What, you thought I didn’t have any more? HA! In fact I just confirmed my reservations for the end of this month in Homer, goin’ back again for some more fun. And I’m taking some new gear this time… no, not a new camera (out of the budget for now). I was lucky to be able to try a Bushhawk on my last trip to Homer. Only for a short time, but I was quickly hooked. A Bushhawk is a… well, I don’t know exactly how to explain it. It’s a camera stabilization system, configured like an assault rifle stock. Lightweight and comfortable, your camera sits on top of it (secured by an Arca-Swiss style mount) and allows you to pan easier than the standard hand holding of a camera. There is a foregrip with an optional secondary extended vertical grip like you might find on a military submachine gun. I’ll admit I’ve seen these advertised in the back of photo mags for several years, always kind of shrugged them off as more “photo-geekery”, always thought I’d get picked on for using one. But then I tried one for a few minutes… wow, what a difference.
Bald Eagle, Landing
Most of you probably don’t know this about me, but I have a long competitive shooting background. I started shooting Trap, then Skeet since I was around 12. Shot in local, state, regional, and national championships on several occasions – even won a bit of each. So this new Bushhawk felt very natural to me. My panning was smoother, I was able to acquire my target (ahem… I mean subject) much faster, and I was much more steady than simple handholding. I really think this new tool will be invaluable for wildlife/fast action photography. It works much better than a tripod for in-flight bird photography, much quicker. One thing I noticed about my short time with it, was that I was less fatigued and my back didn’t feel nearly as tight using it. It even has an incorporated 2 stage trigger; the first stage is for autofocus, the second is for taking the picture. It is fully customizable as well to each user, very nice. I’ll have a full review up here when I return from Homer around the 26th. I also recently purchased a new pair of winter gloves, specifically for photography. They are relatively thin and stretchy, but have a wind/water proof membrane, and are reportedly good to more than -30F. The key is, they are thin gloves, so I maintain my dexterity. I hate wearing bulky gloves while pursuing photography in the winter, but I also hate frost-bite. Looking forward to seeing how they work out. They are made by SealSkinz, and are distributed in the U.S. by Danalco. I’ll have a review of these as well.
Bald Eagle Profile, Frozen Beak
Anyway, here are a few more photos from Homer a few weeks ago.
STAY TUNED:)
I actually have those gloves. I used them last summer at McNeil and during one of my Kenai Fjords trips. They are great.
Good to hear from you Angie, hope you are well. Good to know about the gloves. I got my first pair just yesterday in the mail – waaaaay to big, sent them back for a smaller size.