Shutterbugs

Featuring Gregory Smith

Wood Rat

“The Asahi Pentax H1A with a 50mm f2.8 lens is a 35mm film format camera that produces superior quality film shots. Having a shutter speed of T, B, 1-1/1000sec, you can set this Pentax camera to catch your subject in action…”

That was the advertisement that sent me to the local Pasadena camera store in 1966.  I wanted to take photographs, more specifically bird photographs.  And then I got my first roll of slide film back from the lab and realized a 50mm lens was not the best thing for photographing hummingbirds…

As with all hobbies, it is the journey as we move forward that helps us develop our goals, ethics, and artistic interpretations.  I know when I bought that first camera at age 13 my goal was to create photographs similar to what I was seeing in Audubon magazine.

I had to develop a discipline with film to only take a photograph when I was within the limits of my equipment.  If I didn’t, it would have been more prudent for me to invest in Eastman Kodak stock.

Fast forward to 2003 and the introduction of the Canon EOS 10D.  No film or processing costs, and the satisfaction of instantaneous review of my photos, what a treat.  For me, that was the first of two major transformations associated with the coming of the digital age.  The second was Adobe’s Creative Suite in the same year.

With both of those advances in photography the opportunities were endless for composition, lighting and post-processing.  Now I don’t hesitate to take photographs that may have a branch that impinges on the subject, or an aggravating background, as I can work with Photoshop and Lightroom to mitigate those issues.  The disciplines you develop are different when shooting film than when shooting digital, and that change has provided me with more freedom to interpret.

My career with California State Parks certainly provided numerous opportunities for my photography.  Being outdoors monitoring wildlife, restoring habitats and working with the public put me in numerous situations that aren’t normally available to most of us.  This was really a thrill for me and pushed my desire to photograph those experiences.

And, being in those situations was addicting.  So I wondered what I would do when I retired from my Park’s career?  Actually I had already started down that path in the mid-nineties by hiring on as a guest lecturer on expedition ships sailing to different wilderness locations throughout the world.  So three days after retiring I did my first natural history tour and now am fortunate to be able to lead at least ten tours a year to different parts of the world. (Naturalist Journeys)

Beyond the obvious highlights associated with these journeys, I get to share unique photographic opportunities with clients and then help them compose photographs based on some of my generic goals when I am in the field:

• Wildlife portraiture should always include an action
• Try photographing wildlife in a landscape or habitat setting
• There are so many iconic landscapes available for photography, so find a unique, fresh perspective
• Look at a potential photograph with an eye to post-processing
• Include something in the photograph that leads the viewer

With the onset of Mike Baird’s Photomorrobay group in 2006, there was one overriding philosophy that he communicated (I will paraphrase) that changed my outlook on sharing photographs: “The value of a photograph that is not shared is almost nil.”  To that end, I openly solicit non-profits, government agencies, and other education-based entities to utilize my photographs (through Creative Commons licensing).  Given funding constraints for these groups, it is a small way I (and hopefully others) can help them educate their audiences.

And last, but far from least, I can’t say enough positive things about the folks in the Photomorrobay group.  I have learned so much from just viewing the photographs and reading the posts of folks like Elizabeth Haslem, Steve Corey, Howard Ignatius, Marlin Harms, and others.  I really do treasure how they interpret their world and their willingness to share!

Thank you for the opportunity to share my photographs (see these and more at Slobirdr) and a little bit about my background.  Now if any of you are still shooting film, I do have some Fuji Velvia in my freezer…

Here on the Shutterbugs page, some of our best local photographers share their passion for capturing beautiful and fascinating images. Some images are cropped to fit our format. You will find more of their work on various photo sites and in our own Great Shots section. Some images are cropped to better fit this page.

Previous Shutterbugs include David Holmes, Fred Moore, Mimi Ditchie, Alice Cahill, Gary Powell, Ken Bondy, Sylvia Sanchez, Donald Quintana, Beth Sargent, Don Henderson, Jerry Kirkhart, Steve Corey, Linda McDonald, Catherine Ryan Hyde, Ronnie Goyette, Dorothy Cutter, Aiden Briggs, Devra Cooper, Ashala Tylor, Marlin Harms, Howard Ignatius, Elizabeth Haslam, Mike Baird, Linda Tanner, Fred Moore, and Cheryl Strahl.