Category Archives: Wildlife Photography

Stay Out in the Rain

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The last week of September in elk country was rainy. In fact, it rained every day I was there!

A photographer has to decide what to do when it rains. Should we wait it out, keeping our equipment dry, and wait for the weather to break? Or, should we tough it out and go out in the rain anyway? Will our equipment get ruined in the rain? Can we withstand the discomfort of the rain long enough to capture any usable photographs? What do you do when it rains?

I love the outdoors and have a lot of experience weathering the storms. I spent a lot of time hiking, backpacking, and rock climbing over the years. I’ve even dabbled in mountaineering on two 17,000+ feet mountains. Changing weather is part of the experience in nature and I’ve learned that we can endure even some extreme weather if we are well-prepared, have the right equipment, and allow our minds to catch up with our spirits! I had a football coach tell us that our bodies will do far more than our minds will allow. I believe this is true. Some of the problems in society today are due to us listening too much to our minds and all the negative thoughts instead of just following our more daring spirits and toughing it out!

So two weeks ago I was faced with a dilemma: photograph in the rain or stay inside to hope and  wait for better conditions. I actually did a little of both over the week, but I am so glad I also ventured out into the rainstorms. I even got caught in a downpour on a hike when I was two miles from my cabin. I didn’t mind though because I had packed my rain jacket and a plastic bag to protect my camera. A little rain wasn’t going to melt me, so why sit inside all day? Besides, I would never have captured some of the photographs had I stayed inside hoping for better conditions!

This photograph of a 6×6 bull was taken in less than ideal weather conditions. The sun was not shining, the fog was moving in an out, and the rain was lightly falling. But I like this photograph. Somehow the big bull appears to stand out from the background and the viewer can see the wet fur, which seems to add to the aura of this photo.

Lesson learned! The next time it rains, instead of complaining, I will take my camera out anyway. Besides, my camera and my body are much tougher than my mind sometimes thinks!

Bugling Bull

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There is nothing quite like an ear-pereicing bugle to roll across a brisk fall day!

If you haven’t heard this unique sound in nature, you owe it to yourself to find a way to be in a place where you can hear it. There is nothing in all of nature like it. It is impossible to describe with words and even this photograph cannot even come close to hearing the sound in person. You just have to hear it for yourself!

I came across this bull because I first heard him bugling. I was just on my way for a walk, barely out the door, when I heard a bugle. Knowing the area well, I followed the sound and located this bull feeding in a meadow with two cows. It was mid-afternoon on a rainy day but the clouds opened up a little bit and some rays of warm sunlight washed over the scene. It looked magical.

Eventually, this bull had enough food in his stomach and he wandered into the woods and laid down to chew his cud. I know enough about wildlife photography to know that spending time with subject is imperative. Time, lots of time, is required to completely document and photograph these majestic mammals. In this case, for example, I could have left after the bull wandered out of the warm sunlight washing over the meadow and moved into the much darker woods where many small trees obstructed most clear views of this bull. Move on or stick with him? I chose to stick with him. And this is the photograph I eventually captured. I am very glad I stayed with him!

 

 

 

Bull Chasing Cow

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This is what the fall elk rut is all about. Bulls get themselves into a frenzy hoping to mate a cow. They scratch their antlers on the ground, bugle and make all kinds of sounds, attack trees with their large antlers, and much more! They have one thing on their mind: breeding a cow.

This bull is chasing behind a cow hoping she will be ready to breed. She obviously is not ready as she is running away, which is only more frustrating for the bull. Typically, when a bull follows behind a cow unsuccessfully, he will stop and bugle. This is absolutely the right time to have the camera ready to fire!

In this photograph the bull is behind the cow and appears to be disappointed that she is leaving. This same scenario repeats itself over and over and over. The fall rut is full of repeated actions, some predictable and some unpredictable. But it is always a show worth watching and observing!

 

 

Capturing the Fight

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Capturing a classic battle like this with a camera often is frustrating to me. I never seem to be at the right place at the right time. Or the light is fading too quickly, or the fog is too thick for a good photograph. These fight scenes seem to be elusive to me, which can be very frustrating at times.

This photo captures some of the energy in this fight. It all started, as usual, with much posturing from each bull. This is typical and I could just tell that these two bulls were going to go at it. Then, in an instant, they ran toward each other and crashed their antlers together with an ear-piercing jolt! This is what the fall elk rut is all about!

I like the way these two bulls are working hard to dominate the other. I also really like the dirt flying in the air, both between their antlers and behind the right bull’s hind feet. This helps to portray the massive power and energy present in a real honest-to-goodness fight between two mature bulls. Many elk viewers think they are witnessing a fight when in reality they are simply witnessing what is called sparring, which is much tamer and mild compared to a full-blown fight. A lot of us think these fights last longer than they actually do, too. I went back and looked at the metadata from my photographs to determine the starting and ending time of this fight. It only lasted 2 minutes and 20 seconds. This might not seem long to us, but I’m guessing it seems like an eternity for these two bulls!

The one problem with photographing this bull-fight was that we were losing light in a hurry. I had to bump up the ISO to 800 on my D300. I am finding that I do get some decent photographs with this setting and the noise is at a reasonable level, which is good. Then use the noise reduction feature in Lightroom to clean it up. The newer cameras and software have come a long way in recent years in dealing with noise. I found out this week that I can get usable photographs even at an ISO setting of 1600.

This was the only real fight I witnessed this and it was a powerful one. I hope my photographs do a reasonably decent job of portraying the fierce energy present in these fights between two bulls. It sure is something to see!

 

 

 

 

 

PA Elk Rut

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Thank you to all my photo friends who I had the privilege of sharing this week with during the PA elk rut on Winslow Hill. I had an incredible time with you! Thanks Dick, Brad, Willard, Coy, John, Buckwheat, and Odie! I also had the privilege of meeting Dave Anderson and he showed me his painting of Fred, which is absolutely awesome!

I will be posting stories and photos of my week’s experience in elk country but I wanted to say a big “thank you” to my photo friends who I appreciate so much! Our camaraderie and common passion for photography and the PA elk are truly appreciated by me.

Thank you!

My Photography Book

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I wrote a photo book with the title, “How I Photograph the Pennsylvania Elk.”

This was actually a labor of love because I have a real passion for the elk of Pennsylvania. I’ve been spending time each year with these amazing mammals every year since 1990. And after all these years I still cannot get enough of them! Their habits and tendencies are both somewhat predictable and sometimes surprising. I enjoy spending time with the elk of PA in all four seasons. The backdrops of all these seasons are incredibly photogenic, but then the majestic animals have their own camera appeal, too!

In my book, I share how I photograph the Pennsylvania elk. I make it clear in the beginning that I do not  believe my way is the only way or even the best way; it is what works for me. I show photographs along the way to illustrate both what I am sharing on the printed pages and also to show the majesty of the beautiful animals. I do describe basic photography equipment considerations and techniques, so this book is helpful to anyone who is either starting out in photography or wants to delve deeper into the wonderful world of wildlife photography.

You can see the first 7 pages here. My book is also available for sale at the Elk Country Visitor Center in Benezette, PA.

 

Pennsylvania Elk Slideshow

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Over the past four years I have co-lead the Pennsylvania Elk Photography Experience with my good friend and colleague, Dick McCreight. We both have a passion for wildlife photography and especially for the elk of Pennsylvania. I have 21 years of experience with these majestic mammals so we can fairly easily and somewhat predictably guide photographers to the elk. We routinely are able to capture amazing and sometimes breath-taking photographs!

I decided to share some of my photos of these trips on my website. So I created a photography slideshow highlighting photographs captured over the past four years of the Pennsylvania Elk Photography Experience. In this photo presentation you will see many photos of these amazing elk and you will also see a few photos of the photographers as they are making photographs of the elk with their camera.

Dick and I both have a passion for photographing the elk, but we enjoy teaching others how to be better wildlife photographers even more. When one of the photographers on our photo trips captures one of those ah-hah photographs, we celebrate because getting better in this craft is so enjoyable! Knowing that we had a small part in helping makes it all worthwhile.

I hope you enjoy viewing the Pennsylvania Elk slideshow. It shows in a brief way what one can expect on our photo trips to elk country. We are currently taking reservations for our winter trip in February 2012. We are now offering 1-day and 3-day trips. You can find more details about these photo trips here.

Now, enjoy the PA Elk Slideshow!

Photography Horizons Podcast – Episode #3 and a word about camouflage

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The third episode of the Photography Horizons Podcast is now posted. You can listen to it here.

In this podcast I mention the value of camouflage for photographers. That’s right, I believe that camo is not only for hunters but can help us photographers, too. I do not believe it is absolutely necessary to wear camo for wildlife photography, but I do believe it can be helpful in some situations.

Here are two photographs to show visually how camouflage can and does work. Compare these two photographs and see what you think.

 

 

My Wildlife Portfolio

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The elk rut is on and the feeling of fall is in the air!

I will soon be heading to the mountains to photograph the majestic elk of Pennsylvania and I can’t wait! This is definitely my most favorite time of year! So, in an effort to remain patient while still getting excited about being out in the wild with my camera, I decided to update my wildlife portfolio. I also submitted a few of my photographs to a couple of magazines. I wanted to make sure my portfolio was up to date for them as well.

I always debate with myself on the best way to present photographs in an online portfolio. I like the images to be seen right away, but not everyone can use the flash technology of some galleries. Thumbnails can be clicked and enlarged, but they don’t have the pop of seeing an image in a larger size. The other problem is the time it sometimes takes to load a group of images. I also like to be able to use the right arrow on my keypad to move through a series of photos, but sometimes this option is not available. As you can see, finding a way to best present a portfolio consists of many options!

I am sharing two links to two different versions of my wildlife portfolio here. If you have the time, please check them out, compare them, and see which one you think is better. Then let me know. I am looking for input here because I’m not really sure which is the best way to present my portfolio online. Thanks!

Wildlife Portfolio version 1

Wildlife Portfolio version 2

A Vision of Things to Come

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The Elk Rut is my most favorite time of the year!

Fall is a great season to begin with since the leaves are changing and rich colors can be captured by our cameras. The cool air is a welcome break from all the summer heat, too. Yeah, fall is my favorite season of the year. Add to this the Elk Rut and things get really exciting! Bulls keep tabs on the cows and often circle them up in small groups. Competing bulls try to horn in on the action and sometimes even fight other bulls for dominance. The clashing of elk antlers and the sound of bulls bugling on a September day are enough to get my blood flowing rather quickly!

Most photographers enjoy shooting the big bulls. In fact, some photographers won’t shoot anything else–no spikes, no cows, no calves, no nothing. Nothing but big bulls. This is okay and it is even understandable. However, I believe that some other photographs are missed that might be compelling in their own way.

Take these three photographs for example. This bull is young. He will only be a spike this year. But as you look at his two tiny antlers in velvet, aren’t they interesting? This bull kind of reminds me of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer when he was young. Two little nubbins for antlers. Aren’t they cute?

Do these three photographs have any value at all or should I just devote my full attention to the big bulls? What do you think?

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