Info:
The only time we use the computer is for the occasional pesky dust spot. This occurs when a tiny speck of dust works its way into the camera and lands on the sensor. The end result is a spot on the photo. We use a computer program (Lightroom) to remove the spot. There are a handful of photos where we experimented with the camera's High Dynamic Range (HDR), a setting/feature within the camera. Other than that, we do not digitally enhance, alter, doctor, etc. our photos. Our pictures are honest and a direct reflection of what we captured when pressing the shutter button. If the picture does not turn out the way we envision, we keep snapping away (sometimes hundreds of times) until we fulfill our vision and end up with a striking shot.
Depending on the elements (subject availability, proper angle, composition, lighting, weather, etc) some shots took a few minutes (lucky), some took weeks, and others took months. When your face is buried in the dirt and you have not moved in hours, there is something special when your subject suddenly appears (peregrine falcon for example) in your viewfinder. And, there is something magical when all the elements fall into place and a striking shot is captured. If there is no magic, you pack up and come back the next day.
Gear:
We switched to digital in August, 2004 and have since purchased $30K in photo gear. Sharing the aforementioned figure is not to brag, simply to let you know we are serious about our photos and want the best gear to help us achieve that striking shot. The list is not all inclusive, but gives you a look inside our toolkit.
Canon 5D Mark III (camera)
Canon 5D Mark II (camera)
Canon EF 600mm f/4.0L IS USM (lens)
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM (lens)
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L IS USM (lens)
Canon EF 135mm f/2.0L USM (lens)
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS USM (lens)
Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L II USM (lens)
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L USM (lens)
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM (lens)
Zeiss Distagon 21mm f/2.8 ZE (lens)
B+W MRC 010M filers for all lenses
Canon EF 1.4X II extender
Canon Speedlite 580EX II (flash)
Canon Speedlite 430EX II (flash)
Wimberley WH-200 (gimbal head)
Really Right Stuff RH-55 (ballhead)
Gitzo G-1410 (tripod)
Gitzo GM-5541 (monopod)
Gitzo GT-3541LS (tripod)
SanDisk Extreme IV, several 8G and 16G (memory cards)
Canon Pro-1000 (printer)
RotaTrim RCM30 (cutter)