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Thread: Hello from not so sunny Connecticut!

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    Default Hello from not so sunny Connecticut!

    I have been passionate about bird photography for about 2-3 years now and it's starting to turn from hobby to obsession . I usually spend about 20 hrs per week taking pictures with a sigma 50-500mm OS with broken autofocus and up until very recently a t2i. I purchased a used 1d MkIV because I have been interested in possibly turning my obsession into something I can make a living at. I'm quite aware that I will be eating ramens for a while and don't mind doing that. I am currently working part-time as a lab technician (mostly molecular and cell biology type of work) and going to school. Scientific research has always been a difficult field since whenever grants run out so does your job and because of recent politics/economics its been really tough and looking to get tougher. I've also been questioning the value of my work and the value of capturing pictures and information about wildlife that probably will not make it to future generations. I'm sure I will get atleast one "don't quit your day job" response but here goes anyways. I pick things up quickly, have an obsessive personality, a good eye for art but I'm well aware that I have TONS to learn. Anyways any ideas or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. My next step was probably looking into getting the money together somehow for a 600mm f4 and TCs but its a big leap and risk for me and I wanted to look a bit before I leap so I decided to stop lurking on this forum. Thanks in advance for any advice and hello to all!
    John

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    Welcome to BPN. I am new to BPN myself and share the same obsessive nature. Congrats on the 1D4. Really want that and the 600mm f/4 II!

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    BPN Member Christopher Miller's Avatar
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    Welcome to BPN, John! You've certainly come to the right place to learn. Congrats on wanting to make photography your career, that's not easy to do. Looking forward to your participation!
    God Bless
    Christopher, Old Photo Master and Master Texturizer

    Old Memories Photography

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    Super Moderator Daniel Cadieux's Avatar
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    Hey John, welcome to BPN!! You've certainly come to the right place as far as helping you hone your bird photography hobby/hope-to-be-career! Lots great info to read, and of course participating in the critiques forums is the best way to get in involved in our unique community...looking forward to your participation!

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    Lifetime Member Marina Scarr's Avatar
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    Welcome to BPN, John. I know all about obsession when it comes to nature photography. Glad to see you have set some goals and are now working toward reaching them. Great pick choosing the Canon 1D4. It's a great camera. Where do you live? Looking forward to seeing some of your captures posted on the forums. I am confident you'll learn a lot here and it will help you to decide which lenses you are going to consider.

    Happy shooting!
    Marina Scarr
    Florida Master Naturalist
    Website, Facebook

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    John, Welcome from another (relatively) new member. I have two sons & a daughter-in-law that work for Pfizer in Groton, so we make frequent trips to CT. fwiw, we spent the Sandy experience in the dark in East Lyme watching the grandkids.

    Here's my question: Since we make frequent trips to Connecticut, where are the good spots to shoot?

    ...Jerry

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    I am a Manchester, CT resident. If you are looking for a good place to shoot it really depends upon what you are most interested in shooting. Hammonasset state park is a great place for shorebirds if you don't mind the crowds. It is definitely the most popular place in the state for birding. There's a ton of great spots but it really depends upon the time of year and whether you want to shoot warblers, owls, eagles, waterfowl etc... I tend to follow the CT birds list and go to places where there is a species I am interested in shooting. I'm a bit embarrassed to post my shots as I am using a Sigma 50-500mm OS with a broken AF right now. My copy doesn't seem to sharpen much when stopped down as Arthur Morris has suggested so I'm mostly just practicing field technique. I'm looking forward to a trip to Costa Rica the first week of the new year and I have rented a 500 f4 IS, TCs and a 70-200 IS II (hopefully the 24-70 f4 IS too but I will not be holding my breath). Feel free to send me an email if you are interested in the bird list or recommended places in CT.

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