Moose Cow Feeding
Aug, 2018Views
467
Likes
Awards
Contest Finalist in Colossal Wildlife Photo Contest
Peer Award
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 30 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Top 20 rank
Top 30 rank week 2
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This beautiful girl was feeding on aquatic vegetation in a very remote pond in north western Maine.Time
This is one of my favorite images and not just for the image but for the incredible happenstance of being able to capture this shot! I left my house at around 3am to head for the wilderness of Maine. I made a few stops along the way for a few clicks of loons and morning dew on spider webs and then back on my way. I arrived in the area around 8am and set out to explore the woods and do a little moose watching, which would typically have been done much earlier but time got away from me. With no luck throughout the day, I decided on a whim to call the local sporting shop offering moose watching tours and asked if they had anyone available for a private photo tour and I was thrilled that they did because I needed a way to get out on the water. I was to meet my guide at the shop at 3pm but in the meantime a fairly huge storm was brewing and it began to rain lightly. I arrived at the shop and after a brief discussion about the rain and a consult of what I wanted to do, we were on our way. No sooner than pulling out of the driveway, the sky opened up and it began to rain buckets!! We saw our first moose, of course, in the pouring rain ... mmm hmm, you guessed it ... a giant bull with a full beautiful rack off in the marsh roadside... wha whaaaa ... too far away to capture decent shots in the dark stormy setting with torrential rain. I thought for sure there would not be another opportunity but we pushed on. The kind guide seemed to make a large circle and were headed back toward the storm but my gut was saying that we needed to be going in the other direction so I asked to go to a remote pond that was mentioned earlier. Now it's about 6-7 pm and it would soon be getting dark. We arrived at the pond just as the sky began to clear and the last drops of rain made their way to the ground ... and there she was ... a glorious brown speck on the other side of the pond!! What?!!! Yes?!!! I had a torn Achilles at the time but that wasn't going to stop me .. we slid the canoe quietly into the water and began to paddle within a respectful distance of the sweet girl. She continued to feed without bother as I captured several angles. We returned to the shop elated with several bucket list shots and I couldn't be happier!Lighting
I wanted to capture portrait style images and was happy with the natural lighting as the storm clouds were passing and the last bit of the days sun was shining through as if it were meant just for those images!Equipment
This was shot with my Nikon D500, Nikkor 200-500 at f/5.6, with ISO 2000.Inspiration
I moved to Maine about 18 years ago and will never forget seeing my first moose. Awkward, gangly, and mysterious giants. It was love at first sight!! I have been photographing moose roadside for years but never felt like I had "the shot." You know the one. The one that makes you smile from ear to ear because you have conquered some seemingly unattainable challenge that is just between you and the subject. I decided when I left my house at 3am that this was going to be "the day" and set out to make it happen!Editing
Because I am rather amateur and shoot in difficult lighting conditions for my skill set, I end up doing more noise correction than I would like to but this time was different. I was able to keep the crispness of her coat and face without loosing anything by having to over adjust luminance and shadow. I did some slight adjustments for exposure and a tick or two of luminance and viola!In my camera bag
I love to have options ... umm ... I need them too ... lol. I have everything except the kitchen sink in my bag. I carry my Nikon D500 and D7200 bodies, 50mm prime lens, my 70-200mm, 24-70mm, 100mm macro as well as a couple of Tokina wide angle lenses for landscapes and my latest addition of the new Nikon 200-500mm. I also have a Gitzo tripod that I proudly got for a steal second hand as well as a walking pole and monopod and don't forget the DJI Spark. Now mind you, I do a lot of jumping in and out of the car so not all of this is on my person at one time. I have a smaller bag that I use for hiking, camping, and/or walking about town as well as single and double Black Rapid harnesses. I have added events, pet sessions and family sessions which has added a whole new level of "what should I bring today?"Feedback
The more remote the better, but be prepared. In any state where you will find moose, you will usually also find large predators, or even small predators that can kill you or at least make you very sick (mosquitoes and ticks). Several years ago, one moose in New England could have upwards of 40,000 ticks on them at one time in the wrong conditions. This pretty girl was very healthy and didn't have very many at all. The terrain is not always very forgiving so you will need to wear proper attire for the seasons and conditions. Be mindful of hunting seasons. Do your research. Call local sport shops. Moose are extremely dangerous when they feel threatened and this should not be taken lightly. You should never approach a moose and always capture images from a respectful distance. The best advice I could give is to be patient, patient patient. For some perspective, I have been photographing moose sporadically since 2009 and this was my first "bucket list" shot and I needed to solicit the help of a guide to help get me into a remote location.
