Message from Andrew Hardacre
I have toyed with photography over the years and started to put this gallery together in 2005 to show some of the newer digital images. I get very frustrated when I see the quality of other peoples work and sometimes feel like deleting the lot and starting all over again. I always welcome constructive criticism. One day I would like to have the time to take this hobby seriously but for now, this is for fun. A lot of the bird and insect shots were taken in an area called Ho Chung which is between Clearwater Bay and Sai Kung. It is a combination of cultivated fields, scrub and wooded hills with a couple of streams flowing through. Many again have been taken at Mai Po Nature Reserve. Administered by WWF HK this is one of Asia's most wonderful sites for wader watching and birds generally.
I recently acquired the fabulous new Canon 800mm f5.6 lens which is just stunningly sharp. It is a shame that Canon can't make a body to match. The 1D mkIII I use is a huge disappointment. I also have the 400mm f4DO and f5.6, the 300mm f4 and my favourite, the 300mm f2.8 (probably Canon's best lens) and some smaller lenses including the 180mm f3.5 macro.
I also have a couple of small but good point & shoot, the Lumix ZX18, which has a Leica lens and the Canon Powershot G9. Both have RAW capability but the sensors are highly noise prone above ISO100. But in good light these are fine pieces of equipment.
The hobby is wonderfully relaxing and although I enjoy all sorts of photography, birds remain my passion.
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