Our club is comprised of some remarkable members of varying backgrounds. From working professionals to talented enthusiasts, there is a place for everyone. This time, meet the remarkable Sean Traynor!

My back-up camera is a Canon R6II which came out three years later, was half the price of the R3 but, has almost the same auto-focus system.  It is smaller and lighter and I usually keep a smaller zoom lens on it, so that, in safari situations, I have quick access to two different focal length lenses and avoid changing out the lens.  

The cameras have exactly the same Custom Function Button set-up, so that I don’t have to fiddle with different controls and miss “the moment.”

Since I do quite a bit of travel to extreme environments, having a back-up camera is essential, because so many things can go wrong if we rely on only one camera.  If you cannot afford a back-up camera, borrowing one from a friend, or renting one for a week or two is a practical alternative.

5. Tell us about a few images of which you are most proud, explain how they were made, and please share them so we can feature them (pictures featured at bottom of the page)

1. Mt. Fitzroy-ArgentinaMt. Fitzroy is the highest mountain in the Argentine Andes.  It is usually covered in clouds. To get this sunrise shot, I went out before dawn four days, in sleet and snow and high winds.  Each day the mountain was covered, but on the fourth day…this happened and it lasted only 10 minutes. To the casual observer, it looks like a simple mountain at sunrise, but it is in fact, quite a rare occasion to get lucky enough to capture this moment.  So, this photo is meaningful to me because of how rare this moment is to photograph.
2. Bald Eagle - Homer, Alaska
   In winter, Bald Eagles congregate around Homer, AK.
   This shot was taken off-shore from a boat while getting as low as I could, to catch the moment of max wing-spread.
   
3. Blue-Angels - High-speed Pass, JAX Beach
   When the temperature and humidity are close to the dew-point, condensation forms over the wings of a high-speed aircraft.  In the four days when the Blue Angels were in JAX in 2023, only one day had the perfect conditions to allow the capture of this dramatic moment.
   
4. King Penguin Colony - South Georgia
   The island of South Georgia near Antarctica is home to the largest King Penguin (slightly smaller that the Emperor Penguin) colony.  This photo is of a penguin chick creche with a lone tending adult, while a snow storm rages.
   
5. Proboscis Monkey - Borneo
   The island of Borneo is the home to the rare Proboscis Monkey.  They live in the tree canopy and their diet is mostly leaves.  They can be very difficult to find because they are wary of humans.  This photo was taken during a brief moment when a large male, appeared in a small window high in the tree canopy.  A 600mm telephoto lens allowed me to peer into the trees before he moved and was obscured from view.
   
6. Sossusvlei - Namib Desert, Namibia
   This unique place in the Namib Desert is home to the remnants of an oasis that existed 800 years ago.  The dead trees are still standing, but completely desiccated and preserved.  In the early morning light, the black silhouettes create a dramatic image against the red Sandhills that surround this place.
   
7. Humpback Whale Composite - Antarctica
   While traveling by Zodiac, a large pod of Humpback Whales surfaced around us, carefully checking us out.
   One of the whales made a deep dive near us and gave a wonderful tail-fluke display which is portrayed in this composite image, which conveys the whale’s motion.
   Whale are identified by the unique patterns on the underside of their tails.  This one was never previously recorded and now has a unique identifying number for future tracking.
   
8. Torres del Paine - Patagonia, Argentina
   This mountain face is the end of the Andes in Argentina and often covered in clouds.  On rare mornings, when the sun is rising, a shaft of sunlight can briefly illuminate the mountains in a dramatic fashion.  I went to this spot on three mornings, but only one day produced the brief moment when the sun appeared without clouds on the mountains.
   
9. Inuit Winter Entertainment - Pond Inlet, Northern Canada
   I struggle to capture good photos of people and appreciate the work of good portrait photographers.  This photo was taken of an Inuit woman showing one of the Winter Games that they play to entertain themselves during their very log and cold winters.