within that radius of Houston.

So I am trying to figure out where to head out this Friday and it all looks “meh”.

Any suggestions?

Good news though, going to spend 4 days in April traveling and shooting around New Mexico with my pops.

[DougO 5262]

1 hour ago, dieucla98 said:

They took a while but I'm convinced they did it right. The new lens lineup is stellar, outperforming the F mount counterparts significantly. In camera stabilisation, huge AF improvements. I'm looking forward to the lower weight and smaller profile. 

Battery life is my only concern. But that's not unique to Nikon, that's universally an issue with mirror less.

 

Battery life is big. And the nickel and dime expenses of switching to a full Z system, replacing lenses, different batteries and cards, being stuck with a lot of obsolete stuff, it's going to keep adding up. I'm also a bit concerned about the lag of electronic viewfinders, and if that get addressed soon. In my earlier days of going digital I already had to deal with shutter lag that definitely made a difference in shooting peak action sports and nature, and it took a few models down the road for that to feel like it wasn't a thing any more. Some people are also concerned about the potential effects of constantly looking through electronic viewfinders on the eyes.

One real head scratcher for me is why they have to make all the new bodies them so small. The size of human hands hasn't changed, but these seem like compact cameras. Make a man-sized camera with quick controls readily available without having to dig through the volumes of long and confusing menus on the monitor. They have already discontinued the first Z mount adapter because the tripod mount got in the way of normal operation of many lenses. Seems like they should have seen that one coming.

I look forward to the advanced features and abilities of mirrorless, but I'm not ready to blow a huge chunk of cash on something that's going to be needing some major tweaks going through growing pains over the next several years. I may delve into an entry level model and get my feet wet when I find one suitable for the price, but I don't do a lot of regular street type or casual photography to justify it right now. I'm getting older and I'm trying to keep doing the sports and bird stuff I do as long as I can, so I'm not trying to look ahead 20 or 30 years into the future.

It sucks going into this again right now. I was the last guy on the football sidelines to get an autofocus system, the last two go digital, and now the last to go mirrorless. Every time I start getting into gear that's pretty much up to par with the competition I get hammered again with some new bullshit.

[DougO 5262]

And I still miss that 3 1/2 frames per second mechanical motor drive that used 8 AA batteries and made such an awesome sound that made you feel like you were a real photographer.

[naija 2961]

1 hour ago, dieucla98 said:

They took a while but I'm convinced they did it right. The new lens lineup is stellar, outperforming the F mount counterparts significantly. In camera stabilisation, huge AF improvements. I'm looking forward to the lower weight and smaller profile. 

Battery life is my only concern. But that's not unique to Nikon, that's universally an issue with mirror less.

 

The Z9 did it right. The previous cameras did not. I say that as someone who is pretty much committed to Nikon. The Z6 and Z7, were not up to par with autofocus, especially when placed against Sony and Canon (from the R6 onwards). They were definitely not better than a D750 or D850. They would often refuse to focus on the face, could not keep up with moving subjects. They also had one card slot, which didn't bother me, but for wedding photographers was a big deal. The Z6ii/Z7ii improved slightly on some of those points. The Z9 is what finally feels like a finished product. The weight benefits are not also significant for going to FF mirrorless and again Nikon has not been as aggressive as Canon and Sony in this regard. Their 50mm f/1.2 is the largest of the 3. So also the 70-200mm f/2.8. Ditto the Z9.

I think battery life now will not be an issue going forward. Don't look at the CIPA ratings. All the cameras blow those numbers away. People are doing full shoots in a day and coming back with over 50% battery left at the end of the day.

The Z9 is too big for me and has more than I need or want. But I am waiting on a true mirrorless D850 with some of the Z9 tech trickled down. 

[naija 2961]

6 minutes ago, DougO said:

Battery life is big. And the nickel and dime expenses of switching to a full Z system, replacing lenses, different batteries and cards, being stuck with a lot of obsolete stuff, it's going to keep adding up. I'm also a bit concerned about the lag of electronic viewfinders, and if that get addressed soon. In my earlier days of going digital I already had to deal with shutter lag that definitely made a difference in shooting peak action sports and nature, and it took a few models down the road for that to feel like it wasn't a thing any more. Some people are also concerned about the potential effects of constantly looking through electronic viewfinders on the eyes.

One real head scratcher for me is why they have to make all the new bodies them so small. The size of human hands hasn't changed, but these seem like compact cameras. Make a man-sized camera with quick controls readily available without having to dig through the volumes of long and confusing menus on the monitor. They have already discontinued the first Z mount adapter because the tripod mount got in the way of normal operation of many lenses. Seems like they should have seen that one coming.

I look forward to the advanced features and abilities of mirrorless, but I'm not ready to blow a huge chunk of cash on something that's going to be needing some major tweaks going through growing pains over the next several years. I may delve into an entry level model and get my feet wet when I find one suitable for the price, but I don't do a lot of regular street type or casual photography to justify it right now. I'm getting older and I'm trying to keep doing the sports and bird stuff I do as long as I can, so I'm not trying to look ahead 20 or 30 years into the future.

It sucks going into this again right now. I was the last guy on the football sidelines to get an autofocus system, the last two go digital, and now the last to go mirrorless. Every time I start getting into gear that's pretty much up to par with the competition I get hammered again with some new bullshit.

honestly it sounds like you should try the Z9, if it is within your budget.

The viewfinder experience has been rated as the best of the 3 huge camera brands. It doesn't have the most resolution, but it appears to be the most consistent staying the same frame rate and resolution regards of what you are doing (shooting, reviewing, playback etc). The battery life is reportedly execllent. The F mount lenses are working just as well (and in some cases better, as you don't need to fine tune AF anymore).

It also appears to be in a size you want?

[DougO 5262]

10 minutes ago, naija said:

honestly it sounds like you should try the Z9, if it is within your budget.

The viewfinder experience has been rated as the best of the 3 huge camera brands. It doesn't have the most resolution, but it appears to be the most consistent staying the same frame rate and resolution regards of what you are doing (shooting, reviewing, playback etc). The battery life is reportedly execllent. The F mount lenses are working just as well (and in some cases better, as you don't need to fine tune AF anymore).

It also appears to be in a size you want?

If it were just the camera it might be worth the jump at some point. But then I'm gonna want the big Z lenses and all that. I don't make a living in photography or anywhere close to it so that money's not coming back. I'm really hoping they'll finally make folks like me happy and put out a D500 Z equivalent, advanced level at a more affordable price. But I don't see that coming any time soon, because it's kind of a smaller niche. Even a Z7ii is double the price of a D500, but still at the cost of it being small, less battery capacity and all that. So it's just not in my wheelhouse yet, and probably not for a couple of years down the road.

[DougO 5262]

Have any of y'all tried Affinity Photo software? It's pretty cheap, looks like a good Photoshop clone-ish standalone program without having to subscribe to a stupid cloud thing, and free updates. I've been using GIMP and it mostly does the job pretty well, but has some limitations and quirks. It has crashed on me a couple of times, but can't really bitch too much for the price.

[DougO 5262]

Custom actions is probably the biggest thing I miss from PS. Affinity has their version of it. Saves a ton of time and effort when editing a batch of photos for the web and such.

 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

No experience here with Affinity. Sounds interesting.  
 

Out here doing my thing. Hopefully get some keepers. 
 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Man, I needed this photo road trip today after how hectic work was this week.  Also just absolutely love heading out by myself, with all my gear next to me, full tank of gas, listening to whatever I want as loud as I want.  Anyways, finished a roll of 35mm and about halfway through some 120.  Hopefully I finish it this weekend and send both of for processing/scanning on Monday. 

Here are some of the digital shots from today.  The first one is my favorite.

 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

I just went on a film buying spree.  Probably just flushing money down the toilet.  Picked up a couple rolls of Cinestill 800T 120, then one 35mm roll of the the following: Cinestill 50, Gold 200, 400TMax, Kono Moonstruck, Dubblefilm Apollo.  I am a dumbass. 

For a long time people have been asking me to do a book or zine with graffiti.  I never had much interest in doing one that was all graffiti, but this past weekend I decided while I am working on my B&W book, that I am going to do a softback book that is all about trains, train graffiti/monikers, travelers, railroad workers, etc.  Probably be about 55 pages and maybe 100 photos in it.  Between the book and the film purchase, kind of thinking this is a manic thing.  I guess I will just see where it goes.

A few shots from this weekend.  I met Brandon and his dog Lil' John in the 5th Ward.  I saw him walking and had to turn around and try to get a shot.  I asked him about the chain and he try to sell it to me for $10.

This looks like a crop of the same photo, but it is actually the next or two after I took the one above.

[Bevo&Pevo 5509]

Swayze, have you thought about doing a book on Texas historical markers?  Maybe break the state down by regions?  It would be a way to see the state and who knows what you'd find along the way.

[PittsburghTiger 6320]

At the country store where I buy my boots, winter socks and things they also raise some cattle. This one seems appropriate for this site.

[mininghorn88 2330]

3 hours ago, Bevo&Pevo said:

Swayze, have you thought about doing a book on Texas historical markers?  Maybe break the state down by regions?  It would be a way to see the state and who knows what you'd find along the way.

I would buy this book. Then again, I am the one that stops on road trips to read such things.

[DougO 5262]

After just a couple of hours with Affinity Photo I'm impressed with the tools. I only used Photoshop up to CS3 which was almost a decade old, but there seem to be way more advanced features and control options with Affinity. The interface is very similar, but there are some differences in how it approaches some things. It has some really impressive tools. I'm sure I will find a few weaknesses but I think this can be a long term solution for my editing.

It's definitely more advanced than GIMP, and leaps and bounds better than the skimpy Photoshop Elements, which costs twice as much as Affinity Photo. GIMP works just fine for most things, but a bit clunky on the more detailed stuff. 

Best of all, there's no cloud bullshit. I don't see any reason to pay a subscription for Photoshop CC, other than familiarity at a high cost, when Affinity is there for $59 out the door and with future updates. Hopefully, they will remain a stand-alone retail package and not go the subscription route eventually.

The free trial is only 10 days right now, after offering longer periods a few months ago.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

4 hours ago, Bevo&Pevo said:

Swayze, have you thought about doing a book on Texas historical markers?  Maybe break the state down by regions?  It would be a way to see the state and who knows what you'd find along the way.

 

1 hour ago, mininghorn88 said:

I would buy this book. Then again, I am the one that stops on road trips to read such things.

I have not really thought about this.  I know there are a few websites that document a lot of these type things.  The state actually has a great site with an interactive map with all the historical markers.

However, I am working on a long term project about the Texas borderlands.  Not entirely original, but hopefully I see it different than others have.

But speaking of books, I believe I have settled on the Front (long exposure of train) and back cover (rail spikes) for this current book I am working on.  Here are the first couple of pages as well.  All about trains, travelers, train graffiti, monikers, company logos, people working around and interacting with trains and the railroad.  Looks like it will be 80 pages and close to 150 photos.

I had two rolls developed and scanned recently.  Fomapan 400 shot with my AE-1 and Ilford Delta 100 shot with my Pentax 6x7.  I used only the TTL metering for all the shots.  The 105mm lens for the Pentax is amazing.  So sharp and that drop off in the depth of field is beautiful.  Here is one shot I liked:

A few shots from the Fomapan:

And here is my best Doug impression, but still falling well short:

 

[Your Mom 4957]

Rookie here.  Talk me into or out of buying this camera:

Nikon D810.  Used. Excellent condition. $1200

Nikon 14-24 f/2.8 lens.  Also used in excellent condition.  $1200

Both are from Precision Camera in Austin.  Reputable shop as far as I am aware.  Both pieces have been inspected and are warrantied.

I want to take landscape photos.  Mountains, sunrises, night sky, Milky Way, rivers, etc... I'm tired of going to amazing places and coming back with iphone and GoPro pics that don't do it justice.  Not too interested in portraits or sports.  I'm a complete rookie and have never owned a nice camera.  I'll need to take some classes and I don't mind the learning curve.  The D850 is out of my budget and not an option.  I became interested in the D810 based on interweb searches, articles, etc.. and it was confirmed to be a solid choice by the guy at Precision Photo.  I have the money, but if I could buy something that would be almost as good for half the price I'd rather do that.  One thing that I keep coming back too is the fact that there weren't cameras this great just a few years ago and yet people were taking amazing photos anyway.  How much dropoff in quality would there be if I bought a lower tier camera, say $600-$700 range?  What else should I be looking at?

This will be a camera I'd like to own for a decade, use on 3 or 4 trips a year, and pass on to one of my teenage sons later on as he learns more about photography.  It will never be my biggest hobby but I'd like to get decent at taking great pics of the places I go.  

 

[Anton Chigurh 3334]

The D810 is great. I’m a Canon shooter, but it’s basically the contemporary counterpart to my camera (the 5D IV, both came out in 2016).

If you want to do all of that, it’s a great choice. It’s a full frame sensor, which is a pretty big deal for landscape and astrophotography. You could buy something cheaper, and it could do those things decently, but 810 is a tank, and in the new era of mirrorless cameras, it’s a great time to buy a DSLR.

That said, that combo is pretty large and heavy. If that bothers you, I’d look into the Fuji system. Maybe an X-T30 or used X-T4.

[naija 2961]

14 hours ago, Your Mom said:

Rookie here.  Talk me into or out of buying this camera:

Nikon D810.  Used. Excellent condition. $1200

Nikon 14-24 f/2.8 lens.  Also used in excellent condition.  $1200

Both are from Precision Camera in Austin.  Reputable shop as far as I am aware.  Both pieces have been inspected and are warrantied.

I want to take landscape photos.  Mountains, sunrises, night sky, Milky Way, rivers, etc... I'm tired of going to amazing places and coming back with iphone and GoPro pics that don't do it justice.  Not too interested in portraits or sports.  I'm a complete rookie and have never owned a nice camera.  I'll need to take some classes and I don't mind the learning curve.  The D850 is out of my budget and not an option.  I became interested in the D810 based on interweb searches, articles, etc.. and it was confirmed to be a solid choice by the guy at Precision Photo.  I have the money, but if I could buy something that would be almost as good for half the price I'd rather do that.  One thing that I keep coming back too is the fact that there weren't cameras this great just a few years ago and yet people were taking amazing photos anyway.  How much dropoff in quality would there be if I bought a lower tier camera, say $600-$700 range?  What else should I be looking at?

This will be a camera I'd like to own for a decade, use on 3 or 4 trips a year, and pass on to one of my teenage sons later on as he learns more about photography.  It will never be my biggest hobby but I'd like to get decent at taking great pics of the places I go.  

 

That combination will take excellent pictures and you can assured that it will take years for your skills to catch up to what the camera is capable of. Nikon pro bodies and glass are also quite reliable, and should last a while.

That said, you would be buying into aging technology with the company unlikely to continue support in the next few years (forget about keeping it a decade or passing it on). Hobbyist photography is one in which you tend to accumulate gear as time goes, and buying into something that doesn't really offer an upgrade path anymore is chancy. A wide angle zoom is also restrictive, even if all you want to shoot really is landscapes, so understand that at some point you will want to buy another lens or two. It is also rather bulky, and not the first thing that comes to mind when someone says they want a camera and lens combo they can take on trips with them. But price wise, it seems like a good offer (more so on the lens than the camera, because at least that you can adapt to a mirrorless camera).

Personally, I would recommend a mirrorless camera at this point. The learning curve is easier with WYSIWYG exposure viewfinders, they are lighter, they offer more reliable upgrade paths. It doesn't have to be a full frame. Each system has its pluses and minuses.

[naija 2961]

14 hours ago, Anton Chigurh said:

The D810 is great. I’m a Canon shooter, but it’s basically the contemporary counterpart to my camera (the 5D IV, both came out in 2016).

If you want to do all of that, it’s a great choice. It’s a full frame sensor, which is a pretty big deal for landscape and astrophotography. You could buy something cheaper, and it could do those things decently, but 810 is a tank, and in the new era of mirrorless cameras, it’s a great time to buy a DSLR.

That said, that combo is pretty large and heavy. If that bothers you, I’d look into the Fuji system. Maybe an X-T30 or used X-T4.

D810 was released in 2014, I think but might not have been widely available until later

[Your Mom 4957]

15 minutes ago, naija said:

Personally, I would recommend a mirrorless camera at this point.

Anything specific you'd recommend me checking into in the same price range?  Say $1200ish or less and the same or less for a lens appropriate for big landscapes and night skies?

 

 

[Anton Chigurh 3334]

D810 was released in 2014, I think but might not have been widely available until later

Whoops, not sure where the hell I got that from.

[DougO 5262]

There's no doubt you could pick up a used DSLR that will do everything you want for the next decade of shooting landscape stuff and whatnot. DSLR isn't completely going away, but it's all about mirrorless in the future. Starting from scratch a mirrorless makes a lot of sense, and grow with it. 

As far as photography, a camera is still a camera and the user is the greatest factor in how things turn out. As far as what to start with I guess it depends on what particular features you really really want. If you want the mega-huge pixel count, either a used DSLR in excellent shape, or a recent mirrorless.

If you're OK with fewer pixels, but plenty 'nuff to make really nice prints with a full frame format, you could do it a lot cheaper, like with a D750. There will be a lot of great bargains on DSLR lenses and a lot of variety, with so many switching to the new mirrorless stuff. 

Since you're just starting I would say you probably won't need the most advanced breakthrough features while you learn, so and entry level mirrorless should work fine, and may get your further along as far as dealing with the tech issues of now and future.

If money isn't a big factor, I'd say scratch the itch you really want to scratch,  whether it's with classic DSLR proven goodness and bargain lens options, or advanced new-age emerging tech. The latter will probably be more expensive, but the options will be expanding. 

 

[DougO 5262]

I pondered long and hard over my short term future photography options and I chose to stick with DSLR for at least a couple more years. I bought a used D500 in really nice shape that will get me down the road for my sports and nature stuff, while I wait for the mirrorless stuff to stabilize and have more new and used options of bodies and glass when they aren't disappearing off shelves as fast as they can put them out. For the stuff I do, the mirrorless world will force me to compromise a bit too much. And I'll probably get my older D500 overhauled sometime this year as well.

So now that I'm committed, I also ordered an older Nikon 70-200mm 2.8 VR, clean as a whistle even though it's a little over a decade old. I never could afford one before, and now I'll have a better option for really low light action sports that I was sometimes missing. I'll be banging these around for years, and both together cost less than half the price of the least costly do-able mirrorless option of body alone, the Z7ii, that I could probably work for the stuff I do the most. 

I like knowing that I won't have to learn a whole new menu again and won't miss a beat. But I'm sure at some point in the next year or two I'll pick up a starter mirrorless and a FTZ adaptor for using all my old lenses. 

Edited March 1, 2022 by DougO

[DougO 5262]

I got both the D500 and 70-200 through MPB.com, which I had never used before. It's similar to KEH, but KEH doesn't seem to have that much to offer for the price these days. MPB posts photos of the specific cameras and lenses they are selling, and most of the time you can even see the serial numbers so you can get an idea on the date they were actually produced, which is good for those models that stuck around for a long time. 

Their prices seem better than any other place, and best of all they aren't charging sales tax in shipments to Texas which makes their prices even better. Their rating system is more basic, but you can see what your getting, even if you can't touch it. With others like Adorama or B&H you pretty much have to take their word for it, though they have good customer service policies about returns. I bought a lot of stuff from KEH over the years and they were always legit.  

[Anton Chigurh 3334]

I sold my 7D to MPB and everything was fine, so I can also recommend them.

Have also bought a good amount of film gear from KEH. Bought a Canon New F-1, received it and it didn’t work in bulb mode. They took it back no issue. Bought a different one and it’s been fine. Their item grading is very, very generous, as well. Stuff in “bargain” condition is typically pretty dang good.

[DougO 5262]

Yep, I bought a good deal of bargain stuff at KEH. It always seemed better than advertised.

[Your Mom 4957]

Thanks guys, this has been helpful.  I going to do some more reading tonight and make a decision tomorrow.  Headed to Big Bend in a couple weeks and would like to have time to play around and learn some before that trip.  

[naija 2961]

8 hours ago, Your Mom said:

Anything specific you'd recommend me checking into in the same price range?  Say $1200ish or less and the same or less for a lens appropriate for big landscapes and night skies?

 

 

If you are thinking of staying with Nikon, in the mirrorless range, for a 1st time starter who will be learning, I'd recommend the Nikon Z5. It is basically the D750 sensor packaged into a mirrorless body. It has In-Body Stabilization. It is 24MP, which is less than the D810, and landscapes tend to be one area where MP can matter to photographers, but unless you are printing big or cropping extensively, it is more than enough for most of us.

Lens wise is somewhat more complicated. I'd start off by saying you have to seperate landscapes from astrophotography as the requirements for astrophotography tend to be a more complicated and you really have to dig through reviews and find out how lenses perform with things like coma etc...

The 14-24 f/2.8 is great and you can use it on the Nikon Z5 with an adapter, but again that's a big lens. At f/2.8, it should be decent for astrophotography. 

With landscapes, generally you want almost everything in focus, and you will be shooting at f/8 or smaller. Generally. It is hard to find a modern lens these days that doesn't perform well at those apertures, especially the Nikon S lenses. For you, I would recommend the newly release Nikon 24-120 f/4 S lens. Kinda hard to get a hand on those right now, but as a general all-purpose lens that will perform well for landscapes, city, as a walkabout and travel lens it's what I'd go with.

For Canon, body-wise, you have the EOS R and EOS RP which will come in at that price point, but really the Z5  is a better camera. For Sony, there really isn't you can get new at that price point. A mildly used Sony A7iii can probably be had. It has been replaced by the A7iv, but should still work fine.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

So my new book is open to pre-sales. If you have Instagram and are interested, see this post:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CalvqXPOnNc/?utm_medium=copy_link

If you don’t have Instagram and would like one, DM me for details.

Also, in case some of y’all haven’t seen the other thread, Diablo passed away very recently. RIP.

[Mdhorn 6153]

I’ll miss seeing diablos trips to the zoo. RIP. 

[DougO 5262]

I have a D800 that I should probably sell. But it would be hard to sell it for what it would be worth in the current market, vs what I paid for it. It was the most expensive camera I ever bought, because Nikon still had not updated the D300 and I needed something with better low light performance since nearly every game I was covering was at night or or indoors in lighting that wasn't great. Turns out it wasn't that good for sports because all the pixel real-estate and image size in the viewfinder made it difficult for the AF to keep up when I couldn't get tighter shots in an FX format. Otherwise, great camera, huge amount of pixels if I wanted to shoot for billboard size prints. After that one season I got the D500 and have hardly touched the D800 since, so it wasn't a every economical purchase for my particular photo pursuits.

I keep it around in case I ever decide to delve into Swayze territory and do some wide stuff. But then I would probably need a full frame wide-angle lens upgrade as well. 

[DougO 5262]

Just catching up on the el diablo news. Wow, that sucks. 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Trying to not spam Surly too much with my book, but pre-orders end this coming Wednesday.  I have almost met my minimum requirement for printing, so that is good.  Anyways, life goes on...

 

 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Well, I decided to replace my Sigma 12-24mm with the Samyang 14mm RF mount.  Will test drive it this weekend. I am sure I will miss the versatility of the Sigma, but from the reviews of this lens, it’s quite capable for the price point. It’s also a lot smaller and lighter than the Sigma was.  It also has a much better lens cap design, which is a nice bonus. 
 

[DougO 5262]

It's been pretty slow with the weird weather over the past several weeks, but here are a few to dump out before migration season really starts kicking into gear.

 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Great pics Doug.  Every time you post photos it makes question what in the fuck I am doing.

[DougO 5262]

54 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Great pics Doug.  Every time you post photos it makes question what in the fuck I am doing.

Looks like you're doing it all great. You're better at shooting birds and wildlife than I am shooting other stuff. I admire your work tremendously. 

[DougO 5262]

I think the main reason I get off a good 'un now and then is because I maximize my opportunities, even though almost everything I shoot is just a few miles from my house. I take my camera with me just about every time I go out for any reason if the weather is halfway decent for shooting. I'll make a quick stop at a park or a nearby spot at the lake, or some familiar farm roads not to far out of town. I get real paranoid lugging my 500mm lens and D500 around tucked under a hoodie in the back seat and parked at the grocery store, but so far haven't had an incident. 

Take that caracara photo atop the last batch. In between errands I was driving on one of my usual off-the-path roads where there's some occasional bird activity, next to a huge pond. I saw the caracara up ahead in the road poking at a dead squirrel, so I slowed down and reached back for my camera. The bird flew up into a nearby tree but stuck around, not wanting to leave the free meal behind. I even got out of the car near the roadkill and it just stayed in the tree waiting for me to leave. They don't usually let someone get as close as I was, but he must have been real hungry. So I stopped and started taking photos, but all thes branches were in the way. I moved around to find a spot to shoot through the branches and it still didn't budget. I was so close that I couldn't even get the whole bird in the frame with my prime lens. So without much cropping it made for a nice head shot in really good light, which was a bit lucky. It finally flew down into the field on the grass maybe 50 yards away and I had bothered it enough, so I picked up the rodent by the tip of its tail and tossed it over the fence so the bird could enjoy the freebie without being in danger of being run over or constantly interrupted by vehicles. I am thankful to the poor squirrel for giving its life to present me a nice photo opportunity. I hope it is feasting on the finest nuts in squirrel heaven.

Most of the time I don't get much of anything. But I try to squeeze in some shooting for a little while when I can and keep my eyes open. 

[DougO 5262]

I mean, I don't have shit else to do anyway. I have virtually no social life any more. Getting out around with the camera and looking for birds for a while is about the only release I have. I wish there were other things that catch my interest, but I'm glad I have the birds and the photo gear and the time.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

6 minutes ago, DougO said:

I mean, I don't have shit else to do anyway. I have virtually no social life any more. Getting out around with the camera and looking for birds for a while is about the only release I have. I wish there were other things that catch my interest, but I'm glad I have the birds and the photo gear and the time.

You know, one of my Fridays off I should meet up with you and take notes.  BBQ is on me.

[DougO 5262]

2 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

You know, one of my Fridays off I should meet up with you and take notes.  BBQ is on me.

I'd love to meet up one of these days. I really should take a trip out to the coast and find some new strange birds, but I haven't been much for traveling. Maybe somewhere in the middle. 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

2 minutes ago, DougO said:

I'd love to meet up one of these days. I really should take a trip out to the coast and find some new strange birds, but I haven't been much for traveling. Maybe somewhere in the middle. 

Let's make it happen.  I am off two Friday's a month and those are my days to travel.  If you can make a Friday work, I would most definitely be down to meet up for some photos and BBQ or a burger.  Next Friday I am off, hit me up in DMs if you think it works, if not, we can shoot for two weeks down the line.  I would be stoked to take notes from you.

[DougO 5262]

4 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Let's make it happen.  I am off two Friday's a month and those are my days to travel.  If you can make a Friday work, I would most definitely be down to meet up for some photos and BBQ or a burger.  Next Friday I am off, hit me up in DMs if you think it works, if not, we can shoot for two weeks down the line.  I would be stoked to take notes from you.

Fridays are usually good, maybe in a couple of weeks. I may be shooting a basketball or baseball game or two this month but don't know where they fall yet. I don't know what I could give you in notes, but I could probably make some shit up that sounds good.

[hookem2010 2700]

If y'all need a non-photographer birder to help you find some good birds, I humbly offer my services. Although you seem to have no trouble finding good stuff on your own, Doug.

[DougO 5262]

2 hours ago, hookem2010 said:

If y'all need a non-photographer birder to help you find some good birds, I humbly offer my services. Although you seem to have no trouble finding good stuff on your own, Doug.

What part of the state do you reside in? If I ever get out of Bell County I could use some help.

[hookem2010 2700]

I moved to Austin 12/20 from FW. Was in Houston prior to that, so just checking off all the major Texas metroplexes.