Living here in Southeast Arizona we are very fortunate to be surrounded by some incredible and diverse landscapes. Add the magnificent amount of birding and other wildlife viewing opportunities and it’s easy to see why this part of the world is a photographer’s dream come true.
For the most part, smartphone cameras do a pretty good job of shooting pics or videos. However, if you want to really capture the moment, shooting with a digital or mirrorless camera is the way to go. Once you figure out the different shooting programs, it gives you more flexibility and creativity while taking pictures.
Shooting with a mirrorless camera can be a little confusing or complex, especially if you are just getting into photography. Camera shooting settings can leave budding photographers so baffled that some end up shooting with the camera on “auto,” which in my opinion takes away from the artistic capabilities of the camera and the person behind the lens.
A setting I use 90% of the time is “aperture priority” which allows for more creativity, as one can easily adjust the aperture and ISO along with exposure. Everything else—namely the shutter speed—is done automatically via the camera’s sensor.
Because of the intense light that we have to deal with in our region, I am generally running between 100- 200 ISO. I usually lower the exposure meter by a stop. As light conditions decrease, it’s easy to increase your ISO settings and exposure meter. For an all-around aperture setting I like 5.6, which for me provides a good depth of field. If I want to blur out the background of a subject I decrease this to F2 or F4. (Of course this depends on the lens.)
Finally, the nice thing with digital or mirrorless cameras is you are not burning through expensive film, allowing you to take numerous practice shots and adjust your settings for the day or subject. As the old cliche goes, practice makes perfect.
Update on AZGFD’s Mearns quail data
Every year Arizona Game and Fish (AZGFD) places wing barrels along key routes to popular Mearns quail hunting areas, namely the San Rafael Valley. This year the data indicates that harvest numbers were low and the percentage of juvenile birds was high compared to the 2023/24 season, which means there was a much better hatch than in 2023.
If this is the case, did the intense hunting pressure during 2023/24 impact the Mearns population so badly that, although the stars should have been aligned for a good season in 2024/25, it was negatively impacted by the hunting pressure from the previous season?
Game and Fish suggests that hunting pressure does not impact game bird populations, but with 90% of the Mearns quail hunting in the US taking place in Southeast Arizona, perhaps at some point it does? The Department states that hunters gave up or, as the department calls it, “self regulated,” which is the Department’s justification for why limits don’t need to be lowered.
As I’ve written in previous columns, some hunters feel differently about why the numbers were low. They argue that due to poor scenting conditions, along with above average seasonal temperatures, bird dogs had a rough time finding Mearns quail.
Until AZGFD comes up with a better way to accurately collect Mearns quail hunter data (via a stamp, for instance), questioning of the Department’s methodology will likely continue.