Hello!

Many of the posts in my diary-come-blog relate to my daily walks – a five-mile circuit, off-road where possible, which incorporates some of the nicer waterside views and better birding areas that I have found so far. I started walking  a few years ago when I needed to lose a lot of weight, and I have continued ever since as a means of keeping it off. Apart from the fresh air (very fresh at times!) it is nice to no longer wheeze and perspire after the slightest exertion!  If you are interested in following my ramblings (in both senses of the word) here is a map showing the route of my morning walk, showing many of the places mentioned in my blog. Click it for one you can actually read . . .   

I have been an enthusiastic amateur and club photographer since my school days. I have taken photographs of many subjects over the years, but until recently macro (or more accurately “close-up”) photography was my main interest. This year (2009) I have become an enthusiastic, if not always successful, bird photographer, recording the varied bird life in and around Gosport. Formerly a prolific producer of Cibachrome prints in my blacked-out kitchen/darkroom, I have now fully embraced the digital era from camera through to printer – a methodology that I consider to be much more civilised. At any rate, I wouldn’t go back! (Actually I probably would, but only kicking and screaming.)

 

In 1988 I gained a Licentiateship in the Royal Photographic Society (LRPS) in the Nature Prints category. I progressed to the Associate level (ARPS) in 1994 with a panel of Pictorial slides. Finally, in 2000, I gained a Distinction in the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (DPAGB) with a panel of prints. There are higher qualifications to aim for (FRPS, MPAGB) but I have long since decided to stop while I am ahead…  

I use Canon camera equipment almost exclusively. Having progressed through a lengthy series of film and digital cameras, I now (2010) use a Canon EOS 5D Mk II, with a Canon EOS 7D and a Canon Ixus 980 pocket camera for backup. The 5D II is my main camera, but I used the 7D for much of my Christmas 2009 visit to Argentina and the Iguazú Falls. (Seemy Argentina galleries at www.paulcphotography.com.) The 7D is a good “walkabout” camera, but it is a trade-off  between convenience of use (1.6x crop sensor magnifies the effective focal length of lenses; the pop-up flash enables me to take limited macros; etc.,) and quality (sometimes excessive noise and even banding in low light).  The 5D II remains my main camera for quality results …at least until Canon release [and assuming that I can afford it] the 1DS Mk IV. 

Macro Photography: Canon EF 100mm F/2.8 Macro for magnification down to life size or 1:1; and the more specialised Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x macro lens for magnification from life size to 5x life size. as focus is critical in macro work, I use a steady tripod with macro rail and cable release in natural light when possible, and an on-lens Canon MacroTwin Lite MT-24EX flash gun when not.

Bird Photography: having tried the Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS USM Lens (“trombone” zoom – yuck!) and Sigma’s 150-500mm f5-6.3 DG OS HSM ultra-telephoto zoom (a good compromise lens but a bit soft) I now use Canon’s EF 400mm f/4 DO IS USM prime lens. As one would expect with a prime lens, the quality is very good, but sometimes I do miss the ease of use of the zoom. 

The “DO” stands for “Multi-Layer Diffractive Optical (DO) Element”, which is a special (and expensive!) lens coating to correct chromatic aberrations. By incorporating the DO element, the 400 DO is much smaller and lighter than a comparable lens having conventional optical elements. It was supposed to be the first of a series of DO lenses, but indifferent reviews led to the concept being dropped. I like it, however. With a Canon 1.4x teleconverter attached I have an effective 560 mm lens combination with Image Stabilization that enables me to hand-hold with reasonable success.   

A big problem when photographing birds, especially while hand-holding a big lens is getting a sharp image in dull light where a long exposure is required. I find tripods and even monopods very restrictive while walking around, which is my prefered style of photography. A good Image Stabilization system built in to the lens certainly helps, but even that doesn’t help enough in dim light conditions when the length of exposure becomes too great for my less-than-steady hands. 

After some success trialling the use of the built-in flash on my 7D camera, I decided to try using my more powerful Canon 580EX II flash on the 5D Mk II. However, the flash alone would not help much with my long lens, as its light output is designed for the more standard range of lenses (say, 28 mm to 120 mm) and the illumination would be too diffuse by the time it reached my more distant avian subjects. To overcome this, in March 2010 I added a “Flash X-Tender” (known in the U.S. as a “Better Beamer”) to my kit. This is a relatively simple device: a flat, plastic fresnel lens, velcroed to two arms which attach to the flash head. When the flash fires, the beam passes through the fresnel lens and is focussed into a tighter beam which travels much further. As I write this update, I have been using the Flash X-Tender for several days and the results so far look very promising. Check out my recent diary entries for the evidence.   

Other Photography:

Over the years I have built up a varied collection of other lenses (not to mention cameras) but the lenses that see most use are probably two zooms: Canon’s EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM and EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM. I also take a Canon Ixus 980 with me for backup or when I don’t want to lug a heavy/bulky camera around with me.  

My Gallery Websites

Oh … and you can buy all sorts of wonderful photo merchandise there!

Onward . . .