1st Can-Am shoot.....

[Jon, The Elder]

Looking for "A few good men (and/or women)" interested in getting together for a Saturday morning fun kind of shoot. Looking for people in the Windsor/Detroit area.

Any experience level is great, only requirements are a functioning DSLR - passion for shooting - good sense of humor.

[jmitch]

I'm in, keep me informed.

[TenaCJed]

What kind of shoot are you looking to put together? Wildlife/People/CityScape? I am interested, just wondering what the topic would be.

[jfrancho]

We beat you to the "1st" claim back in May :)
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=169637

[Jon, The Elder]

Just talking about a Saturday morn shoot at the Detroit Zoo. There is a very nice Butterfly room for nice warm stuff, and the Polar Bear exhibit is for the more hardy souls, also the Tigers are generally out (Siberian you know). Plenty of pond/geese/ducks/swans opportunities.
Many of the animals are open for viewing in their inside habitats...gorillas,giraffes, etc.

Decent cafeteria for coffee, food isn't bad, just pricey.

You can do the whole scenario in a couple hours and still have most of the afternoon free. Figure on meeting at opening time which is 10:00am.

You can see some of what is available at my gallery: www.pbase.com/jpferguson

[jfrancho]

That sounds like a great meet, Jon. It's a little too far for me, but I'll be watching.

[Jon, The Elder]

Are we allowed to Bump?

[jfrancho]

Probably not, but I'll do my part, making small talk.

[Jon, The Elder]

Thanks.

[PhotosGuy]

I'd suggest that we meet in the B-fly house so there would be no time pressure on people coming from a distance?

Will you check on how many people we need to get a group discount?

[Jon, The Elder]

Sure Frank....I know you're very busy monitoring PM's.

[PhotosGuy]

http://photo.klein-jensen.dk/smilies/bump2.gif

I know you're very busy monitoring PM's.
(I can't help but to ignore yours?) :D

[Jon, The Elder]

Well, with Michigan weather being unpredictable (at least by our local weathermen).
I am going to move forward and set February 17 (Saturday) as a target date for the Zoo shoot.

Several people have shown interest in attending the first Can-Am get together.

The basic plan is to meet in the Butterfly/Aviary building at 10:00am. We will be in there for at least an hour or so. Latecomers will find us down at the cafeteria at the back end near the Polar Bear exhibit. After getting warmed up, the hardy folks will visit the Polar Bear and Seals, then on to whatever else is available. Suggestions or questions can be put here on the thread.

Jon

[jmitch]

Looking forward to this Jon, I've penciled it onto the calendar.

[Jon, The Elder]

16 days and counting.....

[PhotosGuy]

Just think, 6 more days & you can put your shoes back on? :D

[Jon Foster]

Jonathan and I are in!

Jon.

[PhotosGuy]

Zoo Home page:
http://www.detroitzoo.org/

Printable Map.pdf
http://www.detroitzoo.org/files/2005_zoo_map.pdf
See the zoo entrance at the bottom-right? The b-fly house if the 1st building at the left.

Equipment Recommendations:
IF it's out, a few areas of the house will have ("filtered" through the dome) sunlight. Other areas will be black holes.
I used a manual flash-on-cam with the output dialed WAY down, to about 1/32 power.
Most often used lens is 70-200 f/4 which has a minimum focus / working distance of about a yard. You'll need to get about f/8 to f/11 to keep the whole b-fly sharp.
If you have a macro lens, don't worry about the working distance as you can usually get very close to some of them.

If you've never shot 1-1/2" to 3" objects before, do some tests at home?

It's VERY warm in there! Be prepared to take your coats off & work in shirt-sleeves.

Example: Zebra Longwing
122mm, f/8, 1/125 sec, ISO 400, some flash fill.

[jleins]

I may be up for this, I've gotta break in the 30D

[Jon Foster]

Good tips Frank.

Jon.

[Jon, The Elder]

Well it is Friday the 9, and the Zoo shoot is scheduled for Saturday the 17. Plan still calls for meeting in the Butterfly room at 10:00am.

[PhotosGuy]

Well, this is going to be a cozy, little group, isn't it? Anyone else?

[Jon, The Elder]

C'mon you guys, don't let a little snow scare you off.

I'm trying to talk Frank into buying Coffee for the first 5 guys that show up !! That alone is worth it.

[PhotosGuy]

Spending my "L" fund for me? I'll buy for the next person that signs up. The rest are all yours! :D

[Jon, The Elder]

Done Deal........

[Jon Foster]

Have fun guys! I'll be working by the time you guys even meet up in the morning. :cry: I had hoped to be with you since I haven't touched my camera for months now. Ever since I started my new job... I guess if Jon and Frank buy the coffee this time I'll do lunch again at one of our events this summer.

Jon.

[TenaCJed]

I hope you all had fun. I ended up having to work through most of the day, still there in fact. Really sucks!

[PhotosGuy]

I posted a few shots here:
Detroit Zoo butterfly shots. 2-17-07 (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=278357)