dick_ginkowski

Gary, best advice is to gas up the car, pack your lunch and drinks and just go! Sunrise at Oxbow Bend and sunset, too, can be impressive. A couple of weeks ago I went hoping for pink and gold on the snow capped peaks but instead got a bit of gold but otherwise a stormy looking sky -- which was ok, too. In fact, it was interesting to show that image next to the dramatic pink and gold sky!

 

Schwabacher's landing was fruitful. My experience in Yellowstone and Tetons is that you need to be ready and just enjoy what you find. If you PLAN for something, chances are that plan could fall through (as mine have). You got some great suggestions here (one of my favorite artsy scenic sots is the Teton range shot from inside the Chapel of the Transfiguration). Also, don't overlook wildlife. We were approached by moose at Oxbow bend at sunrise (friendly moose, too, by the way) and the bison are giving birth and raising their young.

 

The grad ND filter is an outstanding choice...expecially at Oxbow, Schwabacher Landing and String Lake. Bear spray? I have not needed it there.

 

Gas up and go!

I was there three weeks ago...awesome area. I stayed overnight in Portland (east side, though) but Hood River is a good choice, if possible. If not, don't fret. You will have lots of chances for good shots. I would start by working the waterfalls from west to east. Multnomah had construction around it. Horsetail was great but Upper Horsetail (Ponytail) was better. The Eagle Creek trail was a disappointment because the view of the Punchbowl falls was horribly obstructed by brush. I had good luck with a couple of scenics/wildflower shots at the Tom McCall preserve. Best bet is to gas up the car, get your Northwest Forests pass and go!

We don't have to worry about animals and amateur photographers, just airport screeners!

 

The problem isn't with amateur photographers, it's with security screeners. I fly about 40 segments a year and it's the ballhead that attracts the most attention because it shows up as a "blob" on the X-ray screen. Only once did a screener actually KNOW what it was: an older Japanese guy at O'Hare. Because of this, I actually carry the Kirk ad with me so that I can assure clueless airport screeners which, of course, doesn't help when the new ballhead does not look like the one in the ad!

 

Not to mention that the new BH-1 is $10 more expensive that its predecessor and for $340 a customer has every right (moral as well as legal, by the way) to receive a well-finished product that coincides with the advertised model.

 

By the way, the kind gentleman at O'Hare and his supervisor did offer this piece of advice: remove the ballhead from your checked bag and send it through separately on one of the little trays. Easier for them to give it a once over and you may spare having them tear through your whole bag.

When my Kirk BH-1 was stolen, I called Kirk and there was a three-

week lag as they were out of stock. I told them no problem as long

as the new one got to me by May 10th.

 

To Jeff's credit, a new BH-1 arrived well in advance of May 10th, but

it was not the same as its predecessor(s). I was aware that the

tensions knobs were changed, but there were some modifications not

depicted on Kirk's web site or magazine ad copy.

 

First, the quick release platform plate is no longer a solid piece of

metal but an open "vented" design. I don't know if it is as stable

as the solid piece but I was not thrilled with that design change.

 

The other is that instead of a slick, professional looking black

anodized aluminum finish, the one I receive was a dull finished model

that had several "spots" (discoloration) in the finish. The Kirk

logo was noticeably absent. (I was told by a Kirk employee that they

had some problems with the finish coming off the older ballheads.)

 

Sadly, I returned the new ballhead to Kirk. I was quite satisfied

with the old one and the new one didn't have the same professional

look and feel plus the design changes were not depicted in their

advertising. The one I received also had some rubbing and vibration

in the large tension knob. I was also concerned about the new "look"

which was closer to something put together in somebody's basement.

Since I fly extensively to shoot, this concerns me as the ballhead

already is the one piece of gear that attracts the most attention

during the security screening.

 

I expected Kirk to replace it. Instead I received yesterday, May 10,

a credit memo with no further explanation or communication (which

surprised and saddened me as I had been a Kirk customer for many

years and thought highly of Mike and Jeff.) That forced me to

express order an Arca-Swiss B1 from another source.

 

This brings me to the design changes in the Arca-Swiss. According to

Arca-Swiss in Chicago, an entirely new design will be coming out

shortly (perhaps this month) and will be even more difficult to get

B1's until the new models arrive and are distributed. (B&H and

Adorama get their Arca-Swiss ballheads from another source and at

last report have the current model in stock.) I have not seen what

the new design is but I was told that it resolves the lock-up problem

inherent in many current and older B1's.

Great advice so far -- but let me add a thought about umbrellas.

 

Instead of a golf umbrella, I have a pure white umbrella I got for $12 at OfficeMax. It's primary role is to diffuse light but occasionally I actually use it for its intended purpose! :)

Shower cap, plastic grocery bag, plastic trash bag (white, if available) and/or one gallon ZipLoc bag.

 

Some hints from Heloise here...

 

Carrying a white plastic trash bag is helpful not only as a rain cover, but it can be used as an impromptu light diffuser should the situation arise.

 

One gallon ZipLoc bags and also sandwich bags (and even snack bags) are part of my traveling gear. They can store lots of things, especially film, compact flash cards, batteries, etc. In your carry on bag you can place odds and ends (preferably in the freezer bag variety -- more durable) so that the airport screeners can see this stuff all at one crack.

 

So, I would suggest carrying a couple of gallon ziplocs in the field with you and maybe a white garbage bag and/or trash bag in your coat pocket.

 

Good luck.

Check around for a used Canon 20mm f/2.8. You can save a lot by getting good used lenses without sacraficing quality.

Dan, I suggest that you immediately buy a copy of The Milepost, which you should be able to find at Borders or Barnes and Noble. It is absolutely indispensible for travel in Alaska.

A less pricey alternative is the Tokina 28-80 f/2.8 ATX-PRO lens. I own this one and the Tokina 20-35 f/2.8 ATX-PRO lens. While I generally recommend OEM equipment, these two lenses are exceptions. Very sharp and less expensive than OEM.

 

Having said that, I have been using my 28-105 USM on my D30 with very good results.

Chris, I'm not familiar with that location, but there are more than one bat "hot spots" in that area, including the Old Tunnel area near Fredericksburg.

 

Check out:

 

http://www.batcon.org/discover/txguide.html

 

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/hillcountry/wma/otwma/

I have Moose Filters in 52mm, 58mm and 77mm sizes and swear by them BUT I have experienced vignetting below about 22-23mm on a Tokina 20-35mm f/2.8 lens. However, I would not agree that the ring is thicker than a typical circular polarizer. It does seem to be a thinner profile than, say, a Tiffen, but obviously not thin enough.

This is a circular argument that seems to come up at virtually every workshop -- but it's a good and legitimate question!

 

I often hear people say: "John Shaw says he never uses a protective filter."

 

WRONG.

 

First, John never said that. He said that he never uses a filter without a reason, i.e., protecting it against what? I might rather have ocean salt spray coming up on a $30 filter vs. a $1500 lens.

 

Second, although John is a nice enough guy, he isn't going to pay for having your lens repaired or replaced if the front element is scratched, shattered or otherwise compromised.

 

I can speak from personal experience: I HAVE HAD FILTERS PROTECT MY EXPENSIVE LENSES IN MORE THAN ONE SITUATION. But read on...

 

There are a number of pros and advanced amateurs who have a working compromise solution to this debate. Here it is: use an 81A warming filter as your "protective" filter.

 

The 81A will help many of your shots and probably won't hurt much. (And, if you shoot flash, the 81A will absorb some of the excess cyan cast.) If you don't need it in a particular situation, just remove it for the time being. The 81A is a better investment than the Skylight or UV filters, both of which are extremely profitable for dealers but are of little actual value photographically.

Momo,

 

You've had numerous suggestions here and I suspect you may be a bit confused. (I know I would be!) The best advice is to try out different films and get to know their characteristics.

 

Velvia is a great landscape film and also good for when you want very saturated colors. Kodak E100VS or is consumer cousin, Elite Crome Extra Color 100 (EBX), is another film you should get to know. Although Fuji's current incarnation of Sensia 100 has a bit dated grain structure (the 200 and 400 were updated), it is a more accurate film in terms of color reproduction with only a smidgen of saturation. For example, if I was going to photograph a white trillium and wanted a clean white flower, I would shoot with Sensia 100 because I know that's what it will do. If I use the Kodak films, the white will have a bit of yellowish cast.

 

How do you learn this? By experimentation -- and sometimes the results might surprise you. I shot a surise with layering mountain ranges in the Smokies on Velvia, EBX and Sensia. Ironically, the best looking images came out with Sensia!

 

There are other films out there (Agfa slide film, for example, is very accurate and clean) but it's a good idea to get to know the characteristics of three or four and then choose the one that's right for your situation based on your preference. If you can keep the light variation down to a minimum, you may wish to try Velvia and one or two of the other films in a test situation.

 

As for me, now that I am almost completely digital, I can tell you that it's a whole different ball game. Generally speaking, any digital image must be adjusted just to have it look exactly as it was taken, let alone any color enhancements.

 

Good luck!

I weigh in along the lines of Bob's thinking. It is difficult to "second guess" evaluative metering. In spot metering, you'd know to, say, open up between 1.5-2 stops when exposing snow or sand or to decrease exposure if you're metering off a dark brown bison. With evaluative metering it's a movable feast, especially when there is something with both extremes in the scene, i.e., dark bison on white snow. One nice aspect of the D30 is the ability to get some type of visual corroboration and then adjust accordingly. I find that when I have an "iffy" evaluative situation, I will go to partial/spot or else bracket. BTW, for bird photography, evaluative seems to do the trick most of the time, at least with Canon, unless you are in a real hairy contrast or light situation. Even then, the necessary bracketing is usually not profound.

Terry, my bag of choice is the humble LowePro Photo Trekker Classic which fits all of the templates I tried at O'Hare and also under the seat in many planes should the need arise.

 

I have had little trouble carrying gear onto the plane (Lowepro Photo Trekker Classic and Lowepro Nova 5 as my "personal bag" with digital stuff.) It appears that the new Transporation Security Agency has retained customer service consultants so we'll hope that they are on our side.

Actually, I was in "the real world" and that's why I am sharing this experience. Had I not had a backup ballhead (something that I've never heard anyone recommend in the past), the trip would have been down the tubes. Had I not had insurance, I would have to bear the loss. My goal was to encourage thought about better preparation or, as we used to say in the Army -- more sweat in training, less blood in combat.

I will be in the Columbia River Gorge area for the first time May 18-

20. I know there are a lot of waterfalls in the area and plan to

shoot as many as I can. Any suggestions for a first time visitor to

the area to maximize shooting opportunities (waterfalls, scenic,

wildlife, wildflowers) at that time? Thanks.

Kevin,

 

There are some inexpensive ways to help you.

 

I would get a Canon or Nikon closeup filter (Canon 250D or 500D or Nikon "T" series) that fits your lens. I would also buy a Kenko 25mm extension tube. Both are relatively inexpensive and should do the trick for you. You can use them alone or in combination with each other and, possibly, the 2x.

 

I would also suggest that you invest $17 in Canon's excellent macro workbook. It'll give you a lot of good ideas on how to maximize your possibilities.

 

Good luck.

There is a great deal of good information on this forum -- sometimes

so much that sometimes it's hard to find the specific data.

 

A lot of us, myself included, ask and post about specific shooting

locations but I'd like to suggest a different twist.

 

It would be nice if we could have a nature photography calendar

of "hot spots" organized by month. This would be information only --

not requests -- as the purpose would be to answer, say, "Where are

the best places to shoot in June?"

 

So, we could have it organized into categories like:

 

Locations - Jan.

Locations - Feb.

Locations - March

 

and so on.

 

Again, this would be for posting information only. If the categories

were set up, then we could all put in a few lines about our favorite

spots for that time of the year.

 

Just a suggestion.

I thought I was reasonably well-prepared for camera equipment

disaster. I mean that I carry an EOS3 as a backup to the 1V and now

that I am shooting mainly digital, the film gear is the backup to the

D30 (and soon D60). While my tripod is in my checked baggage, I

carry the ballhead with me because if the checked luggage is delayed,

you can usually find a Bogen 3021 at most camera dealers, but if

you're without a ballhead, the shoot is down the tubes. I was only

partially correct.

 

In January was shooting in the Everglades when the tension adjustment

screw on my Kirk BH-1 ballhead crapped out. I thought this would be

no problem as I could call around the camera dealers in the Miami

area and get another ballhead, such as an Arca or the new Gitzo

magnesium alloy model, which would handle quick release plates.

 

WRONG. Not one camera dealer in the Miami area even had a ballhead

in stock, period. Plenty of tripods but NO ballheads.

 

Fortunately, the BH-1 made it through the weekend (with help from a

machine shop) and I was able to ship it back to Kirk for repair.

 

In the interim, I put a Kirk QR-3 quick release platform on an old

Kaiser medium ballhead. Not very fancy but it'll basically hold my

300mm f/2.8. This has now become my "backup ballhead."

 

Fast forward to a week or so ago when I was at Chicago O'Hare. I

removed the ballhead from my bag prior to entering the security

screen (the people who work there recommend this because it shows up

as a blob on their screen) and was getting organized when I was

approached by a man asking for change for the telephone. When I

turned around to give my boarding pass to the first screener, I

noticed that my BH-1 ballhead and an EOS3 was gone.

 

I chased after the thief, yelling for the police, who were there but

did absolutely NOTHING -- not even take a report or chase after the

thief, who I lost in the crowd. (They even had the audacity to

suggest that I go to lost and found -- what morons!)

 

The BH-1 was gone but, fortunately, I had my old Kaiser with the QR-3

plate checked away. The trip was not a total disaster.

 

Moral of the story: a backup ballhead is something you probably

wouldn't think about, but if you use quick release plates, it's a

darn good idea.

 

Also, I have a label printer and put labels on most of my gear. The

EOS3 was found (ironically by a neighbor of mine who was also at

O'Hare) and returned to me.

 

And another moral: don't leave your stuff unattended, even for a

couple of seconds to talk to someone asking for change.

 

Finally, my gear is insured for its replacement value. The insurance

paid for itself.

The Newfound Gap Road construction only delayed me last week by 2-3 minutes total.

 

Lots of good shooting. Waterfalls and streams. Wildflowers along the Little River Road from Townsend to Gatlinburg plus the Chimneys Picnic area (walk the Cove Hardwood Trail, too). Scenics and some scrappy looking deer at Cades Cove. Sunrise from the Foothills Parkway 12 miles west of the Townsend entrance or from Clingman's Dome. Sunset from Clingman's Dome or, if accessible, Morton Overlook.

 

I recommend staying on the Townsend side if you value your sanity and your wallet.<div></div>

This inexpensive bag (which LowePro tries to bury in its advertising) carries a lot of gear and fits both overhead and under the seat, if necessary.

Folks, I am not naming names for a reason. The demonstration was during a program put on by a respectable and well-meaning group whose leadership was likely not to understand what was involved here and probably was caught by surprise. I reasonably suspect they did not know that handlers would be tugging at chains to get the "models" to pose (and perhaps that is not the norm in less restrictive environment).

Alex, the folks at the Wildlife Prairie Park near Peoria are great people. They take in many animals for rehabilitation or who are otherwise unwanted (i.e., some of the Chicago suburbs transport unwanted deer there). The founder is the former director of the Illinois Conservation Commission.

I am far from being "politically correct" and I have little patience

for some of the debate on whether it's okay to shoot captive animals

vs. those in the wild (besides, if you've ever been to a place like

the Wildlife Prairie Park in Illinois, the assigned residents are

frequently joined by visitors in search of food and safety).

Nonetheless a recent incident just turned my stomach.

 

An outfit that arranges wildlife model photo shoots had a mini

demonstration. Their "models" were chained and very uncomfortable.

The handlers were constantly pulling on the chains and occasionally

slapping the models. It was highly indignant, to say the least. I

had to stop shooting as I could not stomach it. My heart wasn't in

it.

 

I am not a "purist" by any means, but I often like to develop

a "rappot" with my subjects. Sometimes the light and conditions may

not be sufficient for photography, but I have hung around, for

example, watching bisons teach their young (with their acquiesence to

my presence) or a coyote or moose in search of morsels. That is part

of the joy of nature photography, IMHO.