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October 20, 2002
Debunking the myth of 'the perfect day'
Tips on photographing the great outdoors
By BILL SILLIKER JR., Portland Maine Press-Herald
Most folks think that the perfect day for outdoor photography requires the sky to be blue from sunrise to sunset. Wrong. My perfect day starts with a great sunrise, hopefully with some light clouds to reflect the vivid dawn colors, and then turns to a thin overcast that makes soft light until a few hours before nightfall. Then the skies would clear except for those few clouds that reflect the beautiful colors of the setting sun.
Why is that a perfect day?
Consider the Maine moose. Pretty dark critter, right? How about a bull moose with a rack of antlers just cleaned of velvet? Those antlers are still quite light in color, aren't they? They also reflect a lot of light. On a sunny day they can reflect light five or maybe six times brighter than the rest of your basic bull moose in October.
And if you ever look real close at one of these beauties on a sunny day, you'll also see that his big rack casts an impossible shadow over his eye unless he turns his head just right. Since the most important part of any wildlife photograph is the eye — it should almost always show and it should always be sharp and in focus — you've got two strikes against you when you try to get a great image of a Maine bull moose on a bright blue-sky day in October.
And if it's a blue-sky day at noon? I just wait for a cloud.
When you're after moose photographs in October, it also pays to remember that a bull moose is one of the true forces in nature. Beware! While the peak of the moose rut, or mating season, is the end of September, some bulls might still be a bit "cantankerous" into the end of October.
Never approach too close to a rutting bull moose. What's too close? That depends upon the circumstances — and the moose. If the bull has a cow friend nearby, he will probably regard you as a nuisance. He might even consider you to be a rival! Don't be surprised if you get threatening looks. And don't ignore those looks.
The response of a rutting bull may well be to "drive away or fight" if you do get too close. Watch the bull's body language. If he drops his ears or bristles his mane, you're in big trouble. Heed his warnings.
Moose have been clocked at 35 miles per hour. You cannot outrun one. So if you ever meet one on the trail, don't run the other way. Simply get off the trail into the woods and slip behind some trees. In the very unlikely event that the critter follows you, find a tree to climb. Fast.
A bull moose annoyed by your presence just might be satisfied at having run you off. Of course, you never know what a moose is thinking. So it's best to keep a respectful distance and to always have a climbable tree handy if you're photographing bull moose during the rutting season.
The best way to avoid trouble with moose is to use good common sense. Treat all moose with respect. And remember why God made telephoto lenses.
What's a good lens for moose photography in the fall? Most professional wildlife photographers use a 500mm lens for mammal work today, while those who specialize in birds use 600mm lenses. And all of these cost lots of money.
But you don't have to mortgage the house to get a decent telephoto lens. And for an animal as big as a moose, a 400mm, even a 300mm lens, often provides all the reach you would need. The less expensive lenses, while usually slower at gathering light, are generally of good enough quality today to get publishable results.
Just remember that you do get what you pay for in a telephoto lens. There are reasons — quality of the image, speed of light gathering, which can be critical on too dark a day, and ruggedness — why the professional model lenses cost 10 times as much as the one you can get for $700 that will do just fine for most subjects on most days.
Catch yours in the good light.
Bill Silliker Jr. is a freelance photographer and writer based in Ocean Park, ME. For more information go to: http://www.camerahunter.com.
Debunking the myth of 'the perfect day'
Tips on photographing the great outdoors
By BILL SILLIKER JR., Portland Maine Press-Herald
Most folks think that the perfect day for outdoor photography requires the sky to be blue from sunrise to sunset. Wrong. My perfect day starts with a great sunrise, hopefully with some light clouds to reflect the vivid dawn colors, and then turns to a thin overcast that makes soft light until a few hours before nightfall. Then the skies would clear except for those few clouds that reflect the beautiful colors of the setting sun.
Why is that a perfect day?
Consider the Maine moose. Pretty dark critter, right? How about a bull moose with a rack of antlers just cleaned of velvet? Those antlers are still quite light in color, aren't they? They also reflect a lot of light. On a sunny day they can reflect light five or maybe six times brighter than the rest of your basic bull moose in October.
And if you ever look real close at one of these beauties on a sunny day, you'll also see that his big rack casts an impossible shadow over his eye unless he turns his head just right. Since the most important part of any wildlife photograph is the eye — it should almost always show and it should always be sharp and in focus — you've got two strikes against you when you try to get a great image of a Maine bull moose on a bright blue-sky day in October.
And if it's a blue-sky day at noon? I just wait for a cloud.
When you're after moose photographs in October, it also pays to remember that a bull moose is one of the true forces in nature. Beware! While the peak of the moose rut, or mating season, is the end of September, some bulls might still be a bit "cantankerous" into the end of October.
Never approach too close to a rutting bull moose. What's too close? That depends upon the circumstances — and the moose. If the bull has a cow friend nearby, he will probably regard you as a nuisance. He might even consider you to be a rival! Don't be surprised if you get threatening looks. And don't ignore those looks.
The response of a rutting bull may well be to "drive away or fight" if you do get too close. Watch the bull's body language. If he drops his ears or bristles his mane, you're in big trouble. Heed his warnings.
Moose have been clocked at 35 miles per hour. You cannot outrun one. So if you ever meet one on the trail, don't run the other way. Simply get off the trail into the woods and slip behind some trees. In the very unlikely event that the critter follows you, find a tree to climb. Fast.
A bull moose annoyed by your presence just might be satisfied at having run you off. Of course, you never know what a moose is thinking. So it's best to keep a respectful distance and to always have a climbable tree handy if you're photographing bull moose during the rutting season.
The best way to avoid trouble with moose is to use good common sense. Treat all moose with respect. And remember why God made telephoto lenses.
What's a good lens for moose photography in the fall? Most professional wildlife photographers use a 500mm lens for mammal work today, while those who specialize in birds use 600mm lenses. And all of these cost lots of money.
But you don't have to mortgage the house to get a decent telephoto lens. And for an animal as big as a moose, a 400mm, even a 300mm lens, often provides all the reach you would need. The less expensive lenses, while usually slower at gathering light, are generally of good enough quality today to get publishable results.
Just remember that you do get what you pay for in a telephoto lens. There are reasons — quality of the image, speed of light gathering, which can be critical on too dark a day, and ruggedness — why the professional model lenses cost 10 times as much as the one you can get for $700 that will do just fine for most subjects on most days.
Catch yours in the good light.
Bill Silliker Jr. is a freelance photographer and writer based in Ocean Park, ME. For more information go to: http://www.camerahunter.com.
