Forum policy, equipment discussion, digital manipulation, Maine, Moose....

[bobatkins]

I'm just back from a trip and I thank the other moderators (Don, Shun,

maybe even Philip?) for helping out in my absence.

 

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I see there is another digital manipulation thread! In it there

were some comments about the forum content etc. Don't forget that

this isn't the photo.net Q&A and the rules are slightly different.

Here a question doesn't have to have a "photographic goal". Since

this is a smaller forum we can afford to be a little more

philosophical in our discussions. I doubt there is any more to

be said about digital image manipulation in Nature Photography than

has already been said, but I think it's still useful to let others

know where articles and images on the subject appear. It certainly

seems to be of interest!

 

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On the subject of equipment discussion, it's OK here to some

extent as long as it's focused on nature work nad doesn't repeat

what's in the static content or the Q&A database (one day we will

get a search engine back...). However I will make one observation

on the subject. I just got back from 2 weeks in Maine, visiting

Baxter State Park and Acadia NAtional Park. I met quite a few serious

and pro

nature photographers, including some times sitting with them for

hours waiting for the Moose to appear (it can be a LONG wait). I don't

think we discussed

equipment more than one time. Someone asked if I'd had trouble with

the legs of my carbon fiber Gitzo coming unstuck (the answer is

no, not yet, but I carry superglue just in case!). Never any

discussion of Nikon/Canon, whether Sigma lenses are OK (and some

people were using Sigma lenses!), what the best film for Moose is

and so on. Just an observation.

[bill_meyer]

So Bob, did you get any shots of moose out there? I wouldn't mind

hearing a little more about your trip as I've wanted to visit Maine

myself...

[bobatkins]

Yes, I saw quite a few Moose. You either have to be lucky or patient.

I spent about 5 days in Baxter State Park. As predicted, the Moose

appeared at Sandy Stream Pond, which is an 8 mile (30 minute) drive along a

dirt road from the southern gatehouse ($8/day entry fee if you don't

live in Maine), plus about a 1/2 mile hike to the pond. One evening I

saw 6 Moose in the pond (on the far side, of course), in shade

under cloudy skies. Not good for images.

 

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On the last day I sat at the pond from about 10am to 5pm (on

the "big rock" for those who know the layout). Found a large bull

moose in the woods as I got there (along with a small herd of

photographers, which I joined), but sunny skies and Moose in

woods make an impossibly high contrast subject most of the time).

About 3pm a large

bull Moose wandered down the trail to the rock, around the rock

and out into the middle of the pond. He was about 10-20ft away

as he walked by. He spent the next hour or so in the middle of

the pond, most of the time with his head underwater. To fill the

frame you needed a 1000mm lens.

 

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There were quite a few other Moose around, either leaping in front

of the car in the dark (twice) or lurking around the edges of

some of the other ponds, typically hidden by trees and in poor light

for photography. I wouldn't say they were really easy to see, but

with some effort and quite a bit of driving and hiking, you'd be

unlucky not to see at least one if you spent a few days in the park

and talked with others about "sightings"!

 

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On a good day (so they say) you can get decent shots with a P&S

if you find a Moose who wants to eat near the shore and the trail.

It happens (but not to me).

 

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Baxter is a great place to visit. Almost an "anti" National Park.

The nearest gas station is about 15 miles out of the park, the

park has two dirt roads with only a few "views" along them. You

have to get out and hike if you want to see anything. No stores,

no trash cans, no telephones and no paved roads. The nearest motels

are in Millinocket, about 20 miles outside the park.

 

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I also visited Acadia NP. Another great place, but lots of paved

roads, telephones, stores, tourists, buses, motels etc. Still you

can get away from most of it by hiking or climbing away from the

road. No Moose, but lots of rocky coastline and fall foliage. Not

the best year for colors since the leaf fall was pretty high, but

still spectacular in places.

 

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Some of the best trees are along I95 north of Bangor, but it's not

really the place to get out and set up your tripod...

[dick_ginkowski]

I envy you! I spent a weekend at Baxter last month and didn't seee

even one moose! A wasted trip, so to speak.

 

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Note: the entrance fee for Baxter is based on vehicle registration.

If you're driving a car with Maine plates, you're in free.

 

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(If, of course, you drove up from say, Joysee, and didn't rent a car

with Maine plates, you have to cough up $8.)

[darren___]

Bob - you're right, getting quality light on moose is a tough thing to

do! I just spent a weekend in Maine and I quickly gained an

appreciation for how difficult it is to get a good picture of a moose.

I am quite the amature, and my problem (beside composition - ugh!) was

getting proper exposure of the dark hair without blowing the exposure

of the rack. For example, here's one of my shots:

 

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http://www.lexicomm.com/whites/gather98/pix/moose2_b.jpg

 

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The coat looks ok, but the rack is blown out. What can be done about

this other than waiting for better light? Anyone use a NDG filter to

offset a moose's rack? <grin>

 

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Maine does have some wonderful scenic locations, and after no luck

with the moose, I might stick to my landscape efforts. For example,

here's a shot I took in Eustis, ME:

 

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http://www.lexicomm.com/whites/gather98/pix/flagss2_b.jpg

 

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It's of the Bigelow Mountain Range reflecting in Flagstaff Lake. It's

not a great shot, but it shows the potential for great photography in

that area, which should be of some use to the readers of this

newsgroup.

 

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I hope you share some of your shots. As a photo newbie, I'm very

interested in seeing other people's images of areas that I've been to

and/or can get to relatively easily (New England).

 

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- darren

[bobatkins]

Moose are close to impossible subjects in direct sunlight. The only

thing to do is wait for the right light. I measured at least 6 stops

difference between the antlers and shadows on the coat, maybe 7 stops.

 

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You could, in principle, try using fill flash to open up the shadows I

guess. I don't think a split ND filter is going to help a lot!

[robert_henriksen]

Bob, it was fun to hear about Baxter. I spent a few days there close

to 20 years ago hiking to the summit of Katahdin (sp?). There used to

be a female moose named Ethel who'd walk up to you in the campground

& lick salt out of your palm. The summer I was there she had a calf

with her, and we got to meet both of them. At least at one time, I

had photos to prove this! <g> Don't know if there are any park

rangers there that remember those days.

 

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Now, if that female moose was sporting a big rack, I would have been

up in the nearest tree ;-)

 

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Oh, and we had another great experience: We were hiking up

Traveller's mountain on game trails, and heard a rustle. Stopped &

looked to our left, and there was a LARGE (aren't they all?) bull

about 15-20 feet away grazing on the low tree branches! We stood

still & stared, a bit in shock. He eventually wandered away from us

into the woods.

[bill_meyer]

Having been to both Yellowstone and Alaska, I am one who can respect a

good moose photo. I have found moose to be elusive and when I did

find them, they were very hard to meter in harsh mid-day sunlight! I

did however manage to get a young bull moose snorting at me in the

early morning, but once again the lighting was not condusive to a

great photo.

[james_r_babb]

Bob--

Baxter is the anti-national park; it is, after all, a state park, a

gift to us Mainers from a former governor with deep pockets.

 

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Baxter's moose population is kinda sparse compared with other nearby

areas; clearcuts, ugly though they may be, are prime moose habitat,

and climax forests, as in Baxter, are not.

 

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The best way to see moose in that area of Maine is to base in

Greenville at the bottom of Moosehead Lake (Indian Hill Motel is

about $32/night after October 16) and either (or alternately) drive

north on Route 15 up the west side of the lake about an hour before

sunset; the road from Greenville through Kokadjo to the Golden Road

and the Baxter Park area has just as many moose and maybe a few more,

if you take the sideroad just before Kokadjo that leads by First

Roach Pond.

 

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Stop in any clearcut area and glass with binoculars, or head down any

logging road running off the main road.

 

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And be careful. Twenty-something people died in moose/car collisions

up here last year. Moose don't reflect light, they like to hang out

along roads (particularly in the spring, when they're attracted by

residual road salt), and they're at precisely the right height to end

up in the front seat with you.

 

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Happy moose hunting--with fill flash.