chris_hansen

This subject has been covered before. But I'll add to it anyway.

Eastern Sierra as have been stated. The highway 101 corridor North of

Santa Rosa all the way north to the Oregon Border all along the way

there are pockets of oak abd Big leaf maple. The Big Leaf Maples can

be spectacular in Redwood National Park photographed next to the

redwwods

God's light to you

Thanks for your responses. I checked with Sigma and they stated that

the lens is 9 years old and they no longer make any parts for it. I

didn't sop the lens down as I was shooting wide open so go figure. I

guess I'll find out if I have an LCD problem if I ever get an Error 99

problem and it shows up as a 93 again. Thanks for the input

C

While using a Canon 10D today I stuck on an older Sigma 500 f 7.2 lens

to see if it would work. I shot about 10 images or so and it seemed to

be working fine. Suddenly error message 93 popped up and it wouldn't

write any more images. I turned off the camera took out the batteries

turned it back on and got the same result. I repeated the process and

mounted a Canon lens and it worked fine for the rest of the day. I

checked my 10D manual and there is no error message 93. I searched the

archives with no results. Any help would be appreciated.

God's light to all

wJust curious where and what is the Albion Basin? I live close to the

Albion River in Northern California and the wildflowers there are

about finished. Though I'm sure that this is not what you arte

probably ask

Search the archives. There is a lot on shooting from float tubes,

kayaks, canoes and boats. I have posted plans for floating blinds if

they are still there. Give it a try

God's light to you

Chr

Jim,

What market are you talking about here. Two books I would check out at

the library are. The yearly Photographers Market and John Shaws "The

Business of Nature Photography. If you wanted you could frame some and

troop on down to the nearest crafts market set up a booth and sell

some. If you are talking magazines each one has its own requirements

though most usually accept slides though many are adapting to digital.

God's light to you

It depends upon the image. Sometimes an unfocused foreground can

artitically add to the image by making your main subject standout. If

it is planned and well thought out this can be very effective. Look at

your image and decide for yourself if it detracts or adds to your

image. Though I must say in the majority of cases it usually doesnt.

Always check out the edges of your framing when composing before you

take the shot. It is obvious from your introspection you are learning.

God's light to you

When I used to keep pigeons all I had to do was fly my pigeons at

midday to attract a peregrine. I got to see a number of my birds

picked off this way. A few of them right above my house. Hmmmmn. Maybe

I should start keeping pigeons again. Sorry this doesn't answer your

question I just couldn't resist throwing it in

C

Try this book title

"The Classification of Pictures and Slides" by Stanford J. Green It

is published by Little Books of Denver , Colorado

Chri

Sean

I am a part time pro. That means I kept my day job because I wouldn't

be able to feed my family on my photography income. I would suggest

the following.

#1 Map out a business plan with all potential costs and income

#2 Find an experienced pro to review your plan and see if it is

accurate and feasable.

#3 Work like crazy to make it work

#4 Pray a lot

This isn't meant to discourage you . Far from it. Be passionate about

your work . Put your heart into it. Just make sure that you are

following your heart with your brains.

Good luck and God's light to you

Norm,

When photographing vegitation frost covered or not watch what is in

the background. With frost a dark background is best. If you are doing

macro you can set up your own background. A black garbage bag all

wrinkled up or a piece of blue or dark blue velvet. Use depth of field

preview to make sure it is out of focus

C

I f you don't want to spend a lot of money and still get a macro lens

that does a superb job buy a Vivitar 100 mm f 3.5 lens with a 1:1

adapter. In fact most any flat field 90 or 100 mm macro lens will do

just fine. I have used several different brands over the years and

they all do a fine job.

C

This morning I went out with a newbie friend of mine and we shot

several rolls of frost covered leaves and frozen puddles. It was

bitter cold and we had a great time. The good Lord has given us a

beautiful world to photograph.

Ch

I call predators to photograph them. Usually unsuccessfully with a

shotgun at my side due to an overabundance of mountain lions in my

area of California. I also put out seeds for the birds and squirrels I

photograph. Both of these actions have some impact on thier behavior.

In fact with the feeding they become dependent upon it when the

weather gets snowy and cold. ShouldI stop feeding them?

Chri

The key to this is to know the habitats of the prey you are trying to

photograpgh. I have been using a point and shoot attached to a

infrared triggering device. I have been getting grey fox by using fish

oil and peanut butter on the end of a log. That way they walk up the

log and I can better frame the picture. To date off and on over the

past few years I have gotten a couple of good ones. It is alot of fun

when you get your rolls back because you never know what you are foing

to get. I have gotten wood rats, skunks, raccons and both my dog and

my cat as well as some curious people. Luckily they didn't take my

rig. Today in the mail I got a stealth cam all in one unit that I'm

going to try once the rain stops pouring down. In conclusion find a

narrow path where you can somewhat control your prey

C

For all around bird photography No. Shooting from a blind or a

floating blind a 200 is perfectly fine. Some of my best waterfowl

pictures were taken with a 200 from distaces of 5 to 8 feet. Set up a

bird feeder on a window ledge at home. Block off the window with some

caed board. Wire some branches to the feeder and have at it. A 200 can

be a great lens. Don�t let gear stop your photography. Yes its true

you probably won�t be getting flight shots at Bosque or heron picture

across the pond in Florida. But later on when you are able to afford

it you will.

Good luck and God�s light to you

Ch

The closest town or city of any size is Cresent City. It's closest to

Orick, Ca which is just outside the park. It's a nice place to

photograph Roosevelt elk if you can get them when there not all

standing in the open fields near Orick

Ch

Almost forgot a must see. Don't forget to visit Fern Canyon on the

north end of Gold Bluffs Beach in Praire Creek Redwoods State Park in

N. CA. I haven't had much luck in photographing it but it is really a

beautiful sight. It is a steep walled canyon about a 1/2 mile long or

so with almost vertical sides completely covered in ferns. There is a

semi sort of trail on the bottom that winds its way up the canyon in

and out of the creek. It can be impassible if there has been too much

rain. You can sometimes photograph elk on the beach too.

On the southern end of Mendocino County I would photograph near the

town of Elk for landscapes off the road. There is a group (not very

big) of tundra swans that winter on the fields of the Garcia river

near Pt. Arena. You can get surfing shots next to the Pt. Arena pier.

Further north if you want to rent a canoe there are river otters in

both the Albion River and Big River. Canoes are rented at the mouth of

Big River at the Stanford Inn. Mendocino is next and it is a very New

England style setting. Murder She wrote amongst others was filmed

there. Rusian Gulch, Jughandle state park as are the couple of other

small state parks north of Mendocino Booth are pretty decent. The next

town north is Ft. Bragg. Get directions to Glass beach on the north

end of town. It is the site of an old dump. The beach is covered in

beach glass. McKerricher stae park is just a short distance up the

coast. Lake Cleone can sonmetimes be good for waterfowl. Walk out to

the seal viewing area and go down into the tidepools for some tidepool

photography at low tide. For beach and small dune photgraphy walk Ten

Mile Beach on the north end of the park just north of Lake Cleone. For

camping try WestPort Lamding or go further north into the Usal road. I

would second the Lost Coast are. Superb for elk. But getting in there

in December is very iffy. I would photograph the old mill town of

Scotia south of Eureka. If you want a sore neck go down onto the beach

at Patricks Point and look for agates in the surf. My favorite

restaurants are the thai restaurants in Ft. Bragg and the only one in

Crescent City.

God's light to you and have a safe trip in the real coast

You state that your shots were always wide open. Give yourself some

more depth of field. Experiment more with your f stops and flash get

more depth of field and close down to f 8 or f 11. Try f22 and use a

flash.

Good luck and God's light to you

Chris

Mine is as simple as some of the others. I used a 14 inch long piece

of pine 1x12 . I drilled a 1/4 inch hole in the center of it about 3/4

of the way down the length of it. I then put in a 1/4 inch carriage

bolt in and secured it with all purpose duct tape to keep the bolt

from falling out when my ballhead is not attached. It is very low to

the ground. To raise it I sometimes set it on top of a bean bag.

God's light to all

Saran wrap works well too. Especially since it now comes in various

colors. You can increase the effect by adding more layers. You also

can punch a hole in the center to have a sharp center and softer

edges. Experiment!

God's light to all

Ch

On your half days if you like bird photography try shooting the

clapper rails at high tide in Baylands. That is a few miles south of

the airport along the bay. Alot of other shorebird opportunities there

too. Access is good wih biking and hiking trails along the edge of the

bay fl

Marcio,

I use blinds a lot . They basically make it so the human form cannot

be seen so easily as a threat. I have found that blinds work best for

birds and small mammals within my own personal experience. Yes it

really does fool them. They sometimes seem aware that something is

different but not enough to scare them away unless the person in the

blind moves around too much. So yes I would say it is movement though

in the case of coyotes they definitely scented me

Good luck