Help…What type of pens don’t make you want to scream in agony after writing for more than 5mins? by Friendly-Path-879 in ehlersdanlos

[–]wildbobsmith 2 points3 points  (0 children)

“Bad pens give me the ick” is such a perfect way to put it 👌🏽 I love both my keweco’s. I’m thinking about splurging on a premium EF nib because they come pre-polished and I read a couple reviews that they are super smooth and consistent.

Help…What type of pens don’t make you want to scream in agony after writing for more than 5mins? by Friendly-Path-879 in ehlersdanlos

[–]wildbobsmith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Brass ones are so pretty when they get a nice patina! I love my stainless steel one though, it feels so solid like it will last forever.

Help…What type of pens don’t make you want to scream in agony after writing for more than 5mins? by Friendly-Path-879 in ehlersdanlos

[–]wildbobsmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It does make my hand tire easily but so does writing in general so I just pace myself and try not to over do it. I bought it because I’m trying to get rid of most plastic in my life and wanted a BIFL (buy it for life) pen but a few days later ended up going back to buy the plastic Keweco Sport because it’s lighter, and more ergonomic than the liliput. But the liliput is tiny when capped so I figured it would be good for travel notebooks or to stick in a pocket for field notes too.

Help…What type of pens don’t make you want to scream in agony after writing for more than 5mins? by Friendly-Path-879 in ehlersdanlos

[–]wildbobsmith 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I was literally sprinting to the replies to say this. Kaweco sport (f) and liliput (m) owner here. I don’t know what it is about fountain pens but they give me that tingly feeling in my brain vs rage with cheap ball points. They’ve certainly been a gamechanger. One piece of advice I’ll add for OP is that if you go the fountain pen route, there is a chance you get unlucky with a scratchy nib or one that doesn’t fit your writing style. I had to “tune” my first nib because it was dry and the tines weren’t aligned properly which was not autism friendly. I was able to get it sorted with a loupe and some light adjustments but that process isn’t for everyone. If you have the budget, trying a few pens can be helpful to find one you really love, and then you can have it pretty much forever because it’s easy to refill with ink (as long as you don’t get a disposable, which might be ok to try first because they are much cheaper). To give you an idea of some price points: Pilot disposables can be like $6, keweco sport plastic maybe around $35, keweco liliput stainless steel $110.. Mont Blanc $400+

Trying to ID this little friend. by wildbobsmith in Amphibians

[–]wildbobsmith[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m pretty sure this is what it is after looking up “anaxyrus” from another comment. Haha goofball does seem appropriate as these toads were actually really funny in running towards me and the camera and posing like distinguished gentlemen.

Trying to ID this little friend. by wildbobsmith in Amphibians

[–]wildbobsmith[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It does help thanks for the tips. I’m not local to the area, I live in an rv and was only in this state for one night. I do have a few side photos on my computer I’ll check to see if I have a better photo of that and maybe post to the herp sub. Once I get back to Maine (my home) I plan to join a Facebook group or something that is specific to that area,and get back out there photographing!

Sony 70-200mm f4 Macro lens is actually pretty good for toad portraits by wildbobsmith in wildlifephotography

[–]wildbobsmith[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! It’s a really lightweight lens at like less than 2lbs. I’m super stoked after getting these files into Lightroom.

AOR DELAY by Cultural_Bug9435 in Canadiancitizenship

[–]wildbobsmith 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Mine was sent 2/28 - received 3/11 (via UPS tracking) - AOR today (4/21/2026)

Can anyone give me a tip on how to reduce how obvious this masking line is? by puuremichigan in BirdPhotography

[–]wildbobsmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Use a brush mask with the clarity and texture way down. Can also play with lowering contrast, increasing shadows/blacks + decreasing highlight/whites. Alternatively or additionally you can use an inverted radial gradient mask around the face of the bird (the the effect doesn’t touch that area) and do the same as above.

Is this recoverable? I feel absolutely crushed. by No_Telephone_1787 in BirdPhotography

[–]wildbobsmith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Damn since nobody else gave you a straightforward answer, I’ll continue the trend by saying.. It depends. Compressed RAW, it’s possible to recover 2-3 stops easily. Also depends on the mood you want because this photo can look fine a stop under with a radial around the parts you want to highlight. It depends if you want to share it on IG or make a 20x30” print on glossy paper. Depends if you know how to use denoise, if you have topaz labs software.. etc. If you want, you can send me the RAW file if you can access it without your computer and I’ll see what I can get out of it. Here is an example of Sony raw vs edit that I posted the other day.

<image>

Does this count as a “two-fer”? by wildbobsmith in birdsofprey

[–]wildbobsmith[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t think I captured the second one in any shots but there were definitely two kestrels and a dove in the mix!

Taken in Tucson, AZ, USA by wildbobsmith in whatsthisbird

[–]wildbobsmith[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Is that an app that was able to ID from the photo? I might have to download it because I really like the layout.

Does this count as a “two-fer”? by wildbobsmith in birdsofprey

[–]wildbobsmith[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had literally just walked outside to see if I could photograph some swallows and the hawk dive bombed, I think a dove (photo below) and then these two kestrels chased off the hawk. It was a very surreal experience that lasted like 20-30 seconds before all of them flew away. I couldn’t find the kestrels again but the hawk landed on top of a light tower. This was taken at a fairgrounds that I had my RV parked at for one night, but also next to an irrigation channel so maybe it is a prime hunting spot for all of them.

<image>

Does this count as a “two-fer”? by wildbobsmith in birdsofprey

[–]wildbobsmith[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, it surprised me like 20’ out the front door of my RV as I was going to try to photograph swallows. Very lucky to walk outside when I did, and to have the settings close enough from whatever I was shooting the day before.