Just a quick hello to all of you. My wife and I have been living like nomads for the last two years(long story) including a six month stay in MEdford/Ashland last summer. We are originally from Chicago and currently in Florida. We completely fell in love with the place and are planning to move back there...for good, in early June.
I'm mostly a wildlife/bird guy but hope to expand my horizons a bit. A couple of questions.
Does anyone have any experience using the photography blinds in Klamath Falls? I've done some shooting there, but never set up in a blind.
Any other great places I should know about, especially for wildlife.
I do a lot of outdoor art festivals, any tips for someone willing to travel?
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope to contribute to this forum in the future. Some of you are downright fantastic photographers. If curious, my portfolio is fairly up to date, my web is a work in progress.
ps.I love how much activity is in PNWNP.
Dan,
Welcome, There are getting to be more and more birders here at PNWNP. I'm not down that way or a birder but we always like looking at good photos here!
Florida's mostly flat, right? Send us a post or two of landscapes, I've developed a taste for prairie/grassland images, they're a challenge but lovely when well done. & meanwhile enjoy the PNW!
The real birders are up on AJ's forum at http://www.nwphotographers.net/forum/ up in the Puget Sound area. Now if you want to see some great shots of Eagles, Heron, Osprey, Owls, Cornetts (sp?) and a bunch of other birds, that's the place to see them. They are to birds, what some of the people here are to waterfalls and scenics. And if you don't want any more reasons to buy a 600mm lens, don't look. I know it sure makes me want to get one.
And welcome, Dan. If you have a long lens and can sit in one spot, blinds work very well. But frankly, if you are going to use a blind, you might as well just sit your camera on a tripod with a remote on it and shoot from the comfort of your car.
Mike Jordan wrote:
> The real birders are up on AJ's forum at http://www.nwphotographers.net/forum/ up in the Puget Sound area
Hey, Mike, AJ's forums do have fine bird photographers but just because I don't own a 600mm lens doesn't mean I can't take fine shots. And I post them here. And others have posted fine bird shots here too. And I hope to see Dan's fine bird shots in the future here too!
Geoff, while there have been some excellent posts here, I'm going to say that some of the ones that are posted on a regular basis up on AJ's site simply blow these away down here. And no, not all of them are done with 600mm lenses. Some are done with 400mm and even some with shorter lenses than that.
There just aren't that many bird shots posted in this area. But there are some shooters on AJ's site that go out several times a week and weekends and shoot a LOT of bird shots. This last winter and early spring when the Eagles were up there in droves for the winter, there were a lot of excellent shots posted. If they weren't so good, it would probably get boring seeing so many all the time.
Now when it comes to scenics and waterfalls and mermaids, there are more of those posted on here. Although they have some good ones up there as well, just not as many.
Mike, I'm not trying to steal any thunder from AJ's site which I believe to be a great site (although I am not a member - I can participate in just so many forums). However, Dan came here and posted a howdy notice so I didn't even give a thought to redirecting him elsewhere. Heck, for birds I could easily have pointed him at NSN or the Avian gallery of NPN where some of the best birding photogs I know post.
Meanwhile, Dan, Mike's right - we have a small number of bird photographers on PNWNP (I count myself among them) and we could use more! So come on in...
Dan: Welcome and just for the record, Geoff is correct, many of us here in Oregon who are affiliated with PNWNP do shot birds and mammals as well as Landscapes. Included is a simple “Avian” shot from here in Portland, taken with a Canon 500mm lens @ f4.
We look forward to seeing you posted images.
Dan, also note that a number on here don't like it when other sites are mentioned. I don't know if you had in mind using the blind for bird shooting, although there are certainly a lot of them in the Klamath basin area. It's a great area for that kind of shooting.
Geoff, it would be hard to steal any thunder from that site. It has a number of things going for it over this one besides the bird shooters. But since shooting birds was mentioned, that is why I brought it up, since this site rarely shows bird pictures. That's not to take away from those that have posted some. But posts of Eagles, Osprey, Heron, Owls, Ducks, Geese, and other birds, are not the norm here. And it never has been as long as I've been a member. But then again, maybe Dan would rather post his bird shots on a site that rarely has them. They would sure stand out more that way then posting them on a site that normally has dozens or more posted a week.
Not that I was trying to get him to join or post up there. I figured he might be interested in seeing what some of the semi-locals were shooting around here. I know when I'm going to be going somewhere I'll look up web sites on what I'm interested to get as much information as I can. Since Dan took the time to ask about the Klamath Basin area here, I suspect he might be the same. He DID ask about any other areas with wildlife in them. And the Puget Sound has a lot of that.
I guess when it comes to birds, a few feathers are bound to get ruffled.
Mike, you need to look in a mirror. As a favorite tennis player of decades past used to say, "you can't be serious!" When your first post talked about the "real birders being at AJ's" what it really ended up sounding like was that there are no serious bird photographers of quality here. That's a put down no matter how you cut it. Not only that - it's just plain wrong. More than that, AJ is a quality guy and I think he'd shudder to hear talk like that.
Sure, numbers might be with the forums at AJ. Beyond that, well, nothing else need be said.
Hi Dan - sorry you had to see a stupid debate like this in your thread. Sorry about that. I'm done with it though.
AJ is a great guy that posts here on PNWNP and also has a forum site of his own that, as Mike mentioned, has a number of very good photographers posting as members. I think Mike posted the url to AJ's site so you can go check it out from that.
Meanwhile, don't let this little diversion sway you as the group of people here are great all-around photographers. Come here to post, go other places to post and learn. It's a diverse world and you have your freedom of choice. You choose as you'd like.
Once again, welcome and I hope to see you participate! I might also see you at other sites...
Geoff, I was very serious when I said it and I'm still serious. If there were serious bird shooters here, then they sure don't post very many bird shots. If I'm wrong, there has been nothing shown in this forum, as long as I've been reading it, that would make me think different. If that's a put down, then it's the fault of the "serious" bird shooters in here, not mine. I am basing this on what I have seen posted in this forum. If Dan had asked about other areas than this one, I might have suggested a few other sites where there are also serious bird shooters (as compared to what has been posted in this forum). But they post pictures from outside of the Pacific Northwest, which isn't what Dan asked about.
Dan, AJ's site is another Pacific Northwest forum. Most of it's members are in the Puget Sound area, although they have a number down in Oregon, Eastern Washington, Arizona, Idaho and a few other spots. While it's a more open forum, with less restrictions on posting than this one, there are a number of photographers up there that have show just what kind of feathered wildlife there is available to shoot around the Puget Sound area... paticularly in the Skagit wildlife area. Some of these guys have posted a LOT of magazine and high quality images of the birds up there. That is why I suggested that site if you wanted to find out what was available up there. Frankly, I think some of the shooting oppurtunties during winter stay overs, migrations, and just general bird habitate of a whole range of birds is better up in the area surrounding the Puget Sound than anywhere here in Oregon, including the Klamath Basin area. I wish it wasn't a 3 hour drive for me to some of those spots, or I'd be up there on a lot of weekends and I'd probably break down and have to buy a 600mm lens.
I'm sorry you had to see how reactive some people are in here, but I stand by my suggestion on AJ's site at http://www.nwphotographers.net/forum/ for suggestions on where to shoot birds by people that seem to post their work a LOT more than anyone in here does and I feel most of it is a lot better than what is posted in here. People will disagree, which doesn't bother me a bit. We all have our opinions, and mine goes counter to what some in here have anyway. I can live with that.
Hi Dan, I apologize for your first post getting twisted into something other than a fine welcome to our forum. We're all human and from time to time more human than usual.
I am an occasional birder who admires birds more than I capture images of them. We all bring different skills and preferences to the forum and I have no doubt at all that you will find our happy forum an excellent place to learn and grow and help others do the same as a nature photographer.
So welcome to the forum and speaking for us all we look forward to many awesome birding images from you!
Discussion
15 repliesI'm mostly a wildlife/bird guy but hope to expand my horizons a bit. A couple of questions.
Does anyone have any experience using the photography blinds in Klamath Falls? I've done some shooting there, but never set up in a blind.
Any other great places I should know about, especially for wildlife.
I do a lot of outdoor art festivals, any tips for someone willing to travel?
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope to contribute to this forum in the future. Some of you are downright fantastic photographers. If curious, my portfolio is fairly up to date, my web is a work in progress.
ps.I love how much activity is in PNWNP.
Dan Elster
Welcome, There are getting to be more and more birders here at PNWNP. I'm not down that way or a birder but we always like looking at good photos here!
Welcome, Dan, and I look forward to seeing some of your wildlife shots, especially the birds, in the future!
And welcome, Dan. If you have a long lens and can sit in one spot, blinds work very well. But frankly, if you are going to use a blind, you might as well just sit your camera on a tripod with a remote on it and shoot from the comfort of your car.
Mike
> The real birders are up on AJ's forum at http://www.nwphotographers.net/forum/ up in the Puget Sound area
Hey, Mike, AJ's forums do have fine bird photographers but just because I don't own a 600mm lens doesn't mean I can't take fine shots. And I post them here. And others have posted fine bird shots here too. And I hope to see Dan's fine bird shots in the future here too!
There just aren't that many bird shots posted in this area. But there are some shooters on AJ's site that go out several times a week and weekends and shoot a LOT of bird shots. This last winter and early spring when the Eagles were up there in droves for the winter, there were a lot of excellent shots posted. If they weren't so good, it would probably get boring seeing so many all the time.
Now when it comes to scenics and waterfalls and mermaids, there are more of those posted on here. Although they have some good ones up there as well, just not as many.
Mike
Meanwhile, Dan, Mike's right - we have a small number of bird photographers on PNWNP (I count myself among them) and we could use more! So come on in...
We look forward to seeing you posted images.
Geoff, it would be hard to steal any thunder from that site. It has a number of things going for it over this one besides the bird shooters. But since shooting birds was mentioned, that is why I brought it up, since this site rarely shows bird pictures. That's not to take away from those that have posted some. But posts of Eagles, Osprey, Heron, Owls, Ducks, Geese, and other birds, are not the norm here. And it never has been as long as I've been a member. But then again, maybe Dan would rather post his bird shots on a site that rarely has them. They would sure stand out more that way then posting them on a site that normally has dozens or more posted a week.
Not that I was trying to get him to join or post up there. I figured he might be interested in seeing what some of the semi-locals were shooting around here. I know when I'm going to be going somewhere I'll look up web sites on what I'm interested to get as much information as I can. Since Dan took the time to ask about the Klamath Basin area here, I suspect he might be the same. He DID ask about any other areas with wildlife in them. And the Puget Sound has a lot of that.
I guess when it comes to birds, a few feathers are bound to get ruffled.
Mike
Sure, numbers might be with the forums at AJ. Beyond that, well, nothing else need be said.
I'm done talking about it.
AJ is a great guy that posts here on PNWNP and also has a forum site of his own that, as Mike mentioned, has a number of very good photographers posting as members. I think Mike posted the url to AJ's site so you can go check it out from that.
Meanwhile, don't let this little diversion sway you as the group of people here are great all-around photographers. Come here to post, go other places to post and learn. It's a diverse world and you have your freedom of choice. You choose as you'd like.
Once again, welcome and I hope to see you participate! I might also see you at other sites...
Dan, AJ's site is another Pacific Northwest forum. Most of it's members are in the Puget Sound area, although they have a number down in Oregon, Eastern Washington, Arizona, Idaho and a few other spots. While it's a more open forum, with less restrictions on posting than this one, there are a number of photographers up there that have show just what kind of feathered wildlife there is available to shoot around the Puget Sound area... paticularly in the Skagit wildlife area. Some of these guys have posted a LOT of magazine and high quality images of the birds up there. That is why I suggested that site if you wanted to find out what was available up there. Frankly, I think some of the shooting oppurtunties during winter stay overs, migrations, and just general bird habitate of a whole range of birds is better up in the area surrounding the Puget Sound than anywhere here in Oregon, including the Klamath Basin area. I wish it wasn't a 3 hour drive for me to some of those spots, or I'd be up there on a lot of weekends and I'd probably break down and have to buy a 600mm lens.
I'm sorry you had to see how reactive some people are in here, but I stand by my suggestion on AJ's site at http://www.nwphotographers.net/forum/ for suggestions on where to shoot birds by people that seem to post their work a LOT more than anyone in here does and I feel most of it is a lot better than what is posted in here. People will disagree, which doesn't bother me a bit. We all have our opinions, and mine goes counter to what some in here have anyway. I can live with that.
Mike
I am an occasional birder who admires birds more than I capture images of them. We all bring different skills and preferences to the forum and I have no doubt at all that you will find our happy forum an excellent place to learn and grow and help others do the same as a nature photographer.
So welcome to the forum and speaking for us all we look forward to many awesome birding images from you!