Self-taught nature photographer, raptor-lover, Delaware River-lover, Appalachian Mountains-lover. Most of my photos are taken near the Delaware River within 15 miles of my home (and some in my yard) about an hour north of Philadelphia in upper Bucks County. I much prefer taking pics right here in my own patch that I know well vs heading off to the crowded hotspots a few hours away where the shooting is easy (Conowingo, Forsythe, Shawangunk grasslands, Stateline etc) and it's tough to make an interesting capture that 20 others aren't already making at the same time. I do sometimes travel to special places for certain species (e.g., shorebird migration, golden eagle migration) that can't be found locally. The Golden Eagles of eastern North America are my passion (see www.egewg.org) but it's tough to get anywhere near these wary birds...I know a few spots. I am willing to wait long hours for a good shot, be wet or cold and muddy when necessary, and hike to the high rocky places where eagles fly. About 20 miles north of me is the famous Kittatinny Ridge fall raptor flyway where I enjoy the challenge of hawks-in-flight photography.

I use Flickr as a compilation of my photo adventures, and sometimes I get behind and just upload a bunch of stuff from the past season to try to get caught up. Many of my better shots (since 2020 or so) can be found on my daily post to Instagram @dbrandesphotos

People seem to want to know about gear... but mostly its not *what* you shoot with, its *how* you shoot that matters. The brand of gear you use isn't important: great results are possible as long as you have a quality lens. For me, most of the fun/work in photography is anticipating and preparing for the shot, concealment and waiting patiently, and then getting it (doesn't often work out of course...). That is the stuff that money cannot buy and can't be achieved at the crowded hotspots.

I use Canon, because that's what I started out with and switching brands is basically a fool's errand and waste of money. I buy most of my gear used. For bodies, I use the excellent R3, and the R7 if I need more reach, with the 5Div DSLR as backup. For lenses I find that the old EF glass works great with the new mirrorless cameras. I use the Canon EF500f4, EF300f2.8 and EF100-400ii, often with the 1.4X converter. When I was getting started I used the 400f5.6 and a Tamron 150-600mm g2. For support, I have Induro and Benro tripods and GH2c gimbal heads (and a vintage Wimberley WH101 and vintage Manfrotto 128 pan head). I use concealment a lot in my photography - LensHide and Tragopan portable blinds, and a diy floating hide for waterfowl. In summer I often shoot from my kayak (see my many green heron shots) - lower and slower is the name of the game. Again, its not what you shoot with but *how* you shoot.