rick_wong

Kelly like Frank said the chances of getting a great shot at the wall is not that good on a 3-4 hour hike. If you are on your own and can be on the wall at first light or last light then a tripod will come in handy. If you are on a tour your guide will give you the facts and turn you lose remind you to be back in 4 hours. the first two towers will be full of people so setting up a tripod will be hard and if you end up blocking others they will let you know. As you climb you will wish you left everything back at the bus. I had to turn around before I made it to the last tower but as you go you will find less and less people. Advise go light I used a 24-120vr, 80-400vr and a monopod. Also try shot on your way back other wise you will run out of time.

http://rickwong.com/NewFiles/Autumn.swf

 

Hi Larry

This link will take you a a slideshow featuring fall colors. the first eight were shot at the Arboreum in Seattle

 

 

You can also find the sockeye salmon spawning in Renton Washington which is about a 15min drive from Seattle

Here is a link to someone that had just gotten back from page. http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=9179425

Hi Matt

 

I shoot from a kayak and I have been able to get within 10 feet of GBH's the trick is patience. When I see a heron I want to photograph I paddle up slowly until it notices me. I then stop and just sit. I plan to be up wind so the wind will just blow me towards the heron. If the bird is fishing it will not notice you until you are right on top if them. They will focus on their prey and you can approach them slowly but make as little noise as possible. I have a blue kayak and an orange one. I have better luck with my blue one. When I am in the lily pads I reach overboard and move along by pulling myself along you will be only moving a few inches at a time but it is amazing how close you can get when they think that is the fastest you can move.<div></div>

before I started photographing the great blues I couldn't get close enough before they took flight. I now have hundreds of shots of them from feeding to flight. The trick is to learn their habits and just study them.

 

I found that they have a fishing hole that they like to use, a special tree that they like to roost in and when they are spooked.

 

One trick I use is to slowly inch up to them in plan sight. I move my tripod and camera 1 step at a time. I also do not look at them. If they think you are watching something else they will stay put. If they raise their neck straight up just freeze until they relax. They will also take flight right after they take a dump�

 

As for blinds I do not use them because I want to be mobile. Just like fishing if the hole you are working has no fish you have to wait till they show up. I use my car as a rolling blind if they are near the road� my best luck is using my kayak and shoot them from the water�. For some reason they stay put longer when you are in the water.

 

When I use my kayak I just let it drift right up to them�. Last week I was able to get within 8 feet of one.. I let my boat drift into a downed tree that it was perched on and focused on photographing a pair of wood ducks swimming nearby. I was about 20 feet away and took a few shot and just sat there watching until it started to sleep. I then just eased my boat closer until I was 10 away with a big branch between me and the heron. When he acted like I was to close I back off and just sat there watching. When he settle down again I drifted to the other side of him I was able to get within 8 feet and was able to even get some frame filling shots with a sony 717 point and shoot camera.

 

find attached a photo from that day.<div></div>

if you are around Mt Rainier 8/13/2003 be sure to be at the Paradise parking lot just after sunset for front row seats to the Perseid Meteor Shower.. Just bring a sleeping bag and watch the free show.. After the moon rises just take a nap in your car till just before sunrise and you be right there when the first rays light the Mountain and the wild flowers should just be peaking.

Been on two cruises to Alaska... Will be leaving on 4/18/2003 for my third... If you want to shoot landscape from shore go up to Mt Roberts or Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau.. ( if you plan to go to Mendenhall Glacier just look around the docks for a van.. will cost from $6 one way to $11 round trip... You will be able to spend as long as you want vers a tour)

 

You will need your tripod and slow film is ok to use.. When shooting from the ship at Glacier Bay a tripod on deck will not work but a super-clamp with a ball-head will work just fine... If shooting with a 300-400 mm range lens clamping the head to the wooden hand rail will let you shoot around 125th with no problems.. if you use an 81C filter it will warm this up and still have a nice blue on the ice...

 

Tip when shooting in Glacier bay. pick you spot well before you arive in the bay... get to the lowest deck you are alow to shoot from.. if you are able to get on the Bow you will be able to shoot both sides...

 

Here are links to some Alaska cruise photos

 

http://rickwong.com/Cruising%20Alaska.html

 

http://rickwong.com/50th%20Cruise.html

 

Later Rick

I was out photographing loons this pass weekend some are just starting to change to their breeding colors... the trick is to spend lots of time with them in the water... I was in my Kayak at first light and came back in 10 hours later.... just watch where they are fishing and kind if drift over slowly they will get use to you after a while and sometimes come over to get a closer look at you.. using a 80-400 vr on a d1 body I was able to get frame filling images. if you are lucky sometimes you can make friens with them and they will allow you to follow them around<div></div>

This past fall I ran into the same thing while shooting from my car at the Hoh rainforest parking lot. I was photographing a herd of Elk during the rut, with two big bulls and a young spike. Another car entered the parking lot and one of the bulls went into the woods. The three photographers parked their car and unloaded their gear. Two of the photographers started shooting right away while the younger one took his time to get his equipment ready. I still had no problem with that but when one of the photographers started shooting no more than 3 to 4 feet away with a wide angle zoom and chasing the animal around the parking lot that was when I was about to loose it. I then realize who this professional photographer was. I decided to contact him later because I thought he was conducting a workshop and didn't want to ruin it for the others. I wrote him about what I thought of his actions and asked him what was different between him and joe photographer with a Kodak disposable camera that wants to have his family standing next to the big bull elk� Here is what he wrote back��

 

Dear Rick,

 

First, I should explain that I try to return all correspondence. After

reading your letter, I sat back and tried to analyze it. It seems angry,

almost extortionate, and certainly accusatory. I think you�ve made some

very erroneous mistakes in your judgment of what transpired last Sunday

morning. I�d like to set the record straight.

 

I think the tone of your letter is revealed by the telling statement in

which you wrote (and I quote you exactly), �I talked to the younger student

and he was polite enough to apologized for ruining my shoot but you of all

people should of known better�. I think this is far more the gist of your

anger than your perception of animals being harassed, so I will address this

point first.

 

Our group of three drove into the parking lot early Sunday morning. Upon

seeing the elk milling around the parking lot, we gathered and prepared our

camera gear. We slowly approached the elk and they started moving back

toward the forest. I did this purposely for reasons I state below. Once in

the forest, we positioned ourselves for taking photographs remaining on the

edge road, completely unaware you were sitting in your car. Sometime later,

I heard a car start up and move and it was then I realized someone was in

his or her car in the parking lot, but I still was not thinking that you

were trying to photograph from your car.

 

As the female elk started to move toward the pond across the road, we made a

decision to move ahead and around them knowing the male elk would follow.

It was at this time when we passed you in your car, that I first noticed you

were holding a camera. This would have been the most appropriate moment, to

approach us and say something � I would have gladly talked to you.

 

Assumptions are often wrong and I hope if you gain anything from this

letter, you can pass that message on to your students. I want to make clear

that no one in my group realized that you were in a car. Truth is, it would

have never occurred to any of us that a photographer would be working from

the darkness of a car in the largest parking lot of the largest national

park in the state.

 

I have been photographing this particular herd of elk over the years and

they are very tame and well habituated to the thousands of visitors to the

park. I have strong feelings about seeing them graze and hang around the

parking lots. As you recall, the parking lot is situated on a very steep

bend in the road. I�ve seen time and time again, cars accelerating at the

end of the road, right into the parking lot. These elk have become so

complacent that often they will not move out of the way. Another

unfortunate thing is that they lick the pools of engine fluids left by

parked cars. Neither of these activities are safe or healthy for the herd

and in the past I�ve always made the effort to move the herd back into the

forest area both there and up at Hurricane Ridge�s parking lot. Even though

it was early in the morning and relatively few cars were around, I felt it

would be safer for them to be in the forest.

 

It�s entirely ludicrous to say that I �chased down� the elk. That makes no

sense. Why would I want to rile up the herd, make them anxious and have

them move away, out of picture range? I did move directly and calmly

towards the elk in the parking lot to get them to move back into the forest,

but it was not �chasing down� as you wrote.

 

There�s more but it�s about shooting at a National park and if someone gets in my way that�s expected. I also teach photography workshops and talked about this photographer and stood up for his use of captives and creating photo art using Photoshop. But after seeing him work in the field I now feel differently.

 

Hi Ron

You are right about the low light but the problem with shooting the 300/2.8 is not being bulky but DOF. I have shot with my 70-210 2.8 zoom and 300/2.8 I found that most of the shots that were not sharp was because of DOF not camera movement. I shoot Nikon so my last time out I shot with my 80-400 VR zoom. I was able to get a few keepers. Some examples can be found in my cruising Alaska slideshow: http://rickwong.com/Cruising%20Alaska.html

 

Orcas travel in pods so when you get into them they can be all around. My favorite spot is the Bow because you will be able to cover 180 degrees.

Hi Todd

 

Was there last year the last week of Aug. It was too early for fall colors and the early mornings were cool enough that steam from the hot springs filled the morning sky. (which I liked) It is not the best time to view the shyer animals because the city people are out in force. I was also told that it's free during Labour Day Week. If shooting landscapes is what you are after it's ok because the City visters are still sleeping or eating diner during the good light.

Later Rick

http://www.wpnw.addr.com/index.htm

Check out the URL for information on waterfalls of the NW

Later

Hi Gary

We spent Christmas in Yellowstone this winter and it was great!

We were at old Faithfull for two days and I wished we stayed longer. There is just so much to see and photograph at old faithful that you do not have enough time. The first day there I started at 5 AM and headed down to Daisy to photograph the sunrise. (great location for sunrise just north of Daisy near Main Road) I was planning to go to Mystic Falls but never made because of all the sights just going there. I ended up at Biscut Basin for over three hours. I findly got back to the lodge after 5pm. needless to say my wife was kind of upset. Just exploring the boardwalk you will find all kind of subjects. I found that if you replace your camera bag with an cooler and keep the batteries in your pocket untill needed you can shoot all day in the cold.(your camera will not fogup going from warm to cold but it will going from cold to warm).

 

I also found that photographing the hot springs at mammoth up close was a wast of time. (too much steam and when the steam blew towards you your lens will ice up.) "Much like photographing waterfalls up close"

 

As for animals they are all over and pretty much near the roads. The one wolf that was within my 400mm range was near the road just before the paint pots. The rest in Lamar valley were tiny specks. The shot of the Coyote at the kill was about 50 yards off the road shot with my 400 5.6 (photo can be seen at:) http://eportfolio.studio.adobe.com/user/rickwong/7466

 

Snowshoes are great for getting you away from the roads but most shot can be made from the road. The bull elks were shot no more than 25 to 100 feet from the road. I was able to get some good shots with my canon G1 digital point and shoot of these bulls. (hint shoot at first light and be back by 10 AM to have breakfast with your wife so she can sleep in and not have to wait around for you.) Elk are all over Mammoth you will not have any problems finding them. They sleep near the hotsprings and come down to feed in the morning. If you are looking for the Big horn sheep I found them near the Boiling River. They can be anywhere near the road or up on the ridge.

 

Have fun "Later Rick"<div></div>

Ok I did not fly out but on the 12th the day after. I was heading to the Gate before the FAA stopped all flights for the 2nd time. NW Airlines would allow only one carry-on. (purse, Laptop, camera, baby stuff) NO!!! backpacks, roll-on cases. I was trying to bring my laptop camera and lens in a porter case and was told I had to have it checked. After showing the people at the counter what I had in my case they called a manager type to come take a look. I was told that I could take one item but not all.

 

I ended up loading up my pockets and carried my Nikon D1 with a 300mm 2.8 lens attached to the gate.

 

I saw other people with just a over the shoulder type of camera bags being asked to remove their camera and check in the bag.

 

The airlines had their people passing out name tags and telling you what you are allowed to bring on board.

 

Like I said this was the day after and the airlines were taking no chances. From what I understand they stopped flying because the airlines had to pass some type of FAA requirements before they were allowed to fly. NW was also one of the first airlines to fly out of Seattle.

There is a pair of Bald Eagles nesting right in Seattle. The nest is located in Seward Park no more than 100 yards from the upper parking lot. In the same park you will also find Great Blue Herons and Ducks Kingfishers.. etc....Along Lake Washington right off of interstate 520 on the Seattle side you will see a pair of Bald Eagles fishing right in the channel. You can rent a Kayak from the University of washington and paddle right up to where they are fishing. Then there is a pair living Right by the Zoo at Green Lake.

Joe

I was loading up my car in the parking lot when this Native American came over and asked if I wanted a guide to show me Antelope Canyon. I told him I just finish and was packing to go on my way. He then asked if I wanted to see some other ones I said no and told him I was happy with what I saw. He then offered me a deal He would show me the canyons but all that I could bring with me was just a camera and lens. No tripod no camera bag. We start walking to his trailer to pick up some rope and within a 100 yards from the main road he leads me into this hole in the ground. I have forgotten his name but I learned a lot about slot Canyons. The easy ones are the ones people know about but the ones that are hard to get to or find are the ones worth photographing. Just remember you are also in snake country and they go into the holes to escape the heat also.

 

I visited four slots all within a mile or two from the parking lot he also said that there was another about 5 miles away.

 

The Next time I go will hire a guide. I wanted to pay him for just showing me around but I did not have any cash. He just told me that next time I come down just look for his trailer.

 

Rick

Hey John

I have been touring with a BMW 1100 LT for a while now. I have a 1226 and when I remove the head it will fit in my top case. But I also bring along my Bogen 3035 when I need a bigger tripod. I have found that if you strap it ontop of the saddle bags it pretty much stays out of the way. I did the three Flags Classic this way and covered 1800 miles in 48 hours with no problems. Whould hate to of had it strapped to my back.

 

? when you say highway speed do you mean 2 digits or 3?

I had no problem cruising around 3

The bottom line in using Photoshop there is many ways to correct your image. Having taught Photoshop 1.0 to 5.5 every one of the previous answers are right. But there are easier ways to correct your images. If you bought 10 books on Photoshop you will get 10 different ways to correct a scanned image or even the correct way to fix the colors.

 

Here is a tip that was given to me at an educators Adobe workshop on using 4.0

 

1. After scanning image convert to Lab mode.

 

2. Go to channels and select (b) channel and apply a noise filter to clean it up

 

3. Go to channels and select (a) channel and apply a noise filter to clean it up

 

4. In the lightness channel apply your unsharp mask be careful of applying too much

 

5. Click on Lab and view image

 

6. Go back to mode and convert back to RGB

 

The reason for doing your corrections in lab mode is to avoid the colors from mixing and you will find that most scanned images need a little work to make them pop.

 

One other thing to get the most from your printer use the best paper for your image. I use Epson's Glossy Film for my display work. The Film is kind of expensive at $35 for 15 sheets but it is still cheaper than film and processing and then printing your image.

Besides still photography I shoot Film and Video. In film we call them dirt bags. You can find them in any professional lighting or grip shop. They are canvas bags, which are filled with sand, or dirt on location to weight down light stands, tripods, shooting low angles, etc�. I carry about 6 of these bags in the car they take up no room but when I do need a beanbag I just fill them up with what ever is around. I guess if you want you can keep them filled with beans. Mine are made by Matthews and cost around $20 they can hold about 20 LB of filler and have handles for attaching to nightstands and tripods.

 

And to answer the question Beanbags are more useful for me because besides shooting out the window I can just popup out of the sunroof slap down a bag and start shooting.

Tom there is no trail, the river is were the eagles hang out to feed on the dead fish. If you are on the river will have a better view of the feeding eagles. A ranger stopped me when I tried to get to close to them on the riverbank.

 

You must remember it is within an hour�s drive from I-5. Everyone knows of this place, I have stopped going there because the last time I was up there. I found a spot set up my equipment and within an hour 10 other photographers had set up next to me, this is a week day.

 

On nice weekends I have seen photographers side by side and no parking to be found. The closest town is Rockport and Concrete. Be sure to dress warm you will be in snow country I have spent the night in my 4 Runner but it is like sleeping in an Icebox.

 

The Bottom line if you think it will be the wilderness forgets it go somewhere else like Alaska or Canada. But if you do not mind the crowds �no worse than seeing a eagle feed in Yellowstone�. Tip if you have a real 4X4 high ground clearance chain up all four tires and go up there during the snow storm weeds out the hobbyist. Good Luck

Check out how the Moose shoots owls and the reason why he does not use a flash. the URL: http://www.moose395.net/gray_ghost.html

 

Hope this helps.