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Carl Palazzolo, DVM, MBA
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Carl Palazzolo, DVM, MBA
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Welcome to my web page for digital photography. This page will give you information on my conservation trips along with background on the equipment I use and my training. Even though I use Canon equipment, if you use Nikon, Olympus, Leica, Hasselblad, or Minolta, the most important thing is for you to be familiar with your camera and lens.
For those of you that want to learn more about digital photography there are links to slide shows on beginning and intermediate digital photography at the end of this page. Most of my photography work involves taking people on photographic workshops (we call them funshops) around the world. The following links tell you all about these trips. In 2009 we are planning to go to either Botswana, Madagascar, or Zambia. If you want to be put on the mailing list for when the details of these trips will be placed on this web page send me an email at carlp@lbah.com You can email me any time with questions regarding information on this page.
Our Feb 2008 Antarctica page is up and running- Click on the penguin photo below to get all the details.
Here are pictures from our Masai Mara trip in October of 2007. We have a detailed page on this trip- click on the wildebeest picture below to learn all the particulars.
In
October of 2007 I will be leading a digital photography workshop to
Kenya to view the wildebeest migration. It is a tremendous opportuntiy
to view and photograph the age old drama of these animals and their
interaction with the predators. All are welcome, and even if you are
not interested in photography it will be a tremendous experience. Click
on the elephant photo below for detailed information.
This trip shows photos of the Mara Bush camp, the area for our
October of 2007 workshop
This
unbelievably
interesting trip was in 1991. Back in those prehistoric days there was
no concept of digital
photography, so
all
of these photos, and the
black rhino slide show that follows, are from slides that were scanned
This slide show gives you a good
idea of
the poaching problem and why it is impossible to stop
My most recent training seminar was in Denver, Colorado learning how to shoot fast-moving sports. At the seminar we used professional cameras made by Canon, along with editing using the latest version of Photoshop CS2. The seminar was put on by Peter Read Miller, a photographer for Sports Illustrated for the past 30 years. The seminar participants were professional photographers who earned their living by selling their photos. I was not in their league, so I kept my mouth shout and eyes and ears open, and stayed in the background and observed most of the time. If you ever start getting serious about your photography a seminar like this is a good place to start.
This picture of us at the seminar was taken from a web site called Sportsshooters.com
A photo I took at the seminar of a major league soccer match. I used a Canon 300 mm professional lens to take this photo. You will learn more about this lens later in this page.
Peter invited me to help assist Sports
Illustrated shoot the 2006 Rose Bowl game in Pasadena. We arrived 4
hours before the game and stayed until past 10 PM. It was a thrilling
experience for me to be on the field shooting with these professionals,
and I learned many things; you need professional equipment, being in
the right place at the right time, good
lighting, and knowledge of how to use it all rapidly to get photos like
these.
We were in the Texas end zone for the first half of the game and were in perfect position for me to shoot Reggie Bush's and Vince Young's touchdown runs.
Click here if you want to see a few more photos of the game. They have been downsized for faster downloading.
I also assisted Peter with the 2007 game between Michigan and USC. Here is the link to some of those pictures- RoseBowl2007
This is a smaller size version of the photos available
If you would like to see all of them, or even purchase the high resolution photos of them that are suitable to print out in large size, contact me.
Point and Shoot Cameras
In addition to my sports, travel and conservation photography, a huge segment of my photography since 1998 utilizes digital point and shoot cameras for the Long Beach Animal Hospital web site at WWW.LBAH.COM. Point and shoot cameras are very sophisticated and take great photos. It is better to have one of these in your pocket so you can get a photo, as opposed to having a big camera and a big lens that is not on your person, and too much of an effort to retrieve in time to get the photo at the moment it is appropriate. Almost any photo is better than no photo at all!
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This frog photo was taken using the Auto setting on an Olympus 5 megapixel point and shoot (the camera to the left in the 3 cameras above). The focus was set to macro, and the flash was turned on. The only editing done in Photoshop was to crop it so the frog was the primary focus, and then save it to download rapidly from a web site (it is only 24 Kb in size). It gives you an idea of the good quality pictures these point and shoot cameras are capable of taking.
When the conditions are right you can even get some
beautiful scenery pictures with point and shoot cameras. They are small
and easy to use, which makes them ideal for traveling.
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Over the years I have used Minolta and Olympus
cameras very successfully in wildlife photography, so if you already
have this equipment you can continue to use it with confidence. As a
matter of fact I used a Minolta camera in 1991 to take the orangutan
photo above giving me the
universal gesture known throughout the world!
The
brand new Olympus Evolt is a very nice digital SLR, especially for the
price. It comes with high quality lenses made by Zuiko. For price,
size,
weight, and quality this is a camera you should seriously look at if
you
are new to SLR photography.
When it comes to the professional world of digital SLR cameras the best known brands are Canon and Nikon. If you already have Nikon equipment then you have some of the finest camera/lens combinations in the world. Nikon has lots of great cameras also. These include the D40, D80, D300, D2HS, D2XS, and the brand new D3. Nikon also has great lenses, but just not as many as Canon.
If you don't already have equipment, or your mind is not set
on a certain manufacturer, think about Canon, since it is the most used professional
digital action photography camera in the world. Canon digital SLR cameras I recommend start at the Rebel XTi as in
introductory camera, and progress to the 20D, 30D, 40D, or 5D. I have personally
settled on Canon SLR camera's because the professionals I work with use them
exclusively and have trained me in their use. Now I use the Mark IIN along with
the Mark III.
This picture was taken a the 2006 Rose Bowl game in Pasadena. These are the photographers from news media throughout the world that were standing next to me. Every lens and camera you see is from Canon. If you watch any major sporting event on TV you will see an overwhelming preponderance of Canon cameras and lenses.
This is a picture inside the media tent prior to the game. The 4 cameras and lenses in the background were used by just one of the five Sports Illustrated photographers present at the Rose Bowl. These five photographers use Canon equipment exclusively. All 4 cameras in the background are the EOS ID Mark II N. The lenses, from left to right 16-35mm zoom, 70-200mm zoom, 400 mm fixed, and 600 mm fixed. Total cost for this equipment is around $35,000. Don't ask how much they weigh!
My Personal Equipment
Note: This is just a sampling of the
professional equipment I own. I will
bring most of this equipment on the Kenya workshop in 2007 for all to
use. This will give workshop attendees a unique opportunity to learn
how to use professional cameras and lenses while getting
those once-in-a-lifetime shots.
Canon EOS 1D Mark III
This is the Ferrari of the sports shooting world and the camera I use it for all my sports photography. It shoots 10 pictures per second, and each photo is 10 megapixels in size. It has superior focusing capabilities, withstands lots of abuse, has long battery power (I routinely get 2000 photos from one charge), and produces images of fantastic quality. Once you pick up this machine (if you don't get a hernia in the process) and press the shutter button you will understand why professional sports photographers use it. It is built like a tank and will last just as long. I sometimes use this for wildlife work because of its superior focusing capabilities and the ability to capture animals in action at 10 frames per second. For action photography it does not get any better than this. If you looked at the Antarctica and Masia mara pages above almost all the action photos were taken with this camera.
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III
This is the flagship camera of the Canon line, and represents the ultimate in technology and expertise from Canon. It shoots a 21 megapixel picture, at up to 5 pictures every second. It is for serious photographers, especially when you consider its price of almost $8,000. It has the same attributes as the Mark III above, and shoots a very large file size that gives tremendous quality when you want to print out large pictures. I use it more for static objects and less for moving objects.
The most important part of your purchase in a digital SLR camera setup is the lens. You should budget for a high quality lens before the camera body. All too often a nice camera is used with a mediocre lens, negating the potential of the camera. You will notice the following lenses all have a red ring around the front of the lens. This denotes Canon's professional series lenses, and are also called "L series" lenses in the Canon world. When it comes to lenses, the axiom "you get what you pay for", certainly applies. It is not uncommon for a professional sports or action photographer to spend up to $6000 for a professional lenses. Lenses can be a fixed focal length or a zoom.The fixed focal length lenses (also called prime lenses) almost always produce a higher quality photo. An example of a popular prime lens is 300 mm. This is equivalent to 6x. The zoom lenses are more flexible, and you won't miss as many photos because the fixed focal length lens you happened to put on your camera was either too powerful, or not powerful enough, at the moment you wanted to get your shot. Sometimes this is easily remedied by changing the fixed focal length lens rapidly to one of more or less magnification. I must admit to missing many a good picture while changing one of these lenses though. Also, in a dusty environment like Africa, removing the lens from the camera while you are changing it can cause problems for the camera. This also assumes you have the money to purchase several lenses, and the inclination to carry them around. Since most of us are not shooting for professional publications and don't need that extra difference in quality, the quality of the zoom lenses will more than suffice and will yield amazing photos.
Canon 70-200mm f/4 Image Stabilized (IS)
This lightweight and relatively inexpensive zoom lens will cover a wide range of photographic needs. It is highly recommended for travel photography, and takes great photos. If you can only purchase one lens for all your photographic needs this is the one. I utilized this lens often on my Bears of Katmai trip. The lens can keep an aperture of f/4 all the way from 70 mm to its maximum of 200 mm. This differentiates it from a consumer grade lens, and is consistent across the Canon line of "L" series zoom lenses.
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 Image Stabilized (IS)
One of Canon's best lenses and a popular lens among professionals. It is of higher optical quality, and is more adaptable to changing photographic situations, than the lens above. It can keep its f/2.8 aperture all the way from 70 mm to 200 mm. It is the lens to purchase if you can only purchase one lens for all your needs, and don't mind the weight or expense. It is dramatically heavier, and almost 3x more expensive than the 70-200 f/4 above. This is because of the one stop larger aperture and the Image Stabilization. These two features can help you significantly in low light situations, a major advantage for the sports and low light (wildlife) photographer. I did not bring it on my Tsavo trip because of its weight. I used this lens with the Mark II N camera to take almost all of my Rose Bowl pictures. This lens, when mated to the Mark II N camera, is a weatherproof combination, and can be used in a downpour all day long.
Canon 24-105mm f/4 Image Stabilized (IS)
This relatively lightweight wide angle zoom has great image quality when you need to get a wide field of view. I used it often on my Tsavo trip. Whenever I am shooting I always leave the house with this lens, no matter which camera I have or my subject matter. It is awesome on the 5D because it gives you a wide angle, yet it can zoom to 105 mm. It is my most used lens when I take the 5D. I will keep this lens on the 5D for the Africa trip for our wide angle shots.
Canon 135mm f/2.0 $1200
This very high quality prime lens is used when you want pictures of tremendous sharpness. I use it for many of my portrait shots. It excels in low light situations because of its f/2.0 aperture. When you are using flash at night the big aperture gives it more power to illuminate further in the distance. The photo at the top of this page with the lion over the cape buffalo was taken with this lens. It was a night shot, and since we didn't dare get too close to this lion and his kill, I had to shoot from a distance that was at the maximum range of my flash. Having the larger aperture ( f/2.0) of this lens gave me enough flash power to get the photo properly exposed. It is also great at concerts, museums, churches and plays when flash is not allowed.
This is a good time to touch on flash photography. If you are interested in wildlife or sports photography you need a good external flash. I keep mine available at all times when I am shooting, even in daylight. I will bring a professional flash to the Kenya workshop and will teach everyone how to use it in daylight and evening.
Canon 400 mm f/5.6
This prime lens has great image quality and is relatively light for 400 mm. Its a great wildlife lens when you are walking around and weight is a factor. When coupled with the 20D/30D it is equivalent to a 480 mm lens on a 35 mm camera. It is not image stabilized, which might be a problem in low light if you camera does not take noise free pictures at higher ISO's. It is a bargain if you travel for your wildlife photography or any time weight is an issue.
The next 3 lenses I own are the finest lenses Canon knows how to make. I use them selectively, and will be bringing the 300 mm or 500 mm on my trips for everyone to try out. If anybody wants to volunteer to help me lug these lenses through the airport I will give you a discount on your trip!
200 mm f/1.8
It has been discontinued by Canon, but is considered by many professional photographers as the finest lens Canon has ever made. It is highly prized for indoor sports photography, especially events like gymnastics and indoor swimming. This is because the very wide f/1.8 aperture completely blurs the background. It is an attention getter, and even if you are a mediocre photographer people will think you know what you are doing if you have this lens! It has the biggest aperture (f/1.8) of any lens I own. I don't use it often, but I would never think of selling it! It is not going to Africa on our workshop.
300 mm f/2.8 IS
Optically speaking professional photographers feel this is the finest lens in the Canon arsenal. It is highly prized for outdoor sports photography because it focuses rapidly, the large aperture can blur the background and the pictures it produces are outstanding. It will be going to Africa on our workshop since it is a great low light wildlife lens due to the large aperture and IS. Lenses like this one, and the following one, take practice to learn how to use them properly. They are larger than the lenses most people are used to, and need steady support like a tripod or monopod in many cases, although you can hand hold the 300 mm easily for short periods of time. On the Africa trip we will be using them from a Land Rover so we do not need to use a tripod or monopod. I used this lens to take the hummingbird pictures you will see soon.
500 mm f/4 IS I purchased mine used, although it was barely used and in mint condition. These lenses hold their value, and even purchasing it used it still cost $5000.This is my most recent purchase. It is not as big as I thought it would be, so I will be using it for my wildlife work when I am not hiking, in which case I will use the 400 mm f/5.6 described above. I also purchased it so all of the attendees of the Africa workshop can get a chance to use such a superb wildlife lens.
I use it with a Gitzo carbon fiber tripod and a Wimberely head. This trip is light, very strong, and can easily hold the weight of this lens. The Wimbereley head makes the lens "float" on the tripod, and is a joy to use.
The optics are outstanding, and it is the wildlife lens of choice in the Canon world, especially when your subjects are far away. Canon also makes a 600 mm lens which some would argue is the wildlife lens of choice. It is a monster in size and weight, and I doubt many of us would be thrilled to lug such a large lens through the airport, lug the heavy tripod needed to use this lens, and then set it up in the field. To me the 500 mm is a much better compromise in size, weight, and power.
We will use it in Africa, although a steady hand is needed with this baby to get the most out of it. It has Image Stabilization (IS) so you can hand hold it on occasion, although a tripod or steady support are recommended. We will almost always be using it from the Land Rover without a tripod since we can easily steady it (as long as the other people in the vehicle are not moving around).
Here is a link to an article on using a 500 mm and 600 mm lens for wildlife.
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/lenses/500vs600.shtml
100 mm f/2.8 macro
For closeup
(called macro) photography you need a specialized lens. I use the Canon
100 mm f/2.8. You will need to practice with this lens because focusing
can be difficult due to the limited depth of field. A tripod is highly
recommended.
These beach photos were taken with my Mark II at the
beach across
the street from my house in California. Some of these photos are also
in the
lectures. I was able to place a larger version on this page so you can
see their true size. The beach is a great place
for photography. Oftentimes there are wildlife, sports, people, and
scenery shots to be had. They were all taken with the Mark II camera.
Note the different lenses used (and how often I used the 70-200mm).
Mark II with 70-200mm f/2.8 IS lens. You need a shutter speed of near 1/2000th
of a second to freeze a bird in flight.Sunset Beach, CA
Mark II with 70-200mm f/2.8 IS lens
Huntington Beach Pier, CA
Mark II with 70-200mm f/2.8 IS lens
Huntington Beach, CA
Notice how you can read the letters on the moving volleyball on the left, and how this camera can freeze the sand in mid air in the photo on the right. This is an example of the superior focusing and fast shutter speeds of the Mark II camera when coupled with a professional grade lens.
Mark II with 135 mm f/2.0 lens
Sunset Beach, CA
Mark II with 16 mm f/2.8 lens
Sunset Beach, CA
Mark II with 300 mm f/4 IS lens
Sunset Beach, CA
Mark II with 135mm f/2.0 lensSunset Beach, CA
Mark II with 135 mm f/2.0 lensSunset Beach, CA
Mark II with 24 mm-105 mm f/4Sunset Beach, CA
Mark II with 300 mm f/4 IS lensSunset Beach, CA
Mark II with 300 mm f/4 IS lensSunset Beach, CA
To learn the nuts and bolts of digital photography follow these links to my lectures:
Intermediate Digital Photography
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