Ameristep Doghouse Hide
I am based in West Lothian, Scotland and as you will see from browsing my site I enjoy taking photos of many different subjects.
Please feel free to use the Contact Me link to ask me any questions or to make any requests.
Most of the photos on this site have been taken with Canon EOS Digital SLR and Mirrorless cameras coupled with Canon lenses, although a few were taken with a DJI Mavic Air drone.
My latest full frame mirrorless camera is a Canon EOS R6, which replaces my Canon EOS RP.
Although I often use long lenses for wildlife, many times I also use a hide to help me get extra close to the subject.
This also helps in getting more natural shots as the subject is unaware of my presence and is therefore more relaxed.
When taking wildlife and bird shots with
long lenses I often use a Kenro GHC1 carbon fibre gimbal head coupled with a Novo Explora T10 Pro carbon fibre tripod. This enables complete freedom of movement for the camera and lens, keeping the centre of gravity over the tripod
at all times so there is no chance of the weight of the lens causing the tripod to fall over. Although the tripod is well made I can't recommend Novo customer service. One of the shims for one of the top legs shattered and I've no idea how this happened. I ordered some replacement shims, at a vastly overinflated price, from Novo. I then contacted Novo about their 5 year warranty and mentioned that my tripod is 2 years old and that I'd ordered the shims. I said that I was happy to pay for them, but wondered if they could add an extra one under warranty. I then received a long winded, dismissive e-mail telling me how to use twist lock tripods and that the shims aren't covered under warranty. They said they can only be broken if the twist locks are misused. They have been used correctly and the end result is that they've lost a customer who has previously bought quite a few of their products. I thought this was very bad customer service, especially when I've already bought and paid for a number of shims.
For landscape shots I use a Benro GD3WH geared head coupled with a Novo Explora T10 Pro carbon fibre tripod. This allows for very precise compositional movements and the tripod can easily be converted into a monopod.
For travel, where weight is a consideration, I use a Sirui G10-X G-Series ball head coupled with a Beike Q666C carbon fibre tripod. This has the added advantage of being easily convertable into a monopod when conditions don't allow for the use of a tripod.
For macro and plant photography I use a variety of supports, depending on the height of the subject from ground level. In increasing height order I either place my camera on the ground, lay it on a fold up foam seat, put it on a beanbag or use a tripod. The tripods and heads used are either a Bexin V30 ball head coupled with a Bexin M225S Ultra Compact tripod or a Giottos MH1312-652 Series II ball head on a Novo Mantis T3 Carbon Fibre Mini Travel tripod.
