Laura Cooper, July Photographer of the Month at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, says she is a relative newcomer to photography having purchased her first DSLR camera just three years ago. At the time she assumed she would use it primarily to take travel photos and photos of her grandchildren, but about a year later her youngest daughter, an avid birder, took her to Magee Marsh in Ohio during spring migration. Cooper rented a 400mm lens and ventured into a world previously unknown, falling in love with birding and bird photography. Now her nature photographs taken at Hagerman will be featured in a virtual album at http://www.friendsofhagerman.com/Gallery, for the month.
Returning home, Cooper was eager to find places to bird locally and an internet search led her to Hagerman. By then her enthusiasm had convinced her husband, George, to accompany her. During the past two years both have become avid birders and bird photographers, and are regular visitors to Hagerman.
They enjoy walking the different trails at Hagerman in search of birds both familiar and new to them. In doing so, the couple has also come across white-tailed deer, skunks, raccoons, wild turkeys, coyotes, and most recently, a bobcat! They are happy that living in McKinney allows frequent visits to Hagerman.
Cooper says, “What I love so much about photographing birds is the challenge of capturing these beautiful creatures in that brief moment that they may offer the perfect pose in the perfect light. It is always an adventure and no two days are ever the same. I also enjoy landscape photography and have recently become interested in close-up/macrophotography. Hagerman offers the opportunity for me to pursue all of these interests.”
She uses both a Canon 5DMarkIII and a Canon 7D. Her favorite lenses to use at Hagerman are a Canon 400mm f/5.6 and a Canon24-70mm f/2.8.
Cooper is a member of the Nature Photography Club at the Hagerman, which meets bimonthly at the Refuge. The club also sponsors group photo-shoots and an annual contest.
For more information, email fohphotoclub@gmail.com.