Outdoor Photographer April 2015

Photographer: Sandy Sisti Location: Shoshone National Forest, northwestern Wyoming Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon EF 100-400mm ƒ/4.5-5.6L IS USM Situation: Every autumn, a small herd of bull bison leaves Yellowstone National Park to winter in the Shoshone National Forest in northwestern Wyoming. These bison make the long journey over 8,524-foot-high Sylvan Pass, through Yellowstone’s East Entrance, to spend the next six months along the North Fork of the Shoshone River. Although this low-elevation winter range is more hospitable than the high country of Yellowstone, it’s plagued by howling winds, which often gust over 70 mph. The bison are a familiar sight during the winter months, as they move from meadow to meadow in search of the forage that sustains them until spring. On the morning this image was…

If some is good and more is better, then too much should be just right. That certainly has been the trend when it comes to camera resolution. Shortly before this issue went to press, Canon announced a pair of new EOS 5D DSLRs with 50-megapixel sensors. Since the Canon announcement, various rumor sites have been predicting new 50-megapixel cameras on the horizon from several manufacturers. How much is enough? I don’t intend that to come across as curmudgeonly, but as a serious question. About 18 years ago, I met with executives from a camera company who were showing their latest digital camera. It was early in the days of digital, and the camera had a 2-megapixel sensor. At the time, there were some higher pixel counts coming out, and sitting…

Look Closely John Shaw has been a professional nature photographer since the early 1970s. His work has been published in National Geographic, Nature’s Best, National Wildlife, Audubon and many others. Shaw took this photo in Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is renowned for sandhill cranes and snow geese, but as Shaw explains there’s much more to see and photograph: “[There are] other species of birds, mammals including deer, peccaries and rabbits, plus landscape possibilities. This great variety within a small area makes Bosque special; there’s always something to photograph.” A new book, John Shaw’s Guide to Digital Nature Photography, is scheduled for publication in early 2015. See more at www.johnshawphoto.com . In The Channel Matthew Meier is a professional underwater, nature and travel photographer…

CANON EOS 5DS/5DS R Canon has developed the EOS 5DS and 5DS R models, which offer the highest resolution of any 35mm DSLR, to date. Both the 5DS and 5DS R use a 50.6-megapixel, full-frame CMOS sensor and Dual DIGIC 6 processor, allowing quick 5 fps continuous shooting that captures full, sharp, detailed 50-megapixel resolution, and the 5DS R further maximizes sharpness with a cancelled low-pass filter. The cameras use 61-Point High-Density Reticular AF with 41 cross-type sensors and have a sensitivity of ISO 100-6400 (12,800 extended). The 5DS and 5DS R both have a built-in intervalometer, shoot 1080p full HD video and offer a creative Time Lapse Movie function, which automatically builds a time-lapse video from still images. While the cameras maintain the familiar 5D body, the chassis, baseplate…

The Halo Effect If you’re looking for a new approach to spring flower photography, you could try adding a soft “halo” to the blossoms for a whimsical or moody appearance. You can achieve this effect at capture or in postprocessing on the computer. Many current DSLRs have the capability of capturing multiple exposures on a single frame. Several of my Canon cameras can accomplish up to nine exposures per frame, but I usually take only two for the halo effect. You’ll need to work from a tripod. Once you’ve composed your image and programmed the camera to take multiple exposures on the same frame, capture the first image with the camera nicely focused to give a sharp image. For the second capture, throw the subject considerably out of focus. Usually,…

Location Grassy Ridge Bald is situated within the Roan-Unaka Mountain Range along the state borders of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. While cabins and organized campground accommodations can be found at Roan Mountain State Park at the base of the mountain along TN-143, backcountry camping is allowed on the balds themselves, making sunrise and sunset more manageable experiences. Weather Due to the high elevations found in the Roan Highlands and the generally treeless slopes of its peaks, extreme weather is frequent and should be respected. Winter snow, ice and extreme wind chills create conditions more characteristic of Northern climates. The cooler temperatures characteristic of the Roan Highlands are a major draw during the Southern summer months; however, fast-moving thunderstorms can sweep the balds and change weather conditions quickly. Extra…