Posted by jeff miller on October 16, 2008 at 11:19 PM
A couple more shots from the trip to RMNP. This was a fight in the early morning. The two bulls were walking next to each other, and you could tell there was going to be a "throwdown". Images were shot w/ canon 20D w/ 70-200 is lens coupled w/ a 2x teleconverter. ISO 400 focal length 400mm f5.6, 1/200sec. I cropped the images, and sharpened w/ high pass sharpening in Corel Paint Pro. Comments on improving. I know the shots are soft, (I need MORE lens!). Let me know thanks. J
Posted by Don George on October 17, 2008 at 10:43 AM
Jeff, Looks like they are serious for sure. Nice capture especially for the setup you were using. Looks like the light may not have been the best.
Posted by Paul Gana on October 17, 2008 at 10:50 AM
you gotta admit though how often does anyone capture elk really getting it going fighting, you were very lucky
Posted by Erik Aagaard on October 17, 2008 at 1:43 PM
I'll bet it was pretty amazing to see in person. I can just imagine the sounds you must have heard, even from your distance. Those dudes are serious!
Posted by jeff miller on October 17, 2008 at 4:57 PM
yeah, the sounds were amazing.It was about 7:30am. I was about 200 yards away, and you could hear the antlers rattling, see dust rising, and hear some snorts. The 20D was smoking from firing off frame after frame. Any ideas on how I could improve the clarity of these images using the same set-up?
Posted by Erik Aagaard on October 17, 2008 at 10:41 PM
Ummm....get closer? Well, on second thought - maybe not such a good idea!
I have no personal experience at wildlife photography, but I do know that it's just about the most equipment-intensive kind of photography there is. My guess would be that there's not much you could do without longer glass and / or more megapixels.
You didn't mention whether you were using a tripod or monopod. If not, that would be a no-brainer, relatively inexpensive immediate improvement.
Posted by jeff miller on October 18, 2008 at 9:31 AM
yep, used a tripod. also shot a few frames at ISO 800 to help freeze motion a bit. Talked with a couple of guys on another morning that were shooting 600mm len, that's the direction I'll take the next opportunity. I've included a shot at ISO 800 as a comparison.
Posted by Gary Langley on October 19, 2008 at 10:33 PM
Just curious if this was in Horseshoe on Oct 2, Because I photographed two bulls that looked the same there. they were going at it for real.
several thing to do to get sharper but they all cost$$ what tripod and head are you using?
Posted by jeff miller on October 19, 2008 at 11:18 PM
Yeah Gary, I bet we shot the same two bulls. I was on the side of the road about 1/4 mile back from the big curve at horseshoe. I was using a Bogen / Manfrotto 190MF3 Magfiber Carbon Fiber Tripod, with a mini-ball head. How about you what is your set-up?
Posted by Dan Walters on October 19, 2008 at 11:47 PM
Nice action. I would maybe lighten it up a little.
Posted by Gary Langley on October 20, 2008 at 8:01 AM
Jeff
I had a large gitzo I forget the number but I'm 6' 3 so I got a tall one that I can use without the center post extended and a wimberley head that my wife bought me, My shots were just a slight bit soft also because the sun wouldn't break thru but I could sharpen in photo shop and they will work. I suspect the mini-head could be an issue with that much power. I had an arca swiss and had trouble getting sharp with a 500 lens below 500th of a sec. I was on the east end of the meadow, what a show it was !
Discussion
10 repliesI have no personal experience at wildlife photography, but I do know that it's just about the most equipment-intensive kind of photography there is. My guess would be that there's not much you could do without longer glass and / or more megapixels.
You didn't mention whether you were using a tripod or monopod. If not, that would be a no-brainer, relatively inexpensive immediate improvement.
several thing to do to get sharper but they all cost$$ what tripod and head are you using?
I had a large gitzo I forget the number but I'm 6' 3 so I got a tall one that I can use without the center post extended and a wimberley head that my wife bought me, My shots were just a slight bit soft also because the sun wouldn't break thru but I could sharpen in photo shop and they will work. I suspect the mini-head could be an issue with that much power. I had an arca swiss and had trouble getting sharp with a 500 lens below 500th of a sec. I was on the east end of the meadow, what a show it was !