kerry_grim

Looks very much like an immature Wilson's Warbler which is reasonably common for your area. The closest to it would be immature Hooded Warbler but I have never seen one with a face pattern like that, but Hooded Warbler can also be ruled out is it is far out out of the range.

 

I have no idea what the bird before this email is, except it certainly is not the same species, nor does it even appear to be a warbler, but I have no feel for a size.

 

Fall warblers are generally difficult to idenify and it takes years of experience. I've learned to identify them in black-and-white, paying attention to patterns, shape, and sometimes even the chip call will identify the species. Lighting is variable and seldom match the photos or illustrations in books. It would be best to learn what is in the area which would narrow it down, usually. It is usually the neophite birder that comes up with an identification for a bird that doesn't even occur in the area, yet hard-core birders don't often find them. So I guess what I am saying is look at the commonist birds of the area first. In the case with this warbler, I would show it to local birders.

 

In all case, the photographer needs to note location, habitat, size, and behavior which also aides in identification.

The bottom line to me is that both systems are highly useable and each person should choose what they prefer. My next computer will be a Mac, but if I see the need for a PC, then I will buy a PC and own both systems. Computers are just a freekin? tool!

I once read a horror story of a person that went to Africa. She was using a 28-300 lens and dropped it. She had no backup and was forced to taking wildlife photos with a wide angle lens since she had no backup.

 

Keep it.

My suggestion would be to buy an Xti from B&H photo with maybe a 28mm 1.8 lens, use it a while and then decide which lenses to purchase once you have experience. If you want a good zoom lens, yes, they will cost more than $300.00, but the lense is the important part. Several crappy lenses does not cut it. Buy good lenses, even it takes awhile to do so.

GOOGLE: Galen Rowell Graduated Neutral Density Filters...lots will show up including articles by Galen.

Thank you all for your comments. This is all very useful information. We will not hesitate to visit Shenandoah during week days in fall. I suspected the trees were not as red as they are in say, the New England states, but that is fine with me. I enjoy the forest locally in Pennsylvania, year-round, and each season has its own beauty. There is much to be explored in the interior of the park, and I don?t feel part of the place until I ditch the vehicle and start walking.

 

I also appreciate Loren?s comments about Canaan Valley/Dolly Sod which I have heard from others over the years, and that will surely be on our must-visit list as well.

My family and I took our first trip to Shenandoah National Park in mid-June. We

were pleasantly surprised by the lack of people and the beauty of the layered

mountains along Skyline Drive.

 

What I am wondering is, what is this place like during weekdays during the peak

of fall foliage. Is it pretty much like a zoo with leaf watchers, or, can

someone like me who does not enjoy crowds, still enjoy the park? I am referring

mostly to Skyline Drive as opposed to the trails. I realize no one can answer

that for me, but I would like to hear impressions from others of the park

during fall.

 

Approximately when is the peak of fall foliage? I have always preferred being

in the forest at times others consider past the peak with some leaves down and

more sunlight reaching the tree structure. I suspect it may be a challenge to

be there when it is not overly hazy.

 

I would expect the scenery along the Blue Ridge Parkway south of Shenandoah to

be gorgeous; however, it was obvious with just one visit, that there is

unlimited opportunity just along Skyline Drive. Coming from Pennsylvania, it is

a relatively short 3.5 hour drive. While the Smoky Mountain NP is more

desirable, my desire is to go back to Shenandoah NP as it is much closer.

 

Sorry I can not share any photos as unfortunately I do not yet have a digital

camera.

My son got a MacBook Pro with a 15.4" widescreen display. Our intentions were to purchase a 20" monitor. However, the laptop is so incredibly sharp, that viewing on a lage display is not necessary for editing them and buying a 20" or 24" monitor is now on the back burner. Zooming in works fine.

 

I would suggest buying a video card that is capable of powering a large monitor. That will surely bring the price up a lot but it is money well spent.

This post just reminded me...I have 5 rolls of film to send in for processing on a recent trip. My son took 4 times the number of photos I did with his xti, 'processed them' in Lightroom and created a program. Here I am wishing my photos were digital as well and it will cost me much more to have 5 rolls processed (print film) than I spent on buying my son an extra memory card. With what I have spent on processing in the past three years, I could have purchased an xti body. At least me me, I think it is time to switch!

I've owed a 24 and a 28 over the years and prefer the 24. True, not that much difference, but still I like the 24. Maybe mostly mental! However, that zoom may not actually be 28 at the lower end. It could be something like 30 or 32mm. If you get a chance, mount a 24 on your camera, and I suspect you may see a bigger difference than you suspect. My son and I often shoot together. He uses a 28-135 Canon but frequently asks to use my 24. One thing, I really like is using the depth of field scale on the 24. I am using it on a film camera but my son has an xti.

"If a bear kills a human doesn't that bear have to be killed?"

 

I am almost certain the bear does not 'have to be killed'. Attacking in defense of there young is very different than a predatory bear. Grizzlies and black bears have on very rare occasions preyed upon people as a food source. In that case, even the top bear naturalists will likely say the bear has to be destroyed. People are surprised to learn that Black Bears can be predatory toward humans.

If the 16-35 is good enough for Art Wolfe, then I know it would be good enough for me. Check this website and see what is in Art Wolfe's bag. Warning it is painfully slow to load, even with DSL.

 

http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/travels/index.jsp

After reading these answers, I would get the impression it is not worth the effort to try photographing the moon.

 

This is not the case. During the next full moon, please check weatherunderground.com where people submit their photos of anything supposedly weather related. I have seen excellent moon photos there with a minimum of equipment including ones taken with a 300mm lens. Surely they are cropped and sharpened, but some are incredibly sharp as well.

I have used a home PC for many, many years. Then deciding we need an additional computer, we got a Mac Pro book 15" widescreen and we also purchased Lightroom and CS3. This is a great combination and fast. Originally planned on purchasing a 20" monitor for photo work but there is no rush to do that as the Mac monitor is extremely sharp. We don't spend all our time trying to protect the computer from viruses or even bogging down the machine because of antivirus software. No driver problems either. Startup is only 22 seconds and shutdown is even faster. To purchase the laptop, it is already fully loaded. Go to the Apple website and configure a laptop. Then go to Dells website and spend a long time trying to figure out which model to start with before even trying to configure, you will find the price very similar to a Mac.

 

Our current PC has Windoze 2000 and to upgrade the operating system, well you need a new computer, which I now see little reason to stick to a PC. Eventually when this PC becomes obsolete, you can be sure it will be an additional Mac.

 

My suggestion is to go to an Apple superstore when you can view the entire Apple products. They also have an excellent website with demos:

 

http://www.apple.com/

 

I do not mean to put down PCs. They are very capable. Just that all of us are very enthused over our recent Mac Book Pro laptop. I have not heard a lot of good things regarding Vista. Microsoft still keeps updating my 'doze 2000 system. Up to something like 70 updates so far and when they stop supporting it, well I stop supporting Microsoft!

 

Oh, there are a million little things that are really nice about the Mac...for example, a power cable that disconnects should you walk between the power supply and the laptop. If I forget to turn on the DSL modem after the Mac is started...no problem. If I do that to the PC, I have to reboot. Mac has put much thought into these little things.

I would absolutely recommending going with digital and not film. I do not have a digital body yet, but wish I did. Last evening I was at my sons high school track meet and at one point took three photos in less than a second and thought to myself "well that was about $2.00 worth of film and processing".

 

One thing to consider is the 'digital darkroom' end of it. Is this person computer savvy or does this person want nothing to do with computers. Possibly this person has basically what is needed, although it is possible to invest quite heavily in software.

 

My intentions are to switch from a PC to Mac, purchase Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. However, I will look forward to learning these programs which will be very time consuming. But, first I must purchase that digital body. [Please...I do not want to start a PC vs. Mac war; but having seen the lastest Macs, this is now my decision for personal use].

 

If you would invest in an expensive film body, it may be just a matter of time that this person loves the camera but wishes it were digital.

Whethere the focusing is right on or not, I can't be sure, but 1/30 sec is way too slow a shutter speed. Get closer if you can, dont use at 500mm if you do not have to, but certainly go to a higher shutter speed even if it means shooting wide open and having to bump up the ISO setting.

 

I assume you have changed the sharpness in the XTi. My son recently got an XTi and pictures are very sharp, although the default setting is not set to be very sharp.

 

If the swam was motionless, use one-shot and hold the focus, focusing near the eye. Then recompose and shoot. If you are using Servo, likely it is not focusing where you want the sharpest focus to be. At least this is what I would do using my EOS-3 and I am assuming the XTi has similar one shot and Servo settings.

My son recently purchased an XTi and recently he used my 24 2.8 Canon lens that I use for a film body. His results were excellent. Old design or not, the pictures were great. A zoom lens may be ideal, but if you can live with a single length focal lens, you will not be disappointed with the 24. I am sure I would say the same thing regarding the 28, however it is closer to a 'normal' lens on a 1.6 crop lens. Using a single focal length lens does make a nice, compact combination to use.

 

With a 1.6 crop camera the 35mm equivalent is about 6mm difference between a 24 lens and 28mm lens. I've used 24mm and 28mm doing film photography for about 30 years and for a wide angle lens, I strongly prefer the 24.

 

The Sigma 30 f1.4 is often recommended as a standard single focal length for a Canon 1.6 crop camera. I don't disagree with that choice, however it would seem the Canon 1.8 would be an excellent and more affordable choice while not being all that much slower.

Thank you all. These are great responses and excellent advice. I looked at Lightroom on the Abobe website and that looks like a product I will strongly consider in the furture as my son and myself ease into digital. No sense in starting with Photoshop as I could consider that at a later date if needed. Thanks again.

My son has recently purchased a Canon XTi and he is currently using the

supplied Canon software and an older version of Paint Shop Pro. I will also

purchase a digital camera but before I do that I am considering going back to

Mac as my Windoze 2000 computer (spelled that way on purpose) is getting dated.

 

I am currently considering buying him a Mac laptop, either MacBook or MacBook

Pro. Naturally we prefer the Pro but do have to consider costs. In addition, I

would purchase a 20" Apple Cinema Display (20" flat panel) that he could hook

up to for working with photos, and eventually I would also purchase a MacBook

or MacBook Pro and we could share the monitor.

 

My main questions are regarding software. Naturally, the smartest thing to do

is use the supplied Canon software and see if this does what my son and I want.

However we are curious of the differences between Photoshop Elements and

Photoshop CS3. We are not professionals and do not intend on selling

photographs but do want good editing software and take great pride in obtaining

the best possible photographs.

 

What are the major differences between Photoshop Elements and Photoshop CS3?

Is CS3 overkill for the prosumer? We do not mind the leaning curve.

Could CS3 legally be placed on two laptops from the same household? Maybe more

fair to ask Adobe. If we could do this, I could live with the fairly expensive

cost of the software.

Should we also consider Apple Aperture although reading the forum, there seems

to be a high hardware requirement?

 

All comments regarding the software as well as computer choice are greatly

appreciated.

 

And please...this is not a which is better...Mac or PC, so I do not want to

start a debate on that.

The longer the better. A 200-400 might be ok if shooting from alongside the car providing another person is driving and the car is ready to flee ASAP, the same I would do if trying to phograph tornados.

 

Much more important than the lens is the question...how will you find them? You certainly do no want to surprise them.

 

Unless you are extremely familiar with them and their habits, I would first suggest reading the book:

 

BEAR ATTACKS Their Causes and Avoidances (Revised edition) by Stephen Herrero. It is excellent and he is the leading authority on the subject.

 

I am certain that the NPS will do everything possible to discourage you from this activity. That said, I would try to photograph them if I did live in griz habitat. But I would first study everything possible about them and then realize also that they are very unpredictable.

 

Good luck, and please post back about how you did in attempting to photograph them.

I live locally and have visited the sanctuary since 1974 both as a volunteer hawk counter for the sanctuary and also as a photographer. I will give some brief comments, so if I don't hit on one of your ideas, let me know, and I will help further.

 

Leaves will not push out on the trees until about the first week of May depending on the weather condition. That may be a good thing if trying to photograph in the forest since lighting can be very contrasty when the leaves are fully out.

 

Fall will attract many, many people. Early September is not too bad. By October, many people will overwhelm the area on the weekends to see the leaves. Unless you arrive before daybreak, there may not even be room for parking. In that case, it may be better to hike game lands or perhaps a visit to The Pinnacle (8 mile round-trip walk).

 

If you have a morning, especially in September with ground fog, this will be a great photo op from the South Lookout or several lookouts along the trail to North Lookout (3/4 mile walk). If the day is to be hazy, North Lookout is not the place to take photos. Pick a day after a front passes through for interesting cloud formation; or perhaps a clear day before full moon, in which case the moonrise can be spectacular if rising in an Earth's Shadow just after sunset.

 

Below is Hawk Mountain Sanctuary?s website which has pretty extensive information.

 

www.hawkmountain.org

Did you try Star Trails under the Learning section of THIS FORUM?

A lot of us are in the boat. I use an EOS-3 film body and, for me, 24mm is the ideal wide angle focal length. I have used 17, 20, 24, 28, and 35mm lenses over the years, but my preference always goes to 24mm as the ideal focal length. I do want to go digital, prefer the 5D, but can not afford it. The xti is affordable but the Canon option is the 10-22. My preference would be a 15mm lens for the 1.6 crop lens. I am sure the 10-22 zoom is fine and I would be satisfied with it, but if Canon had a 15mm lens for this body, I would probably buy both tomorrow.

There are a buch of wildlife refuges in South Carolina. Hopefully someone who has visited them will give specific recommendations. Try this site below.

 

http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/ByState.cfm?state=SC

Don't restrict yourself to the 30 minutes before or after sunrise. Don't forget clouds. There are sundogs with ice clouds, crepuscular rays, and all sorts of sky phenomena, and after a clear sunset or before a sunrise, turn around 180 degrees and watch for an Earth's Shadow.

 

To get an idea of this, see this site:

http://www.atoptics.co.uk

 

There are many sunrise and sunset calculators on the web and they are accurate because you can type in the locations. I would suggest a good shareware program. They willl also tell you the azimuth.

 

More time in the field = better chances at photos, and becoming aware of the sky and what to look for will go along way toward good photos.

 

Don't be concerned about a calm wind or blue sky. At least to me, a better chance of a colorful sunset will be one with clouds.