Gone to See America 2007 Road Trip. Nikonians ANPAT 7 Day 4: Yellowstone National Park.
Upon arrival in Jackson, the ANPAT participants were split into four groups, each with their own van (with a volunteer driver and navigator). Each van had ~8 photographers fully loaded with gear. The space in the van was tight, and I felt like I was sitting in a narrow commuter jet. The vans had schedules to go to different locations so as not to get in each other’s way… Our van did a lot of Bison hunting while traveling through Yellowstone National Park. The first image of one of our Bison hunters, and the second a shy Bison trying to hide behind some grass.
Morning Bison Hunter. Yellowstone National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D2Xs camera and 200 f/2 VR lens (ISO 400, 200 mm, f/2, 1/180 sec). (David J Mathre)Shy Bison Hiding Behind Grass. Yellowstone National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D2Xs camera and 200 f/2 VR lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/2, 1/800 sec). (David J Mathre)
Gone to See America 2007 Road Trip. Nikonians ANPAT 7 Day 3: Yellowstone National Park.
Elk and Bison. This was my first experience with a Nikonian ANPAT trip. I found out about Nikonians online after I got my first Nikon D200 camera while looking for information how take better pictures. It should be noted that they are not funded by Nikon, but rather is an organization of Nikon camera enthusiasts. Even though ANPAT trips are often sold out within days of being announced, there was a late cancelation in 2007 and I was able to sign up at the last minute. At the time I was working part time in Boulder, Colorado. It was an easy drive to Jackson, Wyoming to meet up with the group. This was not a workshop, but rather a get together of Nikon camera enthusiasts interested in travel, wildlife, and landscape photography. I learned a lot during the trip, met some great people, and it really became the turning point for deciding to learn more and become a better photographer. Subsequently, I’ve attended several photography workshops and ANPAT trips.
Elk Passing Gas. Yellowstone National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D2Xs camera and 200-400 f/4 VR lens (ISO 100, 200 mm, f/4, 1/125 sec). (David J Mathre)Bison Resting. Yellowstone National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D2Xs camera and 200-400 f/4 VR lens (ISO 100, 290 mm, f/5.6, 1/20 sec). (David J Mathre)
It has been a few days since I have posted anything. I’ve been very busy at work since getting back from San Francisco, it has also been raining for the last several days and predicted to rain for the next several days (more local flooding) and not many opportunities for new images other than some mushrooms :-). We also have also moved the site for this photoblog to a new server (Thanks Hans). Regarding the move, let me know if you have any issues accessing the site and images.
I found this Tree Fungus/Mushroom on a fallen Birch tree while walking through my backyard. This was one of the trees that came down when the power company cleared the lines following a wind storm in March 2010 that is slowly decomposing. Not surprising the decomposition has accelerated with all of the rain we have had recently.
Tree Mushroom/Fungus on Fallen Birch Tree. Image taken with a Nikon D700 camera and 28-300 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 56 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec) and SB-900 flash. (David J Mathre)
Gone to See America 2008. Moab Utah Photography Workshop with Winston Hall. Day 5: Arches National Park.
Time-Lapse Video of a Hike down Park Avenue in Arches National Park. Winston Hall talked me into carrying a tripod on my shoulders so the DSLR camera would be above my head. We set the camera up with a fisheye lens and had it take images every 15 seconds. I used the ~900 images to make a time-lapse video of the hike.
Thanks to Jim Batey, I’ve added an image he took of me wearing the Tripod Headcam.
Tripod Headcam. Park Avenue Trail, Arches National Park. (Jim Batey)
When the conditions are right, you can see the Milky Way in New Jersey. Two views, a 5 minute and 15 minute exposure.
Summer Night in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 16 mm f/2.8 mm Fisheye lens (ISO 400, 16 mm, f/2.8, 300 sec). (David J Mathre)Summer Night in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 16 mm f/2.8 mm Fisheye lens (ISO 400, 16 mm, f/2.8, 900 sec). (David J Mathre)
I am back in New Jersey after a short trip to San Francisco. I hate flying and this trip was bad. I spent 4 hours in the plane before taking off in Philadelphia (we did get back to the gate for a short stop to avoid the 3 hour federal regulation rules). Ultimately it took 12 hours from the time I left my office to get to the hotel in San Francisco. I hate flying, and would rather drive. For the return flight, the airline decided there were too many empty seats and substituted a smaller plane (and bumped 20+ passengers). ARRG! I just wanted to get home, and was not interested in a $400 future credit. Ultimately I got a seat on the original flight. It was a middle seat, and I had to force the armrest down to separate me from the over sized person next to me oozing into my seat. I hate flying. I hate flying. I hate flying.
