Message from Gordon W
To Purchase Photo Rights - Click here.
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My love of photography began in 1950 at age 4, when my photographer father started me shooting and developing photos before I could read or write. In retirement, having tired of cities and the rat race, I enjoy most of all photographing the beauty and tranquility of nature, although I'll photograph anything that catches my eye.
For further biographical data on my photographic history, click here.
For a brief personal biography, click here.
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For why I don’t post larger images, click here.
Tip - for a larger view of my images use the Zoom In and Out commands of your browser.
This won’t, of course, increase resolution but will make the photos easier to see.
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Guest Comments - I highly value comments from guests to PBase, however, regrettably I have to disable guest commenting periodically due to high volumes of spam. Spammers have once again ruined a good thing.
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Current Gear
Primary DSLR - 18MP Canon EOS 60D
Secondary DSLR - 15MP Canon EOS Rebel T1i (500D)
Backup DSLR - 10MP Canon EOS Rebel XTi (400D)
Convenience camera - 16MP Fujifilm HS50 EXR
Primary pocket camera - 12MP Canon PowerShot S100
Secondary pocket camera - 16MP Fujifilm FinePix F550 EXR
Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens (resides more or less permanently on the 60D)
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM lens (resides more or less permanently on the T1i (500D))
Tamron-F AF Tele-converter 1.4X C-AF1 MC4 (used with the T1i/100-400mm camera/lens combo)
Canon 500-D 72mm dual-element close-up lens (used on the 100-400mm lens for macro)
Canon 500-D 58mm dual-element close-up lens (used on the HS50 for macro)
The 60D/18-200mm is my everyday and most used camera/lens combo
The T1i/100-400mm/TC camera/lens combo is mainly for wildlife and macro shooting
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Assorted Thoughts - I shoot only RAW. I will never buy another camera that doesn’t shoot RAW. My experience with JPEGs is they are far too limited for my processing practices.
In April 2013, I bought a Fujifilm HS50 EXR superzoom as a convenience camera, one that does it all but at a small sacrifice in image quality and ISO sensitivity. It takes three of my other cameras/lenses to come close to matching the focal length range of the HS50, so for day to day shooting I now just take the HS50, which is a whole lot more convenient than lugging around three cameras.
Since I dislike swapping DSLR lenses because it causes missed shots and allows dust to get on the sensor, I rarely swap lenses, especially in uncontrolled environments, preferring instead to carry both DSLR/lens combos on those occasions when I want the best image quality and feel I might need both lenses.
I rarely leave home without a camera. For those times when I go out not expecting to shoot photographs, I take either the HS50 or the S100 because you just never now when a photo op will present itself and a compromised photo of that situation is better than no photo. For those rare times when I’ll be in situations that put a camera at risk (such as being in a boat where the likelihood of the camera getting wet is high), I use my expendable camera, the F550.
Although most of my gear is Canon, I actually have no brand loyalty and buy what I feel at the time of purchase is the best gear for the money to meet my requirements and budget. I got started with Canon DSLRs in 2004 because at that time Canon DSLRs were the best bang for the buck. My opinion now is that Nikon DSLRs might be better, but not by so much I’m going to the bother and expense of changing systems.
There are definitely better (and worse) DSLR lenses than the ones I use, but the two listed above serve my purpose, which is a compromise between convenience, expense, flexibility, and performance. Being retired with an aging body, I no longer find carrying a camera bag full of gear to be a pleasant experience. I’d rather sacrifice a little image quality and carry just one camera/lens combo, or at most both combos, but no longer lug around a heavy camera bag. In fact, for taking a daily photo for my Photo-a-Day gallery I’ll just use the HS50 and live with what it gives me. My main goal with photography in retirement is to have fun, not strive for perfection. Had to do that for too many years in the rat race.
I have always found tripods cumbersome to use and a nuisance to carry any distance, so thanks to my lenses being image stabilized and the higher ISO capabilities being usable in modern cameras, I now rarely need to shoot from a tripod. The tripod is kept in the car, which is always nearby, but the tripod only gets used when long exposures absolutely require it.
Since I dislike the harsh unnatural light produced by flash units, it is very rare for me to use flash to illuminate a shot. The only exception would be for fill light, but even then I’ll generally use a reflector of some kind during the shot or if needed, fill in shadows during post processing rather than use flash lighting. To me, there’s no quicker way to turn what could have been a photograph into a snapshot than to use flash. I have seen photos illuminated with flash that I liked, but they involved multiple flash units spaced around the scene and that requires far more bother and expense than I care to put into photography and are unnecessary for the kind of photography I now shoot in retirement. To each their own.
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