This month we’re concentrating on grozzles. Not big ones or small ones but ordinary everyday grozzles. Whoever gets the best picture of this rare marsupial, or any picture at all, will win a year’s supply of flat-head nails plus two weeks in a grozzle compound with Al Gore. Lucky you.
Grozzles are shy and cunning, plus they’re invisible, which may introduce complications vis a vis photography. But don’t let that dissuade you from participating in this futile exercise. There’s loot to be won! As well as a prize for the best grozzle pic, a bonus prize will be awarded for he or she who proves with the most convincing conviction (or whatever), that they have lost sight of what photography is all about and have successfully replaced imagination and artful insight with a lot of senseless babble about f-stops, shutter speeds, ISO ratings and walking with the light.
And don’t skimp on facts. We want every boring detail about how you captured the award winning grozzle pic: what lens you used, what colour this lens was, if it had writing on it, what the writing said, if you understood what the writing was saying, how many blades the shutter had, if you know what a blade is (accompanied by a lengthy technical dissertation), if you used AF, MF or XXL, and what phase the moon was in when you unexpectedly introduced the slight-of-hand that undid an unsuspecting grozzle.
All entries will be judged by myself, a frightening prospect in itself.
Signed: Barry Ashenhurst.
Posted by Dan Roberts on February 26, 2013 at 10:13 AM
I never imagined that I would ever even convince anyone that this photo was actually of a real grozzle much less have an opportunity to enter it in a contest. Anyway, here it is. Luckily I am a meticulous note taker so can fulfill the entry requirements regarding the details of my capture.
This photo was made back in May of 2008. I awoke that morning at 4:39 AKST, giddy with the anitcipation of a potential grozzle capture since I was in a cove in Prince Williiam Sound where we had glimpsed them before but never with camera in hand. Had a breakfast of oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins. I find that just the right amount of cinnamon is the key to a successful bowl of oatmeal. But perhaps I digress...
We rowed ashore in our dingy and set out on the search for grozzles in the dark understory of the hemlock rain forest. Shortly after making our landing, an f-stop was required for morning constitutional inspired by the perviously mentioned helping of oatmeal. Unfortunately modesty precludes my describing the f-stop in any further detail but hopefully one can fill in the blanks. Proceeding further into the forest, we passed an old cabin which at some point in the past had been tightly shuttered. I took particular note that the shutters were constructed of cedar rather then the native hemlock all about us. Of particular note were the hand wrought nails that had been used to hold the shutters in place suggesting that the cabin had been in this state from gold rush days. This along with the fact the the moon was that day was a waxing crescent and the tide was on the ebb boded very well for the prospects of a grozzle spot that morning.
Anyway, to get on with the technical aspects of the capture, during that time I was shooting a Nikon D200, serial number 170004100330245. That morning it was fitted with a AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED VR II which lent itself well to the low light within the forest. Unfortunately it was a standard black Nikon lens but due to the very nature of grozzle hunting I had both the lens and myself clothed in gilly suit material made of natural hemp fiber with freshly gathered fern leaves tied on. I'm sure anyone who has ever worn a gilly suit can appreciate what I had gone through during the previously mentioned f-stop. But all well worth it for a potential grozzle capture.
As the morning wore into mid day and then to evening, our hopes of a grozzle spot diminished. A day that had started with so much optimism looked as if it would end in yet another disappointing grozzle hunt. We returned to the boat without having fired a frame. But much to our pleasant surprise, upon downloading images from the trip, the grozzle photo was among them. Clearly some time during the course of that morning, we passed close enough to a grozzle in cloak mode that its image was recorded on the memory card without a frame being fired. So here it is, my (hopefully winning) entry to the grozzle photo contest.
I can't wait to meet Al "the tree" Gore Oh, and three flathead nails should suffice for my needs not only for the next year but hopefully the rest of my life.
A wonderful effort Dan. And sounding to me a lot like War of the Worlds.
Them grozzles are hard to find alright but I hope your example will inspire
others to join the search. And by the way, how's your f-stop?
Posted by Ed Williams on February 28, 2013 at 12:44 AM
I have diligently tried for years to get a decent picture of a grozzle but . . . so when my wife and I returned from a grueling hike in 87 F-stop degree heat along the Grand Wash in Capitol Reef National Park a couple years back I was ecstatic to find that somehow miraculously I had captured the very essence of the extraordinarily rare Rhinocerous Backed Grozzle. Even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while I guess.
I had my Canon 40D which oddly enough says Canon 40D on it and I was using my Canon 17-85 IS Zoom Lens that has a nice white dot that lines up well when you are aiming at the cracks in the grozzle but . . . and had a nice stabilizing effect on my hands which were shaking from excitement.
I was amazed to see Dan's grozzle since I thought grozzles only lived in desert regions. I guess you learn something new everyday if you pay for it. Speaking of, did you know that buzzards will come to the smell of hot melted cheese and baloney sandwiches. I learned that in the mountains of Southern Arizona one day. It was tough to swallow while the buzzards were hopping around pecking at it, especially without copious amounts of water which is scarce in desert regions of the world.
What was this topic about again . . .
Posted by Dan Roberts on February 28, 2013 at 2:53 PM
It looks like the competition is heating up (no pun intended). However I have to point out the eye contact in my shot whereas, and I may be mistaken, this grozzle shot appears to have been taken from behind. Not that I'm trying to influence the judging, though who wouldn't for a chance to spend time with The Tree
Posted by William Gillis on February 28, 2013 at 5:50 PM
The pursuit of the elusive Grozzel is an ever expanding qwest for the impossible dream. We can only imagine when you find them your aperture will be forever changed. A photographers qwest for the Grozzel must include fine food and drink.
After inquiring about Grozzels in a fine eating establishment known as the Harbor View of Pepin (WI) - A foreign country to most, having inbibed in a few brews and encouragement provided by the locals, no one in the house had a clue what I was looking for but they said the legends of Grozzels were rooted among the local natives.
After a few more the locals did say that Grozzels had a high ear splitting screech when disturbed. Obviously this was new information that was here to fore unknown in the bottomlands, especially coming from people who claimed they had never heard of a Grozzel. These Wisconsinites suggested I go up the Rum River and maybe I would be lucky enough to see one. I found 5 flat head nails in the crook of a tree near the river bank and 3 boards. I used all five of the nails to attach two of the boards together as a raft and used the third as a paddle. I set out with great trepidation in pursuit of the Grozzel. While traveling North up the Rum River I came upon a log with 5 turtles (3 different species no less) sunning themselves in the warm afternoon sun. I knew I was in a strange land - all of my F stops had been shot so with no more ammo and not wanting to disturb the turtles I beached my raft and headed up the 35N trail to Stockholm, WI. A swedish enclave on the wrong side of the river. The Norwegians on the right side of the river forced them to the wrong side because they either were too blonde or had eaten too many Grozzels. Or they had eaten too much Ludifisk soaked in Lye and just plain smelled bad. The light was failing and it seemed it was time to head home.
I loaded the images on the computer and lo and behold there it was- hiding near the tree trunk to the left was a Grozzel with its beady little eyes peering at the turtles or me - who knows. If you do not see the Grozzel in the grasses maybe they really do not exist. Maybe it was the lack of exposure. As I studied the image in wonderment - an ear splitting high pitiched screech penetrated my brain.....
I can’t tell you how excited I am to see so many of you sharing the spirit of a grozzle hunt. Who would have thought that a few casual words on my part would have had such an effect?
In each report I sense a willingness – no, a downright determination! - to leave behind the shackles of photographic conformity and to go where no Lady or Gentle Bean has gone. (I left out the word, ‘before’ at the end of this sentence because it fails to add clarity and is there superfluous. I would apologise to William Shatner but it was he who committed the tautology in the first place).
I’m sure you’re aware that the number of entries is growing. I will, therefore, be hard pressed, or even pressed flat, to find an outright winner. However, giving its cunning angle and the stealth needed to capture it, I’m currently favouring the picture of the grozzle’s arse.
Posted by Dan Roberts on February 28, 2013 at 7:02 PM
While I've been handed the short end of many a stick, it would be a new low to be defeated by the arse end of a grozzle...
I love the way you're handling this Dan. There's hope yet for mankind.
Posted by William Gillis on February 28, 2013 at 7:27 PM
While it would indeed be a low blow to be trounced by the arse of a Grozzel it sure beats looking at the belly of a snake from a ditch. The question remains- was the ear piercing high pitch screech of the Grozzel "Live or is it Memorex"
Posted by Dan Roberts on February 28, 2013 at 11:24 PM
Based on my experience, staring into the eye of a grozzle, glimpsing ones arse, nor experiencing one's ear spitting call could possibly be mistaken for an immitation, not even memorex.
Posted by Mark Stahlke on March 1, 2013 at 10:37 AM
Not to be pedantic but the proper spelling is groslé. It's pronounced grows-LAY. We colonials are so uncultured.
Discussion
11 repliesThis month we’re concentrating on grozzles. Not big ones or small ones but ordinary everyday grozzles. Whoever gets the best picture of this rare marsupial, or any picture at all, will win a year’s supply of flat-head nails plus two weeks in a grozzle compound with Al Gore. Lucky you.
Grozzles are shy and cunning, plus they’re invisible, which may introduce complications vis a vis photography. But don’t let that dissuade you from participating in this futile exercise. There’s loot to be won! As well as a prize for the best grozzle pic, a bonus prize will be awarded for he or she who proves with the most convincing conviction (or whatever), that they have lost sight of what photography is all about and have successfully replaced imagination and artful insight with a lot of senseless babble about f-stops, shutter speeds, ISO ratings and walking with the light.
And don’t skimp on facts. We want every boring detail about how you captured the award winning grozzle pic: what lens you used, what colour this lens was, if it had writing on it, what the writing said, if you understood what the writing was saying, how many blades the shutter had, if you know what a blade is (accompanied by a lengthy technical dissertation), if you used AF, MF or XXL, and what phase the moon was in when you unexpectedly introduced the slight-of-hand that undid an unsuspecting grozzle.
All entries will be judged by myself, a frightening prospect in itself.
Signed: Barry Ashenhurst.
This photo was made back in May of 2008. I awoke that morning at 4:39 AKST, giddy with the anitcipation of a potential grozzle capture since I was in a cove in Prince Williiam Sound where we had glimpsed them before but never with camera in hand. Had a breakfast of oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins. I find that just the right amount of cinnamon is the key to a successful bowl of oatmeal. But perhaps I digress...
We rowed ashore in our dingy and set out on the search for grozzles in the dark understory of the hemlock rain forest. Shortly after making our landing, an f-stop was required for morning constitutional inspired by the perviously mentioned helping of oatmeal. Unfortunately modesty precludes my describing the f-stop in any further detail but hopefully one can fill in the blanks. Proceeding further into the forest, we passed an old cabin which at some point in the past had been tightly shuttered. I took particular note that the shutters were constructed of cedar rather then the native hemlock all about us. Of particular note were the hand wrought nails that had been used to hold the shutters in place suggesting that the cabin had been in this state from gold rush days. This along with the fact the the moon was that day was a waxing crescent and the tide was on the ebb boded very well for the prospects of a grozzle spot that morning.
Anyway, to get on with the technical aspects of the capture, during that time I was shooting a Nikon D200, serial number 170004100330245. That morning it was fitted with a AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED VR II which lent itself well to the low light within the forest. Unfortunately it was a standard black Nikon lens but due to the very nature of grozzle hunting I had both the lens and myself clothed in gilly suit material made of natural hemp fiber with freshly gathered fern leaves tied on. I'm sure anyone who has ever worn a gilly suit can appreciate what I had gone through during the previously mentioned f-stop. But all well worth it for a potential grozzle capture.
As the morning wore into mid day and then to evening, our hopes of a grozzle spot diminished. A day that had started with so much optimism looked as if it would end in yet another disappointing grozzle hunt. We returned to the boat without having fired a frame. But much to our pleasant surprise, upon downloading images from the trip, the grozzle photo was among them. Clearly some time during the course of that morning, we passed close enough to a grozzle in cloak mode that its image was recorded on the memory card without a frame being fired. So here it is, my (hopefully winning) entry to the grozzle photo contest.
I can't wait to meet Al "the tree" Gore
Them grozzles are hard to find alright but I hope your example will inspire
others to join the search. And by the way, how's your f-stop?
I had my Canon 40D which oddly enough says Canon 40D on it and I was using my Canon 17-85 IS Zoom Lens that has a nice white dot that lines up well when you are aiming at the cracks in the grozzle but . . . and had a nice stabilizing effect on my hands which were shaking from excitement.
I was amazed to see Dan's grozzle since I thought grozzles only lived in desert regions. I guess you learn something new everyday if you pay for it. Speaking of, did you know that buzzards will come to the smell of hot melted cheese and baloney sandwiches. I learned that in the mountains of Southern Arizona one day. It was tough to swallow while the buzzards were hopping around pecking at it, especially without copious amounts of water which is scarce in desert regions of the world.
What was this topic about again . . .
After inquiring about Grozzels in a fine eating establishment known as the Harbor View of Pepin (WI) - A foreign country to most, having inbibed in a few brews and encouragement provided by the locals, no one in the house had a clue what I was looking for but they said the legends of Grozzels were rooted among the local natives.
After a few more
I loaded the images on the computer and lo and behold there it was- hiding near the tree trunk to the left was a Grozzel with its beady little eyes peering at the turtles or me - who knows. If you do not see the Grozzel in the grasses maybe they really do not exist. Maybe it was the lack of exposure. As I studied the image in wonderment - an ear splitting high pitiched screech penetrated my brain.....
I can’t tell you how excited I am to see so many of you sharing the spirit of a grozzle hunt. Who would have thought that a few casual words on my part would have had such an effect?
In each report I sense a willingness – no, a downright determination! - to leave behind the shackles of photographic conformity and to go where no Lady or Gentle Bean has gone. (I left out the word, ‘before’ at the end of this sentence because it fails to add clarity and is there superfluous. I would apologise to William Shatner but it was he who committed the tautology in the first place).
I’m sure you’re aware that the number of entries is growing. I will, therefore, be hard pressed, or even pressed flat, to find an outright winner. However, giving its cunning angle and the stealth needed to capture it, I’m currently favouring the picture of the grozzle’s arse.