Me

My name is Stephen Geoffrey Gaucher, and I'm a 24 year old (this number is always correct; right now, seriously, that's how old I am as you read this. I've got a little PHP function that does the math) photography enthusiast currently living in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. Other than photography, my interests lie mostly in playing video games and listening to death metal. I'm currently engaged to a girl by the name of Erin Ricci (seen here, at her graduation from the University of British Columbia Okanagan), with whom I've been going out for about 5 years.

From a very young age I've had at least a passing interest in photography. I can recall vividly going on camping trips and taking along a few disposable cameras, then taking all sorts of pictures of the lakes and wilderness that we always seemed to be surrounded by, or of people. None of the stuff I took is very good by my standards today (none of my horizons ever seemed to be horizontal, and I didn't have much of an eye for composition or the like) but I had a good time anyway. I delighted in putting albums together and cataloguing all the shots I'd made with cut-out paper captions and the like.

Later, in high school, I found myself in need of one extra elective course (this was Grade 10, and the year 2001 or 2002, I think). Photography 10 was almost the only thing that didn't look dreadful. While I really didn't get along with the instructor (I have a hard time, traditionally, with anything I consider to be "busywork", and some of the stuff we were doing, at the time, seemed superfluous and silly. We did stuff like make overly complex pinhole cameras, which these days I would consider really interesting), I was introduced to the basic mechanics of photography as well as gesture and composition. At the time, I had a Minolta manual SLR camera, and wandered around the little town we lived in (Merritt, BC) taking pictures of subjects very similar to those I'm most interested today. Sadly, I don't have any prints from anything that I did then. I did learn, however, that while I had a knack for it, I hated film development. The developing chemicals, caused me to develop (pun intended) eczema on my hands that remains to this day. I also had a terrible time seeing in the dark room, to the point where I basically learned to do everything by feel because I just couldn't develop the night vision required (this may also be related to the slight colour-blindness I experience).

From this point, I really had no more experience with photography until some time in 2007 when, for really no other reason than an excess in disposable income, I felt it necessary to go out and buy a camera. As I tell you below, this camera was the Panasonic DMC-LX2, a digital point-and-shoot. My reasons for buying this camera weren't the greatest: it had a lot of "professional" manual features and settings, and a big megapixel count, neither of which had any bearing on how "good" a camera is, and everything to do with how easy it is for a salesman to sell (in my defense on this, however, I have to say that no salesman has ever or will ever sell me on anything I hadn't already researched unto death), and so I was ultimately unsatisfied with it, though I can credit it for intensifying my desire to be a photographer and learn how to better express myself (a secret of mine, that I'll share with you: I've always wanted to be a painter. I watched Bob Ross and his Joy of Painting TV series since I was but a wee laddie, and have always wished to be able to do the sorts of things that he puts together. Lamentably, I am miserably untalented when it comes to the arts, and so this is the best I can do. I will probably never paint, but at the very least I can show people some cool things that I've seen in my travels).

In the summer of 2007, I finally gave up on the DMC-LX2, and purchased my first DSLR, a Nikon D40. I should explain why I went with Nikon instead of Canon. A long-time friend of my father, Jack Greenhalgh (whom I've photographed, by the way; have a look here) has been a photographer for quite some time. He really helped me in my research to find a new camera, and he's been a Nikon user for years. In the end, I assessed that neither Canon nor Nikon had a huge advantage over the other, and that Jack's experience with Nikon would be of great help, so that was the brand I went with. Now that I've had some time to observe the offerings from both companies, I'm pleased with my choice.

Nowadays, photography is something I think about and do almost every day. As I drive down the street, I find myself looking at everything thinking "I wonder if that would make a decent photo" (sometimes a dangerous habit; I've almost gone off the road a couple times because I was transfixed by some scene or another). Though work (and my fiancee) keeps me woefully busy, I still get out as often as I possibly can. While I don't think I'm ever going to make a living doing this (who knows, though; anything can happen), I feel that I'll continue to enjoy photography for the rest of my life.

My Gear

First and foremost let me outline that the gear I use is what I use because it's what works for me. Please, please don't take this as being advice on what you should buy or anything like that.

Current Gear

I'm a huge fan of this body, which came out just before the D700 did. The D700 is way outside my price range, however, and frankly I enjoy the extra reach a DX crop body gives me. The D300 is fast and tough, and does everything I need (as well as more than a few things I don't. It's only a step down from a fully-professional camera body like the D3 or D3X and is probably a bit more than a mere trifler such as myself actually needs.

The 50mm f/1.8 is a phenomenal piece of kit. It's small, light, cheap, and has wonderful optics (unless you're crazy and shoot it wide open in broad daylight, or get all uptight about corner sharpness and the like.) While I guess it's a little long to be called a "normal" lens on a DX body like my D300, I think the field of view is fine for what I seem to be using it for, and it's crucial to fill the huge gap between my 105mm VR and my Tokina 11-16. I have to say to everyone who shoots Nikon: go pick this up! It's absolutely a steal, and you can't beat the optics, for all intents and purposes.

It took me a while to come to a decision about what I was going to get to replace the 18-200 I used to have (see below). It was a toss-up between this 105mm VR and Nikon's venerable AF 85mm f/1.4. I used to love all the close-ups I could do with the 18-55 kit lens I had with my D40 (which had quite a short close-focus distance), and I figured that, in the end, the 105 VR would help me have more fun than the 85mm. I'm loving it so far, and overall I have to say that it's great piece of kit.

As soon as I saw that Tokina was building this lens, I knew I had to have it. Though I haven't had many opportunities to really use it, I'm a huge fan of crazy wide angle images, so I know that this lens is going to be a lot of fun.

(images taken from all over the bloody place :S)

This is a really, really, really a great tripod setup, at least for me. My previous tripod was really meh, and the reason for that is that you get what you pay for. Seriously, I mean it. I paid $50 for the tripod I used to have (see below) and this setup here is worth like sixteen times that; thus, it is eight times as functional. The tripod legs are Gitzo's Basalt (series 2), which is already cool as heck because they're made of lava. How sweet is that? They're also very sturdy, almost as sturdy as carbon fiber, at half the price and only slightly heavier. The head is also very sturdy; Arca Swiss is arguably the most highly regarded tripod head manufacturer, and for good reason. They turn out an incredibly quality product, and I'm so happy to be using it, especially in light of what I had to deal with previously.

The filters I've got right now are as follows:

• Hoya 77mm HD circular polarizer (terribly important for most landscape shots)
• Hoya 77mm HMC ND-8 (great for getting longer exposures of moving water)
• Heliopan 77mm SH-PMC UV filter on the 105mm VR (for protection)
• Hoya 77mm HD UV filter on the Tokina 11-16mm (also for protection)

I have a B+W 62-77mm step-up ring on the 105mm, as it allows me to share a common filter size across both of my current lenses. Incidentally, and for those who are curious, the reason that I only have one Heliopan filter is not because I don't think they're awesome (they are), but rather because I have a heck of a time sourcing them here in Canada.

Previous Gear (ordered most to least recently owned)

I can see why this is the most popular Nikon F-mount lens for sale these days. It is incredibly versatile and for most people it's all the lens they could ever need. In the end, however, I found some of its limitations to be more than I felt I could cope with. 18-200mm represents an 11X zoom range, and so some compromises in image quality are made for that crazy range. As well, its 3.5-5.6 maximum aperture really limits its usefulness in available light situations. In the end, I moved to the Micro-Nikkor 105mm VR for my main lens, and I haven't looked back.

The D40 and kit lens were and are a cute, enormously functional camera system. As my first "proper" camera setup, I had a crazy fun time learning the fundamentals of photography and developing my skills as a photographer. Eventually I outgrew it, and moved into the D300 and the assorted lenses outlined above, but I cannot stress enough that anyone starting to get into photography must get a D40. The images that you can get from this (as compared to a silly point-and-shoot) are superb, and having a DSLR means that you can expand your lens arsenal whenever you want to deal with different situations. Everything is modular.

This is a really, really, really mediocre tripod setup, at least for me. My new tripod is really great (by comparison), and the reason for that is that you get what you pay for. Seriously, I mean it. I paid $800 for the tripod I have now (see above) and this setup here is worth like a sixteenth of that; thus, it is sixteen times less functional. Wow I'm lazy. Seriously, though, this tripod was great for my little Panasonic point-and-shoot (see below), but sucks for a DSLR of any size, requiring way too much torque to screw the tiny ballhead down. If you have a point and shoot, then by all means, grab this tripod. It's actually really neat, and is very close in functionality to my new one (it has fancy ground-set features, which is cool if you want to stand it on a table or get really close to the ground). If you have a DSLR, skip this, and get something better.

The Panasonic DMC-LX2 was my very first camera ever, and looking back, I have to say that it was a poor choice for a first camera. At the time, I really had no experience with photography, and my priorities then were for a camera with a great deal of manual control (I figured this would let me learn more, and it did a little), and for something easliy pocketable. In the end, I was unsatisfied with the quality of the images it produced. The reason for this is because point and shoots have, in comparison to DSLRs, tiny sensors that make them all but useless at ISO sensitivities greater than 200 or so, killing their utility in low-light. In the end, I strongly recommend going with an entry level DSLR like the D40 when starting out as a photographer.