I don't like to write about gear, but I feel I must in this case. I recently purchased a new Nikon super zoom lens, the 28-400. A relatively slow but sharp lens that I find very useful. It weights only 1.6 pounds. Compared to the 24-120 which weights 1.4 pounds, this seems a minor addition of weight. On the Z8, the combination is not light, but it is manageable, given the zoom range. When I said it is slow it goes from  f4-f8 so at the long end it is very slow. However the VR of the Z8 is so good that even at the longest end of the reach the IQ is very sharp. It is not a S lens and may not be totally water proof. That doesn't bother my too much since I tend to be a fair weather shooter. I think this lens will be in my bag for an upcoming trip to the outer islands of Scotland. 

 We were out a couple of weeks ago trying to shoot covered bridges, double exposures, and intentional camera movement (ICM). This is none of the above. It is a simple shot of some beautiful clouds over a small group of trees, 180 degrees from the covered bridge? Why did I shoot this, I always turn around and look behind me every time I shoot just to make sure I am not missing something. I happen to like the image and made it black and white due to the clouds and dark sky. My image of the day. 

 So this is a fun image. It is obviously taken in my back yard. I have a small bird feeder that is actually very active, lots of small colorful birds frequent it daily. However about dinner time (our dinner time), My wife says take a look out the back window, and this is what we see. The Deer family is having dinner, the smaller ones seem to be eating off the ground while mother deer is helping herself to the actual feeder. I knew that Deer would eat about anything, but didn't realize that they would love bird seed? I guess I will have to get a taller food cage so that mother deer can't get at the food. 

 An image from Mackinaw Island taken from my balcony. All the elements of a good image are present but the focal length is too short. I used a 24-70 rather than something longer. This is always my quandary, how long of a focal length is the correct one to carry on a trip? I have pretty much all the Nikon Z lenses made but only want to carry one long lens and one prime. 

Should I keep my camera in the bag?

 Is it better to look and enjoy the landscape or take a picture of it?

 This image was taken in Page Arizona in early May. It is an example of one of the many Slot Canyons that are all around the Colorado Plateau. An extremely large area of the country that encompasses several states, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. The canyons are everywhere but visitation is somewhat remote and controlled. It land that is essentially Navajo controlled and thus in order to visit one needs a guide. It is particularly beautiful and interesting, but crowded. Just be aware of the potential crowds especially if visiting in the peak summer months. Oh yea it is also very warm. We were there in early May and it was already 90+ degrees, about 30+ Celsius but worth the conditions to experience the area. 

 Just a quick post from today's photo shoot. We went to Griggs Dam to try and capture some bird images. It was a beautiful morning with plenty of Sun and a brief warm up in the air. The River was very high from last week's crazy amount of rain, almost 2 inches. The River is the Scioto and the area is Northwest Columbus, Ohio. The birding was not great. I am assuming the birds like the river as a good source of food and shelter. Today it was neither. The water was running way too fast for any sane animal to get fish or insects from. We did however grab a few shots of birds. Here is one such shot. A nice flock of Geese.Birds in flight are not easy to shoot, but the old saw that even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then. I hope to go back and get some more as Winter turns to Spring. It will be great. Love the changing of the seasons. All for now. Hope to post something tomorrow.