Official Photography Thread

[mtnbiker]

I expect to see a comment from Uncle Ted suggesting I save a lot of money and use an iPhone to get these shots next time.

Naw, he'll just ask if the pictures were taken through a rifle scope prior to pulling the trigger.

[swampfrog]

Wildlife tour continues. Bison are quite odd creatures. The big bulls can weigh 2,000 lbs. Run 40 MPH and jump 6 feet in the air. In addition to being quite nimble.

[swampfrog]

A couple more bison pics.

[swampfrog]

On the way back from Lamar Valley, shot some more scenics.

[swampfrog]

Next morning was a "Photo Safari"

First order of business was to hope to find some elk in local meadows. Unfortunately, no visible bulls. Best I got was this, which wasn't much, especially at ISO 10000...



The driver would normally go to some nice spots for scenics, but the haze from surrounding fires made them less than ideal. Deer in the meadow wasn't bad, but not close enough, so it was animal in habitat type of shot instead.



The guide did find the grizzly (Snow) which has been hanging out in the same area. Big lens plus teleconverter put me at 700mm, and I still had to crop into these.





Too high in the tree for anything really nice, but a bald eagle is always fun.



We also found a couple of coyotes lounging about.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Man, I love this thread. Please keep sharing.

[Art Vandelay]

those are fantastic shots swamp. How long of lens were you using for the bison and bear?

[Lost Student]

those are fantastic shots swamp. How long of lens were you using for the bison and bear?

700mm

[creekster]

700mm

What, you actually read the posts and dont just look at the pictures? You think this is playboy or something?

[Flystripper]

I love Yellowstone. It was the upper Lamar river that my dad first taught my eleven year old self how to catch fish on a dry fly. I have mental images and memories burned into my soul of that trip with my dad. Yellowstone was also the destination of the one year anniversary for my wife and I. We secured a back country pass and canoed across Lewis Lake and up the channel to Shoshone Lake, where we camped for a couple of nights. Seeing photos of Yellowstone always make me ache to get back there.

[swampfrog]

Man, I love this thread. Please keep sharing.

Still have 1/2 a day left to process. Maybe a couple more from the tour and then we were off to Mammoth Hot Springs on the Northwest side.

those are fantastic shots swamp. How long of lens were you using for the bison and bear?

The bear was 700mm, the bison were variable. The 500mm lens was rented, I already have the 1.4 and 2.0 teleconverters, so 500mm, 700mm, and occasionally, 1000mm. A few of them we're with the 70-200 + optional teleconverters also.

You can click on any of the images to go to the photo on my photography website, there is an info button at the bottom that will give the specifics for each shot.

[swampfrog]

I love Yellowstone. It was the upper Lamar river that my dad first taught my eleven year old self how to catch fish on a dry fly. I have mental images and memories burned into my soul of that trip with my dad. Yellowstone was also the destination of the one year anniversary for my wife and I. We secured a back country pass and canoed across Lewis Lake and up the channel to Shoshone Lake, where we camped for a couple of nights. Seeing photos of Yellowstone always make me ache to get back there.

I went once as a young kid. Don't remember much about it at all. We went as a family 3 years ago. Really fell in love with the multiple landscapes. The bleak ones are my favorites. Maybe there is something wrong with me. I'm hoping by daughter takes several years to get through BYU-I now, more trips for me! Don't worry about grades, you're fine!

[Art Vandelay]

Still have 1/2 a day left to process. Maybe a couple more from the tour and then we were off to Mammoth Hot Springs on the Northwest side.



The bear was 700mm, the bison were variable. The 500mm lens was rented, I already have the 1.4 and 2.0 teleconverters, so 500mm, 700mm, and occasionally, 1000mm. A few of them we're with the 70-200 + optional teleconverters also.

You can click on any of the images to go to the photo on my photography website, there is an info button at the bottom that will give the specifics for each shot.

Maybe i'm the only one who never realized these were hyperlinked images. thanks

[swampfrog]

Maybe i'm the only one who never realized these were hyperlinked images. thanks

There's also a link at the bottom where you can change the resolution of the image. (you will have to scroll up and down, side to side). You can see some of them don't hold up as well in larger sizes but most do. The 500 + 2x converter was less reliable for focus accuracy and stability. I have a tripod, but I don't have a nice long lens (read gimbal) head, it's work to set it up also, so mostly I just shot handheld standing, or leaning against something, or sitting using my knees for support. I can manage the 500 bare and with the 1.4x and get sharp shots, but I struggled with the 2x. In retrospect I should have only shot with the 2x seated or on the tripod.

[swampfrog]

Last bit of the tour.



Our tour vehicle, FIL, and myself. Returned to the Lake Hotel.



Elk regularly wander around the few establishments in the Mammoth Hot Springs area.



Would have been better to find this guy in a more "natural setting", but you get what you get.