Paul Lester Photo

In the previous post I took some quick pictures of some birds at the feeder. Nothing special. However, some hours later, a hawk decided to give me something to really look at. He actually landed on the top of the feeder, much to my surprise! I wasn’t able to get a photo of that, but he flew to branch about 100 yards or so away from my back door.

The first photo was taken at 500mm, wide open and represents and unsharpened 100% crop of the head.

The next photo is a 100% crop of the talons.

Lastly, here is the actual photo, unsharpened and unprocessed in any way:

They say that first impressions are important. Well, this lens has made a very good first impression upon me!

1. It’s fairly light weight, considering its size. It weighs in at about 1226g, or about 2.7 pounds, without the lens hood.
2. There is no lens creep at all.
3. Very smooth focusing.
4. Very smooth zooming.
5. Very sharp photos with nice contrast.
6. The auto focus is fast enough, but like other zooms, sometimes misses and has to hunt. Total round trip from nearest focus (2.5m) to infinity and back is about 1.5-2 seconds. You could miss a flying bird, for sure, but …
7. Tamron stands behind it for 6 years! That, alone, is why I chose the Tamron over the Sigma. Sigma gives 1 year, Tamron 6!
I could go on, but I’m impressed with my results on the first day. Sure, I don’t have any fancy charts or diagrams or anything. I just know that it works.

Looks like next week, I’ll be making a trip to the zoo.

I know that eventually, I’ll get a good shot of a Hummingbird.
However, for now, I just think that I’ll stand back, watch, and adore these little beauties. Here is a shot of one sharing a bit of nectar with a bee.

I learned yesterday that, although timid, they are somewhat curious as well. A number of times, as I was standing in the shadows waiting to take a picture, a Hummingbird came within about 3 feet of me, hovered, checked me out for about 5 – 10 seconds, and then returned to the feeder or a nearby tree branch. It was delightful.

Since I’ve never seen a Hummingbird at rest, I just assumed that they didn’t need much of it. I’ve never seen a nest, though I’m on the lookout for one, nor have I seen a Hummingbird in a tree, until today. They are very difficult to spot because they are so small.

When I get my new lens, I’ll have to make a special Hummingbird trip. No need to go anywhere other than my favorite hangout, Reedy Creek.

This morning while I was in the park, for a moment, I had an astonishing few moments of clarity. Everything just fell away. It’s difficult to describe. In those few moments, nothing else existed except light, form, and sound. The past did not exist. The future did not exist. I had no cares, worries, fears, or even thoughts that I can remember, for that time. I was completely and wholly at peace.

At that moment, everything mattered, yet nothing mattered except that one precious moment that I shall never see again.

I believe that I was in a deep meditative state. Everything became quite clear. Wow! Unfortunately, I don’t have the words to describe the feeling, so hopefully these pictures will help.

I’m always looking for ways to enhance or sharpen my creativity and observation. The latest way is to come up with a mission statement. Of course, simply coming up with a mission statement won’t do anything, but it helps me to focus on what I seek to accomplish in my photography. So, here is what I’ve come up with:

Paul Lester Photography Mission Statement

1. To capture a moment in time that will cause the viewer to transcend the photograph and focus on the beauty of the moment, not the beauty of the photograph.
2. To show, with unbridled appreciation, all the wonders that are before me to behold and to share.
3. To cause the viewer to pause, reflect, stare in wonder, and seek to find their own moments of discovery.
4. To celebrate life through imagery.

I will handwrite this and keep it in my photography journal along with a photo that I consider captures the essence of the mission. Further, when I go out, I will look at this journal before I press the shutter for the first time in the day, to remind me of what I’m after.

Now, taking a page from Micki’s pages, I would like to post one thing that I appreciate:

Appreciation: Having discovered, not to late in life, what I really love and what refills my “cup” – Photography.