Night at Cochise Stronghold, AZ

Cochise Stronghold was the winter home of Chief Cochise and the Chiricahua Apache. The area was termed a “stronghold” as Cochise led his people to the safety of this beautiful mountain fortress during the defense of their homeland from 1852 – 1872. This is the place Cochise loved as his home, where he sought refuge and where he finally made his peace with the white man. He is buried somewhere in the Stronghold.

The Canon EOS R must be a really terrible camera

I just wanted to be the first person to entertain a discussion about how terrible the new Canon EOS R is compared to Nikon, Sony and every other mirrorless camera in the world. You know it's coming, so let's jump in!

Polarizing filter do I need one?

Gonna take a road trip along the coast from Los Angeles to Oregon soon. I plan on taking my new Sigma 150-600, Tokina 11-16 and Nikon 18-140. I know I will be taking a lot of day time shots along water and some landscapes. I have been researching for awhile. Your thoughts on their use and which ones are good.Thanks

Should I even worry about RAW if printing in TIFF!

This question still has me wondering why people seem to be crazy about RAW?...Julian

Another Minor Epiphany

I live on an acreage 8 miles from a town of about 25,000 people and a few miles from a whole lot of wilderness. I love the physical beauty of the area and am primarily interested in landscape photography.

I am interested in lenses. I watch for new releases, I view YouTube reviews and read reviews on many sites. What I have noticed is that the bulk of the offerings there days tend in one direction - high speed wide angle lenses, be they fixed primes or zooms. These are of little interest to me. I have several slower wide primes, and thought they are excellent optically I rarely use them. On my APS-C Sony A6000, I mostly shoot with lenses 60 mm and longer, with also some work using a 30 mm Sigma.

So am I out of step with the rest of the world? The answer is obvious - of course I am. But then I have been most of my life on most things, so I am used to that.

Anyhow, I finally figured out where I am out of synch. And here is my epiphany: Most of the current photography world is geared towards city living and the urban experience. So. Photographers use wide angle lenses to achieve a feeling of room in a crowded environment. "Bokeh" - that term derived from the Japanese that means "$500 more" - is valuable because it tends to isolate a subject from the people around the subject. And to get decent bokeh from a wide angle lens in daylight you need large apertures. Again, shooting in low light levels is primarily an urban thing. If it is dark, there is some semblance of visual privacy from the hordes around the subject. Privacy, space, peace - these are the attributes so missing from the urban scene.

Longer lenses are rarely used; they compress too many people and too much background in an urban setting. Urban photographers are trying to find sanity in the urban rat-race, and of course that ever elusive element: "Cool".

My observation is that photographers who live away from the urban sprawl tend to use longer lenses, since the above imperatives do not rule. Their pictures reflect a slower and more peaceful life; scenics, sunsets, wildlife.

What I find personally unfortunate is that the lens makers are all scrambling to support the urban photographer with high speed wide angle ex pensive glass. I would love to see some really good longer lenses - f3.5 or higher, but super sharp and not weighing very much. And not costing more than a transoceanic business class ticket.

My hope is that if someone at a lens maker would become aware of this dichotomy, they might consider offering a line along the lines I wish for.

Obviously I have tried to reduce a complex subject in a simplistic argument, but I do believe I have hit on something that is real.

I hope any comments to this topic will remain civil and constructive.

Cheers

Bob Locher

Birds In Flight

Just an assortment of BIF's taken lately...hope you enjoy them

Sony RX10 IV

New member...looking for a tripod recommendation

Hello all!
I have been reading Ugly Hedgehog for a few weeks and just made the deep dive to register and start actively participating. I am an avid amateur photographer and love to shoot action (sports - I have 3 kids playing tennis, hockey and soccer) and street scenes. I just made a huge move, leaving behind my NIKON system for a Sony Alpha a7111. Yep, a little scared about it, but looking forward not back. As I'm investing in new lenses, I also would like to purchase a new tripod...and would love your recommendations.. I like to be mobile when I shoot and realize a monopod could be really useful, but definitely want a tripod in my arsenal. Willing to invest the $$$ for something that will be with me for years. Any input much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

When somebody says they were a professional photographer ...

... you just never know.

I was watching Barney Miller and during the interview a guy said he had been a photographer. When asked what happened he replied, "My pony died".

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Almost bought a new D850 last Sunday.

I was at the Best Buy in Concordville, I think it's Concordville, Delaware, looking for a shortie tripod for my G1X III and they had a D850 on display. I picked it up and played with it for a few minutes and it felt good. I liked it a lot but realistically, I don't need one I just want one. It really won't give me much of anything I'd use on a daily basis I didn't already have. If I want to deal with enormous image files I'll get out my 5DSr. If I want high-speed bursts I can use my D500. I decided I'll simply wait until it goes on sale for a more reasonable price, then I'll get one for my collection.

Blendon Woods and Pickerington Ponds

Went south to shoot