A couple of things that made me smile
Firstly, I am pretty thrilled that I was invited to feature in an article of ‘famous’ wildlife photographers. To include me among the ‘famous’ is - in my view - stretching it just a tad ;-) Needless to say it instantly made me suffer from impostor syndrome - as some of the names featured are among my heroes - artists that inspire me and who I have learnt from. The images on display among these wildlife photographers are also truly impressive. I will continue to strive to improve my photography whilst taking the time to enjoy the many talented wildlife photographers and their amazing pictures.
Follow this link to the LensesPro article, and share in the impressive imagery: FAMOUS WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHERS IN THE WORLD (2023)
The second experience that put a smile on my face was down to Nikon. Recently I added the impressive Nikon Z8 as my second body to my Z9 camera. Having used the Nikon Z7ii for many months as a second body, the upgrade to the Z8 was absolutely worth it. The difference in ergonomics and capabilities between the Z9 and the Z7ii made the switching between the bodies on location somewhat frustrating. Adjusting to the more limited capability of the Z7ii whilst shooting wildlife action was a pain (particularly the auto focus limitations). As the Z8 is much more capable and also similar in handling to the Z9, this is a much better dual body combo, as I tested and proved in the Great Bear Rainforest. The Z9/Z8 pairing is perfect for me.
However, I was a tad nervous bringing my Z8 on location in Canada, as it had two service recall notices open against it. As these recall notices were issued a mere couple of weeks before my trip, I didn’t have time to hand it in for repair and decided to risk it on my recent tour to British Columbia. Would it fail me? As it turned out, it did not and proved a great second camera to my Z9. What made me smile? Well, last week I filled in the form to get the camera rectified. The day after UPS arrived to pick it up, and less than a week later UPS returned it - all fixed. A flawless recall process and an impressive turn-around time - well played Nikon!