top of page
  • Writer's pictureHeather Cardle

#FrameItFriday (week 4, season 3)


Bruce Almighty, Canadian Raptor Conservancy

#FrameItFriday (week 4, season 3)

Let's just jump right into it this week shall we? It's about the run of feathered friends I've been posting all week long. As you may or may not recall I was skipping school last Friday for target practice. Now you know I wasn't going all Full Metal Jacket but just headed somewhere to where I could try and practice with Dixie (my "new to me" Canon 1Dx).

About 40 mins down the road from me is this wonderful place called the Canadian Raptor Conservancy. Every now and then they run "drop-in" sessions. I caught one of those and met up with a fellow photog friend and made some new friends from Maryland of all places that live a hop, skip and a jump from dear friends of mine. Small world!

All I wanted to do was get out and try and familiarize myself with my most important piece of camera gear.....my camera. You know when you get a new car, you have to sit in it and set it up just the way you like it. Fav radio stations, adjust the mirrors, decorate it (some of us do decorate our cars) and pre-programme the car seats, etc. etc. After you've done all that, you gotta get out on the road and see how she handles and how to control her.

That's what my intention was when I went to see the raptors. Test out my camera on the birds. Ok, so they fly them or place them in wonderful locations and it is far from the same as stumbling on them in the wild. Not all of us have the time to traipse around searching, I needed a quick fix and this is the most wonderful place I know of that can accomplish it.

I quickly discovered that I couldn't zip around all the buttons on my camera and felt like I was flying a Jumbo Jet with a blindfold I could kind of peek out of the bottom of. With my 6D I could be holding it down at my side and without even a glance down, move my thumb to a variety of back buttons and by the time I drew the camera up before my eyes it would be displaying the image I'd just taken. There are so many buttons on the back of "Dixie" I have to use two hands (first world problems). The two hour session flew by (pardon the pun).

I've had a few people ask me certain things about their cameras and I've always been quick to say "read the manual". Sounds like a smart ass response but those things aren't written to use as a fire starter. I read the manual on Dixie as well and when it got to the auto focus section it just became so overwhelming, the instructions may as well have been in Swahili?(sp). That's why I thought best to get out and just shoot.

My new friend and I have got a ways to go until we both feel comfortable like I did with my other camera. Luckily for me, we'll be getting back out on the road in about two weeks time and we can't wait! On this next road trip we won't be handed wildlife on a plate but will have to search it out. I've a few leads.....stay tuned.

Peace, love and kumbaya, Heather P.S.-the Raptor tour of posts will be ending this weekend, I hope you've enjoyed seeing them all. Feel free to like, share, comment or order a print of anything you've seen here.

#CanonGirl #PhotoBlog #KayakCameraGirl #StudioNorth #ShotOnCanon#BrantfordPhotographer #HeatherCardlePhotographer


2 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All
bottom of page