Bull Moose
This Moose gave us over 45 minutes of pure excitement as we watched & photographed as he ate grasses & lily pads from a bay on Cross Bay Lake in the Bou...
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This Moose gave us over 45 minutes of pure excitement as we watched & photographed as he ate grasses & lily pads from a bay on Cross Bay Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of northern Minnesota
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Feb, 2016Views
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Awards
Fall Award 2020
Absolute Masterpiece
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This Image was captured in The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on Cross Bay Lake. This area off the Gunflint Trail out of Grand Marais, MN holds a higher density of Moose. Outside of the rut in September & October a Moose can be very docile. I have found through the years that if you approach them slowly and at an indirect manner they seem not to spook very easy.Time
The perfect time of day. Early evening at what many photographers call the golden hour before sunset. My brother from Hawaii was with me and it was our last night of camping before packing up and portaging out the next morning. As we gathered our fishing gear he said his only wish for the evening would be to see his first Moose. He certainly was able to experience that and to top it off the Moose put a show on for us for over 45 minutes. I took almost 100 pictures of him and we were able to experience first hand his feeding habits. There was at least twice he kept his head under water for over a minute as he munched on the lush underwater vegetation.Lighting
The Golden Hour. Having clear skies & a great sunset behind us put an awesome glow on the Moose as he fed in the bay.Equipment
Nikon D300 w/ a 35-135 lens. We were in a canoe while photographing the Moose but stability was not an issue as the wind was very calm.Inspiration
I'm always looking, searching & hoping for chances to capture animals in the wild. I was not expecting the moose to stay around very long but when he showed no urgency to leave and spent over 45 minutes in close proximity to us that was very memorable.Editing
There was not any post processing done on this picture. I did crop some of the pictures I took of the moose but he was so close that it was not necessary.In my camera bag
Camera in hand is Nikon D300 w/ a 70-200mm 2.8 lens. I keep a spare body Nikon D300 in my bag as backup, Nikkor lenses which include a 18-55mm 2.8; a 10-24 3.5mm wide angle. along with my shutter release remote system for low light & astro photography.Feedback
Thru years of experience getting to know areas where moose frequent I've learned that patience is important. When the opportunity arises to capture wildlife do your best to position yourself between the sun & animal. Take many photos; if your new to photography use the auto mode, but if you have experience put your camera on manual to adjust the settings and bracket your shots up or down a stop or two and you may be surprised at what the camera creates.
