Sunday, July 01, 2012

the reward...

owlet not so little anymore

soaring

red feet

the ol' hairy eyeball

getting older

lopsided

the eagle show

okay, so i caved. you may remember me saying something about a new camera lens and car repairs a week ago. the bill for my truck was even worse than i feared, and rightfully i should have sent the camera lens back, when it arrived on the same day i got the bad news. i left the package untouched for two days as i contemplated. but in the end, i caved. (i blame my mechanic - he insisted i only pay him half for now, as even he didn't want me to return the lens.)

and well, while i am still having doubts about spending that money, i find it hard to argue with the results. above are just a few photos i've taken in the four days since i've been using the lens - the not-so-little-anymore owlets, a yearling buck who was hanging around the neighbourhood with his buddy, and a few folks - bald eagles, harbour seals & pigeon guillemots - spotted on our boat tour yesterday (as always, you can click on the photos for more info about each one). for me, the difference between these shots and ones taken with my old telephoto lens are obvious, especially considering some of these are significantly cropped. i couldn't do that before - the images were just never sharp enough. i've been waiting a long time for some L glass. i know i'm not a professional photographer, but i guess i'm moving more and more into that very dedicated amateur category, and i'm pretty geeky about my gear. sometimes i'm tempted to just head off into the unknown and become a wildlife photographer full time.

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happy canada day today! hope my canadian friends got out to enjoy it across the country (or wherever in the world you may be). i worked a bit but in a fun way - walking in the parade in our town while giving out stickers and other goodies to promote our destination. it was surprisingly warm and the rain held off but continues to threaten at the edges of the hills. i'm off tomorrow for the holiday, but it looks like it could be another day of rain and wind. oh summer, what did we do to chase you off?

13 comments:

Rendell said...

I am so glad you caved and kept the lens...beautiful pictures of beautiful creatures. You are so lucky to have them so near.i love the little owlets and the eagles are majestic.

joanie said...

Kiss your mechanic for us! What a treat to see these fantastic images. Great decision.
Jx

Margie Oomen said...

i dream of having a telephoto lens one day too and was just wondering which canon l lens you actually purchased so I can add it to my wish list:)

Barbara Prime said...

Beautiful photos! You make me miss the west coast.
We had perfect summer weather here in Montreal. Some playing outside with the kids, then a barbeque in the backyard, and now a quiet evening. I must say, though, I'm happy to be headed out to BC this week and into some cooler weather. Summer in Montreal can be a bit too much, sometimes.

prairiegirl said...

You can come to WY and have all the summer you want! It's 100! Keeping the lens was worth it. You can now start your new career! Go for it. :-)

Lisa said...

Seriously incredible shots,k. The whole family gathered 'round last night to ooh and ahh over them. Good call on keeping the lens.

Elizabeth said...

Fabulous, fabulous! I'm curious too about the what the lens is.

Ketra said...

Beautiful!

Caitlin said...

Well worth the money!!! You can walk to work, right? Amazing difference with a new lens :)

Happy Canada Day!
C

Lynda Howells said...

Well worth the money and yes..why not go off into the wild and become a photographer. Your images are way above the standard of some proffesional photographers l know. Go for it......!lynda

leFiligree said...

so incredible! one more step toward being a full-time photographer! go to your destiny, brave one ;)

Studio Paars said...

I love your photos. They're incredibly sharp and detailed and look like they were made by a professional (to me, anyway).
So I'm glad you caved.
And I too love the little owls <3

Liefs, Audrey
hetkabinet.blogspot.com

Maggie said...

Well, I think that your blog readers certainly benefit from your caving to the call of a new lens! These photos are magnificent. You bring the power and beauty of nature to us inside.