MooseNewsBlog

DLWS is heading to the home of flight, Kitty Hawk, NC for a great DLWS event. DLWS has an amazing staff and this particular event was conceived by our own Brad Moore and it’s a winner!This is the first time DLWS will be venturing to the Out Banks and I know I’m looking for to it. You can find out some details here, the rest, well, you just gotta come!

Scott over at LensCoat just keeps coming up with great gear for us to take great care of our gear! His latest goodies are lens pouches (scroll down a tad). I know. lens pouches are nothing new, heck most Nikon lenses comes with them now. But these are made out of basically waterproof neoprane (my feelings, not LensCoat). These cases also snug right up to the top of the lens because they are extra long. The cases in the back are hold a 14-24AFS, 24-70AFS with shd and 70-300VR. Sweet!

My favorite is the one up front here that I use for the 1.7x. It clips right to my belt making it easy to take on and off the 600VR while protecting it.

We get a lot of calls asking why our WRP PhotoPacks don’t come with a built in raincover. The answer is real simple, it adds to the cost and SIZE of the photopack. It has to be pouring buckets before I worry about  my MP-1 PhotoPack. But there are those times, like in AK when it’s just pouring and the MP-1 is just lying there when a little extra cover might be handy.

That’s why I went out and bought a REI Duck’s Back Raincover (it even has a wildlife name, what more can you want?). This thing is bulletproof, I’ve tested it using the garden hose blasting away while it was covering the MP-1. It fits over the entire photopack even when it’s on your back. It folds flat and hides away in the back zippered compartment when not in use (adding nothing to the size of the photopack, very important these days when traveling by air). Whether it’s our photopack or some other manufacture, it’s a great way of protecting your bag without adding to its size. I use the 80lr for the MP-1, 60lr for the MP-3.

The latest cleaning gear from VisibleDust just arrived and all I have to say is……kewl! The new Arctic Butterfly Brite is the Arctic Butterfly with its own light. It works great!

Be sure to NOT spin the brush when it’s in the mirror box. Spin it for 10sec prior to use OUTSIDE the mirror box. This charges the brush so it just “sucks” up those small particles off the CCD. And be careful with the light switch, go too far and it spins the brush. You don’t want to do this while it’s in the mirror box.

While I was ordering the Arctic Brite, I picked up some of the new Vswabs for the D3. While I never had a problem with the old ones, these will make it easier to clean the CCD when I’m in a hurry.

The VisibleDust folks also came out with a 7x Loupe which might be darn helpful to spot those really small, annoying particles.

I’ve not even spent enough time with these magnificent creatures yet, and they are on my priority list. My concern is, time isn’t on their side or mine. Please, take a moment to check out the facts and perhaps get involved. This just came in which might be of help to you.

Though America’s polar bears are now listed as “threatened,” this label has come without any new protections. In fact, the bear’s future just became more uncertain. You’re help is needed to ensure polar bears are not harmed by careless oil drilling.

Problem
After assuring the American people that safeguards were in place to protect polar bears from oil and gas exploration, the Department of Interior gave a free pass to oil companies for harming polar bears.

Solution
Legislation called the Polar Bear Seas Protection Act has been introduced in congress that would put commonsense protections in place before oil and gas exploration is allowed to harm polar bears. Your voice is needed to help make this bill become law! Click on the button to learn more and take action.

I give my right arm for those moments you capture when wildlife does something humorous, something we humans can so easily read into what’s really not there but is funny to us. Such is the case for this photo of a pair of Canvasback Ducks photographed a couple weeks back at our AK Base Camp.

I’ve just finished 9 days of populating  2x 2TB of new hard drives and repopulating 3x 1TB of old drives (I was spared messing with another 2TB) as I expand my rabbit farm to manage all the digital files (having to make a rabbit hutch too boot!). What a royal pain in the butt and a bore moving, doing chksum and recreating thumbnails. I’m just now able to upload the images from AK & the air races to the network. I can read a whole new meaning into that kwaking duck photo after this experience.

What’s really happening is there are two males and one female flying past us (one male is out of the shot). The two males are after the one female (birds & the bees stuff) and I guess kwaking in her ear as they fly is the way to her heart. They buzzed right on by and all the way to the end of the marsh. I wonder who got the girl in the end?

Photo captured by D3, 600VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

It would seem my latest blog postings from Reno Air Race Pylon Racing Seminar broke the camel’s back. I’ve received so far 203 emails with the question, “How dooo you do it?”

The question was asked with two inferences:

both with the implication that I am some how not human. There is always that possibility. And while the perception is better than reality, there is a real answer to the questions.

How is it I’m one week in the mighty redwoods, the next chasing tornadoes, the next in Alaska photographing critters and then in Reno photographing race planes (and in between working with Sage Grouse)? The start of the answer is that my best friend, business partner and wife are all the same person, Sharon. She makes it possible for me to follow my passion, photography. There’s none better and I simply couldn’t do what I do without her!

Next, I have some great friends, some mighty great friends who support my wackiness in the pursuit of a photograph! There is also the fact that I work hard and long hours, when I have to. Lastly, and this is very important, I’m incredibly fortunate, someone, someplace just simply likes me.

As to the plane photography, well, that answer is much more tangible. My friend Scott from NPS put the 500VR in my hand (that’s because my 200-400VR was still in route, back from AK and the last project). A guy named Richard made sure I was in the right place (100yards away) for the L-39 Jet or modified P51 as they screamed by the ridge blowing needles off the Junipers, at the right time (thanks Richard!). He also shared some of the “secrets” to his aviation photography one of which is shooting in Shutter Priority for the prop propelled planes. You don’t want a frozen prop (which I knew and first tried to accomplish in Aperture Priority. Wrong!) so you shoot around 1/250 for some planes, 1/500 for others. That’s new territory for me. I in turned shared a couple of my secrets with Richard, like a panning trick. All the shooters at the Pylon Seminar were very generous with their knowledge. I want to thank them all!

And all of this is nothing you can’t do! Well, I doubt you’ll find another Sharon, she’s one of a kind. But you can find partners be it spouse or shooting bud that can makes things happen for you. You can practice your panning, get the 500VR (buy or rent) and with time, makes the shots. And then it’s up to you to follow your passion!

Photos captured by D3, 70-300VR / 500VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

Just as the sun rose today, we were on the flight line in the attempt to make some fine art photographs of some mighty fine plane lines.

The actual sunrise and its flaming red color unfolded as I sped up Hwy395 to Stead Airport (home of the Reno Nat’l Air Races). I personally didn’t want the red with the steally silver Mustang and was quite pleased with the light after the color.

And the light stuck around long enough to make a couple of shots of this incredibly colorful T-9 tail.

After the morning media briefing (who were in school just like the pilots) it was back out to the pylons to photograph the planes. This year, I was the only “pylon virgin” in training. The photographers out here are very specialized, very dedicated and very friendly and helpful. Can’t thank them enough to their schooling and friendship!

Pylon 4 shooting for the Unlimited Class was really, truly, just kick ass fun! There were a number of P-51 Mustangs and when they flew up the ridge, past us, around the pylon continuing on the coarse, well, it was just spectacular!

So, at the end of the day I got my patch, passed the class, qualified and welcomed to the media for the 10-14 Sept Championships. Now that I’ve finally made it here after all these years of wanting to, I can’t wait for the races and to be back with this great group of photographers! Want to thank Scott of Nikon NPS for making it possible for me to be here!

Photos captured by D3, 14-24AFS / 500VR (handheld) on Lexar UDMA digital film