Capturing the essence of birds

I try to provide a gateway into the very essence of bird behavior. This involves a great deal of patience and an unstated amount of trust between myself and my subjects. I try to convey emotion in my birds by catching unique facial expressions and poses. Whether it is laying in mud, on a beach or wading through icy salt marsh water I will do whatever it takes to get the shot I have envisioned. I also respect my birds and believe in practicing proper etiquette and not unduly stressing the birds.

This can be very demanding on gear and the Tamron 150-600 G2 is designed to put up with the elements. I found AF to be fast and accurate. I also found the rendering to be very pleasing with a good transition from the subject to the background. The addition of the flex zoom lock is a welcome addition and the VC was top notch for stabilizing the lens since I only shoot handheld.

I often shoot prime lenses, but having the ability to zoom out with my hawks was paramount to achieving the image I wanted. It also allowed me to frame the images and really smooth out the backgrounds to keep the focus on the subject.