Oh Crap.

[NikonNewbie]

Fieldcraft?

Exactly! :mrgreen:

Show you pics! Just be prepared to hear what people have to say, and have an open mind for learnin'.

+1
You might also find reading this: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...e-your-posts-get-critiques-your-work-c-c.html

gives you some idea for how to put a little structure to posts to get the best possible feedback. Simply put the more you tell us the viewer the better we can help

Ok... I am going to go ahead look up that site...I would love to show you the pics of a Dragonfly ...A very "patient" and happy Dragonfly who was nice enough to keep coming back to the same spot and letting me almost touch him with my lens..lol..but I'm afraid you would make fun of me!

Haha nope not at all - and the behaviour you mention is quite common with dragonflies - they are territorial predators (of the insect world) and will often perch on a high vantage point to view the surrounding area. If you get up really early in the day you can even find them (and many other insects) in a cool state where they are very sluggish and often won't move at all - until they get heat from the sun to move around.

I just looked up Fieldcraft...ummm, yeah...I might be living here in Dela-Where? ...but I won't cover myself in sticks and dirt to get a picture of a bird that sits in my backyard all day...LMAO

 

[Overread35]

But you're missing out on all the fun that way !

But yes fieldcraft is more than just camouflage and hides - its about knowing the subject enough to be able to position yourself or manipulate them into the right position at the right time when you can get a shot. A sheet of fabric with a hole in the middle in your garden shed pointing out at a bird feeder with a few sticks nearby (for natural looking perches) is an ideal setup for you to get the shots and can work quite close as well once the birds are used to it.

One trick is to put a glass jar in the hole whilst you're not there - the bottom pointing out toward the birds to simulate your lens - so that when you are there the birds are used to the reflection of the glass.

 

[NikonNewbie]

this might sound dumb...but wldnt the camera noise scare them? I dunno...seems like a lot of leg work when I could just walk up on them.
I want very badly to get pics of a Turkey Vulture...any ideas on how to do this?

 

[Overread35]

The simple rule is that you never know until you try with wildlife - how an animal reacts depends upon the animal, the surroundings, the time of day, the animal itself, its experiences etc....
A whole host of factors that mean you'll never know till you try. When it comes to sound or motion most animals will get accustomed to sound/motion provided its none-threatening to them (there are of course exceptions) however they have to learn that its not a threat first. In the case of the bird feeder the birds want the food - so they "risk" returning nearer to where the strange clicky sound is. After repeated tries and nothing threatening them they'll soon come to ignore the clicker - most farmers already know that scarecrows only work for a few days before the birds are used to them (which is why moving ones or shifting the scarecrow around thefield is the better approach).

Walking up onthe birds might work and it might not - in the case of the fox it was the food he/she had that kept them in that area - otherwise chances are it would have simple fled. Townfoxses can be more bold though because they are far more used to human contact.

As for Turkey Vultures I'm not an expert sadly - you're best bet is to try and get in contact with a local wildife group or nature reserve. See if you can find out locally if there are some in the area. Then its a case of finding where they freaquent (eg feeding spots). From there you can setup and try to get a shot - maybe even try some baiting methods.

 

[dweathers]

Your best bet for a vulture is to cruise a country road looking for deer hit by cars. The vultures will be on that deer once it gets good and rotten. You should be able to park 100 yds or so and just see how close you can walk up on them. They're usually not that skiddish. I've been told that they'll vomit on you if you get too close. Not sure if that's true or if my buddies were pullin my leg. I'm not gonna test that theory tho. Good luck!

 

[NikonNewbie]

Thanks for tips peeps.
No, your buddies were not pulling your leg about the vultures vomiting on you..it's a defense mechanisim, their vomit is corrosive due to all the decaying meat they eat...they also pee after they are done eating...just pee right down their legs to clean off all the bacteria that they may have picken up while standing in the carcass.
I've tried to get pics of them eating a roadkill...but again..with this 55 lens I have to get right up on them and they are skiddish about it...can't say I blame them...and Overread...your right about the fox...that was the ONLY reason he stuck around and he was ready to fight us for that duck too!
There was another fox I got but it's hard to see him...he ran fast and hid in the bushes and watched me.

Can you see him? I had to blow this picture up so much it looks like pixilated

 

[Overread35]

haha I see him and he's giving a great look to the camera as well! Just gotta get your hands on a lens with more zoom to it !

 

[NikonNewbie]

Yeah...Christmas is coming...the best I can do is be the best mom/wife/dtr I can be and hope everyone will remember all my goodness...then there will be no more blind shots of woods hoping to catch a creature. :lmao:

 

[NikonNewbie]

The lens's that aren't Nikon...I know they will fit my camera... but when you get them the controls don't work right? it's all manuel?

 

[Overread35]

Depends on the lenses you mean. The modern offerings from Sigma, Tamron and Tokina will have regular controls for your camera body - that is they will have metering, auto focus* and other features that you would expect from a normal nikon lens

* I forget which models but some nikon camera bodies don't have the same AF controls and on those bodies for AF the lens needs its own internal focusing motor - HSM in sigma talk on their lenses. However I can't remember which nikon bodies this affects.

 

[NikonNewbie]

The Nikon Manual states not to use any other after market lens with the Nikon because Nikons are built to accept their own lens's with future updates in mind..yada yada yada...which I conclude to be their attempt to make suckers like me spend a fortune on their own lens's...so with that said...If that Sigma is as good as everyone says...I'm gonna aim for it and just really learn to do manual focus better.
I've tried it and I think I get good results...to be perfectly honest...I dont really get the science part of photography...I just take them till I think they look good.
I'm going to arrange to take a few classes, I have photoshop Cs2, and I've been playing with that too, but the books I have are all made for Apple users..and I'm on a PC...so I have to take extra time to decode all the commands to work on my PC.
In your opinion should I take a "how to work your Digital Camera" class first? or just jump right into photography classes?
I can't afford to waste my time or money...I won't live forever...lol

 

[Dao]

If budget is limited, I read that the new Tamron 70-300mm VC lens is pretty good.

One of the review I read so far
Nikonians News & Blogs: Interviews, Talkshows, News and More

And after the Tamron rebate ($50), the lens is about $400

 

[Overread35]

Sigma lenses can suffer problems with camera updates (new camera bodies) however most times unless you are using a very old sigma lens sigma will be able to rechip the lens to work (the physical mounts remain the same the changes are subtle differences in the communication code).

As for lessons and such its tricky to say - a lot of entry level courses can be both expensive and incredibly basic (here is your on button) level - factor in that many will have quite a few people turn up and it makes for a poor intro for a specific person. You might try to find some local camera clubs and join in with one of them. A good club will often have introduction nights and so forth and you'll also be able to pick up tips and more from the members

 

[NikonNewbie]

I think I will do that. When I was at the Refuge I was talking to a man who has been a National Geographic Photographer for over 40 years...very inspiring he gave me a few pointers..Ill look into clubs around here.
And I just applied for a job at an Olan Mills studio, hopefully that will be free lessons...while I get paid...and then I can buy that good lens...now theres a plan!