Getting Ready for My Annual Migrating Wildlife Trip

Liftoff!  Snow Geese leaving a saltwater pond in Assateague National Wildlife Refuge, VA in 2008 (click to enlarge)

Toward the end of this week, it will be time for a group of photographer friends and me to head out to Virginia's Eastern Shore for our annual wildlife and migrating water foul photography expedition.  As most of you know, I'm not really a wildlife photographer, as are my friends but, for me, a trip like this gives me an opportunity to accomplish several things.

First, I get to spend about 4 days with some really good friends, both male and female.  About half of our little group is retired and the other half are still toiling for some future retirement.  I'm one of the lucky, retired, ones!  Most of us have or have had ties to the law enforcement community but all of us have ties as loving photography as well as being kind, compassionate, good human beings.  Another strong bond is our love for and appreciation of nature, wildlife and the wonderful abundance of both in our country.  It is virtually unlimited.

The trip is just as much about spending time with my friends as it is about photographing.  I find this common in many endeavors, whether fishing, hunting, traveling, playing sports, etc.  It is about quality time with like people as it is the pursuit of the craft.

Second, not being a wildlife photographer, a primarily wildlife photography trip allows me to test my skills, be challenged in making kinds of images I don't normally make and try to improve.  I look at this trip as a test of sorts.  I don't necessarily specialize in one genre of photography as, in the past, as a forensic and city photographer, I had to do a bit of every kind.  For example, I was pressed into service last weekend and was tasked to set up and take portraits of our extend family as well as couples and grandchildren.  I'm not really that good at it, but I know the basics and can get the job done, if asked.  But, I still like nature, landscape and travel the most.

Finally, this trip is an expedition, an exploration, a wandering, for me as I am out of my home area, on the road and discovering new things along my way.  I don't stick to only wildlife on a trip like this. On my way to meet with my friends, I explore the back roads, the small fishing villages, and the farmland of the Chesapeake Bay on the west side of the Eastern Shore and the Atlantic Ocean on the east side, as I make my way to our meeting place.  I can't seem to drive anywhere without taking detours through the countryside just to wander about and see what interesting I can find.

I'll be doing something a bit different this year, when it comes to gear.  This year, instead of making do with the gear (re: lenses) I have, I decided to rent a "super-zoom" lens, as they are called.  All of my friends have "Bigmas," which is the nickname of Sigma's 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 zoom lens.  You are probably thinking that this lens can't be very good, first being from Sigma, second being a zoom and third being so slow.  You would be wrong.  My friends have made incredibly sharp, colorful and contrasty images with this lens.  It is not a 600mm Nikon or Canon, but it gets the job done nicely at an affordable cost.  And...since Sigma's founder passed away and his son took over, that company has made tremendous strides in optical and build quality of its lenses.  Keep an eye on Sigma as I believe you will see some really exciting lenses come from them in the future as it has in the recent past.  An example is their Art lens line, including the 50mm f/1.4 and 35mm f1.4  As good or better than any other out there.

I didn't rent a Bigma, but I did rent Tamron's new lens, the 150-600mm f/5-6.3 lens.  From my reading of the reviews, it tops the Bigma by just a bit (it is a new design so that would be expected), so I'm confident that, if I use good technique, I should be able to bring home some decent images. Of course, the wildlife has to cooperate!

I'm going to write more about the rental process and how it went after I return.  I've never rented a lens before, but it seemed like the prudent thing to do.  For example, I can rent this lens for many, many years for the cost of buying one.  That has several benefits as lenses are redesigned and replaced by manufacturers to reduce flaws and increase image and build quality.  So, when you rent one, you are getting the latest and best copies of lens design.  If I were to become primarily a landscape photographer, I would probably invest in a long lens or two so I could have them at will.  But, until I do, I'll try renting—if this experience turns out to be good!

Back to the trip.  Since we expect a push of cold arctic air for the latter part of this week, I will have to carefully consider what cold weather gear to take.  Could I get by with cool weather gear? Probably, since I won't be too far from my vehicle at any point in time, but it doesn't make sense to keep running back and forth to my vehicle to warm up taking the chance of missing photographic opportunities.  No, it makes sense to dress so I can stay out in the weather for several hours, if necessary.  I think the key is layers, as it usually is when participating in outdoor activities.  The mornings will be cold, but the afternoons should be around 50 F.  Layers.

The lens arrived by FedEx yesterday evening.  I will spend some time today (Wednesday) testing the lens for functionality, quirks, etc., as well as calibrating it to my Nikon D810 body to ensure I achieve the best possible match for focus between this particular lens and my particular camera body.

I'm not sure it there will be a post on Friday as I will be in the field all day.  If not, I will give you an update on Monday and let you know how the trip went and how the lens performed.

Thanks for looking.  Enjoy!

Dennis Mook

Many of my images can be found at www.dennismook.com.  Please pay it a visit.  I add new images regularly.  Thank you.


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