Chris Mayne

Chris Mayne, avian photographer came to our class to talk about his photos and his equipment. When he was discussing the different birds he captured, the conditions of the shoot were described. I found this interesting because the photo doesn't give you this information. Each photo he displayed seemed to have a back story about the location, weather, lighting and such.
Another thing that I found interesting was some of the techniques that he used to capture hummingbirds. In his backyard he sets up a feeder and hangs a green shower curtain in the background. With his lens in telephoto it gives the illusion of foliage. This surprised me because I would never think a photographer of this caliber would use a shower curtian.
Another surprising thing was the small amount of post production he spends on his photos. Many questions in the class concerned this process, post capture to final print, how much time he spends in photoshop etc. His process seemed quick and dirty, including what he described as "not falling in love with any of his photos." His photoshop editing process also seemed quick and dirty, making only small adjustments to his photos.
This talk was informative and inspirational, making me want to go out and take some photos after the session. The "level" of photography that Chris produces seems more atainable, putting a process with the work.