It’s no secret I’m a HUGE VisibleDust fan as you can read here and here. I depend on their products to keep my CCD clean. They have come out with the Sensor Loupe which I ~really~ like! Three reasons: you don’t have to hold the light switch on to see, you don’t have to have my eye right on the loupe to see the CCD and lastly, all you have to buy is the Loupe, nothing else. It comes in its own case, sub case and cleaning cloth. It’s a class act all the way just like all VisibleDust products.
My family knows me all too well! They got me the coolest toy tool ever for Father’s Day, the N2 di-GPS mini. GPS is a very important part of the projects I do. Being able record GPS data directly into the EXIF data of a image saves tons of time taking notes and is a whole lot more accurate. Up until a week ago, I used a Garmin unit that connected to the D2Xs, D2Hs or D200 via the MC-35. This is all very bulky and really only works when working off a tripod so I can secure the GPS unit and the long, long MC-35. The N2 di-GPS mini as you can see here, slips right into the hot shoe and its very, very short cord plugs into the 10pin socket. It draws its power (what little it uses but it does keep the camera on so you can drain it) from the camera which the Garmin does not. The whole unit weighs no more than two nickels!
You might be asking about running a cable release when using the N2 di-GPS. It has a submini socket that you can tap with a 2.5mm male plug. The di-GPS folks have a MC-30 fitted with a mini that plugs right into the unit. I made a 3.5mm – 2.5mm cable so I can use my Pocket Wizard with the unit. So don’t let the socket being used concern you, plenty of ways around it. Heck, according to this, you can have the folks at di-GPS modify the unit for you to still accept Nikon male plugs..
With its small size, no need for batteries and the ease of mapping using the MapIt feature in DigitalPro, I now have the di-GPS always attached to my camera, always. In fact I’m so hooked on it, I’m thinking of getting a 2nd unit so I don’t have switch the one I have from camera to camera. If there is a hitch to this unit, it takes about a minute to have real accurate readings, slightly longer than the Garmin but is by no means a big deal. It’s a great tool!
As many of you know because you’ve called, I no longer lead wildlife photographic safaris. After doing them for 20+yrs, I hung them up. Well, an opportunity came up that I just couldn’t pass up (neither should you), being an assistant for Laurie on her upcoming safari to Fort DeSoto FL 2-7 March, 2008. That’s right, I’ll be driving the van, carrying Laurie’s bags and being a simple, lonely, abused and misguided assistant for a week (hopefully she remembers how nice I was to her way back when). Of course, I’m also there to help Laurie’s participants which are limited to just 6. So, if you want some true fun in the sun, photographing some way cool shorebirds, waders and other FL exotics, give Laurie a call at 503.703.3872. Laurie has other safaris planned so if you can’t make FL, she has other great photo opps lined up for you. Just don’t count on my being there, I can be abused only so much in a year’s time. 
I had office stuff to do today, but I had to shoot, too much happening to not be clicking away. I decide to set up a remote at one of our nest boxes on our property. The Mountain Chickadees were quite accommodating as they are a day or two away from fledging their brood. From the comfort of my desk chair, I simply fired away when I saw the parents come in. The camera is right, right under the nesting box. The 17-55AFS set to 24mm, manual focus, focusing on my hand to set up the trip point. Two, SB-800s clamped to the tripod vis Justin Clamps and controlled by a SU-800. A Pocket Wizard permitted me to work while I shot.
Photo captured by D2Hs, 17-55AFS, 2-SB800s on Lexar digital film
Mother nature…what a wonder! While the sapsucker kids are still too small to peak out of their hole, the flicker kids have gotten huge! Now, only two can fit in the hole at one time when mom comes to feed. The wind was a pistol today to deal with, moving a large clump of leaves seemingly in the way every time mom came into feed. While I’m using two SB-800s, they are set up to flash fill and I can’t watch the action, chimp and change setting on the SU-800 fast enough. The greenish tint on the birds is from the flash blasting through some leaves. I don’t trim any foliage when at a nest, and keep the flashes themselves from blocking the flight path of the parents when they fly in. I could and guarantee the perfect photo, but I would be risking the welfare of the nest and no photo is worth that. I only spend 90min at the nest, enough time for 3 feedings and than I’m out of there. Oh well, there is always tomorrow.
It’s cool that you can see the sexes of the kids now. The red mustaches on these two tells us they are males. The other two are females, no mustache.
Photo captured by D2Xs, 600f4AFS II on Lexar digital film
Jake & I are just back from our morning shoot and Jake finally got around to loading his images from yesterday morning. He called me over to ask me what I thought of this image of Pygmy Nuthatches bringing food into their nest cavity. These birds, a little smaller than your thumb, are pretty secretive nesters so we were really excited to find the nest. So while I was off yesterday working the flicker nest (which is where we spent this morning as well), Jake was nailing this great image of the nuthatch. He has a special smile this afternoon knowing he smoked dad.
Photo captured by Jake Peterson with a D2X, 600f4AFSII on Lexar digital film
As you know, we held our OR Coast DLWS event last week. What a totally exhilarating, exhausting time we all had! You might not know that after each DLWS event, I post a gallery of my favorite images I was able to capture during the event. You can view the gallery here.
The above photograph was taken during the event (as it poured, poured rain) and the technique for bringing life to the lighthouse light was invented by our own Joe Sliger (that I’ve put my own twist to) during the event. It’s this kind of landscape photography opportunity, the magic of watching and learning from Joe McNally shooting (along with the rest of the DLWS staff) and top notch Photoshop instruction that makes DLWS the workshop. Currently, we only have a couple of openings in our next 4 events. So, if you’re thinking of joining us, love to have you but call sooner rather than later.
Photo captured by D2Xs, 14f2.8AF on Lexar digital film
Ever since getting back from our OR Coast DLWS, Jake & I have been over at our favorite locale photographing the nesting birds. Some fledged while we were gone, but most are just starting to make their first appearances. While the Sapsucker young are too little to peak out the hole, these Red-shafted Flicker kids have no problem. About a week old, they climb over each other to get to the hole to get feed. While not the cutest yet (far from it actually), it is great fun watching and photographing them. We’ll spend the next couple of weeks with them, that’s for sure!
Photo captured by D2Xs, 600f4AFSII w/SB-800 on Lexar digital film
We’re on the road home after a GREAT DLWS event. Our Oregon DLWS event was the 1st one I didn’t plan, Laurie did it all. While it all went swimmingly well, there were some little things behind the scene that didn’t happen as planned. For example, we had planned a Two Hour tour on the Mary D Hume pictured here. We rescheduled. Thanks Laurie!
Photo captured by D200, 28f1.4AF on Lexar digital film
We were treated to Laurie’s secret big wave locale tonight. The tides weren’t huge so huge waves weren’t on the menu. But it SURE was gorgeous!
Photo captured by D2Xs, 70-180macro on Lexar digital film
Holy Cow! We arrived at Bandon Beach this AM and the rain that chased us off the beach last night was still going at it. As if by control, when we opened our car doors it stopped and the light show began. I’m running out of hard drive space!!!
Photo captured by D2Xs, 14f2.8AF on Lexar digital
This is the worst shot of the night. No, really! We had a storm come in that as we left in the dark, started to pour on us. Before then, we had the most incredible light, rainbows, clouds and of course this very cool lighthouse. Another late night…life is good!
Photo captured by D2Xs, 14f2.8AF on Lexar digital film
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