When I look back on how I used to photograph wildlife -- with a medium format film camera (with manual exposure, manual focus, and manual film advance) -- it's amazing I got any decent pictures at all. I missed a lot of shots simply because my system was so slow, but the quality of the 6 x 7 cm transparencies was remarkable. My rationale in using this camera for 25 years was that it gave me a competitive edge over everyone else who was using 35mm. This is a snow leopard I photographed during one of my winter wildlife workshops in Montana. These exquisite cats are almost impossible to photograph in the wild, and even though this was taken in captivity, I've always loved it because of the stealthy look, the fact that I was able to include the long tail, and the compelling expression with those ice-blue eyes. My settings were unrecorded, but knowing how I used to shoot, they were 1/250, f8, and I always captured wildlife with Fujichrome Provia 100. I used a tripod to steady the large camera. My next winter workshop for North American animals as well as a snow leopard is Jan. 2020.
2 Comments
Jul 23, 2018, 1:19:05 AM
Jim - Yes, I know, Bob. If a person has the opportunity to see one in the wild -- admittedly an extremely rare occurrence -- they would definitely be beyond telephoto range.
Jul 23, 2018, 12:38:20 AM
Bob - Beautiful, Jim. Look forward to learning more about that Jan 2020 workshop. Would certainly love to photograph a snow leopard in a situation closer to home. The snow leopards in the Himalaya are a long way away and tough to see.