In the mid 2000’s, a friend of mine gifted me an old Canon Powershot Camera. At the time, it was the most advanced camera I had ever used. I quickly fell in love with it, taking pictures of all sorts of things, and even getting some pretty cool shots despite it not being a dslr. For years after that I toyed with the idea of purchasing a camera for the purpose of hobby photography. I came close to justifying the investment at least once or twice, but in the end I always prioritized something more practical else over the expense. At one point while giving private violin lessons, I even bartered for a very nice flash with the anticipation of getting a camera body to go along with it. Now, only 13 years later, I finally took the leap and at last can use that dust covered flash if I so desire.

So what changed? Well, after years of putting in long hours in our courier business, we made the decision to take a step back and reassess our lives. Along the way, I had been creating Youtube content on the side and decided I needed to upgrade my equipment to step up the quality as I also planned to increase my content creation and scope. Sure enough, that was enough justification to take the leap. I still wasn’t prepared to go all in with one of the newest mirrorless models; but I found a nice comfortable spot with the Canon 5D Mark IV:

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I must admit, I had no idea what I actually needed or wanted. At the time, I didn’t even know what ISO and Aperture were. I was familiar with shutter speed in theory, but not actually in practice. I just tried to do some basic research and find the best value. After a few days of using my new camera, I quickly learned what was worth the purchase and what I wish I had known to purchase instead. Regardless, I had my camera. But, suddenly, another thing happened. The desire to do photography was instantly rekindled within me as if by some mystical spark that transferred to me when touching the camera; and where I thought I was most interested in landscape photography, I quickly realized that I was much more in love with wildlife photography. That in its self, quickly led me to realize the insufficiencies in my kit lenses, my need for additional equipment, and before I know it some money consuming monster had emerged in my new found passion.

Regardless of the pitfalls and downsides, however, I have been blessed to finally have my camera and to be able to indulge my passion for wildlife photography. If I am not out in the field taking photos, I am thinking about it and wishing I was, while trying to steal away some time to go through the photos I have already taken. I don’t know where this all will lead. I dare to dream of a day that I can turn this pursuit into a full time career; but for the meantime, I will continue to grow and find new animals and new shots to share with you. Come with me on this journey and please join the conversation below. Let me know what you think of my photos so I can continue moving forward. And for those of you who are interested, a few of my main pieces of equipment are below:

My Lens

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My Tripod/Monopod

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