Snapshot
The Iconic master of nature and wildlife photography.

Point of Focus
Simplify the vision and you strengthen the images.

Camera
D3

Favorite Lenses
AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED
AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED
AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G IF-ED
AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E II
AF-S Teleconverter TC-17E II

Why
"The high ISO capability. I started professionally when ISO 64 Kodachrome was a high speed film, and I love the fact that I can crank the D3's ISO up and not get noise. In many ways that's changed what I'm doing. I can use the camera in situations that I couldn't before—the extremes, the landscapes in marginal light. The big one is when I’m photographing animals, and in order to get the shutter speed up to stop motion I need a higher ISO. I don't think anything of cranking it to 1600 or 2000 to get a fast shutter speed and some needed depth-of-field at f/5.6 or f/8.

"And because I can use a faster ISO I'm starting to hand hold where I couldn't before, which means I can get in different positions and work some action faster or easier. Given my choice, I always go with a tripod, but sometimes there's no choice.

"The 24-70 f/2.8 is my number one lens—very sharp, covers a nice range, and with 2.8, for a middle-aged photographer, that brighter view of the world is welcome. I get better compositional results. Shooting in dim light, a polarizer on, a fast lens lets me see where the edges of the frame are.

"The 200-400 I like especially for travel. It focuses so close and it's not so big that I can't get it on an airplane. Then the VR 70-200 2.8, or the VR 70-300—because you can crank the ISO up, it's a fast enough lens. And depending on what I'll be shooting, the 1.4 or 1.7 teleconverter."

Natural Selection
"Am I flying or am I driving? Driving, I'll take it all. Flying—with the laptop and the cords and chargers that have to go in carry-on, plus the camera bag...well, you see the problem."

Non-Photo Necessity
"When I travel anywhere, a three-outlet jack. Hotel rooms never have enough outlets, and I always have to recharge everything. I carry a couple of them, and depending on the country I'm going to, an adapter for the wall outlets.

"What I would like to carry is a big light bulb. Hotel rooms always seem they have 40 watt bulbs, and I like to read."

Inspiration
"Eliot Porter, for his mastery of color photography, was highly influential. The idea of the intimate landscape rather than the grand landscape impressed me at the time."

Advice Given
"Buy a tripod...a big one...and use it.

"And be really critical of composition. One thing I see all the time is the 'fix it in the computer' idea. It doesn't work. The computer doesn't make a bad picture good. Good digital workflow starts before you press the shutter button. Find the composition first."

More About John Shaw
www.johnshawphoto.com

John Shaw has been an NPS member since 1976.