First, for the camera end of things. My first photo, sometime around age 6 or before, was with an antique turn of the century camera. My first efforts, not surprisingly, often resulted in poor focus, or double exposure. I began taking wildlife photos seriously about twenty five years ago. Since this was prior to the digital camera revolution, I used a variety of SLR cameras. I went through a succession of cameras, starting with Minolta, then through manual FE Nikon models through Canon fully automatic models, and even the APS cameras introduced in the 1990's. 

Although I dabbled in digital photography soon after its advent, I only first started seriously going digital in 1998. As of 1999, I migrated almost exclusively to digital cameras, and currently shoot with a variety of digital cameras. Although I have upgraded nearly every year, I still have some of my very early models, including the Nikon Coolpix 950 and 990, which I still find are very good self contained macro cameras. Currently, I am using a Nikon Coolpix 8800, and a Canon EOS Digital Rebel camera.

I have an assortment of accessories for my cameras, including the wide angle and telephoto lenses, an assortment of filters, and a small army of batteries and compact flash cards. In the field, I usually carry a small camera bag with two spare sets of batteries, 4 or 5 flash cards of assorted sizes, and sometimes a lens or filter. Probably 90 percent of my shots are done without any auxiliary lenses or filters, except the UV, which sits in front of my lens at all times (one of my Nikon cameras was saved at the start of a field trip to Guatemala years ago in the airport by the UV filter, which was destroyed, but the camera undamaged- ever since then, all my cameras get UV lenses on arrival).

I also sometimes carry a tripod. This may range from a simple tabletop model (I have one that folds into a space so small it fits into my pocket) to a Benbo, which I like because it bends in every possible direction, including right down to the ground, where I often prefer to shoot for an animal or plant eye view-do plants have eyes?

Computers- Hardware and Software

I currently use several desktop computers with an HP Pavilion f70 monitor, and have a laptop computer for use on field trips.

For software, I use a variety of programs.I have standardized largely on Adobe Photoshop for image editing, currently using CS2 Adobe Creative Suite. Sometimes I also supplement this with other excellent image editing programs.  Thumbs Plus is used on both my travel laptop computer, to review images in the field, and at home, to sort and catalog my digital images (which now number about 180,000, not including SLR photos scanned separately and digitized).