cowan stark

Moose appear to be quickly becoming the official state pest here. The population has reached 10,000, and the state has called for a 10% reduction by increasing hunting permits this year. Due to the loss of wolves, mountain lions, and habitat due to development, their only natural enemy is the Impala (Chevy that is). They apparently feel that they'll be a threat to the maples and aspens eventually, but probably aren't complaining about the benefits of tourism! One of the guys in my office who lives near me had 2 moose in his yard this morning. We live in Durham, near the seacoast, this is fairly unusual. I spotted a pair walking along a river bed near Crawford Notch a couple of weeks ago-but couldn't get set up for a shot in time. The area your talking about is good, and around Lake Umbagog. Have fun if you go there, it's a really nice part of the state.

I've had the black version (3221W) in salt water up to about a foot deep, and wasn't really quick to rinse it off. So far, no corrosion whatsoever, except for the same thing that Bob mentioned with the steel nuts rusting.

Here's my two cents worth. Depending on their activity, you may find the 300 to be too long, and you'll get the most out of the 75-300 zoom. I've gone several times to the Stellwegan Bank which is probably where you're headed. They will sometimes get so close, that you'll wish you had the 28-80 on when one unexpectedly pops up so close you can touch them. Also, try to anticipate the timing of their diving/surfacing pattern and keep an eye in the viewfinder for as long as you can or until you get seasick. Another thing to watch out for is that sneaky tilting horizon that can appear in your shots-it's easy to forget about this on a rocking boat in the heat of the moment. Definitely ditch the polarizer. I've used Provia-normally rated, and Ektachrome 200. Don't give up if you don't see much on the first trip-it can be a frustrating endeavor at times. Try again in the fall when they're pigging out in anticipation of their southward migration. Haved fun!

I can speak from the experience of an A2E user. I've been working on flight shots of birds-seagulls are my favorite practice subjects-they're fast,plentiful and- once in a while, actually photogenic. I've found the following when using AI servo mode: 1) turn off ECF 2) select one focusing point and lock on to it for fast moving subjects when panning 3) your target has to be reasonably large in the frame 4) the first shot is usually the worst, the focus doesn't lock on for me until the second shot in the sequence. 4) Using all the focusing points in my case 5, 3 for you does work when the subject moves across the field, but I save this for turtle photography! -OK I'm exaggerating a little, but I have found it slower. 5) Don't forget to re-acquire focus if you lose your lock on the target. 6) you didn't mention what lens you're using-this will be a factor. Finally, I highly recommend you read the section in Arthur Morris' book The Art of Bird Photography. It has really practical Canon-specific techniques for autofocus and telephoto photography, even if birds aren't you're main interest. Again, just my experience with the A2E, I haven't used an Elan II for this.

Bob's suggestions are good. At several key places around Acadia, there are bright yellow "Kodak Photo spot" signs and a guy standing nearby with a Kodak logo on his shirt, ready to be your "photo valet" to point you in the right direction. It's probably a ploy by serious photographers who use Velvia to concentrate the tourists in one place whilst they take pictures in peace. There's even one on top of Cadillac Mountain-which can be beautiful at sunset especially if the clouds are right (named not after the French explorer as many believe, but the choice of transportation to scale this lofty summit). Also not a bad place to do the whale watch thing if that interests you. There are combo puffin/whale watch excursions out of Bar Harbor. I had good luck with whales a couple of years ago. Puffins are tougher-I got lots of blurry bird butts flying off the sides of my slides and the boat didn't (and probably shouldn't) get close enough to the island they'd colonized. Try here for a sampler of photos by Chuck Theodore who has some nice images or Acadia. http://www.chucktheodore.com/ Have a great trip!

To respond to Rose-Marie's comments-I was at a John Shaw workshop and he sees the good in this. There will probably be a market for 'natural' photos and we should take advantage of it. People will pay twice as much for carrots with an 'organic' label on them, so if we label our images as 'all natural' we'll all make a killing on photo sales.

The size allowances aren't standard on US airlines. Check the kinesis web site for a comparison at www.kinesisgear.com. Also in Europe, there are apparently tough weight restrictions. I just travelled to Florida with 2 EOS bodies, 70-200L, 300/4 L, 100 macro, 20-35, various converters/extension tubes and filters, 540 EZ flash, and fit it all in a Tamrac 613 bag with (a little) room to spare. I packed a 28-135 in a padded lens case and packed them around my checked baggage and had no problems. Although this came close to the sizing template at the airport, I saw people carry on much bigger stuff than that. I also have a Tamrac 787 backpack which carries a ton, but it's probably about the same size as the Pro-trekker. I tried loading it up, but it would have gone way over when fully packed. Empty, it would have made it. Note that the catalogues usually give internal dimensions, and when you stuff a bag, they get bigger in a hurry! You may get away with one of the larger bags if you safely pack some of it in your checked stuff, or carry it in a photo vest and re-load your bag on the other end. I put the film in a large baggie and handed it over for hand inspection. The security people at the Portland Me. Jetport actually thanked me for having the film in clear plastic canisters instead of the older black ones!

I agree completly with Steven and Rich. The original post referred to Vermont and NH, but as long as were're in a NY frame of mind...I also lived for 10 yrs on the edge of the Adirondack Park before moving to NH, and it's spectacular in the fall, and definitly less crowded. It would be a worthwhile if you have time, to do a NY/Vt/NH swing through. The High Peaks area between Lake Placid and Keene are my favorite, and I remember peak foliage to be a little earlier then in NH at similar latitude. I still stand by my earlier suggestion to plan ahead-not so much in planning which rock you're going to stand on to take a picture, but picking general areas to go to. Some prime hotels, even in the Adirondacks, can book up a year in advance.

 

Cowan

Hi Kurt, greetings from the Granite State. Fall folliage was pretty poor last year due to weather conditions and peak time can really vary depending on where you go. I would encourage you to check the foliage hot lines, there are several, but try here: http://www.newengland.com/ this is Yankee Magazines' site with links and information on where to go and lodging etc. Last year, just before Columbus Day weekend was probably the best time in the White Mountains, I think. It can get fairly busy that time of year so plan ahead. You may find yourself tripod to tripod with other leaf peepers. Check out http://www.chucktheodore.com/ for some samples of what to expect. Good luck, it's a great photo-op for some really memorable images.

 

Cowan Stark

I'm headed to Florida shortly too and hope to do my share of photography, but I'm also probably going to ship my equipment in bits and pieces. I have a Tamrac 787, which when loaded will be tough to make the new restrictions. Unfortunately the manufacturers give only internal dimensions for their product which doesn't help us as the size of the bags depends on how stuffed they are. While I agree with Gerry about the safety issues, the airlines have quietly been cramming more seats into the planes to maximize profit (or decrease loss), and this is at the expense of the carry-on allowance. Have you noticed how little elbow room you have lately? I would be happy to check my camera equipment if I was assured of careful handling and the airlines acceptance of responsibility, but that ain't gonna happen. Just so that you're not feeling left out, I'm a guitarist and try getting a fragile $2000 instrument safely on a plane. The same discussions are going through that newsgroup also. One person hung his Stratocaster in a garment bag and did just fine!

 

Cowan

I recently had a chance to shoot with VS in one camera body and Velvia in the other. I thought the VS was very good and was fairly close to Velvia, which I still prefer for landscapes. I've had the same thing happen with the oversaturated reds also. I thought the reds on the VS were less saturated than Velvia. If you have time, shoot a roll of each yourself see what you think.

 

Cowan