Purchasing a camera for ranch use

My brand new Canon 7D and two kit lenses (aka, personal sacrifices instead of a single L-series lens due to the purchase of a camera body) arrived today!! I am anxiously checking the battery charger every 5 minutes, and it has been doing the whole blink-three-times-in-rapid-succession thing it supposedly does when its nearly charged for over an hour! Ugh.
Outside there is a brand new calf, another soon-to-be brand new calf, and sunshine. And to think, my husband asked me what I was doing this afternoon, and looked at me oddly when I was snappish that the 4-wheeler was nearly out of fuel.
The poor man.
The thing I have learned this time around in buying a camera body is that it's like buying cars, hydraulic chutes or mineral in that every single option on the lot is nearly perfect to hear the sales people tell it.
Uhuh. I have a 1.5 year old Canon 60D camera being sent to Canon for the second time in four months right now that was "the best thing going" a year and a half ago. I don't know if it was the same sales person or not, but when I was explaining my issues the second time they developed - a couple weeks ago, the guy replied, "Oh, well it does have an aluminum body, which is more for hobbyists than professionals. He wasn't rude about it, but put emphasis on the fact that apparently the different materials Canon makes body's out of is a big deal.
So, rewind a year and a half, when I'm explaining to someone in this very shop that while I am not a National Geographic photographer, I use my equipment like one. It is outside, in the weather, occasionally covered in substances that could have come out of either end of a bovine or pig, and needs to stand up to things like moisture, dust, slobber, LA200, etc...
At that time I was told the 60D was the best camera for the money, unless I wanted to jump into the Mark series, which I did not because my budget did not allow for upgrading to an entire set of L-series lenses, which is all you can use on a Mark body.
We discussed thoroughly the advantages and disadvantages of all options before I made my purchase. The sales consultant was confident I would be thrilled with the 60D, and I was, at first, until a year into owning it, the camera began producing grainy and dull images. For something that was by no means cheap, and projected to last years, this was an expected and upsetting development to suddenly discover when reviewing a senior photo shoot.
So, to have someone at the same shop basically say, well duh honey, it has an aluminum body, was a bit irritating.
Then began our conversation on what I should buy as a new body that will hopefully stand up to the elements I shoot in a little better. And, what does this guy tell me. He suggests the latest, greatest, camera-of-the-year 70D, which is constructed of the same hobbyist grade aluminum as the 60D.
Seriously dude?!
We go on to discuss the 6D, Mark iii and 7D as well, and I get the stats on all four options, then agree to call back with my decision. I was this close (- -) to taking the plunge and getting the Mark iii, but again the ability to not use the majority of my lenses in combination with not having several extra thousand laying around to buy new lenses with stopped me. In the end, as I said above, I went with the 7D, which is made of the professional grade magnesium alloy, after emailing someone who is a year and a half into owning and using one the same way I would, with zero issues.
So, while I am tickled pink to have a new camera body, and realize that if they can fix my 60D I will no longer have to rent a backup body for weddings in addition to a few other perks, I am also a little irked that I am not lovingly gazing at a high end, low F-stop lens that I had my heart set on purchasing in 2014.
I should also point out that I am on a bit of a soapbox on this topic at the moment, but as a whole the camera shop I use is tremendous, and incredibly helpful. The people are very knowledgeable and provide top-of-the-line customer service. I have simply come to the realization that much like buying cars, chutes or mineral, buying camera equipment should involve a lot more research than talking to "the experts," and doing online comparisons. They have no idea what to say when you explain that while you take "good care" of your equipment you need to know how it will stand up to being chewed on by a baby pig, licked by a cow, hung on a fence in its bag in light snow, 50 mph blowing dust instead of the tame variety found in studios, and the occasional coating of vaccine. You need to go find a neighbor to ask about such things in order to get a feel for how your potential purchase will work in the real world.

Week of Bloopers

 Has it been one of those weeks for anyone else? Case in point - an hour ago I went out to the garage to see if there was any cranberry juice to be found,  so that I could have a cranberry vodka because it's been one of those weeks. But, upon walking out the door I realized the burning pile of paper was getting away, and spent an hour shoveling dirt and monitoring the flames. Oh, I did eventually check for juice too, and my sister drank it all.
So, while waiting to see if I need to do any more fire monitoring prior to showering, and praying nothing else happens, I thought I would share some calf photography bloopers with you from the last week or so - they seem fitting this evening. I typically delete these as I find them, so I'll be short a couple examples, but have enough to hopefully give everyone a chuckle for the weekend!
Just as with any form of photography, not every shot is perfect. In fact, I typically average a handful of what I would consider usable photos from every batch I take.

There are the cases of closed eyes.

 and squinty eyes.

 Lots of tongues sticking out, particularly when it's breakfast time.

Focusing on the grass near the calf's butt instead of its face, and another tongue.

Really messing up the focus. This has happened a lot lately as I have been working on improving my usage of depth of field.

Very over exposed objects, especially baldy calves in the snow.

 The occasional nose/head/foot/tail getting chopped off

 The look of death when the subject doesn't want to pose anymore.

 

 

Followed by inappropriate behavior.
There are also lots of images catching someone going to the bathroom, with no consideration for the photo being taken. Infant photographers have nothing when it comes to the peeing thing compared to a pasture full of baby calves.
The other point I would like to make is that even after years of taking cattle pictures, there is still a learning curve, every day, and I do not always get the shot I want to turn out "right." Some days it seems like they all look beautiful, and other days I wonder what possessed me to even take a photo when I look at it on the computer. Then there is the time spent looking at other photographer's work,which sometimes makes me pat myself on the back, and sometimes makes me want to buy all their work, hang it on my wall, then throw my camera away.
One such break spent looking at another person's work a couple weeks ago is what made me realize that I could really improve how I approached a photo from a depth of field perspective. I have gotten into the habit of adjusting my f-stop to reach the right exposure, and that was resulting in some photos not looking the way I wanted them to.
So, I have been consciously working to adjust how I work things in manual mode to get photos the way I want them, without always adjusting the f-stop. This is really just the latest in what is a continual pursuit to improve at something I love to do. Below is one non-blooper photo where it all came together.

 

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Computers, cows and painting

Hello, hello.
How about a little update on what's been going on around here the past few days? This is in no particular order:

- My new computer has been slowly falling apart, physically. It needed a new case, so the Dell service dude came out, spent over an hour taking my computer apart, got to the last three screws and informed me he couldn't get them off without stripping them. Then he did a very mediocre job of putting my computer back together and informed me I would have to ship it off to Dell to be fixed. The entire time he was at my home (three hours total), he was mildy insulting in manner and beyond idiotic in his dealings. I was steaming mad when he left, and am now without my computer for another few days. This is not ideal as I am back to writing this week, and took my first round of wedding photos last weekend. I NEED that computer, and spent extra money when I bought it for in-field repairs because I knew how problematic it would be for me not have it for a week or two. I could wring that Dell guy's neck. On a side note, I do appreciate my mother letting me use her computer as needed until mine is back in my loving arms.

- The first wedding of the summer went wonderful. Perhaps the most beautiful day I've ever seen on Casper Mountain. Rain the night before, mid-70's in temperature, and no wind! The couple was fun, relaxed and happy. I can't wait to check out the pictures and start editing. One high note was stopping by the camera store where I bout my new camera and lens to get a couple odds and ends, and having the wonderful man there send me out with a rental lens free of charge to try out. Made my day, and it was a great lens that I used a lot! That's one of the benefits of buying equipment in a store over the internet in my opinion.

- In addition to my computer, my "ranch camera" is STILL being repaired. I was told one week, and we're on week three now. I have missed an entire spring of brandings, sorting, shipping and general cattle work. In my line of work, and personally as well, this is a very big deal.

-We just finished trailing the last bunch of cows to their summer pasture this morning. The bulls are out, cattle settled, and we're selling our steers later this week due to the dry weather. Cattle work is wrapping up for the spring. We had unusually cool weather this year, which helped us out a lot. All in all it went great and a good time, if not a lot of sleep, was had by all.

- I have decided that if you ever start a painting project, it multiplies out and never ends. I've painted my room and bathroom in the new trailer, and am moving on to the doors and closets later today. Then.....hopefully.....the paining of the walls will cease and I can move on to a couple furniture painting ideas. Perhaps trying to squeeze it in between loads of cows is part of why it seems to be taking so long : )

- From chasings cows one day to donning a suit to meet with folks in D.C. the next, all without the usual camera hanging from my shoulder, it has been a great spring! Looking forward to posting more photos in upcoming weeks, and getting back to more regular posting. Hope all is well with each of you : )

New Camera!

 Over a week ago I went to Casper to have my camera cleaned. The night before I went, my camera died a sad, ERROR 99 death. So, in addition to being cleaned, it was sent in for repairs, and has been sorely missed. I am still anxiously awaiting the call that it is ready to be picked up, hopefully before all the brandings and shipping days of this spring are over. What a time of year for the camera to hiccup.
While at the camera store, I got to perusing all the wonderful dream items they have in stock. My plan was to purchase a camera after this year's wedding season to keep for nice, professional photography jobs. This way the old 40D could be solely used as a ranch camera, without worry for keeping it in good working order for professional jobs.
Long story short, a couple hours later I walked out with a new Canon 60D with a 135mm lens attached, a gallery quality photo printer (it was a great deal if you purchased it with a camera), and all the necessary goodies to make the camera ready to go. I am now set for this year's set of weddings too, and a couple other professional jobs coming up in the next couple months.
It has been very hard not to try it out during our brandings, gatherings, etc... but I have managed to hold off, and am maintaining a strict, "no corral" rule with it. I did finally get a chance to test it out on my uncle's place a few days ago when we finished in the early evening. What better way to test the image quality of a new camera than with some macro shots taken in the evening light? Here are a few from the 100 I took during my first outing with my new camera : )   Hope you like them!

Hauling to the Mountain

This is the time of year when ranchers head to the Wyoming mountains with their livestock. Lots of highways were clogged with cattle, sheep and trucks heading up in elevation over the last week, and after a brief reprieve on the 4th, the move was back in full swing on the 5th. My family doesn't live anywhere near a mountain, but my boyfriend Adam does. While at his place over the 4th of July holiday, I got in on a day of hauling yearling heifers to the mountain.
Some producers trail all the way up to their mountain pastures, while others haul as far up as they can, then trail on in to their pasture(s). Adam's family used to trail, but haul as far as they can these days to save time. Both ways require some planning - when trailing you have to work with everyone else trailing, and keep your cattle moving to the next holding pasture each night so you aren't holding up the show for those behind you. When hauling you have to get trucks, and often work around when they're available.
One difference in going to the mountain versus going to a summer pasture where I'm from is when you go. Our cattle have all been at summer pasture for a month or more, but the cooler temperatures at mountain elevations results in the grass getting a later start in the growing season. Rancher's typically wait until their is enough grass for their livestock before heading anywhere with them. So, while eastern Wyoming, with it's warmer temperatures, has had abundant summer grass for a while, it's just getting tall enough to graze in the cooler Bighorn Mountains.



Here's what we did - first we loaded the heifers, and bulls, onto a couple cattle pots at a feedlot where they have been living for several months.




We stopped and added a little more caffeine to our dwindling iced tea supply in Ten Sleep, then headed for the corrals where we would unload, leading the trucks.

We started on the highway, but soon turned onto the Spring Creek Road, and from there onto a two-track road that lead up the base of the mountain.

And up we went.

The road to the right is the old road, and previously the only route up. Adam told me about a semi load of sheep that tipped over right where the two roads join several years ago. He used to hate that road, and is very happy to have the new one on the left.

Here come the trucks, up the last rise and through the gate to the corrals. Adam and I got the gates set and were ready and waiting when they arrived.

Then, right between the above and below photos, a tragic event occurred. My camera, which I had in it's "work day" bag, fell off the corral fence and made an alarming THUD sound as it hit the ground 8 feet below. I thought I had looped the bag's strap over a corral post, but obviously that wasn't the case. The damage was a busted LCD screen, but fortunately it still took pictures, which I found out for sure when I looked at them on a computer.

My camera is currently on it's way to Canon to be fixed : (

Frustrating camera events or not, the trucks arrived and backed up to the decrepit unloading chute, which is on the repair list for later this summer I'm told.

I was put in charge of counting the heifers off the trucks, and guarding a hole in the corral fence (the whole corral is on the 2011 summer repair list). I gingerly snapped a few photos as we went along, hopeful they would turn out.

1, 2, 3, .....58, 59, .....102, 103, .... you get it....

Then the bulls did what men will do - duked it out as to who was the head honcho and who was not.

I should note these heifers were AI'd earlier in the breeding season, and only had one cleanup bull with them in the feedlot. A second bull was added on this day since they were being turned out in a large pasture, where just one bull would have a hard time covering all of them. The bull that had been with them in the feedlot was not happy with this arrangement, and much preferred the idea of him being left alone with his bunch of heifers.

The trucks left, Adam and I did a little sorting on the heifers since a few were going to a separate pasture, then opened the gate you can see above and turned them out.

That evening Adam, his dad and brother went back and trailed them a few miles up the mountain to their summer home. I was in Casper at the Canon store by then, drooling over new camera's and feeling the pain over sending mine away to be fixed.

Work camera

I recently decided that rather than constantly pack around thousands of dollars of my personal photo equipment for work, I should just use my work camera. That's what it's for, and I need my personal equipment to be in working order when I use it for weddings, seniors, etc.. I also recently scratched a lens I use a lot while at the NWSS for work, and I can't afford to replace it until I book another photography job, so I sat myself down (figuratively) and told myself that I have a work camera for a reason, and to use it.
I was hesitant. My work camera is a Canon Rebel (of which I have owned one, and really liked it), but this one was purchased at Walmart, and has been sent back to Canon once to be re-furbished since I've been with the Roundup.
Prior to this weekend's trial run, I have used it exactly once, and was so unimpressed I stuck it in my old camera bag and left it there. I did use one of my personal, "ranch work" Sigma lenses this weekend, and just used it as I would my 40D (which will now be upgraded after the above mentioned lens, hopefully).

I had lots of blurry photos, which I'm not including in this run. I'm not sure if that was user error, or the camera. Another issue was that a lot of the backgrounds were completely blown out.


Like this one. But, it is in focus.



I'm going to dig up the manual, and see about re-adjusting the white balance, and whatever else it recommends for some of the things I noticed.



Out of just over 200 pictures, these were the only ones I even thought about Photoshoping. Again, maybe it was just adjusting to the camera, and I will be doing more shooting with it for work in the future to see.



This is one that I was really excited about, and really disappointed in. I'm not one of those photographers who likes to spend 20 minutes editing a picture in Photoshop to make it look "right." I'm more of a quick levels, curves, color balance, and unsharp mask as needed, then on to the next one. So when the cattle are properly exposed and the hay is really blown out, I almost always pass on it, unless I have an afternoon without much to do.
I did Photoshop all of these pictures, just as I would those taken with my personal camera. But nothing was done to any of them beyond what's mentioned in the above paragraph.



We will see how the next trial goes. I should have some comparisons between the work and personal equipment to show you in the future. Hopefully with a little tweaking and time I will be more impressed with the overall quality. Either way, this puppy is in the game for work related photography from now on.