Photographs by Brenda Carroll
I was born and raised in Tahlequah, Oklahoma situated in the heart of green country, beautiful northeast Oklahoma. I am a Legal Assistant currently residing in Bixby, a small city south of Tulsa, Oklahoma. My photography experience spans less than 7 years and is primarily dedicated to avian, wildlife and nature photography.
It wasn't long after I became a serious birder that I learned a sparrow is not just a sparrow. I had no idea there were so many species. In the spring of 2000 when I moved into my current residence, it became all too apparent I was going to have to record with more than pen and paper all the special feathered visitors showing up in my new wooded backyard. I didn't have a clue what I was in for but I borrowed a friend's fully manual Canon AE-1 camera and enrolled in a beginner's photography class at the local Vo-Tech. That was 5 1/2 years, 3 cameras, 3 lenses, multiple accessories, 3 workshops, numerous field trips in and out of state, countless hours in my own backyard, dozens of chores left undone because of it, and hundreds upon hundreds, if not thousands, of pictures ago. And it has been nothing but total joy. My list of credits of those who taught me the majority of what I claim to know: are first and foremost, Bill Horn, my mentor. Warren Williams and James Shadle –outstanding photographers, humorists, conservationists and instructors. And Debbie Smith, who translated and demonstrated everything the other three were trying to teach me.
I still own and use every piece of equipment I've purchased– all Canon. My first camera, E0S3 (film), followed up with the 20D, then 30D digital cameras. My lenses are (1) a 28-100 2.8 USM wide angle, (2) 100-400 L F4 Zoom w/Image Stabilization (IS), (3) 500 mm L series, F4 IS, (4) 1.4 and 2.0 teleconverters. My flash unit is a Canon 500 Speedlite; Tripod is a carbon fiber Gitzo 1358 Moutaineer with a Wimberly sidekick and Kirk BH-3 ballhead.