Shooting RAW (finally!)

OK, so the closest person I have to a "mentor" in my new quest to learn the art of wildlife photography suggested a while back to begin shooting RAW. I was intimidated by the file sizes and the need to use Bridge before even getting into CS3, and since I have absolutely no experience in either I have been trying to teach myself. I am off school this week for Thanksgiving and thought I'd have much more time to play with this, but it just isn't working out the way I had planned! Anyway, I took my first stab at it today while some of my squirrel buddies were out back but my session was cut short when my indoor cat leaped out of the window I was shooting through to chase my furry friends away! I guess I will have to be more vigilant of where the cats are when I open that screen next time!

I recently attended a beginners photography class where the instructor said that it doesn't matter what camera you have, it's all about techniques. I have also been chatting with members of the amateur photography community that have or have had the D50 that I'm using and the general agreement is that no matter how well you get your composition techniques down... it stinks! I have been pondering saving up my money slowly to purchase a new camera as I am getting quite frustrated, but I have no idea where to begin in researching a new one. I have a couple Tamron lenses which were quite expensive and I would not be able to afford to replace them anytime soon so I am hoping there is something out there that they would be compatible with, Oh well, lots of research to do... maybe over Christmas break! If any of you have any ideas or advice, please chime in! I was misled in my purchase of the D50 by the shop in California I purchased it from so I hope to be more informed this time around. Thanks!

Not the weekend for elk

Well, we just returned from our weekend trip to Benezette for the most unsuccessful elk watching to date. We were able to track down a few cows with a spike in town last night then found a bachelor group of 6 bulls behind some houses just outside of town this morning. Due to heavy fog, there are no photographs to document this trip nor the bull fight we witnessed at sunrise, but it was exciting nonetheless! To even further my disappointment, Fred was nowhere to be found either. We made several laps through town over the two days with no luck. Maybe all the hunters and gun shots, post-rut feeding needs, post elk hunt stress, and it being November all came into play this trip.

Not seeing the numbers of elk we are used to, we spent our time travelling new roads and took the drive up Grey Hill for some beautiful scenery. My in-laws seemed to enjoy their time there and hope to go back again when snow is covering. Although different, it was another amazing trip to Benezette and special thanks to Marci for recommending the Elk Country Store... they definitely added to our home decor and wardrobes this weekend! Ken was incredibly nice and that little store was so charming.

No elk photos to post, but this is "The Cross" on Grey Hill, once the fog lifted I did get a quick shot of it.

Early morning

So I decided to leave an hour early for school this morning to make a pit stop to photograph the deer at our special spot. When I arrived, they were not all out in the field like usual so I began walking back into the wooded area and whitetail deer were everywhere! They were jumping and running, moving far too fast to get any decent shots but a lot of fun to watch. A nice sized buck gave me a great opportunity to capture him but my inexperience coupled with my new "no auto" rule caused me to miss it. I was able to get a few, though not great of other whitetails and even caught a doe hanging out with a turkey!

I know my husband would have loved being there with me this morning but he was home with the babies. I hope he can get out there himself this week to enjoy some "nature therapy" because the rut is such an exciting time of year!