Cameras: Both Wendy and Bob shoot with Canon gear, a decision that stemmed from Rozinski's use of Canon when stringing for UPI in the mid-1970s. They have two EO3s, two EOS1s, an A2E, an older Canon T90 and a Canon 500mm lens. Although they already have a 500, Shattil admits, "I lust after the new Canon 500mm/f4." They also have a Hasselblad ELM and a Pentax 6x7, which they use on occasion.
Lenses: For macro work, which Rozinski alone favors, he uses a Canon 1:5 Macro, a 180 Macro and a 90 tilt-and-shift. For field work, they both favor 600mm and longer lenses, because the long lenses allow them to be further removed from the animals. "The length of my arms has increased a lot," Rozinski jokes.
Other Gear: "We have picked up a lot of small tripods; a variety of Gitzo ball heads," says Rozinski, who generally prefers Bogen. "We haven't gone to graphite at this point, because we are still strong enough to carry the other ones. I like the flexibility of the tripods we have, and we will sacrifice weight sometimes for something more flexible in the field." For transportation, they use an old Toyota Land Cruiser and a new Toyota pickup. "We are very adept at photographing from the vehicles," he says. "We have a scrap aluminum place near us, and we have conjured up some door and floor mounts that are so strong, you can tip the car over with one of them."
Advice to aspiring nature photographers: "If you enjoy it, don't do it for a living," Shattil warns. "Do it in a manner so that you can do what you want, when you want. Learn as much as you can about the animals. Spend as much time as you can with the animals. Look at others' pictures. You can't copy what someone else created, but something can stick in your mind. And perhaps if you are lucky, you can get that on film."
Website: dancingpelican.com
