I tend to agree about not needing expensive equipment. I also except that it helps, at times, for small or flighty subjects.
An example I can offer is a photo I took of a dead Emu caught in a fence near Burra S.A. a while back.
I was pretty annoyed that this had happened and was determined to record the plight of the poor bird. It took a few attempts to get the shot I was after, with the bird’s toes pointing skyward (not a good sign for an Emu). It would also
highlight the entanglement with the fence.
I had to lay near the bird to get the right angle. First attempt was interrupted by my wife asking me to move the car because of the smell of the decaying Emu. Fair enough too. A couple more attempts were cut short by me, due to the smell,
but I got there in the end. I didn’t take it with a plan to enter a competition but later that year it won the ‘Human Impact’ category in Birdlife photo competition. The bird’s plight was now well known.
For what it is worth: - camera body used cost $1200 and the lens $2600 (actually borrowed from my Son for the weekend). $3,800 is still a lot of money but a long way from $20,000.
Luck plays a part. You have to be there to be lucky though.
Danny
