Ryan Marshik and I recently returned from a mid October trip to Yellowstone National Park and so the next few posts will be images from this photo feast. As usual (this was our 6th trip to Yellowstone together), we left about 3pm from Duluth and drove straight through…It takes about 17 hours or so, and we cross the breadth of Minnesota and North Dakota and half of Montana. It’s a great time for us photo buddies to catch up, talk gear and technique, and listen to some photography podcasts.
On this trip I really wanted to try some “wide angle wildlife” shots, to get a more intimate portrait than is possible with a long telephoto lens. But I’m also including here a few shots taken at very close range with a longer lens that emphasize interesting details of wildlife subjects.
Stay tuned for more Yellowstone blog posts in the coming week.
Raven from behind. Minnesota ravens are incredibly shy and difficult to get close to. Not the case in Yellowstone! And the big revelation is that they are not really black!
The elk rut was waning but this young bull was still feeling his oats.
A Least Chipmunk from 4 inches away. I placed the camera on a favorite feeding rock and then remotely tripped the shutter while eating a bagel sandwich at a picnic table 50 feet away. 10mm lens at f16 1/500 second.
This curious guy actually put his nose print on my camera lens! The only way to get a shot like this with a tiny animal large in the frame and the background also relatively sharp is by using a very wide angle lens (in this case the Sigma 10-20mm set at 10mm) and triggering it remotely. 10mm lens at f16 1/400 second.
Bison own the roads in Yellowstone. Not a great shot but a very interesting image. Shot out the window with a 10mm lens…Inches from his nostrils. No, he did not get snot on my lens nor gore the rental car!
5 responses to “Yellowstone Wildlife from Inches Away”
Mike Powell
October 27th, 2012 at 08:46
Wow. Your photos are great and really challenge the conventional wisdom of shooting wildlife with a telephoto lens. I just ordered a longer telephoto zoom and now it seems like I need a really wide angle lens too. Were you shooting with a crop sensor camera or a full frame one?
Sparky Stensaas
October 27th, 2012 at 19:16
Hi Mike, Thanks for the comment. Yes, all are shot with the Canon 7D a 1.6x crop factor camera. I probably shoot 80% of all my wildlife/bird images with the Canon 400mm f5.6, 10% with the Canon 500mm f4 and 10% with the Sigma 10-20mm…but the wide angle shots stand out because they give a very different look.
Joanne Stensaas
October 27th, 2012 at 14:26
Mark, do you have any sunflower pictures in your collection thru the years? Lou wants one for his redecorated bathroom. I was thinking of just one big one in a 9″ by 12″ size. He wants a black frame. We would get the frame later. Sorry to interject this personal note here. Enjoyed seeing your unique ways to photograph animals. Aunt Joanne
Beret
October 28th, 2012 at 22:22
Alaska ravens can see me and my camera coming from 100 miles away, it’s been SO exasperating:-) I can’t even take pictures from inside a building, good grief!
Sparky Stensaas
October 29th, 2012 at 17:01
I know the frustration! It seems like the biggest birds with the least to fear from predators are the wariest of humans…Like ravens, Bald Eagles, Pileated Woodpeckers, etc…