Busy, busy, busy..

But not too busy to take pics! Did a bunch of stuff this month, besides the 365 project. Last monday we went to our favorite area for photography, the Amsterdam Drinking Water Dunes. The results were... Well, see for your self; We had a great day. Lovely weather. Probably the last good day of the year. Good thing about that is that mushroom season is about to start.. Time to break out the macro stuff!

Blijdorp Zoo

Been to one of Holland's finest zoo's last week. Blijdorp, in Rotterdam.









This ones were taken in the Amsterdam Drinkingwater Dunes;


Taken with 300mm L F/2.8 IS.

DIY Bean bag.

I was looking around for a beanbag for some time, but the prices put me off. So, i thought; "How hard can it be to make one myself??".

First, the needed supplies.

[x] one pair of camouflage pants.

[x] one sowing set.

[x] one big bag of polystyrene pellets.


I cut off one of the trouser legs to serve as the beanbag.



I measured it to my longest lens at the time, the 100-400L.



I then proceded to sow the bottom of the trouserleg shut with a double stitch.

No pics of that, you ask? Yes. No pics of that. Needle and thread isnt my thing, i was too busy swearing and trying not to stab myself with the needle.

When that was done i put a plastic bag inside the trouser leg. It serves as a container for the poly-pellets, and it makes swapping the content of the beanbag easier. (I now use poly-pellets, but i could switch to rice, seeds, whatever is available.)



Filling the beanbag with the pellets is what is known as "the fun part". Again, no pics, but believe me when i say that ones livingroom is easily covered in those white plastic stick to anything bastards.

After the filling, i sew the top of the bag shut, again with a double stitch.

The result of all that hard work;





Total costs;

About €5,- to 7,-

Total time spent;

1.5 hours.

Total time spent vacuuming the escaped poly-pellets;

4 hours.

Close-up Fox

I took some pics with the Canon G12 the other day. This little fella came so close that the 300mm wouldnt focus anymore. So, i quickly changed to my G12.





Too bad the ISO was still at 800. But when we meet again, Mr Fox, i will be more prepared!

Good start of the year..

Finally got around to taking some pics today. Went to a dune area where loads of Fallow Deer, birds and foxes live.. And we were lucky. The foxes were out and about..


They are related, either brother and sister or two brothers;






Playfully attacking one and other.














Pics taken with Eos7D/300mm f/2.8 IS USM L. Last two by my better half with a 7D and a 100-400L.

Whooper Swanns.

Spent 4 hours of today walking in a dune area at subzero temperatures, trying to get a "Fox in snow" photo. Too bad the fox didnt show up.

Came across a group of Whooper Swanns instead;








Loads of young fallow deer about, trying to find food under the snow;



All pics taken with the Eos 7D with 300mm F/2.8 IS USM. Handheld. (didnt bring the 3pod again...)

The illustrious I-pad

Probably the most talked about gadget of the last year, the Apple I-pad. These days there are a whole range of tablets available from many reputable manufacturers. Its use for photography is huge. Many applications (Apps) are available thru the App-store, some free, others for a small fee.




I use mine as an agenda, rolodex, portfolio holder and game console in one. Ive gotten the Apple Camera Connection kit that goes with the I-pad, which was a very good €25,- investment, if you ask me. It comes with an SD card reader and a USB connector.

Even the 25mb big RAW files of the Eos7D are fastly and smoothly loaded. Import them to the device and you can instantly see result! Very handy in the field, when you want to see on a larger screen if you are on a roll.



I now have the App Photogene installed, so i can do some editing in the field.






One of the Apps i use most is I-books. I download a hefty amount of PDF files every week, and reading them on the I-pad works really well. There are loads of books, magazine's available on the internet about pretty much every subject. For some you pay, some you can download for free.













I carry it around in a Neoprene sleeve by CaseLogic®.

Weapon of choice.

Every photographer has his or hers preferred lens. Mine currently is the 300mm F/2.8 IS USM L series. Light enough to carry around for extended periods of time, and tack sharp. I usually shoot handheld with this, but ive mounted it on a gimbal head or mono-pod too.



Ive fitted it with a so-called Lens Coat. Besides the camouflage aspect, it helps protect the lens from bumps and scratches. In cold weather it also keeps it a bit warmer to the touch. Since the lens is metal, it can get really cold really fast..

Ive only recently aquired this lens, when Canon announced the new versions of the 300 and the 400mm L series. I had planned on getting this lens at some point, but the increase in price for the new models made me get it sooner. Since i am an amateur, this is about as expensive as i could rationalize aquiring. Havent regretted it for a moment though. My photo's have improved, in my opinion.


This offcourse isnt the only lens i have. Since i like to do all sorts of photography... I have the collection of lenses to boot..



In this Pelican case are the Eos 7D with batterygrip, the Canon 100-400L F/4.5-5.6 IS, the Canon 24-105L F/4, a Sigma 150mm F/2.8 APO Macro DG HSM lens and a Sigma 10-20mm F/4 - F/5.6 DC HSM wide angle lens.

I dont carry around the Pelican Case when im in the field, but ill get to camera bags in another post.

Some of you probably noticed the white lenshood on the 100-400mm lens... "Hey! That aint right! Canon only makes black lens hoods!"

True. But from the moment i got that lens, that black hood annoyed me. Purely for cosmetic reasons i decided to go DIY on that sucker. That too will come in a future post.. (So you'll just have to keep coming back..)



When im out with this lens, a lot of people are looking at it. Trying to define the model of the lens. So far i havent gotten any negative comments.



Pics taken with Ixus 60.

Some of my photos, should give you an impression of what i like to shoot;

Welcome!

Ive been actively taking photos since 2003 when i got my first digital SLR, a Canon 300D. Since then my photography and my collection of photography stuff has come a long way... At least, i think it has...
Lenses have come and gone, and these days i think ive got the best stuff i need, within my budget offcourse..

I mostly do wildlife photography, including Zoo's. Since i live in the Netherlands, there isnt much in the way of Tigers, Lions or Bears in the wild.. But i am fortunate to live near an area where lots of deer, birds and foxes live, so they will be featured here on a regular basis.

Enjoy your stay on this blog.