Within the Canon umbrella of luxury(L) lenses, there is a lens which sleeps quietly among a handful of fairly affordable telephotos.  It is a lens which can be used for modest action photography and even as a close focusing butterfly lens.  It has been used by greats such as Arthur Morris and regular Joes across the world.  That lens is the Canon EF 300mm f4 L IS USM.

Canon EF 300mm f4 IS USM

For those that do not know, Canon L lenses are steeped in the tradition of being the best that Canon has to offer.  The telephoto luxury line, in particular, are often easily spotted due to their white or cream colored lens barrel.  Photographers tend to buy these amazing lenses for two reasons.  First, there are those who covet the idea of being in the "L" lens club.  These are the folks that will stop at nothing to own the best lenses Canon has to offer.  I find this, mentality, a parallel to the car collector who accumulates stunning vehicles and parks them in the garage.  These folks don't care about image quality, but just want drooling looks from fellow photographers.  Secondly, serious photographers who want no excuses and want the best of the best in Canon engineering and image quality, collect these lenses regardless of stress on their bank accounts.  These photographers are often pros or semi-pros who can recoup the cost of the lenses by selling and showing their images.

This article, part of a series of articles on Canon L glass, will pick apart these lenses with  real world shooting conditions.  I will start with micro-adjusting the lenses to my Canon 7D Mark II body and end with actual shots taken from the field.  Having shot many lenses over the years, it is my sincere desire to  look at this with an open mind and without the "Canon fan boy" bias.  You can count on this article to be the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

A view of the Canon EF 300mm F4.  The lens comes with a strange looking but functional lens case.

Overall Specifications of the Lens

• Weight - 2.6 Pounds (1.2 Kg)
• Length - 8.7 inches
• Image Stabilized - Mode 1 Stabilizes X and Y axis.  Mode 2 Stabilizes during horizontal and vertical panning. Provides roughly 2 stops of image stabilization.
• Lens Construction -15 Elements in 11 Groups 
• Focal Length - 300mm (prime) 
• Image Magnification - 1:4 
• Closest Focusing - 4.9 feet (1.5 m)
• Filter Size - 77mm
• Built in Lens Hood
• Removable Tripod Collar
• Aperture - f4 to f32
• Street Price - $1,349.00
• Used Price - $619 to $800

Micro-Adjusting to the Canon 7D Mark II
I think a big mistake some reviewers make is not micro-adjusting the lens to the camera.  How can you sincerely test the lens in the field without making sure the auto-focus of the camera is calibrated to the lens?  With this lens I performed the calibration and it was spot on. So right out of the gate, I know that if the lens isn't sharp, it is not a calibration issue.  Below is the actual calibration shot.

Micro-adjustment/Lens Calibration was not necessary with the Canon EF 300mm F4.  The focus was perfect. 

Build, Fit and Finish
Canon began manufacturing of the 300 in 1997, and it was officially released in December of that year.  In reality it was an upgrade to it's sister lens the Canon EF 300 f4 L (non-is).  Interestingly enough both of these lenses remain in production as of the writing of this article in August 2018.  That's a whopping 21 year run!

Let me say I expected this lens to be built well.  I mean, you have to expect a luxury lens to feel luxurious, right?  Well, yes and this lens did not disappoint me.  First, the aluminum construction of the lens barrel just feels more rugged than lenses like my Sigma 150-600.  I feel that if I dropped this lens it might just recover.  Of course, I would not recommend dropping any lens!  

The 300 has several switches on the side used for turning on image stabilization, setting stabilization modes and setting the focus limits.  They, as expected, felt solid. On the top of the lens near the rear is, in my opinion, a ridiculously large metal plate displaying the name of the lens and who manufactured it.  Some find this an interesting design.  I find it to be one more thing to reflect light and frighten my subject.   Moving toward the front of the lens, I found a feature which I think should be on all prime lenses.  This lens has a build in lens hood.  No need to worry about it falling off or the possibility of it falling out of my back pack.

Being completely honest, I did find several disappointing build issues with this lens. First, the lens barrel is completely smooth.  When I had the lens and body resting on my bean bag, the lens constantly slipped around.  Several times this slipping flushed the birds I was photographing.  Next, I found the white lens to also be distracting to my subject.  When moving my lens, the bright white reflection drew the attention of my subjects to the lens.  This also contributed to flushing the birds.  Next, I did not like that the focusing ring moved so freely.  Because of this design, when resting it on a bean bag, the focus constantly moved as I moved the lens around on the bag. Buying a lens coat for this lens should solve most of the problems with the lens slipping.

Finally, and the biggest concern I had with this lens happened when  mounting it on my tripod.  On my Bogen 3030 head, the clearance between my camera body and the plate was not far enough.  I had to actually remove the battery grip to get it to sit flush in the plate.  Actually, I found this odd since the lens was built in the late 1990s.  This was also when Bogen made the 3030 head and it was very popular.  I suspect as newer Canon bodies were released with battery grips, many people ran into this problem.  This is also a problem with mounting it on a 1 Series body. The tripod foot is simply to far toward the rear of the lens.

Sharpness and Optical Quality

What you are not going to find in this review is a sharpness test pointing at some lens chart.  There are plenty of those available on the web.  What you are going to see is how this lens performs against real subjects.  My working genre in the photography world is wildlife and I specialize in bird photography.  So that is where I will concentrate my tests.  Always stick with what you know when testing a lens.  Since this is a 300mm lens, I think it would be somewhat unfair to test it with birds in flight, so these tests will be on static birds.  Make no mistake though, static birds are still very fast and unpredictable.

The sharpness of the lens was certainly on par with my Sigma 150-600 when shooting at 300mm.  I think this lens may have a slight advantage in sharpness, but it is so close as to not even be something to worry about.  If you are buying this lens strictly for having a sharp lens, then there are more economical solutions out there.

The lens is quite sharp at f4 and I would have no reservations at shooting at f4, but with most lenses, it is a tad sharper at f5.6 and even more so at f8.  This is the nature of almost every lens ever made.  I am sure there is some kind of physics at work here, but that is for another article.

100% Crop of a Common Grackle

Being a lens design of the late 1990s I expected to see more chromatic aberration.  In the shot above, you can see the aberrations around the bird's bill.  This was easily removed in LightRoom and frankly chromatic aberation is of little concern with modern post processing software. Comparing this with my Sigma 150-600, the Sigma has almost no chromatic aberration.

Image of the Common Grackle with the Canon EF 300mm f4 L
f5.6, 1/500th of a second, ISO 800

Auto-focus

Although not the fastest auto-focusing lens in Canon's lineup, the 300 can hold its own.  This is especially true when coupled with the Canon 7D Mark II or a 1 Series camera.  The focus was right on in most cases.  Perhaps when compared with the 300 2.8 the auto-focus is slower, but for most people I think it is more than adequate.  I did find, however, it did tend to hunt a bit too much and liked to grab the background.  This can be remedied by using the second auto-focus case on the 7D Mark II or 1DX Mark II.

There are two modes which can be used to help achieve faster auto-focus.  There is a focus limiter switch on the side which can be switched from 1.5 meters to infinity or 3 meters to infinity.  See the image below to view the switches. Essentially, you would use the 3 meters to infinity when shooting birds in flight or animals at a greater distance.  This will keep the lens from hunting as much.  In my case, I was shooting quite close, so I kept it at 1.5 meters to infinity. 

One very strange problem I had occurred when holding down the auto-focus button (I use rear button auto-focus) on AI-Servo and firing in burst mode.  I noticed that the burst rate on my Canon 7D Mark II actually slowed down to what seemed like 6 fps or there about. I never did remedy this problem.  This problem does not exist when my Sigma 150-600 is mounted.  I am probably going to check with Canon on this and see what they say.

House Finch taken with the Canon EF 300mm f4 lens.
f5.6, 1/320th, ISO 800

Image Stabilization (IS)
Image stabilization is provided on this lens, but it is an early version of IS.  Because of this, expect to only get about 2 stops better low light performance.  Because it is an early version, you can also expect louder mechanical sounds coming from the lens when it is engaged.  Because my testing was done resting the lens on a bean bag, I couldn't fully test this feature, but it performed well for me at 1/250.  I suspect you should be able to get down to 1/60th or 1/125th of a second without issue.  Remember though that it only stabilizes your hand holding.  Subject movement can still produce blur in your images.

As with all Canon IS, there are two modes of operation.  Mode 1 stabilizes both the vertical and horizontal axes while mode 2 only stabilizes vertical movement of the lens.  All my tests were performed with mode 1 engaged.  If you want to pan with a bird in flight, then you would selected mode 2.

The Canon EF 300mm F4 IS USM has two modes of image stabilization(IS). Mode 1 was used for all of my testing.

Uses for this Lens

One of the most obvious uses for this lens is wildlife photography.  What makes a good wildlife lens is sharpness, great auto-focus and focal length.  This lens is sharp and has good auto-focus, but may not be the ticket if you are a bird photographer.  For static bird photography, I believe it will be fine, but for those who spend a great deal capturing birds in flight, it will, in many cases be too short.  Now, I am not saying you can't photograph birds in flight with a 300mm, because you can. I used a 300 for several years before upgrading to a 600mm.  It is just not an ideal solution for flight photography. 

Although I did not test its close focusing capability, this lens is known for it's ability to do so.  It focuses so closely in fact, that it is used by butterfly photographers to get more distance from the subject.  For that capability, I can recommend it as an insect lens with the one exception that it is not a full macro 1:1 lens.

Next, I think the lens would be fine as a general purpose medium telephoto.  It would be a good lens for your children's sporting events, for example.  The focusing is fine for fast moving subjects, although most likely not as fast as say the 600 f4. I could even see this lens being used for picking out a distant landscape feature.  

Final Verdict

Let me start by saying that you really can't go wrong here.  This lens, although long in the tooth, does what it is advertised to do.  It is a great all purpose lens that is well suited for most subject matter requiring a medium telephoto.  But that might also be its greatest weakness.  As with other primes, you must buy more primes in order to fill in the gaps.  You could easily spend 8 or 10 thousand on a set of primes that (for all practical purposes) could be handled by one zoom lens.

However, those big zooms like the Sigma 150-600 are not fast glass.  This lens, at an f4 aperture, could still be used to supplement in low light conditions or flight shots with a triggering device.  For that reason, I might consider a lens like this in my future kit, but let me reiterate that I would not use this as my primary birding lens.  I hope that Canon soon comes out with a version II of this lens to address some of the optical and IS concerns.

Let me take a bit more time to write about using this as a birding lens.  Remember, you only working with a 300mm focal length.  On my 7D Mark II that equates to a 480mm effectively (due to the 1.6x crop factor).  Even at 480, I had to get quite close to the birds and sometimes that can flush the more skittish species such as woodpeckers.

Where I think this lens really shines (no pun indented) is taking advantage of the f4 aperture and shooting birds in flight with an IR trigger.  This would allow higher shutter speeds up up to 1/5000th of a second.  To capture songbirds in flight, you must use a high shutter speed or use a very short flash duration.

Quick Summary

• Great build quality
• Image stabilized
• f4 aperture makes shooting in lower light easier
• Sharpness is fine
• Adequate to above adequate auto-focus, but could be better.
• Decent price considering it is an f4 L lens
• Built in lens hood
• White color could draw unwanted attention from your subject
• Focusing ring was great when hand holding, but slips when on a bean bag
• Smooth finish was slippery on a bean bag mount.
• Slower burst rate in AI-Servo?  Was this the lens or the camera?

Check out the video companion to this article:

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Individual training, and honest and useful portfolio critiques available. Email me at matt.cuda@mattcuda.com

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FORSYTH COUNTY, NC -  This is a topic which has the potential to make some of you angry and others take action.  It is a topic that gets to the very core of why we do what we do as nature photographers.  Simply put, "are you putting your best foot forward?"  Are you, as a photographer, showing the world your best work or are you so excited that you got a shot, and posting it as quickly as possible on social media?

I think to answer this question, you have to ask yourself what motivates you.  Here are some possible motivations I have identified:

1.  You want to show others where you have been, and what I have been doing.
2.  You want to attract buyers to buy your photographs.
3.  You want to impress your peers with your stunning photography.
4.  You want a private documentary gallery of images so you can document your travels.

If you answered anything other than #4, you might want to pay particular attention to what I am going to tell you in this article. 

As a more seasoned photographer, I have seen thousands upon thousands of photographs over the years.  I have seen beautiful images by some of the best photographers, and I have seen poor images generated from the very beginner.  I myself have made many many bad images right along side the good ones, but you will never see the failures posted on social media or sent to a potential client.  These images, except for the few I keep for demonstration purposes, are sent to the trash.

I do not care if I got a great action shot of an anhinga spearing a fish or a bald eagle fighting in mid air.  If it doesn't meet my standard guidelines for quality it goes into the trash.  So here are my standard guidelines for culling my images.

1.  Is the photograph sharp (essential)?   
2.  Is the photograph properly exposed (essential)?
3.  Is the lighting in the photograph better than acceptable (mostly essential)?
4.  Does the photograph tell a story or does it have gesture (mostly essential)?
5.  Is this my best work, given the situation?

If I can answer yes to all five of the preceding questions then the photograph is not only a keeper, but is marketable or worthy of posting online.  Now I want to address each of these five questions.

Is the Photograph Sharp?
Sharpness is not subjective.  It can be defined and it is repeatable and is absolutely a must  A sharp photograph is the culmination of focusing the lens and also making sure the shutter speed is set high enough to avoid camera shake (blur).  You should be able to zoom into 100% on your editing software and see a sharp, detailed image.  The only exception to this is when you are using creative blur (advanced technique).

The above image is not sharp at 100% magnification.  It will be rejected by photo editors and stock agencies.


The above image is sharp at 100%.  It has been accepted by publishers and agencies.


Is the Photograph Properly Exposed?
This is mostly subjective, but also takes some work to determine if your image is properly exposed.  In short, the whites should be white, the blacks should be black and the highlights should not be blown out.  You should be able to see detail in both the highlights and the shadows.  Obviously, this is a much larger discussion than a simply blog post can provide, but make sure you have the exposure right!


The above image is underexposed by a full stop. Notice the muddy and lifeless appearance.

Is the Lighting in the Photograph better than Acceptable?
Taking photographs of nature when the sun is directly overhead does not normally flatter a subject.  On animals it produces harsh shadows, making the eyes black holes. It basically increases the contrast to the point that it is hard to see details in the highlights and shadows.  A general rule in wildlife photography is to have the sun at your back.  Another way to look at this, is to point your shadow at the subject.  To do this, shoot between sunrise and plus three hours.  In the afternoon, shoot three hours before sunset to sunset.  This will give you that golden look with flattering highlights in the eyes of animals.   Not only wildlife, but landscapes also take on this beautiful golden glow.


The photo above has beautiful morning light being applied from right over my shoulder.

Does the Photograph Tell a Story or Have Gesture?
There are many times that I take a photograph which has neither gesture nor storytelling attributes and it is true that these kinds of images can sell and gather likes online.  However, I am always looking for images that tell a story or have peak action.  This can mean the difference between a boring portrait and an engaging and exciting photograph.  You don't have to start here, but strive to make this happen.  Strive to find the engaging shot.  Perhaps it is a coyote pouncing on a mouse or a bird fighting with another bird.  Maybe it's look deep into the eyes of a massive black bear that stops us in our tracks.

The above photo has action and gesture.  The bird is running from a crashing wave which helps draw the user into the photograph and tell a story about this birds life.

Is this my Best Work Given the Situation?
This is a question we must all ask ourselves.  If the answer is no, it doesn't necessarily mean the image is no good.  It might just mean that you have to try harder next time.  Look for better angles such as going low or going higher.  Maybe you needed a longer lens to compress and blur the background. Maybe you need to gather inspiration from other photographers. Check out other photographers books, magazines and videos.  This can all help inspire you to making better images.

In conclusion, I ask you to work hard, and get the best images you can. Do not be afraid to throw your image away.  In a few months you will forget about it.  Strive only for the best images and post those.  I promise it will be much more rewarding both from a personal perspective and if you would like, from a business perspective.

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I hope you enjoyed this months newsletter.  There is much on the horizon at Matt Cuda Nature Photography.  To be specific, the time has come for the continuation of the Hummingbird Project and the Bluebird projects.  These two projects generally keep me busy from May through June, so expect to see some of those images in next months article.

Now get out there and enjoy nature!

God Bless,

Matt Cuda

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Announcements:

• Check out the latest podcast episodes 
• I need your help to keep producing content!  Consider becoming a patron to my work.  Funds received from your help, will go toward keeping the infrastructure in place to keep providing free content.  As you know, web site hosting, microphones and recording gear are very costly.  To find out more about being a patron and how this can benefit you, head out to my Patreon site : https://www.patreon.com/mattcuda 
• Individual training, and honest and useful portfolio critiques available.  Email me at matt.cuda@mattcuda.com

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My Website: http://www.mattcuda.com

Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/mattcuda

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For anyone not subscribed tho this newsletter because it is forwarded to you by others, you may sign up at the this link: 
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To purchase any of my prints please use the following link:
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You may also contact me directly to purchase prints:  matt.cuda@mattcuda.com

Photography, in general, takes a lot of planning.  Sometimes it is planning that big trip to Yellowstone and sometimes it is just planning to photograph some of the local flora and fauna in your own backyard.  Whatever you choose to photograph,  I think we can all agree that we need a plan to be successful.

About two months ago, I started preparing and planning for a particular shot to be added to my "Bluebird Project."  I invested both time and equipment to try to get everything figured out beforehand.  In particular, I was using a new IR triggering system to capture songbirds in flight.  I had practiced on several occasions and I got fair enough results to apply them to actual project. I determined to use my newly acquired experience to capture flight shots of the bluebird as they traveled to and from their nest box.

I carefully monitored and waited for the bluebird eggs to hatch, as they always do.  One day, while performing a normal check, I found that the nest had been raided.  The eggs had been removed, thrown to the ground and mostly eaten.  I determined it was not the normal suspects such as the raccoon or opossum since the nest was still fully intact, and the pole I use would not support the weight.  At one point, I even blamed the neighborhood black snake.  I believe, after quite a bit of examination, it was most likely done by a competing bird species.

The whole situation was completely out of my control, but none the less, my plans were ruined.  There would be no flight shots.  It was is at this point, that we all have a choice.  We can "throw ourselves" and have a pity party.  This might involve moping around, questioning why it happened , and what could have been done differently.  I could beat myself up for weeks with the question "why?", but the results would have been the same.  I would not have photographed any birds and not changed the situation at all.

Instead, mostly based on experience, I picked myself up and immediately started the next wave of plans. I knew that I could not get the flight shot I wanted, but I could improve the situation by starting back to feeding the birds.  Generally I stop feeding birds once nesting starts as it upsets the bluebirds and could interfere with nesting.

Forsyth County, NC - Taken soon after the nest failure.  Move on to the next plan!

So, I began feeding the birds and also setup my hummingbird feeder for the next project.  This will start the creative energy and anticipation flowing again.  There will be another time for the flight shots, but that can't stop you from shooting and planning. Sure, it is a big disappointment when plans don't come together and sometimes it can be really tough when several big plans fail in sequence.  The latter, of course, being the reason many people quit.

The bottom line is that I many never convince you with mere words to hang in there and never quit. In the end, it is a matter of personal ambition that drives you to the next level.  I see it in myself and others all the time.  It is what sets all of us apart from the average quitter.  Don't fall into the trap of expecting all of your plans to succeed, because they never will.  Instead, focus on making the next plan successful.

Your photographic career will be filled with other quitters.  They are the people who don't get what you are doing and try everything to make you unsuccessful.  They could be your girlfriend, wife or even someone you thought was your best friend.  You cannot listen to them, because they will drag you down and keep you from completing your plans.  This goes for any area of your life.  Quitters always hang out with other quitters!  Don't let yourself be sucked into that world.

I will leave you with these steps to becoming successful in life as they were told to me many years ago by a wise man...

• Never make a major decision in the midst of a personal crisis.
• Never seclude yourself from friends/family when going through a storm.
• Never listen to your fears. Dread distorts your view of reality.
• Never give in to self-pity.
• Don’t dwell on “if only” and “what could have been."
• Don’t overlook the good things that happen to you everyday.
• Don’t become absorbed with yourself (focus on the needs of others).
• Don’t quit living while going through your storm.
• Never forget that God Almighty is sovereign.

To find out more about Matt Cuda Nature Photography, navigate to the following resources...

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FORSYTH COUNTY, NC -  Spring is finally moving into a higher gear, and I see more signs of activity in the animal world.  Up until now, songbirds have been reluctant to build their nests due to the bitter cold temperatures and windy conditions.  It really, in many ways, has been a harsh and unforgiving winter in North Carolina, but there was still much to look forward to this Spring.

As part of my early spring activities, I often can be found photographing raptors at the Carolina Raptor Center for their event called PhotoWild.  PhotoWild, is a special time set aside for wildlife photographers to have an opportunity to photograph raptors in a controlled environment.  This equates to getting images that really are not generally possible in the wild.  At least there is not a practical way to get these images.  Furthermore, it is an opportunity to photograph species from other parts of the world.  Finally, it is a great time to meet other photographers, talk a little shop and check out what gear and techniques they are using.

In this article, I thought I would layout how I approach photographing an event such as PhotoWild and share some of the images as examples.

Looking for the Full Length Portrait
The full length portrait is an image, which is composed to show the entire bird.  It might also have other compositional elements added to make the shot more interesting.  Below is a shot of a barred owl where I not only utilize a full length portrait, but use the foliage to provide a more interesting framing element.  Note the tree to the left of the owl, providing a framing element, and the leaves wrapping around him in the foreground also support framing.

Looking for the Close-up Portrait

Next, I begin looking for close-up portrait to give the viewer a more detailed and often times unseen image of the raptor.  With close-up images, sharpness and higher megapixel images can really make them pop.  Below is an image of a male American bald eagle.

Looking for the Extreme Close-up

Again, for this type of shot, think detail.  Think about making images you simply cannot make very easily in the wild.  Look for feather detail and talon detail.  Below is an image showing the detail in the golden eagle's feathers.

Looking for Gesture

Gesture is what makes images unique.  It can be anything from an unusual look from your subject, to yawning, eating and anything else that evokes emotion.  This is really what I want every time I go out to photograph a subject.  Whether it is in captivity or the wild, this is a must for any photographer to be able to capture.  Below is an example of gesture.  This turkey vulture is opening his mouth very wide and is something I have never witnessed from a vulture in the past.  A perfect opportunity, and one to never waste.  Patience is key here.  When everyone else is leaving, you stay and work the subject.  Good things often happen to those who wait.

I hope you enjoyed this months blog.  There is much on the horizon at Matt Cuda Nature Photography.  To be specific, the time has come for the continuation of the Hummingbird Project and the Bluebird projects.  These two projects generally keep me busy from May through June.

God Bless,

Matt Cuda

There are so many different ideas and paradigms which come to mind when I think about nature conservation.  It is such a complex topic, that I have hesitated for years to even write about it.  Finally, I decided that today, I would approach this topic in my usual common sense manner.  

Note, that this is not the unequivocal last word in conservation, and by no means do I discount another's opinion on the matter.  I am neither a biologist nor a philosopher, but I intent to speak on both.  I am going to speak as an amateur ornithologist, a concerned citizen, a Christian, and a wildlife photographer of many years.  I hope that you can have an open and objective mind while reading this, because I do sincerely care for the animals and my natural surroundings.  I want my children and the generations to come, to experience God's beautiful creation as I do.

I intend to layout my points into an outline of sorts and approach "hot button" topics as I do.  So grab a cup of coffee, and sit back for a ride into the mind of Matt Cuda.  

What is Convservation?
I do not think we can have a series look at this topic without first defining it.  According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary conservation is:

 "a careful preservation and protection of something; especially : planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect"

It is the second half of the definition where this article will focus its efforts.  "The planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction or neglect."  

I don't think anyone of balanced intelligence would actually argue with this definition of natural resource conservation.  Whether, you tend to be on the far left or the far right, this definition is one which cannot effectively be disputed.  However, the question is not whether this definition can be disputed, but rather, how do we as a society go about handling this management as defined here.

To me there are several positions or paradigms currently taken on conservation, and I will approach each of these and describe why I think they are effect or ineffective.

The Eco Zealot
I think we should start off with the most militant of the conservationist.  I have given them the label Eco Zealot, which I think suites them well.  I could describe this person as uncompromising, head strong, and a person who will stop at nothing to get his point across.  

Sometimes these folks are militant and will actually harm people in order to save an element of nature.  I think, however, most in this category would probably not go to this extreme.  Essentially, this type of person believes that man and animal are in essence equal and should be treated exactly the same.

Although these folks mean well, often times the results are anger and negative press to push their agenda.  Maybe I am just a wimpy guy, but I would much rather win the fight through positive interactions and maintaining my cool.  I also probably relate the least to the Eco Zealot.  The ones I have met (again just my experience) tend to be hot headed, uncompromising and down right hostile.  That is no way to live your life.  That anger will eat you up inside!  The old adage holds true.  You catch more flies with honey than you do vinegar. 

The Hunter
I was born in a very rural area of northern Pennsylvania along the Allegheny Mountains.  I would actually say that this area is the most dense and mountainous area of Pennsylvania.  As you can imagine, most of the people in this area were hunters and fisherman. It was simply the way they are brought up and the way they lived.

My grandfather was an avid hunter and fisherman, but he was also a conservationist.  What, how can a hunter be a conservationist?  Well, it's actually a natural process of hunting, if you have a head on your shoulders.  How would a hunter be guaranteed to always have animals to hunt and provide  him with food?  The answer is to be concerned about their population numbers.

My grandfather had an almost a Native American view of his quarry.  If you hunted it, you ate it and used whatever you could practically use from the animal.  In our family there was no option to shoot something and leave it.  That was not acceptable!

Today, I still enjoy fishing, but I am not a hunter.  I am much too tender hearted to kill wild animals, and I 'll bet many of you reading this are as well.   So as you can imagine, I am not opposed to law abiding hunters who use the animals that they kill for food supplements, but I do not hunt.

I am, however, angered by wasteful hunting, where deer are left in the forest with a missing head for trophy purposes.  I am angered by a bear being shot for no reason other than it was "fun."  I am angered when I see a beautiful elephant hunted for it's tusks and left to rot in the hot sun.  What good can come of this type of hunting other than the loss of a species for a children to enjoy.  This is evil and frankly I believe it is a sin.

I am also equally angered by wasteful and illegal fishing.  I have been fishing where I have seen people fish a lake so heavily that they leave nothing behind.  That my friends is not conservation!  That is pure greed.

The Lobbyist
Lobbyist groups abound.  Groups like the NRA, The Audubon Society and various conservancies exist across the US and the world.  Without politically charged organizations it would be difficult for the people to voice their concerns to their governments.  Money gets things moving and the world runs on the stuff.  Money can make politicians support the cause in which you most want pushed to the forefront. 

However, I think there is room for caution when it comes to supporting these organizations.  You may find they do not line up with your way of thinking.  Remember they are politically charged.  One case where I saw this with the Audubon Society is in its handling of wind mills.

Let me just say that categorically I am opposed to wind mills.  I'll never forget the first time I saw them dotting the mountains of Pennsylvania.  Each one represented a scar on the mountain top.  No longer did I have this beautiful view of the mountains in the fall.  They were ruined by these huge steel propellers.  It was as if someone had cut my heart.

Fast forward years later and we discovered that not only were these monstrous eye sores, but they were killing birds at an alarming rate (including our national treasure, the bald eagle)!  Yet, the headlines at the times within the Audubon's publications gave this very little coverage.  Once in a while to placate the masses, they would run an article, but there was no big drive to see them removed.  But why was this?

Ah, now we see the politics.  You see, the same people who are involved in Audubon also "rub shoulders" with the people who instituted the wind mills as a means of alternative energy. Perhaps some of these folks are even big donors to the Audubon Society (speculation). 

 Now, I get it, they are in a tough spot, right?  And that, in my opinion, is the entire problem.  Political organizations are always put in tough spots where they cannot maneuver very well or have to go down a path they don't fully agree with.  It's a compromise if you will.  I am not saying that Audubon does a terrible job, I am just saying that for some of you, the compromise may be too great to support an organization like this.  That is a personal decision we all must make.

The Wildlife Photographer/Conservationist
I decided to make another category here called "The Wildlife Photographer" because, let's face it, things are a bit different for us.  We all want to make beautiful photographs of animals, but the shot cannot be the only concern for us.  Do you think we should do whatever it takes to get the shot?  If you do, I would ask you to reconsider to a point.

The wildlife photographer is probably the least understood and sometimes the most persecuted of the conservationists.  Sometimes I think hunters get a better wrap!  Most of us just want to make great images of animals and show them to the world.  We want the animals to forever be seen in our images.  We strive for image perfection. 

Recently groups like the Audubon have started waging "war" if you will, against wildlife photographers for getting too close to animals.  There is no doubt, there are a few of us out there who push the animals too much, but I can honestly say that I don't, and all the other photographers I know are always keeping the animal's welfare in mind. Ironically, the same people who complain the loudest are the ones who buy our images.  These images are not taken from 100 yards as you well know, but more like 30 yards at most.  Kind of breaks some laws doesn't it?  But, being close to animal doesn't necessarily cause him to behave differently.  This is why I oppose laws which put some arbitrary number of feet we must be from a species.  

There are many ways we can approach animals in a non-threatening way.  Just think of blinds, for example.  Biologists actually recommend blinds for photographing and observing birds, but you don't hear them championed.  I can approach shore birds slowly on my belly and half the flock is asleep and I am only 10 feet away.

Honestly, I have only been in a few situations where I thought the animals were too nervous and we had affected its ability to move naturally. Once I realized this, I moved away and the animal is better off because of it.   Birds in Florida, for example are incredibly tame, yet in these areas we hear the battle cry the loudest against wildlife photography.  I see this whole thing as misplaced aggression.   I could go on and on with this topic, but I will leave it here before I go off on a huge rant.

The Christian Conservationist
Probably the least known and definitely the least understood is the Christian Conservationist, but we are out there in some large numbers.  What does this conservationist believe?

1. We believe that God created the world and all the animals in it.  Not a popular notion these days (Gen Chapter 1).
2. We believe that God loves his creation and because of that so should we.  (Luke 12:6, "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God.")
3. We believe that all life is precious whether it be man or animal and God has provisions in nature to take care of them. (Matthew 6, "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?"
   
4. We believe that God told us to take care of his creation and be good stewards of it. (Gen 1, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”)
5. We believe that man was originally designed to eat seeds and fruit, but after the fall of man, meat was introduced to our fallen bodies. (Genesis 1:29, "Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.")
6. We believe that it is wrong to make fun of another for being a vegetarian. There are also several key references to vegetarianism (Adam, Eve and Daniel).  
7. We believe that sin entered the world and death by sin.  We are condemned to death, but by accepting Christ as our savior we choose to overcome death.  Death was never supposed to be part of the equation.  Humans and animals were to live in perfect harmony from the beginning!

Now, as you can imagine, many Christian Conservationists also tend to be conservatives politically and some of the principles above come in conflict with the beliefs of fiscal conservatives.  Moral conservatives, which I consider myself to be, do not believe in murdering humans.  We equate the abortion of a human as murder.  So because liberals tend to not vote against abortion, we tend to vote conservative.  It's really that simple and that is something some people cannot accept.

Many of you who are reading this just became angry.  I am sorry that you feel this way because I probably have more in common with you than you think, but I cannot condone murder on any level. 

We also may not like other aspects such as fracking in areas which damage the environment.  We also believe in the conservation of birds and mammals of all kinds. We do not like waste, period!  Life is precious, period!  



Finally, Pure Subjective Opinion and the Wrap Up

When I view an animal, it is much different than most of society.  When I view it, I see an amazing creation, created by God.  I view, marvel and respect his creation, but I also see myself as a potential predator.  

Much as a hawk will kill a rabbit if he needs it for food, so would I (if I had to, to survive).  This always has to be balanced against the population and conservation of the species. God has given me a sharp mind and I have the ability to conserve his creation.  I choose to not hunt because I do not need to.  I would rather let the creature go about his life and let me document his behavior than shed its blood. I long for the days of The Garden, where man and animal could live in perfect harmony.   

As far as eating animals, If I had to choose a diet for pure health reasons, it would be fish, seeds, fruits and vegetables.  I feel like this offers the human body the best sources of protein, sugar, minerals and vitamins.  I do not condemn those who are vegetarians or those who eat meat.

The key difference between the human and the animal is the ability to use our minds to affect the outcome of diverse situations and the fact that we have a spirit.  We were created to worship and take care of God's creation.  We have within us the power to take care of God's creation just as he intended us to and the capacity for eternal life. We were created higher than the animal.  That is why we must take them under our wing.

I do not want to argue with you on any of this.  This is just a stated opinion and I do not want to debate this.  Life is too short to argue at length on this topic.  Just consider the opinion, adapt it or agree to disagree and move along.