Shooting BIF from a boat - tips for reducing movement

I realize shooting from a boat on water is not the best scenario for trying to grab good shots of BIF, but it's something I'm going to continue to do. So I'm looking for ideas on how to reduce movement and increase my keeper rate.

I'm shooting right now with my D200 and the 70-200 f2.8 VR hand held. VR is on. I go back and forth with the Normal-Active switch but haven't been able to analyze yet if that makes a difference either way. I need a good programmable EXIF search utility to compare active vs normal and find out. Tried Photo Mechanic for the trial but can't find a way (yet) to search on the fields I need to see. So can't tell yet if it's better to have the switch on normal or active.

I hope to add the Nikon TC 14E II soon if the extra reach will benefit me without degrading image quality to much by being on a boat. Of course I will use it for other things so not a waste if It's not good for the boat. I'm spoiled by the quality and optics of the 70-200 so I don't tolerate lack of sharpness well. (Which could be part of my problem.) Then again, can't afford to get a 200-400 or a 500 so the TC for now will be my best option I think, unless I go with a cheaper telephoto/zoom lens with more reach. I've considered a couple such lenses.

On the Bass Tracker don't think a tripod is going to help me as the platform itself (boat) moves a lot in choppy water and a little in calm water. A monopod might help. Bean bags I think would help when I'm scrunched down in the seat and have the rig kind of resting on my chest. Bean bags might stabilize in that situation. Sometimes there's a fair amount of wind which doesn't help when shooting from a boat on water. Lots of variables to tease out.

Husband Rick thinks a pontoon would be a much more stable base for shooting from. I tend to agree, but I think his motivation is self-serving rather than trying to help me with my photography. ;-) Before he gets a pontoon that's a big grade up from his bass tracker he'd better be getting my a Nikkor 200-400. LOL

A friend said as high a shutter speed as I can manage might help, and I tend to agree with that too. Any other ideas? Boating is something my husband and I enjoy doing together. He fishes while I take photos. Yeah, I know being on solid ground would be better for me, but that's not the issue here. The issue is how can I eek out more good shots from the boat. Any thoughts/tips much appreciated. Actually there are pluses to shooting from the boat. We can get from Point A to Point B much faster in search of certain birds. We see plenty of variety of birds, especially now when so many are migratory. It's nice and soothing being on the water in the sun. So it's not all bad. Just want to get more keepers if I can.

Does make it difficult to tease out why my trash shots didn't pan out considering I'm having intermittent AF issues with my camera and/or lens as evidenced by land shots over time. Will be sending both in shortly to Nikon for a look, but when I get them back I'll be out on the lake as soon as I can, hoping for a higher keeper rate. Also, Rick's fish/depth finder is on the fritz, we think electrical issue with the boat. When we get those fixed I can get closer to my subjects on shore. Right now the lake is down 3 feet and without the depth finder we can't get closer than maybe 60-100 ft from a lot of the shore line without potentially hitting rocks on the bottom.

Any ideas for me much appreciated. TIA

Kelley
--
The start of my galleries: http://www.zenfolio.com/kshoffman
Visit my Belgian Shepherds: http://www.basquelaine.com

Kelley,

I haven't done a lot of photography from a boat, but when I have, I've used the active VR on the 200-400 VR lens. Here's an example with that setting and the 1.7 TC on a windy day:



Sarah

I think your best bet is going to be using as fast a shutter speed as possible. Boating is a lot of fun and does give you some great and more unique angles on shots, but movement is all but certain. You can help some by standing as close to the center of the boat as you can and keep your knees bent. That will help reduce the up/down movement as much as possible given your platform is moving.

Kelley Hoffman said:

A friend said as high a shutter speed as I can manage might help, and
I tend to agree with that too.

Click to expand...

What kinds of shutter speeds are you using currently? If you're not presently close to 1/1000 or faster, you probably should be.

Kelley Hoffman said:

Any other ideas?

Click to expand...

I'm wondering what kind of movement is at the core of the problem.

On a boat, I can think of at least three types, at very different frequencies:

1. Movement of the boat on the water (very low freq)
2. Engine vibration (very high freq)
3. Wind generated movement (somewhere in between)

A tripod isn't going to help with (1). It'll probably make (2) worse. But it could help a lot with (3).

My point is... if you can figure out what type of movement is causing your problems it may be easier to devise a solution.

they make a rifle style camera holder, but i just angle a monopod (or folded tripod) under my arm for the same effect. Also the more mass on the camera the better, so actually strapping bean bags on may help, tho not for your arms.

There was a 99 cent tripod thread a while back; just a bolt on a string stretched from you foot to the tripod socket, but that might help also with the rifle style shooting, attaching the string (or the strap in lieu) to your belt to anchor the camera to your torso at two points.

Technique helps me: time the shot with the crests of the boat motion and of course (not always possible) and holding the camera tight to the face, proper breathing, etc.

Pontoon boats at higher speeds 12 to 20 knots are more stable innitially but feel more like a four wheel drive compared to the easy rolling motion of a v hull so the type of boat may not matter too much at those speeds. At slower speed tho the pontoon boat wont react as quickly and dangerously to your body movement from side to side.
--



http://www.pbase.com/nowhereatoll
http://www.nowhereatoll.com

sjessup said:

I've used the active VR on the 200-400 VR lens. Here's an example
with that setting and the 1.7 TC on a windy day

Click to expand...

Thanks Sarah. Were you able to determine if Active worked better than Normal for certain? I can't figure that out. I can't really see the difference in focus between active and normal, at least not enough to say what the lens does or does not do on either setting. My gut feeling is it works better on active on a boat as well. I've got plenty of shots both ways over the past several months if I could figure out how to easily search them and compare them.

Kelley
--
The start of my galleries: http://www.zenfolio.com/kshoffman
Visit my Belgian Shepherds: http://www.basquelaine.com

Knute said:

I think your best bet is going to be using as fast a shutter speed as
possible. Boating is a lot of fun and does give you some great and
more unique angles on shots, but movement is all but certain. You can
help some by standing as close to the center of the boat as you can
and keep your knees bent. That will help reduce the up/down movement
as much as possible given your platform is moving.

Click to expand...

Thanks. It's the up-down and side-side movement in choppy water (usually means windy) that is worst. A cursory look over what I've gotten recently and in the past seems to show (preliminarily) that very high shutter speeds are better, i.e., higher than 1000-1500, as high as 2000-5000. Of course I can't always get SS that high.

Kelley

--
The start of my galleries: http://www.zenfolio.com/kshoffman
Visit my Belgian Shepherds: http://www.basquelaine.com

malch said:

Kelley Hoffman said:

A friend said as high a shutter speed as I can manage might help, and
I tend to agree with that too.

Click to expand...

What kinds of shutter speeds are you using currently? If you're not
presently close to 1/1000 or faster, you probably should be.

Click to expand...

I'm generally no lower than 1000, the higher the better is seems. I think I'm better off shooting wide open at 2.8 getting the really high SS over shooting at 4.5-7.1 getting only 1000 SS.

Member said:

I'm wondering what kind of movement is at the core of the problem.

On a boat, I can think of at least three types, at very different
frequencies:

1. Movement of the boat on the water (very low freq)
2. Engine vibration (very high freq)
3. Wind generated movement (somewhere in between)

A tripod isn't going to help with (1). It'll probably make (2) worse.
But it could help a lot with (3).

Click to expand...

Not engine in most cases. I'm not shooting when the engine is running, unless we're just zipping across the lake and something really special appears in the sky and I decide to take a chance on the shot(s). Generally only shooting when engine is completely off, or low going very slowly. Or, when he's operating the trolling motor (foot pedal) which tends to be smooth movement I can compensate better for.

It seems to be worst when the wind is up and the water is choppy. It's the side to side and up and down movement I think that causes the most grief because the only way I can stabilize my gear is to stabilize my body as far as I can tell. Most of the time we go the lake is fairly smooth, not crazy choppy. Also depends on traffic and water skiers to a lesser extent but they are easily avoided. But the routine movement my shots are hit and miss, and it's hard to tell what to attribute it to but I assume motion is a big part of it.

Kelley
--
The start of my galleries: http://www.zenfolio.com/kshoffman
Visit my Belgian Shepherds: http://www.basquelaine.com

Good shots from a moving boat are quite possible. I shot this one from the back of the tow boat using a D2H and 70-200 lens with the VR turned off.



--
Scott W. McClure

http://www.got-photos.com

PPA
WPPI
NAPP

'You only get one sunrise and one sunset a day and you only get so many days on the planet. A good photographer does the math and doesn't waste either.'... The Late Galen Rowell

I think that the best answer has already been provided: A boat moves in some sort of oscillation, either rolling (side-to-side) or pitching (forward-to-aft) or some combination of those movements. The speed at which the boat is moving is fastest at the "center" of the oscillation, but the boat is briefly still at the extremes of the motion.

For example, if the movement is entirely a roll, then the boat's speed is fastest as you pass through an even keel, but is briefly still at the two extremes - because the speed must pass through zero as the direction of motion changes.

The distance traveled in each oscillation - and therefore the distance traveled during an exposure - is shorter as you move towards the centerline, and also as you move lower in the boat. For example, a person aloft in a sail boat moves through a much longer arc when the boat is rolling than does someone on the main deck. It takes just as long for each oscillation to occur, so the speed of the motion is much faster for the person at the higher elevation.

So (1) shooting from a low, centerline position, (2) timing your shots at the moment when you sense "up" about to change to "down" or "left" about to change to "right" and, (3) using the fastest possible shutter speed will keep your camera as still as it is going to get.

Hope this helps.

sounds like a fun challenge Kelley., I think it all depends on the aperture you want, and your focal length., the longer the mm, the more ss you need., you will likely be out on a bright sunny day, shooting with the sun at your back, so I think you will do well with an iso somewhere around 250 - 400 max., if your using a tc., stop down a bit, and do some test shot... and have a look., careful of your exposure., I was shooting caspian terns this past week, and found over exposing by one full stop saved the whites.

As the sun was going down 2/3 stop., also, what ever you do, shoot in the early am, or late pm... flight shots need the light behind you, not on top of you!!

(best times for fishing anyhow!)



good luck!!

--
my website ... http://www.rayswildlife.com

Kelley Hoffman said:

I'm generally no lower than 1000, the higher the better is seems. I
think I'm better off shooting wide open at 2.8 getting the really
high SS over shooting at 4.5-7.1 getting only 1000 SS.

Click to expand...

That's good. But if you're having problems at faster speeds, even 1/5000, I'd start to wonder whether your issues are more related to focus rather than motion.

Kelley Hoffman said:

It seems to be worst when the wind is up and the water is choppy.

Click to expand...

I suppose a tripod might help with the wind, in theory. In reality it will probably create other challenges and hassle that you don't need.

The suggestion to stand as close to the center of the boat (the point about which it rolls and pitches) is a good one. A really good stance will help. If you feel you're struggling to control the weight of the camera/lens you might want to think about one of those chest/shoulder support systems. I've never used one myself so I can't do more than throw out the idea.

hey Kelly,as an old has been sailor of small sailboats,think mispeld said it best,anyways also put all gear u may have at the "cog" point(center of gravity),u would be amazed how much in a small boat even 20 lbs in the bow causes more up and down motion. anyways a tripod or monopod isn't a good idea,standing with legs slightly bent is key,but RELAXED,u dampen motion whereas a monopod would match what the boat is doing,be "fluid". shutter speed is key as u said,VR?,well,I seriously doubt that it really is effective on a boat to much degree,thats a lot to ask of it,I shot using the same set up,Vr on and off,didn;t seem to make a difference frankly and this was on the Chesapeake not a lake,much bigger chop,good luck!

crazygold said:

hey Kelly,as an old has been sailor of small sailboats,think mispeld
said it best,anyways also put all gear u may have at the "cog"
point(center of gravity),u would be amazed how much in a small boat
even 20 lbs in the bow causes more up and down motion. anyways a
tripod or monopod isn't a good idea,standing with legs slightly bent
is key,but RELAXED,u dampen motion whereas a monopod would match what
the boat is doing,be "fluid". shutter speed is key as u
said,VR?,well,I seriously doubt that it really is effective on a boat
to much degree,thats a lot to ask of it,I shot using the same set
up,Vr on and off,didn;t seem to make a difference frankly and this
was on the Chesapeake not a lake,much bigger chop,good luck!

Click to expand...

Thanks great tips. I keep my gear on the floor close to the console, it's actually pretty much in the center I think. The boat has a bench seat in the middle with the console and that's where I usually shoot from. There's also a raised seat at the bow and one at that stern. Sometimes Rick fishes from the front (trolling motor position) or the back raised seat. Sometime I shoot from either place as well if the water is calm. So likely those aren't the best places for us to be? I have no problems telling Rick where to sit. LOL The days of him accommodating me and my photography needs might be ending soon. I'm catching more than he is, photos vs fish that is. He says it's mutually exclusive shooting birds and fishing and I say on the contrary. The fish just aren't biting yet because the water is still too cold. In another month fishing conditions will be better, and they'll open the dam and raise the lake level 3 ft or so.

I'm trying to talk him into a trip to Pelee Island this spring/summer. He wants to take the boat. Looks like we could drive via Sandusky hauling the boat, take a ferry over to the island and put in at one of the marinas there. BUT, I'm not so sure our bass tracker on Lake Erie is such a great idea with the choppiness. Maybe he can drop me off on the island, or rent a pontoon. ;-)

Kelley
--
The start of my galleries: http://www.zenfolio.com/kshoffman
Visit my Belgian Shepherds: http://www.basquelaine.com

Scott W. McClure said:

Good shots from a moving boat are quite possible. I shot this one
from the back of the tow boat using a D2H and 70-200 lens with the VR
turned off.

Click to expand...

Nice shot, but it's a lot easier with a bigger target! I first learned how to do moving subjects with my 70-200 shooting water skiers and speeds boats and other watercraft from our moving boat. That's what first amazed me about how great the lens is. Pretty darned sharp shots under the circumstances. But for me an Osprey in flight 30-80 or more ft away with a 70-200 lens while on a moving boat is much tougher. I'm lacking reach, I often can't get closer, so I have to nail focus and exposure for a croppable shot. I do agree there's a way to do it better as evidenced by the fact I have occasionally snapped some great shots this way. Just want to do it more consistently, and need to figure out if the variables in my way or within or beyond my control.

Kelley
--
The start of my galleries: http://www.zenfolio.com/kshoffman
Visit my Belgian Shepherds: http://www.basquelaine.com

nowhereatoll said:

they make a rifle style camera holder, but i just angle a monopod (or
folded tripod) under my arm for the same effect. Also the more mass
on the camera the better, so actually strapping bean bags on may
help, tho not for your arms.

Click to expand...

I'll think about more mass on the camera.

nowhereatoll said:

There was a 99 cent tripod thread a while back; just a bolt on a
string stretched from you foot to the tripod socket, but that might
help also with the rifle style shooting, attaching the string (or the
strap in lieu) to your belt to anchor the camera to your torso at two
points.

Click to expand...

I remember that thread and gadget. Hum. Might help in this situation would have to try it.

nowhereatoll said:

Technique helps me: time the shot with the crests of the boat motion
and of course (not always possible) and holding the camera tight to
the face, proper breathing, etc.

Click to expand...

Yes, I instinctively do this. Holding camera close to my face and head does seem to help steady things.

nowhereatoll said:

Pontoon boats at higher speeds 12 to 20 knots are more stable
innitially but feel more like a four wheel drive compared to the easy
rolling motion of a v hull so the type of boat may not matter too
much at those speeds. At slower speed tho the pontoon boat wont
react as quickly and dangerously to your body movement from side to
side.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips! We're going back out tomorrow. Going to try some different suggestions from here. Now I need an easy way to sort photos to see what seems to make a positive or negative difference.

Kelley

--
The start of my galleries: http://www.zenfolio.com/kshoffman
Visit my Belgian Shepherds: http://www.basquelaine.com

mispeld said:

I think that the best answer has already been provided: A boat moves
in some sort of oscillation, either rolling (side-to-side) or
pitching (forward-to-aft) or some combination of those movements.
The speed at which the boat is moving is fastest at the "center" of
the oscillation, but the boat is briefly still at the extremes of the
motion.

Click to expand...

As I think about it, I believe the side to side motion from choppy waves is the bigger problem, but can't say for certain. Maybe I'm the biggest problem, don't know. Though I can't imagine I've gotten so much worse at executing my equipment since I first purchased it last summer and was shooting from the boat.

mispeld said:

For example, if the movement is entirely a roll, then the boat's
speed is fastest as you pass through an even keel, but is briefly
still at the two extremes - because the speed must pass through zero
as the direction of motion changes.

Click to expand...

So this goes back to being in the center of the boat and going with the movement in the most advantageous way?

mispeld said:

The distance traveled in each oscillation - and therefore the
distance traveled during an exposure - is shorter as you move towards
the centerline, and also as you move lower in the boat. For example,
a person aloft in a sail boat moves through a much longer arc when
the boat is rolling than does someone on the main deck. It takes
just as long for each oscillation to occur, so the speed of the
motion is much faster for the person at the higher elevation.

Click to expand...

So my instinct to scrunch down in my seat (close to the bottom) or on the bottom in center, bracing my legs and shoving camera to my face is a good thing or me to do?

mispeld said:

So (1) shooting from a low, centerline position, (2) timing your
shots at the moment when you sense "up" about to change to "down" or
"left" about to change to "right" and, (3) using the fastest possible
shutter speed will keep your camera as still as it is going to get.

Click to expand...

Yes! Thank you this makes sense. Will be more cognizant of this tomorrow. Of course the water will probably be eerily calmer and then I won't know if it was this that made the difference or the calmer water. LOL

Last week was a little weird anyway, day before and day of the earthquake. Weren't as many birds out and about and lake was really choppier than usual which may or may not have had anything to do with the geology. We were close enough to the epicenter to feel the 5.x midwest quake in the AM though.

Kelley

--
The start of my galleries: http://www.zenfolio.com/kshoffman
Visit my Belgian Shepherds: http://www.basquelaine.com

raymond j barlow said:

sounds like a fun challenge Kelley., I think it all depends on the
aperture you want, and your focal length., the longer the mm, the
more ss you need., you will likely be out on a bright sunny day,
shooting with the sun at your back, so I think you will do well with
an iso somewhere around 250 - 400 max., if your using a tc., stop
down a bit, and do some test shot... and have a look., careful of
your exposure., I was shooting caspian terns this past week, and
found over exposing by one full stop saved the whites.

Click to expand...

Hey Ray, it is a challenge and a blast. You would love it. I don't think it would put as much of a dent in your keeper rate with the reach you have and your skills, and the D300. And while you're waiting for bird opportunities you can have a pole in the water to boot! Though right now fish aren't biting too much. I am shooting from ISO 100-400 with both the D200 and the D40. Stopping down doesn't seem to be helping me too much. Could be coincidence but seems I get things in better focus at extremely high shutter speeds so can't stop down as much as I'd like. Yeah, I'm still struggling with exposure. Seems either I'm under a stop or I'm blowing my whites. Drives me insane. Can't find the middle ground. Did you mean under exposing a stop for saving the whites in the terns?

I'm amazed at the variety of birds I'm seeing. Last year we didn't go out until August so I missed a lot of these guys who are just passing through. If I could anchor close off shore and had more reach I'd be in hog heaven and Rick probably would too as he'd rather fish that way than trolling. I've already located (between last year and this year) many of these birds favorite spots; perches, shore areas, etc. If I'm looking for Herons we have about 4 different places we can go to directly and undoubtedly we'll find them. Same for Ospreys. And there's a little island in the middle of the quiet finger of the lake where the cormorants hang in a tree, as many as 60-70 of them at a time. It's a sight when they are all in their tree, and fun shooting when they all fly out. Last week saw the usual ring-billed gulls, plus either Franklin or Bonaparte gulls (black-headed) plus Caspian Terns. There are a few spots where the gulls and terns feed around 5:00 and that's fun shooting. The mallards were there last week for first time. Of course tons of pesky Canada geese. Also plenty of coots still around, and loons, and ugly Turkey Vultures. Also saw a few different woodpecker type birds in trees off shore, possibly a Kingfisher or two but not enough reach for me to get a shot of one. Haven't seen a single hawk yet in the woods offshore or nearby.

raymond j barlow said:

As the sun was going down 2/3 stop., also, what ever you do, shoot in
the early am, or late pm... flight shots need the light behind you,
not on top of you!!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip. We've been going out late afternoon to early evening, so around 3:00-4:00 until around dusk. I'd like to try going in the morning to see what the birds and fish are doing from maybe 7:00 until the sun gets too harsh. Yeah, he knows he can't drive into the sun. LOL I'll give on a lot of things, but if he wants me to come along I've got to be able to do something other than fish, so he can't go into the sun, unless I'm going for sunset shots. ;-) My biggest challenge is to get him to shut his mouth. LOL. Rick's that way when he's alone with me, every thought that pops into his head comes out his mouth, and he often scares the birds off. He's not much of a talker around anyone but me.

raymond j barlow said:

Click to expand...

Okay. Your Tern is better than mine. But I've only got 200mm and am shooting from a moving boat.

Kelley
--
The start of my galleries: http://www.zenfolio.com/kshoffman
Visit my Belgian Shepherds: http://www.basquelaine.com

Kelley Hoffman said:

raymond j barlow said:

sounds like a fun challenge Kelley., I think it all depends on the
aperture you want, and your focal length., the longer the mm, the
more ss you need., you will likely be out on a bright sunny day,
shooting with the sun at your back, so I think you will do well with
an iso somewhere around 250 - 400 max., if your using a tc., stop
down a bit, and do some test shot... and have a look., careful of
your exposure., I was shooting caspian terns this past week, and
found over exposing by one full stop saved the whites.

Click to expand...

Hey Ray, it is a challenge and a blast. You would love it. I don't
think it would put as much of a dent in your keeper rate with the
reach you have and your skills, and the D300. And while you're
waiting for bird opportunities you can have a pole in the water to
boot! Though right now fish aren't biting too much. I am shooting
from ISO 100-400 with both the D200 and the D40. Stopping down
doesn't seem to be helping me too much. Could be coincidence but
seems I get things in better focus at extremely high shutter speeds
so can't stop down as much as I'd like. Yeah, I'm still struggling
with exposure. Seems either I'm under a stop or I'm blowing my
whites. Drives me insane. Can't find the middle ground. Did you
mean under exposing a stop for saving the whites in the terns?

I'm amazed at the variety of birds I'm seeing. Last year we didn't
go out until August so I missed a lot of these guys who are just
passing through. If I could anchor close off shore and had more
reach I'd be in hog heaven and Rick probably would too as he'd rather
fish that way than trolling. I've already located (between last year
and this year) many of these birds favorite spots; perches, shore
areas, etc. If I'm looking for Herons we have about 4 different
places we can go to directly and undoubtedly we'll find them. Same
for Ospreys. And there's a little island in the middle of the quiet
finger of the lake where the cormorants hang in a tree, as many as
60-70 of them at a time. It's a sight when they are all in their
tree, and fun shooting when they all fly out. Last week saw the usual
ring-billed gulls, plus either Franklin or Bonaparte gulls
(black-headed) plus Caspian Terns. There are a few spots where the
gulls and terns feed around 5:00 and that's fun shooting. The
mallards were there last week for first time. Of course tons of
pesky Canada geese. Also plenty of coots still around, and loons,
and ugly Turkey Vultures. Also saw a few different woodpecker type
birds in trees off shore, possibly a Kingfisher or two but not enough
reach for me to get a shot of one. Haven't seen a single hawk yet in
the woods offshore or nearby.

Kelley Hoffman said:

As the sun was going down 2/3 stop., also, what ever you do, shoot in
the early am, or late pm... flight shots need the light behind you,
not on top of you!!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip. We've been going out late afternoon to early
evening, so around 3:00-4:00 until around dusk. I'd like to try
going in the morning to see what the birds and fish are doing from
maybe 7:00 until the sun gets too harsh. Yeah, he knows he can't
drive into the sun. LOL I'll give on a lot of things, but if he
wants me to come along I've got to be able to do something other than
fish, so he can't go into the sun, unless I'm going for sunset shots.
;-) My biggest challenge is to get him to shut his mouth. LOL.
Rick's that way when he's alone with me, every thought that pops into
his head comes out his mouth, and he often scares the birds off.
He's not much of a talker around anyone but me.

Click to expand...

Kelley Hoffman said:

Okay. Your Tern is better than mine. But I've only got 200mm and am
shooting from a moving boat.

Kelley
--
The start of my galleries: http://www.zenfolio.com/kshoffman
Visit my Belgian Shepherds: http://www.basquelaine.com

Click to expand...

-- hehe.. well, the main thing is that you have fun, enjoy your self, and come home with a few cool shots. Daisy and I are together out in the field so much it is unbelievable. She does climb into the hide with me, but she will sit in the truck, and give me some heads up info on our mics sometimes.

We just scooped a bike for her, so while Maria and I are roaming around the fields, or scouting in the truck, she is out there pedalling, and looking for good spots/things to shoot., it all works well., and Maria is getting quite an education., you wouldn't beleive the species she knows already, at 28 months.

Take care, lets see some pics soon ok?



my website ... http://www.rayswildlife.com

raymond j barlow said:

-- hehe.. well, the main thing is that you have fun, enjoy your self,
and come home with a few cool shots. Daisy and I are together out in
the field so much it is unbelievable. She does climb into the hide
with me, but she will sit in the truck, and give me some heads up
info on our mics sometimes.

Click to expand...

I'm having a lot of fun and I am LEARNING and hopefully honing my skills. I've probably set the bar too high for myself to start out but that's just me. I know if I practice and everything finally falls into place I'm capable of some unforgettable shots. Getting there is a bit slow, but as you noted I admittedly throw myself many challenges that make it harder.

raymond j barlow said:

We just scooped a bike for her, so while Maria and I are roaming
around the fields, or scouting in the truck, she is out there
pedalling, and looking for good spots/things to shoot., it all works
well., and Maria is getting quite an education., you wouldn't beleive
the species she knows already, at 28 months.

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Hehe! When I've got Kayleigh and William for the day we pass away part of the time listening to bird calls on whatbird.com. Nice for you, Daisy and little Maria that it's a family affair. That's how it should be. Another reason why Rick is on the pontoon kick right now, can more comfortably take the grandkids and more family members out on the boat and not stress about the kids as much. The pontoon railings are like built in playpens. On the bass boat 2 is comfortable, 3 is a bit of a crowd between Rick's gear and my gear, and if we put 3 year old William in the mix (all boy) we might have a coronary. LOL

raymond j barlow said:

Take care, lets see some pics soon ok?

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Eventually I'll be very proud to show some photos here if I think they are excellent. It was a big step for me to put anything in my zenfolio galleries, but figured I paid for it I might as well use it. One of these days ... I'm not a fan of mediocrity, so when I get consistently better than that, you'll see more photos from me. ;-) I need to apprentice with someone for a few days. ;-)

Kelley
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The start of my galleries: http://www.zenfolio.com/kshoffman
Visit my Belgian Shepherds: http://www.basquelaine.com