Dave Watts
Animal & Wildlife | Last Updated: March 28, 2024
From an early age, I have been motivated by wildlife and the natural world. Indeed I consider myself extremely fortunate to have spent much of my life in the company of wild creatures in many corners of our precious planet.
From day one of becoming a wildlife photographer, I have been a fan of Nikon equipment. My driving force and passion are to share the beauty of the natural world with others through the medium of the photographic image. I have embraced the new technology of digital equipment which now enables me to take images that were not previously possible.
I have in the past used many Nikon camera bodies including Nikon FE2, Nikon F5, Nikon D2X and more recently the superb Nikon D300S. I have now acquired a Nikon D800 and am enjoying the dreamlike quality of the super large 36M pixel files which allow me to crop for improved composition and still have a suitably large file remaining.
I never travel anywhere without a Nikon 500mm f/4 AFS which is my “bread and butter” lens. I also normally carry a Nikon 70 – 200mm f/2.8 AFS VR plus a Nikon 12 – 24mm f/4.
A Nikon 300mm f/2.8 would be great but airline weight restrictions restrict me to the ultra sharp Nikon 300mm f/4 AFS.
Depending on the project I may use a Nikon TC-14E (1.4x) Teleconverter or Nikon Micro 200mm f/4.
As I specialise in photographing mammals it is vital that I carry at least 3 or 4 Nikon speedlights such as a Nikon SB-900 and SB-800 plus a Better Beamer Flash X-Tender.
I also require some lightweight brackets to mount the flashes on posts or branches.
Unfortunately this all adds up to being excess weight on most airlines so a photo vest with large pockets is also vital. These items all pack into my Lowepro Photo Trekker Classic which has never failed me. I backup all my images to a Giga Vu Pro portable hard drive.
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