sandra_aamodt

When I got serious about photography, I bought a Nikon EL2, and I loved it. Mirror lock-up, depth-of-field preview, automatic exposure with between-step shutter speeds and exposure lock, all on a totally manual camera that wasn't going to do anything behind my back while I was learning. It took great pictures, too ... until the meter died the second week after I bought it. All of a sudden I had a twenty-year-old camera that needed parts, which the repair shop searched for a month without finding. Because I had a 60-day guarantee on the purchase, I was able to return the camera. I miss it, but I'm not replacing it with another old one. I spent more money for a 6006 with fewer of the features I care about, because I can count on being able to get parts for it.

I'm planning a brief (3-day) photographic trip to Vermont in October. I can borrow a friend's cabin and assume food will be widely available, so I've moved on to the truly important question: where to go to take pictures. Looking at the guide books designed specifically for photography, I find most of them really turn me off. Why would I drive four hours to press the shutter release and duplicate a picture that originated in somebody else's head? I might as well stay home and buy a calendar with better images than mine. These books miss the point for me by a On the other hand, I won't have a lot of time. Do most of you use guide books, and if so, for what? I've been to Vermont in the summer, and as I recall, trees aren't hard to find there. Can I safely plan to wander around in the Green Mountains and find things to photograph?

Anthony, I didn't intend to imply that parenting ability critically depends on gender. Most of my male friends are actively involved in raising their children, including one who stayed home as his daughter's primary caretaker until she was eighteen months old. Conversely, I know women who work 60-70 hours a week, showing up for a goodnight kiss after the nanny has picked the kids up from daycare and fed them dinner. Sacrificing your kids for another interest (like Satanism, perhaps?) is not only a male problem.

 

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Having said that, I'm still amazed that so many discussions of why women behave differently from men, this one included, blow right past the indisputable biological differences and head for much more questionable psychological territory like a male preference for gadgets. On average, women spend more time and energy on their children than men do. This is partly determined by biology, as men don't get pregnant or breastfeed, and partly by cultural responses to that biology, as more women than men are the primary caretakers of children. Sociological studies within the last ten years have found that (full time) working women with preschool children spend an average of 20 hours per week more than their husbands on housework and child care. Those women aren't considering taking up nature photography. They're trying to figure out how to get some sleep.

 

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Simple lack of time wouldn't account for the entire difference in the number of men and women practicing serious nature photography, but I'd guess it's a major contributor. As for women posting here, if time for a hobby is scarce, I suspect most people would choose to be out doing it rather than sitting around talking about it.

No, you're not the only girl on the block, Debbie. I just found this site, and I think the technical discussions are fantastic. I'm new to photography and preparing to buy lenses for my recently purchased Nikon EL2, so this is exactly the sort of information I need. As a biologist, I'm comfortable with mechanistic detail, and I know plenty of women with similar expertise. And yes, there are areas of the net where women profoundly outnumber men, although I've never been near the sewing page, if it exists.

 

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I do sometimes feel uneasy when I'm shooting by myself in remote areas. My solution, when I can't get my husband out of bed before dawn (a frequent problem), is to take my large dog with me. If I walk him around a bit first, he'll stay happily on the leash while I work. He loves it, and it keeps me from being nervous about someone coming up behind me while I'm concentrating. (Obviously, I don't do much wildlife.)

 

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My husband got me interested in photography, although he doesn't understand my fascination with landscapes. He appreciates how much I enjoy it and doesn't complain about the cost. We don't have kids, which I suspect is the central problem with serious nature photography for many women.