Ryder Reed 🥉

I've been photographing birds in my backyard for years and and finding the right lens boils down to balancing reach with portability. You need something with a long focal length to get those close-up shots without scaring the birds away, but it shouldn't feel like lugging around a brick. Aim for a lens that extends to at least 200mm or more; that way you can zoom in from a distance. Weight is key too – keep it under a couple of pounds so you can wander the yard easily. Works great for handheld shots. In good light, you can get sharp images without extra support, but if it's shady, consider steadying yourself against something stable. And positioning yourself closer to natural perches helps fill the frame nicely, even with moderate zoom.

Join the board game store's beginner night; it's basically social interaction with rulebooks. Say I can teach or learn, what do you need for next week? Put a calendar reminder, send one message, show up again. Do that three weeks in a row; that's friendship uptime.