About Rick Davitt

A birder for 35 years, Rick Davitt took up bird photography about 20 years ago and has been working with flying insects for about 7 years. His photography locations range from local wildlife refuges in Southern California to the famous birding hotspots in Florida to rare nesting penguins in wild New Zealand rainforest, and of course, his backyard. His business career creates travel opportunities all over the world, with his Canon eos system a constant companion.

Rick is fortunate to live next to a prime bird photography location and so has come to know and work with today's top photographers such as Brian Small and Arthur Morris. Shared experimentation and learning new techniques keeps him interested in the work. Most public access areas abound with wildlife diversity, and working subjects are well acclimated to people - even those with cameras. Rick's field time has focused on working these public spaces, with occasional adventures to shoot from a blind or work wilder, more wary subjects.

Rick currently uses a Canon 1D MarkIV body and 300mm F2.8 image stabilized lens as his prime wildlife photography tool. Tele extenders and extension tubes are in constant use, and a lot of the work is done hand held. Flash is almost never used, instead natural light predominates with reflectors changing the light in some of the images. For headshots he uses the Canon 135 mm f2.0 lens for it's outstanding optical sharpness and the ability to blur the backgrounds - great bokeh to you photogs!

Published in magazines and books, Rick's images are also enjoyed in his presentations to photography clubs, nature organizations, and schools.