What's in your bag? Bill Ferris' essential gear for shooting in the Arizona high country
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Bull elk take shelter in a morning fog while grazing the Grass Flat Tank meadow. Nikon Z9 + Nikon Z 800mm F6.3 VR S | F6.3 | 1/25 sec | ISO 12800 |
Editor's note: This article launches a new series highlighting DPReview community members, their photography, and the gear they depend on. If you'd like to be featured in a future installment, please use the submission link at the bottom of this page.
DPReview community member and volunteer moderator Bill Ferris loves wildlife and the outdoors. A lot. By his own estimate, he spends about 150 days each year in the field, trading the comforts of home for pre-dawn conditions in the Arizona high country. The result of his dedication is a portfolio of spectacular images born of persistence and patience.
We asked Bill to take us into his world, including his beginnings in photography, his photographic process, and what gear he relies on to get the job done.
Getting started
Like many of us, Bill's obsession with photography was sparked by family members and the work of other photographers.
"My father used to present slide shows from his backpacking trips. His photos took me to places and revealed experiences I dreamed of. He passed away too early in 1981."
"I recall the day I saw "Afghan Girl" on the cover of National Geographic magazine. I looked at and studied that face for hours. Those eyes."
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Three bald eagles enjoy the sunrise while perched near northern Arizona's Lower Lake Mary. Nikon D500 + Nikon 200-500mm F5.6E VR | F8 | 1/2000 sec | ISO 640 |
"My interest in photography took a back seat to college and work until 1993. That was when I bought my first camera, a used Nikon F3 film body. I remember how it felt in my hands in the camera store. It had brassing, nicks and scratches. She was rough around the edges, but perfect. I imagined the F3 had been used by a photojournalist to cover wars. I used that camera and a small collection of lenses to do photography on vacations and a little night sky photography."
Shooting in the Arizona high country
Based in Flagstaff, Arizona, Bill has turned the surrounding high country into his personal studio, focusing on wildlife, including large mammals and raptors.
"I spend a lot of time driving Lake Mary Rd. It's a two-lane asphalt that cuts a path through the Coconino National Forest, heading southeast from Flagstaff past Lower and Upper Lake Mary to Mormon Lake and beyond."
Video: Arizona Game and Fish Department
"My subjects include elk, pronghorn, mule deer, coyotes and other mammals. When it comes to birds, my favorite subjects are raptors. Mormon Lake overlook is home to a wide variety of species: bald and golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, northern harriers, ferruginous and rough-legged hawks, peregrine and prairie falcons, American kestrels, and turkey vultures."
Photographing these subjects requires more than just a long lens. It means getting up early and being familiar with his subjects.
"Photographing these subjects requires more than just a long lens. It means getting up early and being familiar with his subjects."
"Lower Lake Mary is usually a dry lakebed and a favorite grazing spot for the area elk and pronghorn. From May through September, I'll leave the house a couple of hours before sunrise, drive to a gravel pullout along Lake Mary Rd, park and walk in darkness across the lakebed to set up at the edge of the forest. Often, I'll sit with my back against a juniper tree, concealed beneath a LensCoat fabric photo hide with my camera on a gimbal head tripod."
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A Red-tailed hawk soars past Bill's lens. Nikon D610 + Nikon 200-500mm F5.6E VR | F5.6 | 1/2000 sec | ISO 1100 |
"Whether photographing wildlife or birds, I prefer locations where the Sun will be at my back and with water nearby. Food and water meet the animals' needs. Open fields address my preference for clean surroundings and backgrounds."
Beyond camera skills, Bill attributes his success to a keen understanding of his subjects' behavior, gained through years of observation.
"Beyond camera skills, Bill attributes his success to a keen understanding of his subjects' behavior, gained through years of observation."
"I've learned over the last decade that raptors like to ride the prevailing winds out of the west and southwest, soaring along the rim to hunt the dry lakebed below. While red-tailed and most other hawk species like to survey their hunting grounds from high above, northern harriers like to fly just above the tall grass of a field, looking and listening for the sounds of their prey."
"Harriers are a special favorite. They're wary of humans and, if you can get close, have such beautiful plumage and expressive faces."
What's in your bag?
Bill's photography kit is surprisingly lean, optimized for reach, mobility and blending in so as not to spook his subjects.
"From 2018 to 2024, my main wildlife and bird kit was a Nikon D500 paired with a Nikkor 200-500mm F5.6E VR. In May 2024, I treated myself to a retirement gift: an upgrade to a Nikon Z9 paired with a Nikkor 800mm F6.3 VR S prime lens."
"I chose this mirrorless system for a few reasons. Over the years, I've come to appreciate that photography is all about the glass. It's the lens that forms the image captured by the camera. The Nikkor 800mm PF is a unicorn. It's a long focal length prime lens that's handholdable and great in low light."
"When deciding what to upgrade to, I reviewed the best photos I'd made with the D500 and 200-500mm lens and found that 85% were made with the zoom at 450mm or greater focal length. Given that I routinely crop my photos, I concluded that 90% or more of my favorite images were made using a 750mm full-frame equivalent angle of view."
In addition to camera and lens, Bill carries a few key accessories, but keeps his kit mobile.
"I bring a Benro TMA38CL Mach3 carbon fiber tripod with a GH2 aluminum gimbal head for camera/lens support. That's in the left hand. In the right, I carry a Tragopan V6 photo blind. Atop that bag is a Coleman folding camp chair. I pack a LensCoat fabric photo hide inside the hide bag."
"I keep camera accessories to a minimum. I stow a spare battery, Peak Design Slide camera strap, body and lens rear cap in the side pockets. I rarely use any of it, but it's nice to have just in case."
Bill also reminds us that sometimes the most critical piece of gear isn't a camera or a lens.
"Bill also reminds us that sometimes the most critical piece of gear isn't a camera or a lens."
"The most useful and essential accessory I bring – and I'll admit, we're entering the too much information zone with this one – is a quart ziplock bag containing four snack-size ziplocks. The snack-size ziplocks each contain four sheets of facial tissue," he tells us. "I'm often out from an hour or two before sunrise until 10 or 11 am. Nature is going to call, and one must be prepared. I bury the solid waste and pack home any used tissues for proper disposal."
Finally, Bill proves that sometimes, the best bag for carrying your camera is the one in the box.
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A pronghorn and two fawns. Nikon Z9 + Nikon Z 800mm F6.3 VR S | F6.3 | 1/200 sec | ISO 3200 |
"I use the padded nylon bag Nikon shipped with the 800mm F6.3 VR S as my camera bag. The Z9 with 800 PF attached fits in the bag. The strap slings over my head and across the opposite shoulder. I like it because it's the smallest, lightest option I have for carrying this gear, and it was free... with the $6K lens."
Bill's advice for other photographers
"Get out with your camera as often as possible. You'll never make a great photo unless you're out trying to make a great photo."
Would you like to be featured in a future installment of 'What's in your bag?' Tell us a bit about yourself and your photography by filling out this form. If you're selected for a feature, we'll be in touch with next steps.
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