Brown bears & an eagle

[mn shutterbug]

These 3 shots were from a trip I made to Katmai National Park in Alaska many years ago. It was quite the experience. The bears were my sole reason for going. Actually, the eagle was from a previous trip to Kodiak Island. These were from the days of 35mm. They were all shot with a Nikon FA and Tokina 60 - 300mm lens. The reason I eventually got frustrated with photography was because, it didn't make any diference where I had the prints made, I was never happy with the results. They always turned out way too contrasty. When I tried studio photography I learned the reason. Except for professional labs, all others use cheap consumer grade paper which prints everything at high contrast so even poor shots from beginners will be acceptable on paper. I even started my own color darkroom at one time. Unfortunately, you really can't afford printing 4 X 6's yourself. I loved my 8 X 10's, but talk about time consuming. I'm happy it's all history now. The advent of digital really makes photography more enjoyable. You have much more control over the finished product.