Lakota Wolves and Fox

MikeMcA²MikeMcA² Registered Users Posts: 177 Major grins
edited December 5, 2007 in Wildlife
Back on 11/11/07, you may recall I went to the Lakota Wolf Preserve with the folks from Bergen County Camera in Westwood, NJ. Well, thanks for the advice and critique, because I actually ended up winning the friendly contest at the store, as judged by a NGS photog there at the store last Friday evening on their "Canon Night" (which I took a certain amount of pleasure in because I'm a Nikon shooter :rofl )

After getting off a hectic work-travel schedule I was able to run some more shots from the day through PP (Capture NX) and thought I'd post here for anyone interested. It's a really cool venue for shooting.

The winner

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The wolves

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Mike

Member SportsShooter.com
My Galleries

Comments

  • ElaineElaine Registered Users Posts: 3,532 Major grins
    edited December 4, 2007
    Wow! Those are beauties and I can see why that first one was a winner! Congratulations on winning and a great set of shots! clap.gif
    Elaine

    Comments and constructive critique always welcome!

    Elaine Heasley Photography
  • BilsenBilsen Registered Users Posts: 2,143 Major grins
    edited December 4, 2007
    Mike

    Congratulations on the win. Great Shoot.

    I have a wolf series going also except I can't match (1) your location; (2) your equipment and ---- oh yeah (3) your talent. But we do live just across the river from each other.

    Nice job.
    Bilsen (the artist formerly known as John Galt NY)
    Canon 600D; Canon 1D Mk2;
    24-105 f4L IS; 70-200 f4L IS; 50mm 1.4; 28-75 f2.8; 55-250 IS; 580EX & (2) 430EX Flash,
    Model Galleries: http://bilsen.zenfolio.com/
    Everything Else: www.pbase.com/bilsen
  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited December 4, 2007
    MikeMcA² wrote:
    Well, thanks for the advice and critique, because I actually ended up winning the friendly contest at the store, as judged by a NGS photog there at the store last Friday evening on their "Canon Night" (which I took a certain amount of pleasure in because I'm a Nikon shooter rolleyes1.gif )


    clap.gifclap.gifclap.gif :lol4

    Excellent shots, every one is a winner.
    Harry
    http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
    How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
  • MikeMcA²MikeMcA² Registered Users Posts: 177 Major grins
    edited December 4, 2007
    Thanks Harry, John, and Elaine!

    John, are you in Westchester Co.? When I first moved up here, I lived in Yonkers. I saw your wolf images and think you did a great job. I was not aware there was another preserve there where you shot.
    Mike

    Member SportsShooter.com
    My Galleries
  • MaestroMaestro Registered Users Posts: 5,395 Major grins
    edited December 4, 2007
    Very nice series. I especially like 1, 3 and 5.
    Stephen
    www.capture-the-pixel.com

  • ouigimanouigiman Registered Users Posts: 11 Big grins
    edited December 4, 2007
    spectacular photos
    Hey Mike ... wow ... awesome photos bowdown.gif . I've been wanting to go there for about 2 years now - but being so far away, its an ordeal to get there. Anyway, I plan on going sometime in the next 6 months. Any words of advice? ... what lens did you use? ... iso setting? ... did you do the half day or full day of shooting? ... any tidbit of advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks

    Luigi
    Nikon D300, D100, F100, Nikonos V (x2)

    www.greatlakesphotography.ca
  • BilsenBilsen Registered Users Posts: 2,143 Major grins
    edited December 4, 2007
    Mike,

    I live in northern Westchester, about 5 miles from the Bear Mtn Bridge and I was born in Havoc-on-Hudson (Yonkers).

    The preserve where I shot these is in Lewisboro, 18 miles or so East of me. My wife & I volunteer there about twice a month for tours and classes. You can check it out at nywolf.org. Let me know if you're interested

    Again, great shots.
    Bilsen (the artist formerly known as John Galt NY)
    Canon 600D; Canon 1D Mk2;
    24-105 f4L IS; 70-200 f4L IS; 50mm 1.4; 28-75 f2.8; 55-250 IS; 580EX & (2) 430EX Flash,
    Model Galleries: http://bilsen.zenfolio.com/
    Everything Else: www.pbase.com/bilsen
  • MikeMcA²MikeMcA² Registered Users Posts: 177 Major grins
    edited December 4, 2007
    ouigiman wrote:
    Any words of advice? ... what lens did you use? ... iso setting? ... did you do the half day or full day of shooting? ... any tidbit of advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks

    Luigi

    Luigi,

    I took a 70-200 f/2.8 and 400 f/2.8 for this shoot with my D2X. Frankly, the 400 was overkill (although I love the "bokeh" and the tight in-frame cropping it affords).

    Lighting was low-level, and since I didn't want to shoot over ISO 400 with this camera, and tripods aren't really practical here, I was pretty challenged to get sharp images with enough DOF using a monopod. Shutter speeds and f-stops ranged from 1/60th to 1/400th, and f 3.5 to f/4 for the most part. If you go to my SmugMug site the Exif is all listed there, but doesn't seem to carry over here. One guy was there with the EOS 1D MkIII and was happily shooting away at ISO 1600. I was jealous lol.

    I went on a trip with a local camera shop, so the price was less than 1/3rd the normal "full-day" pass but we still got to see all three packs and the foxes. The single-shooter half-day pass only allows one pack, and the full day allows all but it's $700.

    Bergen County Camera goes once a year, and it was $200 for the several hours there and they provide bus transport from the store to Western NJ, food/coffee in the morning, and Tamron was there with loaner lenses to try if you are so inclined. I'm looking forward to next year, but I'd love to go back with just me or another shooter so there isn't the hectic crowd distracting the wolves, but I gotta save my moneys for the new gear.
    Mike

    Member SportsShooter.com
    My Galleries
  • dbaker1221dbaker1221 Registered Users Posts: 4,482 Major grins
    edited December 4, 2007
    excellent shots
    **If I keep shooting, I'm bound to hit something**
    Dave
  • raptorcaptorraptorcaptor Registered Users Posts: 3,968 Major grins
    edited December 5, 2007
    Nice set!
    Glenn

    My website | NANPA Member
  • BilsenBilsen Registered Users Posts: 2,143 Major grins
    edited December 5, 2007
    Mike,

    You mentioned a bus ride to the preserve. I assumed that you meant the Lakota pack out west. Was this preserve somewhere around here??
    Bilsen (the artist formerly known as John Galt NY)
    Canon 600D; Canon 1D Mk2;
    24-105 f4L IS; 70-200 f4L IS; 50mm 1.4; 28-75 f2.8; 55-250 IS; 580EX & (2) 430EX Flash,
    Model Galleries: http://bilsen.zenfolio.com/
    Everything Else: www.pbase.com/bilsen
  • MikeMcA²MikeMcA² Registered Users Posts: 177 Major grins
    edited December 5, 2007
    JohnGalt_ny wrote:
    Mike,

    You mentioned a bus ride to the preserve. I assumed that you meant the Lakota pack out west. Was this preserve somewhere around here??

    John, Bergen County Camera provided a bus to get from their shop in Westwood, NJ, out to the Preserve in Columbia, NJ and back. This was included in the cost of the day-trip.
    Mike

    Member SportsShooter.com
    My Galleries
  • BilsenBilsen Registered Users Posts: 2,143 Major grins
    edited December 5, 2007
    Thank you sir. Maybe I'll see you next time they go.
    Bilsen (the artist formerly known as John Galt NY)
    Canon 600D; Canon 1D Mk2;
    24-105 f4L IS; 70-200 f4L IS; 50mm 1.4; 28-75 f2.8; 55-250 IS; 580EX & (2) 430EX Flash,
    Model Galleries: http://bilsen.zenfolio.com/
    Everything Else: www.pbase.com/bilsen
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