Photography - a very individual slant

In his latest offering, Gavin Haig (NQS - click the link) states "I'm not a photographer, just a birder who carries a camera" It is a sentiment which I'm fully able to align myself behind. For as long as I can remember photographs have accompanied my journey. However, it is not about the quality of the image as opposed to the memories that they able to recall, when revisited, which is paramount from my perspective. As with all other aspects of life, things change with the passing of time and photography during my life has evolved from holiday snaps, printed on paper and stored in albums, via the various 35 mm SLRs and slide film, then onto digital image capture with all that the associated technology is capable of recording. 

An image which means absolutely nothing to the rest of the world.
Taken in the early/mid 1960's it is of my Uncle Joe, Nanny Rache(al) and Great-Aunt Em(ma),
thus, retains the ability to recall priceless memories for me and my two brothers!

Under no circumstances do I wish to cause offence to those folk who've chosen to push their skill levels beyond that of a "point & press" blogger! If photography (digital image capture) is what floats your boat then fill your boots! Whilst I admit to being completely bemused by the "toggers" who turn up at twitches with camera kit costing thousands, yet no binoculars, is my problem, not theirs. That they are able to find enjoyment from encounters with wildlife, however different from my own approach, has to be a positive and thus respected. To be brutally honest, I don't understand why anyone would want to spoil a nice walk by including a golf ball in the equation? Still, there are millions of folk, worldwide, who see things differently and, as an angler, I'm in no position to question how others derive pleasure from these leisure time choices. 

My first "twenty" Pike - November 1981
This is a copy of a print taken using a, cheap, Kodak 110 format camera
By today's standards it is poor, to say the least, but still evokes incredible memories

So, back to me obtaining photos and the role they play in my enjoyment of angling and general wildlife encounters. It was because of the prep work required for the recent presentation, which I did for the Canterbury/Thanet PAC region, that actually made me realise how powerful revisiting of old images can be within an emotional context. Image quality isn't as important as the subject itself. By definition, if it is the only image, then it has to be the best one and the memories are just as vivid despite any technical critique.

You'll never please everyone, so have to please yourself.
I captured this slide image, way back in the early 1980's, of "Cuddles" playing a Pike with Baz Adams
on net duty. Chuffed with the result, I took it up to the Technical Support Team, at Kodak, expecting 
some compliments, only to be told that, because of the light, they should have been fishing on the other bank?

I'll try my best to avoid a history lesson here, but the digital revolution has certainly impacted, in a dramatic fashion, since the start of the millenium. My entry level equipment revolved around "digi-scoping" starting with a 2 mega pixel Nikon "Coolpix" which very quickly changed to a 7.6 mega pixel model. From there I went to a Fuji "Finepix" bridge camera before, in 2006 (or 2007?) purchasing my first DSLR - a Canon EOS 400d, all 10 million pixels worth. A Sigma 150 - 500 mm lens accompanied  the purchase and this combo served me superbly for the next fifteen, plus, years. 

A Hoopoe, in protest at my close proximity, captured with the Canon EOS 400d and
Sigma 150 - 500mm lens. 6th May 2008, whilst on holiday on
mainland Greece. Perfectly acceptable as an accompaniment to a blog post?

It was after Bev and I returned from a holiday, on Corfu, in September 2023, that my old, Tring Syndicate, mate Ric F passed comment upon the image quality being obtained and suggested it was time to replace that "ancient" lens! At the time I wasn't convinced that I could justify any expense, purely to improve the images that accompany my blog ramblings. However, as time passed I became increasingly aware of the improvement in digital image capture technology and decided to explore the possibilities of an equipment upgrade. It is here that I have to say a massive thanks to the staff who work in the Burgess Hill branch of Park Cameras. Without their help and advice I'm not sure how I'd have got on?  I now own two cameras, an EOS 70d & 90d, which are paired with image stabilized lenses. The 70d has my 18 - 55mm version whilst the 90d is coupled with my 100 - 400mm USM EF Mk1 IS model. All of which has been purchased "pre-owned" thus, just a fraction of the price of the kit had it been brand new. I've only owned the 90d since mid-December 2024, purchasing it as a joint 69th birthday/Christmas present. If I was impressed by the original 70d image quality (all 20 million pixels worth) then the 90d (with 32.5 million pixels) just blew my mind. 

20 million pixels and an IS lens is more than adequate for my self-take trophy shots

The two set-ups are now part of the kit required whenever I am on the bank. The 70d is there to capture scenic images and my trophy self-takes, whilst the 90d is for all other, wildlife related, stuff. If there is anything I can offer other, non hobby photographers, then it is don't bother with the majority of sensationalised nonsense provided by "wannabe" photographers on YouTube. They are only interested in the number of views they receive and the content is, almost always, absolute OTT bo**ocks! The only way to hone your skill set is by trial and error. I take photos to provide me with memories, so don't care too much about what others think of the composition or image quality, it is all about pleasing myself. In an attempt at providing some evidence to support my investment in this new kit. I would like to demonstrate the incredible flexibility provided by this modern technology.

32.5 million pixels worth of a perched Common Buzzard

A perfectly useable crop, from the original, within
a blogging context

I've nothing much to say about being able to create such an image from that original.
This is all the evidence I require to know that the acquisition of the new kit
is perfectly justified. For those interested, this is a 100% crop according to my photoshop
program. As a blogger, what's to moan about?

Of course I still press and point at subjects which evade the technology purely because of a lack of ability on my part. I use the kit in manual mode, for the majority of my daytime efforts, with the ISO set to auto. It is only when I'm playing around with the Hedgehogs do I switch the mode dial to auto and allow the camera to do it's own thing without any interference from me. During my Kodak years it was a seven year apprenticeship if someone wished to become a qualified "pro" photographer. How time has changed this situation? Buying an expensive pen will never make you a better writer yet, given the advances in digital image capture, if you can afford it, then buying the most expensive, up to date, equipment certainly does nothing but enhance the results anyone is able to achieve. I decided to write this post purely because I'd seen a photo on Birdguides where the equipment used was valued around £18,000! I could buy a new van for that sort of money. The EOS 90d and 100 - 400mm lens cost less than £ 1,300, yet  more than capable of securing images which are worthy of sharing with visitors to the blog.