Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Daniel Gutierrez, 9 Years Old and Already an Enthusiast Pentax Shooter

by Miserere



Who said big lenses were only for big guys?
Daniel shoots steady on a 400mm lens.
©2008 Javier Gutierrez


Daniel will be 9 in a couple of weeks. He's just like any other 9-year old: curious, energetic, sporty, an accomplished photographer—wait, what!? Maybe Daniel isn't quite like every other 9-year old after all. His father, Javier, is an avid Pentaxian who has passed on his love of photography to his son. Javier tells us I must admit I am a proud Papa and also a bit envious...He has such good eyes and great reflexes that he catches things I miss. The virtues of youth, my friend!

Javier started shooting with a Pentax K100D, then moved on to a K10D and K20D. In between he accumulated a fair bit of lenses and film cameras, so when Daniel expressed an interest in photography a couple of years ago Javier was able to quickly put together a kit for him chosen from the items he didn't frequently use. Of course, some fatherly LBA (Lens Buying Addiction) helped the kit grow to its present size.

Currently, this is what's in Daniel's bag:
  1. Pentax K100D super DSLR
  2. Pentax MG SLR
  3. Pentax K1000 SLR
  4. Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3
  5. Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6
  6. Pentax-K 50mm f/1.4
  7. Pentax-A 28mm f/2.8
  8. Pentax-M 135mm f/3.5
  9. Pentax-DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
  10. Sigma 400mm f/5.6
  11. Tokina 19-35mm f/3.5-5.6
  12. Vivitar 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6
  13. Vivitar external flash
  14. Pentax 2x TC
  15. Tamron 1.4x TC MC-4
  16. Bryan Peterson's book Understanding Exposure.
  17. 3 bird books.
Not bad for such a young guy, huh? Now you might understand why I keep asking Javier to adopt me!

I thought it would be nice to hear what Daniel had to say about all this, so I asked him to tell us about himself and photography.

Sometimes one camera just isn't enough.
©2008 Javier Gutierrez


My name is Daniel Gutierrrez. I am almost nine years old. I like photography and my favorite thing to shoot is birds. I think it is interesting to see the birds and discover new birds every time.

I go with my dad to different parks that have ponds and lakes. The ones I like most are Belvedere, Hollenbeck and Legg Lake. We go to the San Gabriel River at a nature preserve because there are so many birds there. I like to go there after it rains 'cause there's so much water. We see lots of bushes where they can hide. I take lots of pictures. We've seen Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, lots of different kinds of ducks, sometimes even cranes, and lots and lots of mourning doves. I know what they are 'cause I have three bird books. My favorite is the Smithsonian Birds. My favorite bird is an Appleyard duck. I used to like the Cinnamon Teal.

I used to take my pictures with a Fuji digital camera with zoom. Then my dad let me use a real camera so he gave me one of his Pentax cameras. Then he bought me a Pentax film camera on E-Bay. It is a Pentax MG. It's an old camera. I like shooting with color film. I learned about aperture, shutter speed and ISO from my dad. I learned that most film cameras don't have zoom lenses and if they do it's really little. I think it is very cool to have my own camera. Using a TC adapter makes the camera lens go farther but it might not work on some lenses that well. Once I learned the basics, my dad gave me his K100D Super and we started to collect lenses for me, most from e-bay.

If you think that all this equipment is just for show, you're very wrong. Following is a sequence of photographs Daniel took last weekend while out with his dad on one of their regular photo walks. He used his trusty Pentax K100D Super with a Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6.






All photos ©2008 Daniel Gutierrez

It was this impressive series of photos that prompted me to write about Daniel so all our readers could meet him and enjoy his photos. I asked Daniel about these particular photos and he said:

I like to shoot birds—not with a gun though! With a camera. It is so cool zooming in and controlling it. I like to shoot birds with the K100D super because the pictures come out crystal clear.

When I shot the egret it was flying to this island at Hollenbeck Park. I thought it was cool and I didn't want to miss it. So I had to run down the hill and focus the camera real fast when I saw it and I held down the button and it (the camera) took more than four pictures.

I was amazed! The egret looked like it was gonna pick up a mallard and fly away. When I got home, I saw it on the computer and it came out great. Usually I check them on the little camera screen.

Anyone who has tried taking photographs of birds in flight (and I've spent hours doing it) knows how difficult it is. Yet here is Daniel, with a camera that is allegedly not meant for this type of photography, capturing a beautiful series of an egret in flight. I hope you will join me in congratulating him! I think we need Javier to open up a Flickr account for Daniel to show off his photography. He certainly deserves it.

I asked Daniel if there was anything else he'd like to share with us:

From taking pictures and learning about photography I've learned that it holds a challenge because you might miss the picture. Some times you have to try again the next day. Some times you have to wait for the birds and sometimes you have to hide from them if they're really shy like the female scrub jay. I sometimes lie down on the ground or crouch because the smaller you are the more stuff you'll notice.

Thank you for featuring me on the PentaxDSLRs blog.

It was our pleasure having you here!

I think many of us have a lot to learn from Daniel, wouldn't you agree? I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this talented young man.

Please leave your words of encouragement for Daniel in the comments section. He will be delighted to know what you all think, and his proud dad will make sure he reads them.


Thank you.

Miserere

26 comments:

Unknown said...

Daniel,

You do a great job. Continue shooting and we will feature some of your stories and pictures every now and then. Last week we featured Tom Canapp, a Pentax shooter 86 years young, and this week we have you, 9 years old. There's a gap of 77 years between the two of you. It is safe to say that Pentax is for enthusiasts of all ages.
You're a cool kid.

Anonymous said...

Wish I could start photography earlier like this boy.. *grin*

Anonymous said...

Those are cool photos of the flying bird - well done!

JP said...

Daniel

You simply amaze me!!
Your photos are very, very, very excellent for a young chap like you. Actually, they are better than one could expect from a full grown adult!
I just can't wait to see your photographs when you turn 18!!! Oh MY !!!
In the meantime, continue practicing and you will become better, better and much better!

As we say " You ROCK ! "

Dr Jacques C Pelletier

Anonymous said...

Daniel!! How exciting!!I didn't even know about your love for photography or birds for that matter!! We need to talk more :) Great job! Keep it up! See you at school, Mrs. Pattillo

Anonymous said...

Way to go Daniel.. I've seen a lot of your photos when your dad posts them in the pentax forum.. You always have a good eye. This last series of the egret though was excellent.. Well done!

Anonymous said...

Daniel,

Awesome job! I love your pictures. Keep up the good work.

RoseyD said...

Daniel, I am so proud of you - because you are living proof that the young can be serious to learn a skill and excel. I'm envious of your mastery of such a difficult craft - bird photography is hard... moving anything is hard. :) I'm looking forward to seeing how you'll progress in this art in the years ahead.

I'm certain you'll always impress us.

-Rose Duclos (a fellow Pentaxian)

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing your story and photos, Daniel!

Anonymous said...

Daniel,

Keep up your enthusiasm! Because this is the early work of one of the great photographers of the 21st century.

Vegard Nervik

Marc Langille said...

Daniel,

Very well done for your age and keep up the good work! You show great promise and I hope to see you continuing to grow in photography... 8-)

Regards,
Marc
http://www.marclangille.com

street_vision said...

That's my boy 8~D

Anonymous said...

I've taken some bird photos with a K100D with 75-300 mm Tamron and I know what a challenge they are. Great work!

Anonymous said...

Hey Daniel...very impressive!!! We specially like the egret making his landing on the island. Keep up the good work! You might make photography your profession one day if you decide to do that. Imagine working for National Geographic taking pictures of animals all over the world!!! Awesome!!!

Your friends, Fanny & Bruce

Anonymous said...

Daniel,
Great job! Keep up the good work and I hope to see more from you. :D

Heather :)

Peter Zack said...

Daniel, I consider myself a friend of your Dad and I'm really enjoying you taking such an interest in photography. I really think you have a great talent for this wonderful hobby.

It's kinds fun to see you take some better pictures than the rest of us!. I've been shooting with Pentax for over 25 years and the shot of the Egret landing would make me proud to have if I had taken it myself. Excellent pictures.

Peter Zack
http://islandviewsphoto.googlepages.com/home

Anonymous said...

Tell me you're star wars fans! ;)
Awesome..start..one day...you'll become of famous photographers!

Anonymous said...

Very impressive, Daniel!

Excellent series, my favorite is that 2nd to the last shot.

Anonymous said...

Good job Daniel!:D
~Ian (cousin)

I like your pictures!!!!! My favorite is the third picture.
~Zoe (cousin)

Anonymous said...

Daniel: I frequent a couple of sites that your Dad does, and I have noted several times photos that you have taken. I think it is terrific that your Dad introduced you to photography, and that you enjoy it so well. You are very talented!! Don't ever stop learning, and keep on positng.

Gudi said...

Well Done Daniel, U absoloutely have a great eye. keep up the good work

Anonymous said...

dan,

i just wanted to let you know how absolutely PROUD i am of you. its so good to see you focused on things that are productive! i cant wait to see you start to teach adam about your super fabulous hobby. i know youll show him the world through a whole new way that he wouldnt have ever seen it, with your eagle eye and attention to the finest detail and all. im proud of you little brother. i love you so much!

- kris

[if adam could talk, hed say congratulations too. =]]

Susan Skommesa said...

Daniel, You are so awesome. Steve and I just got back from Kaua'i and there I tried to get good photos of crashing waves and moving birds. I know the patience and perseverence it takes to get a shot, and then it has to be in focus and hopefully the shadows will add to the picture and not distract... So needless to say, I am very impressed with your ability. I love the picture where shadows play on the egret, as well as the last 2 pictures that tell the story of the egret landing. You just impress me so much. I am very proud of you! Keep up the discovery process and I hope your curiosity never fades away. I'm also very impressed with the great job your dad did teaching you.

A fan,
Susan Skommesa

Anonymous said...

Great job Daniel. You are showing a great amount of skill. Keep up the good work.

Fred Young

roentare said...

This is amazing to see you doing so well with in-flight captures so fluently. I found this as an evidence for your prospective future in photography.

I would keep a track on your journey and hope all the best with your endeavour in this area.

jaijin said...

WOW! you can shoot! my brother's ten and he couldn't even pin a tail to the donkey!