Bradley Myers Photo Blog

Merry Christmas Everyone

2011-12-25T06:40:00.000-05:00

No photos this morning folks, this was a last minute thought as I set at the fire station kitchen table drinking coffee after a busy night. With any luck I will get off at 8:30 this morning. I have my fingers crossed. For all the regulars and just the occaisional web surfer, have a Merry and safe Christmas

This is the first time I have ever tried making a post from my ipad, I hope it turns out.

Brad

Do You Remember This Buck?

2011-12-16T05:15:00.002-05:00

Do you remember this buck? I posted him on November 17 and mentioned that he was the most impressive buck I had seen during the rut. Not the most points but most impressive spread and length of tines. This view gives you a better view of the rack and provides you the opportunity to see all 12 of the points including the spot with the broken brow tine.

This is not the best of the photographs I got of this buck but I still liked it. It was taken early morning just as the sun came up over the horizon. He had been chasing does and was in the beginning stages of a lip curl allowing him to smell the does in estrogen. I sure could use another one of these trips right now to relax me and relieve some stress.

Do You See It?

2011-12-14T05:15:00.004-05:00

Well do you, do you see it? Do you know what the "it" is I am referring to? I am speaking of the beauty of this whitetail buck. When I look at this animal I see strength, beauty and pride. I may not hunt anymore but I still like venison and get it often at work. But I could stand all day and watch this magnificent animal. Now do you see it?

Now for the photo details, like most these days it was taken with the D7000 and the 200-400 VR F4 on the Wimberly. It was captured in low light at ISO 640, 1/40 sec. F4 at 600 mm.

Juvenile Red Shoulder Hawk...

2011-12-13T04:57:00.003-05:00

This is a juvenile Red Shoulder Hawk I photographed last month in SNP, Virginia. There is more to this story and more photos than I am showing here but all that will have to wait for another time. As in the past time is short and I have no ambition to set in front of this thing working on photos or pecking away.

This photo was taken late afternoon with back lighting. Sometimes I try for the back lighting other times it is because it was mt only choice. This hawk has that nice glow around it I am just never sure how to post process them. For that reason I do next to nothing to them. By the way this photo was taken with the D700, 200-400 Vr f4 lens at ISO 400, 1/400 sec., F4 at 600 mm hand held.

Do You Think His Tongue Was Planned?

2011-12-08T04:51:00.003-05:00

Do you think this young bull stuck his tongue out on purpose? I am betting he did knowing I was taking his photo, that has been the story of my life. Time is still short, this is all you get.

This Bull Has Been Hard At Work...

2011-12-07T04:45:00.002-05:00

This photo was taken at this years Elk rut in Northern Pennsylvania. Time is short and the brain quit working sometime back, okay it was years ago so I will keep this very short. This bull was busy keeping his herd together and tearing everything up to impress the cows. And now while the cows look towards another bull he needs to rip off a most impressive bugle. What an awesome sight and even more awesome sound it is. I can't wait to do it again next year.

The Danger Appears...

2011-12-02T04:56:00.002-05:00

Continuing on my last post after looking for the danger the whitetails made us aware of for almost one and a half hours Shane spotted a Coyote in the meadow. He was about 50 yards from the deer when we spotted him and feeding on the blueberries. He never approached the deer any closer after we seen him but he did stay in the area long enough to allow us to get a few photographs. The whitetails remained in the meadow feeding and were never ran off by him. This coyote would never take down a healthy adult whitetail but I am sure they remember him feeding on the fawns earlier in the summer and remained on high alert.

On High Alert!

2011-12-01T04:56:00.002-05:00

It is funny I should use this as a title since that is what I am in every day of my life with this job. The sad part my high alert is not from the bells sounding an alarm but from everything else in the city. Enough said about that onto the subject at hand.

In August when Shane and I traveled to SNP to photograph the fawns and bucks in velvet we entered the meadow under the cover of darkness and waited for the sun to rise. When the sun rose we were surrounded by 27 deer, seven of those being bucks. We held our positions and enjoyed the morning photographing the deer. An hour or so into it we noticed the bucks and does paying attention the the back part of the meadow. Frequently tails would be raised along with the occasional snort and stomp. We knew that the deer were alerting to danger and that it was not us. We scanned the meadow for the danger for almost an hour and a half before the danger appeared.

For that you will need to tune into my next post.

SNP In August...

2011-11-29T04:50:00.002-05:00

Okay I missed a day, but I have already posted more than twice as much this month that any other this year. I thought I would stay with the whitetail in Shenandoah National Park but dig into my August files. After posting big bucks the fawns seemed like a nice change of pace. It is amazing what one can see when they spend some quality time around the whitetails. Most people do not observe wildlife enough to see them interact with each other. I was lucky enough on this day to see these two fawns grooming each other. Do you think he was trying to get some attention when he gave him that little kick?

End The Week As I Started It...

2011-11-25T05:16:00.003-05:00

I decided that since I started the week with a silhoutte I would end it the same way. Instead of Elk I will bring you a whitetail doe from SNP. I mentioned getting my best silhoutte shots in SNP this year and this is one of them, not my best as I got the chance to get numerous nice bucks during the sunset that week. By the way this was captured during sunrise one morning.

Same Bull As Monday's...

2011-11-24T04:41:00.005-05:00

This is the same bull as Monday's post just taken a little earlier on a very grey day. It would have been great to have a blue sky or colorful fall leaves in the back ground but the opportunity did not provide it. I was walking up over the back side of the mountain when he appeared all alone and very vocal. Looking up at him as he bugled created for me a larger than life creature that makes one of the sweetest sounds you will hear in nature.

Did anyone else notice that I have been posting on a regular basis? Someone has because my daily hits have been going back up again. It does seem as if only two people noticed that I changed the blog header last week. I do not know if I can keep this going at this rate but I am going to try.

And with work interfering with life and every day being a work day or an off day I almost forgot it was Thanksgiving. So, from my family to yours have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. And please don't burn your turkey today I want to see some football.

Late Evening Buck In SNP...

2011-11-23T04:39:00.002-05:00

This photograph was taken late one evening as the sun was setting, the sky did not have the chance to turn real orange and red yet allowing me just enough room in the camera setting to get the buck and environment without having to make a silhouette.

This four by four is a smaller buck than what I photographed most of the trip. For Pa. he would be a nice buck and one that most would be will to take during the hunting season but for SNP he just does not compare to the others.

There was a couple of other guys with me at the time and I think I was the only one to photograph this buck, I am glad I did. I do not know what anyone else thinks of the image but I for one like it.

Take My Photo, Please...

2011-11-22T05:04:00.004-05:00

This little guy stepped out into the open one afternoon I was photographing with Bob Shank. It was a productive time as we had about seven bulls and numerous cows and calves around us. Not wanting to pass up a chance to photograph Elk other than big bulls I snapped a few photos quickly before he headed away. While out shooting I will photograph all wildlife as I see the beauty in them all.

When I did this photo on Photoshop CS5 it looked okay to me but now that I am looking at it in the blogger preview I see a green cast to the whole image. What do you think.

Elk Silhouette...

2011-11-21T05:03:00.008-05:00

If you have not realized it by now I really love silhouette photographs with the right subject. Unfortunately they are not always easy to obtain. My all time favorite would have to be Coy's from Country Captures, he used it as his blog header for a year and I hated to see it go. I could have had the same chance at that shot had I tagged along with him that night but instead I ended up with the tractor on top of the ridge photo. I prefer beautiful sunsets or sunrise colors behind the animal but one late cloudy evening this year in Elk country I looked up to see this opportunity presenting itself. Not wanting to pass up the moment I fired away. I will say I got my best whitetail silhouettes this year in SNP and you will be seeing those in the future. I hope the two links worked as it is the first time I have tried it on this new format, if not check back as I will try and fix them.

Something Different For Friday...

2011-11-18T04:45:00.002-05:00

After posting four days in a row of whitetail I thought it might be nice to switch things up and change to a larger animal today. And if you are not counting this is five post this week for me, I am hoping if I get consistent I can gain my viewers back that I lost.

This photograph was taken September 29, 2011 in Elk County during the Elk rut. Since I gave meta data this week with my deer photos I will continue it today with this shot. It was taken with the D7000, 200-400 VR f4 lens mounted on a tripod at 5:50 p.m. The settings were ISO 640 at 1/250 second f4 at 600mm. This bull had a good quality of light on him and for a change some fall colors in the back ground making the photograph pleasing to me even if the pose has him walking away.

I really dislike this time of year because of winter coming and summer being just a memory but then again it is my favorite time of year. My two weeks spent at SNP and Elk County for the Elk and Whitetail ruts are my two best weeks of the year. It is relaxing, there is great people, beautiful wildlife and I am cut off from the outside world. Of course it also means the start of hockey season and those games really help me forget it is cold outside.

The Big Buck Of The Trip...

2011-11-17T04:51:00.007-05:00

Let me first start by clarifying the title. This was and was not the big buck of the trip. He was a 6 x 6 but you will note that it does not count the tine broken off at the base of the beam on the left antler. If you can not see it here there is no need to worry because you will be seeing many more photos of this deer. He was the biggest because of the spread of the rack and the length of the tines and beams. I did photograph one that had a total of 17 points but I feel this one was more impressive.

I photographed this buck on five different occasions, all early morning or late day. I had an idea of his location and looked for him each day. He was not like many of the other bucks in that he did not like people being around him. As you began to approach him he would walk away making it hard to get good shots. I finally learned to get close to his herd and just remain still hoping that he would chase the doe's my way. My second time photographing him I tried to follow him in his chase and found that I was doing 70 to 100 yard circles and getting nothing. Do you think he knew what he was doing and was playing me for a fool?

This photograph was taken at 7:01 am one frosty morning in the far reaches of the meadow as he does a lip curl checking for does that may be ready for breading. He kept the does in the shaded area giving us more time to photograph out of the sun. To get the shot it was taken with the D7000 with the 200-400 VR f4 lens from a tripod. My settings were ISO 800 1/160 second at f4 at 300 mm. One may ask why a few of my shots were a higher ISO when I had my shutter speed as high as 1/160 when many of my low light Elk photos were taken at 1/30 of a second. It was simply because often the whitetail did not remain still like the Elk and it was requiring higher shutter speeds to keep the images sharp. Heck sometimes I sound like I know what I am doing with the camera, now if that were only true.

By the way the 17 point buck I mentioned, you will see him in the future.

SNP Blue Birds...

2011-11-16T05:22:00.002-05:00

For those of you counting this is three days in a row, maybe I am onto something here. While in SNP there is many more things to photograph than whitetails. The sunrise and sunsets are beautiful, there is turkeys and bears although I didn't see any this trip, there is coyotes that I seen twice but never got a shot and of course I always see the raccoons early morning in the headlights without a shot and there is many other animals. But this time I got lucky with some birds. These blue birds were taken different days in mid morning sun, both were shot at 600mm from the tripod and cropped in for the image. I have never claimed to be a bird photographer or any other type of photographer actually but I love the beauty of the blue bird. These are my best shots to date. I did photograph one other type of bird while I was there and that was a juvenile red shoulder hawk. Those photographs are for another post or two as I enjoyed a good 15 minutes with it.

Different Bucks, Different Light...

2011-11-15T04:47:00.003-05:00

Today's post (yes two days in a row) is different bucks in different light. Both were taken with the Nikon D7000 with the 200-400 VR f4 lens from a tripod. Interestingly enough both were taken around the same time of the morning but in different weather and lighting conditions. The first was shot at 7:52 a.m. on a sunny clear morning. This small 4 x 4 was in the meadow and lighting was from the side, it required settings of ISO 400 1/60 second at f6.3 at 510 mm. The second photograph was taken my last morning in the park when it was very overcast with no sunshine. It was taken at 7:20 a.m. at ISO 1600, 1/160 second at f4 with a focal length of 600mm.

The gist of the post if there is one is that photographs can be taken in all kinds of lights with different and sometimes equally as good results. They also can be taken vertically compared to horizontally for different results. Both of these I felt were better shots taken that way. I do not like to shoot at 1600 ISO but will do so when it is the only way to record the image. Could I make these photographs better, YES. With better computer skills in Photoshop I could probably do much more with these that I do not do. As a habit I try and get the photograph as close as I can when taking the shots and then only spend about five minutes at the most in post processing. The higher ISO shots could be much better if I had a clue about noise reduction. Presently I do none, but I have been told that if I get Lightroom 3 and learn to use it that it is a remarkable tool. Maybe someday I will purchase the program and get the nerve and energy to learn how to use it.

On the second photograph take note to the broken tine on the left beam of the 5 x 4. Also note the damage to the right beam, these bucks did more rubbing than I have ever seen on these trips, a number of the bucks had broken tines and displayed some sort of battle scars. What a great trip it was, for anyone out there that loves the beauty of the whitetail deer this is a must place to visit. I am so lucky to have this place within four hours of my home.

SNP Whitetail Rut 2011...

2011-11-14T05:05:00.031-05:00

Last week I spent Sunday afternoon through Thursday morning in Shenandoah National Park photographing the whitetail rut. Like photographing the Elk rut in Pa. I find that I enjoy the company of the great people just as much as I do the wildlife experience. Most of the gang was there like Willard, Coy, Henry, Carl and their wives, Billy, Jim and others that I have met in recent years including new friends that were made.

This year may have been my best year yet photographing the whitetails during the rut. I photographed many bucks from big to small, numerous sparring matches, tree rubs, breeding, blue birds, red shoulder hawks and my best silhouette yet.

I feel I didn't start with any of my better photos but this was one encounter I had with this buck mid day. This nice 5 by 5 had this one doe to look over and he did a fine job of it. I think I photographed him in August when he was in velvet I just need to look over the files to see. Between this trip and numerous others I have plenty to post, now if I can just get myself to set here and do it.

Once again I want to thank all the great people I spent time with for helping to make these trips so much more enjoyable.

To Much Lens...

2011-10-07T05:03:00.004-04:00

Don't you just hate it when you have to much lens. Normally we cry that we do not have enough but in this case it was just the opposite. What you see is all I could fit in the frame. I was shooting the D7000 with the 200-400VR f4 when this bull approached me. It was recorded at the 200mm (with the conversion factor it would be 300mm) at ISO 400, 1/40 sec at f4 from the wimberly. I have always made a habit of carrying the D300 around me with the 70-200VR f2.8 but I got lazy this day and decided to put the lens in my bag I was carrying, it did me no good there.

The second photograph is taken from the first. I only used this to show you the reflection in the eye, his teeth and the fine hairs standing up on his chin and nose. This was only my second Elk trip with this lens and the first time on this camera so I was going through a few learning experiences. Overall as long as I did my job right I was very pleased with both. As a matter of fact the D7000 has now become my main camera with the D300 as the back-up.

More From The Pa. Elk Rut...

2011-10-05T04:26:00.029-04:00

Two posts in a week maybe I can get back into the swing of things here. Today's post comes from my recent trip to Elk County for the rut. In Monday's posts I mentioned the weather, what I didn't mention is that with the wet weather on Winslow Hill normally comes heavy fog in the mornings. And we had just that, heavy fog on a few mornings. When it is foggy like this you have a choice of just observing the Elk, trying to photograph them or doing both. I have always done both, but I spend more time just watching than photographing. This bull was photographed on the top of the mountain as he bugles to anyone that wants to listen, and believe me we were listening. This is just an amazing sound, if one spends enough time around the bulls you can learn if it is an old bull or a younger one.

Now I am typing this hoping the video works, I changed some things on blogger to up date the way I make my posts hoping that some of the bugs go away and this is my first post after doing this. If it works what you will see is a cow and her calf grooming each other close up. This was taken mid morning on an overcast day in the woods with little light. I have found that it can be much easier to video rather that shoot photos with a DSLR in low light. Being away from the other noises Winslow Hill can bring is great, turn up your volume and listen to the peacefulness of the outdoors and the bugling of the bulls. It is funny as the bull bugles the cow must have been bored by it as she appears to yawn or maybe she is lip syncing. I hope this post works.

Pa. Elk Rut 2011...

2011-10-03T05:17:00.006-04:00

Last week I spent my time in the mountains of Elk County observing and photographing the Pa. Elk Rut. This is the third year in a row I have spent the last week of September chasing around the Pa. Elk herd and enjoying quality time with great people. The week went allot like last years, warm weather (to warm for Elk activity) and lots and lots of rain. Also like last years the weather broke the last evening their giving me my best photos that night and the next morning.

I am not shore what I like best about the rut, a chance to be away from the phone, newspapers and TV, the Elk or the people. Most of the time is spent with great people that I have met by doing this. We get together every year at the same place, many I have known for a few years and others that you just meet. Yes I would have to say that the best part of the experience is spending time with great people, most that I will not see again until the next rut and others that I will shoot with numerous times before the next rut. We all share one thing in common, the love of the outdoors and wildlife.

This photos was taken early one morning in the saddle with Coy and Willard. This bull got a name this year like many other bulls in and around Winslow Hill. He is now called Uncle Bob.

Thanks for the great time guys and I can't wait to do it again.

Water Rescue On Front Street...

2011-09-16T05:05:00.003-04:00

I assuming the video upload worked, I have tried a few times with no luck. This was one of the calls we had on Friday last week, we were dispatched to North Front Street near the city line for a car in the water with the occupant inside. One of the most difficult things to do during a flood is determining the best route of travel because of flooded streets. On this call I drove out of the city into the township to approach the incident. With apparatus on both sides we waited for the Utility to arrive with the raft. A crew of three walked the raft in to the auto and assisted the elderly man into the raft and out to safety. Once out we placed him on the front bumper of my wagon for EMS to check him out. The last photograph is Captain Jim McHenry "B" platoon and Battalion Chief Herb Berger "C" platoon working overtime with us.

I turned out to be an 87 year old man delivering meals on wheels, had this been a younger person we would not have been very happy about the call and he more than likely would have been fined. But do to circumstances we handled this a little different.

I would like to point out that the local news paper the Patriot News Harrisburg reported on the incident, of course it was almost all wrong. They stated that River Rescue brought the man to safety, WRONG it was the HFD. They also said that in the photo caption that he was setting on the bumper of a Susq. Twp. fire engine, WRONG again, they were not even there. I did send an email to three different people at the Patriot pointing out the errors but none were corrected nor did I even get a reply. I guess it is more important to just report things even if they are not true than to report the actual news. I should be used to this by now but it just pisses me off. In the last year they have only wanted to report negatives about the fire bureau and no positives.

Second Day Light Working The Flood...

2011-09-15T08:30:00.007-04:00

First call of the morning was for a smoke investigation, when we arrived we found the resident had fired up a grill out back to make coffee. This resident was in the area that was to evacuate the day before and PPL turned off their electric. Floyd Wise, O.T. Lieutenant on Tower 3 and the driver Eric Jenkins.

The second call of the day was for Green and Lewis Streets for a fuel odor investigation. In the first photo you can see the sheen on the water, very common during flooding. There is nothing we can do on calls like this but say yep, there it is and go home. This is a few blocks from the river in a low area.

Overtime Jeremy Saul, Jeff "Skull" Miller and our Captain Jim Mchenry on the last call of the day for reported smoke from a vacant house. We found nothing and in typical form this run came in minutes before quiting time.

Mike Souders the overtime driver on Wagon 4 does his best to hold up the tower.

There was numerous other calls during the day but only one other that I photographed and that was a water rescue on Second Street. I will post photos of that incident on Friday.

I did not work the rest of the tour as I was off sick for the first time in 13 years. What the companies got into over the weekend in unknown to me since I no longer listen once I leave the station.

Working The Harrisburg Flood...

2011-09-13T04:46:00.003-04:00

On Thursday September 8, 2011 I reported for my first day out at the Harrisburg Fire Department. By the time we got to work the Battalion Chief's and street firemen and officers had most of the wheels in motion for the soon to be arriving flood waters. Flyer's had already been distributed by the firefighters the night before and the Paxton Fire Station No. 6 was already moving items to high ground and preparing to relocate to Station 1. By the way the last time we evacuated the building was in January 1996 and at that time I worked in that station, by the time they were ready to occupy the building again I had bid Tower 2 in station 1. There was numerous calls through out the day but nothing like the county was getting as the city had time to prepare and the river had not overflowed its banks yet.

In the morning we headed out and went door to door asking residents to evacuate the area as flood waters at that time were expected to reach 30 feet, a number that none of us on the job had ever worked before. By early afternoon we headed out again to drive a large area announcing on the public address system that residents were to evacuate the the area as soon as possible.

In the first photograph we are approaching MaClay Street on Front Street (the Governors Mansion is on the left) and the water has crossed the intersection. This is one of many places it had overflowed its banks and crossed Front Street. By the time we went by this area again the water was moving up MaClay Street. In the second photograph Billy-Bob Holtzman uses the Pa system to read the prepared statement of evacuation.

I took very few photographs of the flood waters as every time we went out it was for a mission and not sight seeing. I plan to make two more posts on Fridays daylight shift before going back to wildlife photos. By the way all photos were taken with my Sony Cyber-shot.

What A Beautiful Animal...

2011-09-07T04:57:00.003-04:00

I can't say much more, the title says it all. These are such beautiful animals and I am so lucky to live withing four hours of this place. He this is two posts in one week, who knows maybe I can make it three this week.

Whitetails Up Close At SNP...

2011-09-05T05:04:00.002-04:00

Sometimes at SNP you get the opportunity to photograph whitetail deer at very close range. This can be for a number of reasons, often because you have invaded their space forgetting the fact that they are wild animals. Often times this disrupts their what they were going to do. I for one do not do this nor do I condone this type of activity. Another way to get these photographs is from the open window of your automobile, I have done this many times. These photographs were captured in either of these ways, instead they happened by chance. After arriving at SNP last month Shane and I checked in, grabbed some dinner and decided to head out into the meadows where a herd of deer ere feeding. It was still early enough that the sun was high in the sky but the whitetails were the reason why we were there and e wanted to enjoy there company. We made our way to the rock pile and decided to set up in that spot to shoot the herd. About an hour into photographing the deer this fve by five decided he wanted to eat in the same place we were at. After coming around the rocks I assumed he would move on, instead he came towards us nat caring in the least that we were there. At this point I had to step back from the D7000 with the 200-400 VR f4 on it because he was to close to photograph. Shane on the other hand was shooting the D90 with the 70-200 VR f2.8 on it so he was able to keep on firing. It only took me about five minutes to remember that I had the D300 with the 24-70 2.8 hanging around my shoulder so I was back in business. These photographs go a long way in showing how acclimated the animals are to humans at SNP, even with that said one must still remember that they are wild animals and must be treated as such.

Why Do I Love SNP...

2011-08-29T05:03:00.002-04:00

Why do I love SNP and why do I keep going back? There is a number of reasons for going to SNP, it's relaxing. At this time with my job that is important. When I go to SNP I am relaxed, everything is at a slow pace and I can take my time and enjoy myself. I also love to watch and photograph wildlife, at SNP the whitetails are wild but they are acclimated to people making them very approachable and easier to photograph. This gives one the time to observe the whitetails and how they interact with the others. The first photograph is proof of that as this buck and fawn came together for an excellent photographic moment. It is also another place for my son and I to spend some quality time together like we did on this trip. It is always exciting to see him experience the whitetails and on this trip a coyote up close. It is also a place where I get to spend some time with great people, not often on these short trips but during the rut there will be many people there that I got to know from doing this and it is always fantastic to talk with these people and share the experience of whitetail watching. From the people, family, wildlife and fresh air this is always a magical place, much like Disney World is for a small child.

Both of these photos were taken on my recent trip early i n the morning when the ISO was 640 to 800. I tried to make this post late last week but blogger did not want to let me upload photos.

Touring The New Harley Davidson Assembly Plant...

2011-08-22T14:07:00.007-04:00

That's right another post already! I am hoping to post two or three times a week and I am going to try and mix things up between wildlife and World War 2 and motorcycle events we attended this summer.

With that said today's post comes from our recent visit to the new vehicle operations center at the York Harley Davidson plant last week. Shane and I set out early one morning for a nice ride through the country on the bike en route to the new facility. We toured the plant and looked at their small museum located in the same building. It was a great time and we enjoyed seeing where our motorcycle was assembled. Many changes have taken place since Linda and I last visited in the 80's. I must say I enjoyed the tour better then and was sad to see that all the old motors and one of the three original 1903 bikes were gone and now in the home plant.

These are the first photos I have posted of my bike since April when it came in, it has under gone many changes since then. Click the picture for a much larger version. By the way these were all taken with the point and shoot Nikon and as in the past no cameras are allowed on the tour.

Finally A Wildlife Photography Trip...

2011-08-19T05:27:00.003-04:00

Wow! I finally got a wildlife photography trip in to SNP. This is my first wildlife trip since the whitetail rut last November at SNP. Normally I would have been to Elk country a couple of times and SNP three or four times since then. I have been following along on everyone's blogs and usually do not miss a day, I am just doing so while working overtime or something else on my Ipad so commenting is not that easy.

Shane and I had a great time as always in SNP with lots of deer including many bucks, a morning coyote and some butterfly's. This was my first chance to use the new Nikon D7000 for wildlife that I got back in February and I am relatively happy with the results. This photo was taken in the big meadow early before the clouds left the morning sun peak through so it was shot at 500 ISO.

More on the trip and our summer to come in other posts, I promise not to be gone for as long this time. And by the way we were both home in time yesterday to take Linda out for our anniversary meal. I can't wait to get out with great people for the Elk and whitetail ruts this year.

Happy Anniversary Linda...

2011-08-18T05:26:00.001-04:00

Happy anniversary Linda, 27 years ago today we took our vows in a little Church in Centerville. We were young stupid and probably not ready for marriage, thanks to you we made it through all those times to where we are today. No matter how I act sometimes, I not only love you as much as I did then I love you more now than I did then. I have many things to thank you for and you deserve the credit for most good things in our life, but the biggest was giving me a son like Shane a little over 15 years ago. Lets do 27 more years together.

Reading Air and WW 2 Weekend 2011...

2011-06-10T13:49:00.009-04:00

Yes I know I have been missing in action the last couple of months. I am still working lots of overtime and now that we have sunny weather I have been riding the bike every chance I get. Shane finished the 9Th grade yesterday and is growing up fast.

Last tour I had my regularly scheduled vacation to attend the Reading Air and World War 2 show. Linda went along for the first time and she and I spent the weekend in a hotel room. Shane camped with the Thuderbirds, 45Th infantry from Friday morning until Sunday evening, I attended the show all three days while Linda spent Saturday shopping at the outlets.

Shane had a great time and it was obvious just to look at him, we also added many more items to his collection some that he will be using again this weekend at a living history display in York. For those of you that do not know Shane or do not recognize him since he is now bigger than me that is him second from the right in the first photograph, fourth from the left front row in the next, with his back to the camera in the third, and yep him passing the ball and on the far left with the carbine in the last photograph.

It was a great weekend and I finally got to use the camera and lens I purchased in February. Who would have thought I could buy a new body and lens and only shoot about 200 photos in three months before this trip. I more than made up for lost time with the camera. Now to see if I can get a few days south for the whitetails before the month is over.

UPDATE, there was five photos here but blogger does not want to cooperate. I can't seem to get the spacing down right and the harder I try the more it gets messed up.

Back To Elk Country...

2011-04-06T07:50:00.005-04:00

It is back to Elk country for today. Like the whitetail rut I do not know where I left off nor do I remember many of the particulars as it was five long, I mean really long months ago. This years Elk rut was not a bust but compared to the previous year it seemed like it. The weather was bad, that Elk were not as easy to see, they has less to say and the action was slow. All that aside I was still in the great outdoors with fresh air, wildlife and good people and that is what counts the most.
I do remember photographing this bull as it was my last morning there and I was concentrating on the small herd on the hillside in front of me. This bull, a few cows and calves came through the woods to my right and approached me fairly close. They got close enough that I could not use the camera mounted to the tripod and had to photograph this bull with the Nikon D90 70-200 f2.8 hand held. I didn't realize that this was a decent shot until I opened it in raw yesterday and made a few small changes. Speaking of raw I have finally upgraded to CS5 but have not had much chance to play with it. I am thinking that after just getting the new bike (by the way did you see it on the previous post, IT'S AWESOME!) I won't push my luck with Linda about getting Lightroom3.

First Look At The New Bike...

2011-04-01T12:25:00.007-04:00

I mentioned on a previous post that I was buying a bike. It is now a done deal. This week the bike arrived at Appalachian Harley Davidson and all the paper work was completed. This is the first look for everyone including my family. I had a HD for years, selling it after building our first house. Linda had promised me another one all these years and the time has finally arrived.

The bike is a 2011 Harley Davidson Fat Boy Lo, FLSTFB in Denim Black. It took the dealership a couple of weeks to find one and get it in and now there is prep work to be done before I take delivery of it. A detachable back rest and saddlebags will be installed before I get the bike. With the saddlebags being back ordered, the weather bad and my back acting up I decided to let it at the dealership until the work is completed. I should be taking delivery of the bike in less than two weeks.

I can't wait to get riding again and feel that sense of pride one gets when they cruise on a Harley. CLICK THE PHOTO'S FOR A MUCH LARGER VIEW.

Two Posts In One Week...

2011-03-31T09:08:00.003-04:00

Two posts in one week, maybe I am getting back on track, now to make time to post on my Shippensburg fire history blog. Like I mentioned in my last post I have not been out using the camera so I will be digging into last years files. I do have some ideas for future posts like crappy photos of interesting subjects. We have all taken crappy photos, some of us more than others. Many times they were something that we would have loved to have nailed but didn't for one reason or another.

Today's shots come from the rut at SNP last November. The first photo is a small buck and one that many would not even consider photographing because of his size. As you all know by now from looking at my blog I photograph all deer from fawns to does and small bucks. This one begged me to photograph him standing behind the split rail fence. I just really liked the look and the lighting. The second photograph is a fine example of when the lighting is really bad. I followed a couple of bucks into the woods one morning only to find that there was five or six of them. They spent the next 30 minutes chasing each other around grunting and doing what they do best in the rut. They did make getting photographs difficult because of all the contrasting light and flat light. The break areas were also very small giving one little time to make adjustments and focus on the shots. I came away with what I would consider no keepers but really enjoyed the time I spent with them.

Catching Up...

2011-03-28T08:59:00.005-04:00

Did you ever wonder how you schedule can get so full? That is what I have been trying to figure out lately. This winter was filled with work, scouts, bears games and everything else including work. Yes I said work twice, it seems like I spend allot of time there and this is the first time I have felt like it really interrupted my non working life. After photographing the whitetail in SNP for the rut I only made one day trip to the Connowingo Damn for the Eagles, and that trip was a bust. I never made there again, didn't get to Middle Creek for the migration, no walks around the local watering holes, no local wildlife, no Black Water for the foxes and worst yet no winter trips to SNP and Elk County for the big game in the snow. The cameras have sat doormat with the exception of one fire all winter. I didn't even take it along to the battle of the Buldge at the Gap this year. I hope all that changes soon. I really need a wildlife fix.

With everything going on my life has been going through many changes. Linda and I have begun selling off many of the things we have collected over the year in a downsizing process to make retired life easier. Most of my fire service collectibles and antiques are being sold, the fire engine should be gone soon. I recently purchased a new Harley Davidson that should be in this week. Wow! after 21 years without a HD I will finally be riding again and this one will last me the rest of my life. I just hope I find time to ride it. And speaking of Linda yesterday was her birthday soooo HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINDA. You still look like that young girl I married almost 27 years ago.

Now for the photos, when I last left you sometime last year I was posting about the whitetail rut in SNP. I don't remember where I left off and don't feel like looking back so I will start be saying it was not like the previous year. Acorns were so abundant that the whitetails were not as easily found and that you actually had to work for them. Even with that said it was still great to get away, be in the mountains and spend time with wildlife and great people. I will make time for it again this year no matter what. The first photo is sunset from one of the lookouts in SNP. I am not much of a landscape photographer but is was a beautiful scene and I had to snap a few photos. The other photo is a nice nine point buck that just got his butt kicked by another nine point buck. This buck came across the Meadows hoping for a chance at a couple of does only to be ran off each time. Of course this all had to happen during the mid-day harsh sun. The fight was exciting to listen to if only they had not been in such a thick area I could have seen it also. I was one of the few lucky ones to photographs this big guy as he came out all dejected since everyone else decided not to lay by the rules and approach the animals in the woods. The effect uneducated people have on the wildlife is the subject of a whole other post.

That's all for now, maybe I can get another one in this week since it is only Monday.

Catching Up On The HFD...

2011-03-15T11:20:00.013-04:00

Battalion Chief Dan Hartman on his last night and one of his last runs with Emanual Stoute (T1).

BC Hartman on his last night with retired Assistant Chief Bownaze and retired Lt. Doug Bair.

Dustin Ventresca and Mike Souder getting signatures on our petition in the uptown section of the city. Dustin resigned last month to move into a more stable job (who would have figured the job of a firefighter would not be a stable position).

December 2010 uptown B platoon crews worked this accident after arriving to find a SUV on its side with a man trapped underneath it.

"B" platoon uptown extinguishes a tan bark fire next to the Governors mansion.

"B" platoon members Billy Holtzman, Wil Turner and Deshawn Dennis take a break after working a multiple alarm house fire in the gut earlier this year. This was the second day in a row that a "Mayday" was called by one of our firefighters in trouble in a burning building. For real!, one of us could die doing this, can't be this is the sweetest job on earth (sarcasm and I will leave it go at that).

One of those busy days from bank robbery crashes, gas leaks, automatic fire alarms to car fires uptown. The city firefighters just keep getting the job done no matter what.

Nothing like rolling in at 3 a.m. to find eight vehicles involved in an accident with ejections and truck well involved with a running gasoline fire like the "D" platoon did a couple of weeks ago.

All photos were taken with my point and shoot, I may not be the best photographer but I wouldn't want you to think that this was the quality I get from my DSLR's.

The last time I left you with the HFD we were fighting for our jobs. We managed to keep them for a number of reasons but we can't leave our guard down as I am shore we will be going through this in just another few short months.

The department still dwindles down as the once proud department of 105 is now down to 78 after BC Dan Hartman (32 years), Robbie Sullivan, Lt. Andy Weaver and firefighter Steve Snoke have all retired long before they wanted to. Along with firefighter Dustin Ventresca resigning to take a job in HAZMAT in our nations Capitol after working so hard and long to get on the HFD. In all the slots and seats still need to be filled no matter how many men are on the job and overtime is the norm instead of the occasional. I remember when I hired on you took every o.t. offered to you because it only happened a few times a year. Now you can work one, two and sometimes three in just your four day break.

Through all of this the men and women of the department continue to come to work and provide the citizens and guest of the city with the best fire and ems protection possible. Calls have not decreased even thought manpower has and even with the quantity going down the quality remains the same. I just hope that the toll does not become to much that one of my brothers has to make the supreme sacrifice. This year alone we have had two mayday calls and three near misses. That is more than should occur in a lifetime.

Next post I will bring you up to date on my outside life.

It has been a long time since my last post...

2011-03-03T08:57:00.007-05:00

Hello everyone, it has been a long time since my last post. I have plenty I could post but nothing is prepared. I could be revisiting the Elk and Whitetail ruts that I was posting when I stopped or I could be posting a few HFD calls I photographed or even bringing you up to speed on what has been happening at the Harrisburg Fire Department, but I won't for now. Instead I think I will bring you something new since it is prepared.

If you have been reading my blog for sometime then you all ready know that Shane and I are very much into history and World War 2. His paper work is in everything he needs to go to war (summer time anyways) from the HBT uniform to the belt, haversack and small items right down to the Springfield M1 Garand have been purchased, now it is time to face the enemy. His first encampment should be the beginning of June in Reading. If I have everything I need for battle I just may join him in camping out that weekend.

We have already attended one event this year, the Battle of the Buldge with about five more planned. Now it is time to read all we can on the 45TH infantry to really play the part and pass on the living history. It is always fun to find things to do with your children and even more so when it is remembering those who served this country. It will be an honor to keep their memory alive and pass along history to the next generation.

I guess now is the time to give you a little back ground on the photos. Late last year Nikon came out with a new body the D7000 that took what was good about many of their DSLR's and incorporated new features like full 1080 HD video capabilities with auto focus and stereo audio recordings. Needless to say I was a little excited about a new camera body. The camera had been unavailable at every location until about two weeks ago when one of the large New York dealers got some in. I had been very active selling items on eBay and other places in an effort to downsize with retirement potentially nearing. Along with that I sold the D70 and passed along the D90 to Shane with the intent on getting the D7000. About two weeks ago the camera arrived at the front door and from the time I unpacked it the excitement level rose.

Things have been busy and weather lousy so I had not used it except to photograph my feet and the cats as I played with it learning the new controls and menu. A couple of days ago Shane's M1 helmet arrived and before you knew it he was dressed and ready for battle. Wanting photos for his face book page was perfect, I can try out the new camera. It felt great, I played with high ISO settings and was surprised at the low noise on the LCD, it even sounded different than the other four Nikon DSLR's I have owned. Now it was time to download the card and get his photos ready for him. With the card downloaded and in Adobe Bridge it was not allowing me to open them in camera raw, I could not even open them in Photoshop. It was time for some research even though I already had an idea of what the problem was. Shore enough CS3 is not capable of handling the new NEF files from the D7000 just like CS2 was not able to handle the new NEF files from the D300 when I purchased it. I found that the only way to work the files was to upgrade to CS5 or Lightroom 3. This is something I have been wanting to do for a long time so now I have to.

I have not gotten the new programs yet, I am excited about them but not the learning curve required of someone with my computer skills. So you are wondering how did I post these photos if I didn't purchase the programs yet. I remembered that if you use the in camera editing features and save the new file to the camera it keeps the original raw file but the new file is saved as a jpeg. That is exactly what I did then opened them in Photoshop cropped and resized them for Shane too use.

For all you bloggers out there that I frequent I know I have not been commenting lately but I am still looking, Willard is still teaching me thing and posting great stuff, Coy's photos are always awesome and I enjoyed your Florida birds (I am not getting there this year), Woody, I am glad to see some new post, you catch to many jobs to not share them with us and Haney's is always interesting. Are you shore that is you at the snow bank, wow we looked young once. I am hoping to start posting more often on both sites very soon, but for now thanks for stopping by.

Silver Springs Fire Continued...

2011-01-03T04:32:00.002-05:00

When I posted last time I spoke briefly and showed a few photographs from a fire last week behind my house. You could tell from the photographs that I arrived before the fire department and began photographing and videoing the fire. In the video before the FD arrives you will hear the sound of a 20 pound propane tank as it relieves pressure and begins to burns. For those of you not in the fire service you will be able to see the flames intensify from this in the front right hand corner of the building. For you old timers like me it is in the 1-4 corner, quadrant A, first floor. For you new fangled talk like rocket scientist it will be the AB corner on division 1.

Response to the 31-02 box brought companies 31 (Silver Springs), 33 (New Kingston), 27 (Citizens Mechanicsburg), Truck 28 (Washies Mech.), 25 (Monroe Twp.), E23 (Upper Allen for R.I.T.) and Air 45 (Carlisle). Manpower was pretty good for a daylight as enough men showed up to handle numerous buildings this size. The blaze was knocked down rather quickly and further damage was averted. There appeared to be no injuries in battling the blaze and companies remained on the scene for several hours. I did not speak to anyone concerning cause or damage dollar amount but according to the local paper the occupant started the car went back inside and came back out to find the garage burning.

Garage Fire Close To Home...

2010-12-31T12:49:00.008-05:00

Wow! it really has been a long time since my last post. I want to thank those of you that posted supportive comments on my last post and that went out and signed our petition. Soon I will make a new post on what has happened in the last 25 days in Harrisburg. Lets just say it has been a crazy and busy time period.

An incident that occurred yesterday morning (12-30-10) prompted me to make a post today as I planned nothing more for today except for hockey, football and beer. Did I say beer?, I meant good old Porter beer and winter ale. After getting home a little late from work yesterday morning I was making breakfast when at 9:16 a.m. Cumberland County 911 toned out area companies for a reported garage fire at 160 Texaco Road in Silver Springs Township, Cumberland County. With Texaco Road being just behind the house I though I would get the camera out dust it off and see if it still worked. Looking out the back window at the header gave me all the incentive I needed and off I went. I arrived the same time as the incident commander and ahead of the fire apparatus. The photos go on a time line in order and as you can see the garage was well involved upon my arrival. It was a one and a half story block and frame two car unattached garage with one car inside. In photo two you can see when the springs left loose that held the door up allowing it to come down. This is just one of many dangers a firefighter faces on these types of calls along with flammable liquids, floor pits, pesticides and other items stored in the building. Photo three shows the lines man on the first in engine stretching an attack line to extinguish the blaze. I must say he did a very good job in deploying the line. In the last two photos he and his partner begin attacking the fire.

Within the next few days I will make another post on this fire with a few more photos and some video. And hopefully next week I will post about what has been going on in the city recently. With any luck I will be back to posting regularly again in another week or so.

For now I hope everyone out there had a safe and joyous Christmas and an equally safe and Happy New Year.

Help My Brothers Out..

2010-12-06T05:19:00.005-05:00

I need to be very careful what I type in here to insure that I am not in the unemployment line also. For those of you that live in my area you already know what is going on since it has been the main attraction in the papers and news for the last 11 plus months. For those of you that do not live in my area then I will tell you that I have been a Harrisburg Pa fireman for more than 20 years know. Because of decisions NOT MADE BY THE FIREMEN the city finds itself in debt by almost $300 million dollars. It was decided that it would be fixed on the backs of the hard working firemen so effective January 1, 2011, 10 of my brothers will be laid off. These guys worked hard to get this job, passing numerous tests waiting long periods of time, completing a fire academy and most of all uprooting their families from their homes and moving them into the city as a condition of employment. Our work schedule will also be changed to 24 hours on and 48 hours off raising our work week an additional 14 hours per week. Along with the downsizing to three platoons nine officers will be demoted. I would like to point out that this is all in violation of our contract.

Please if you live in my area work, play, live or visit Harrisburg please sign our petition to attempt to stop this. Someone is in the Union Hall 2048 Derry Street every evening from 4 to 7 p.m. and firefighters are out walking door to door in all neighborhoods, one can also be found online at http://www.saveharrisburg.com/. Feel free to write city hall and the local rag we call a news paper. Our men did not create this problem, in fact you will see none of our names on the documents to borrow all the money that put us here. I really do not see why we need to be the only ones to feel the pain when the FOP, ASCME, and managers in city hall do not miss a beat this holiday season.

Please do not believe everything you see and hear on the television, for some reason they all appear to be on the take. We have presented cold hard facts about just who did create this mess and why our overtime is so high along with many other items to channels 43, 27, 8, 21 and the bathroom wipe my ass with it Harrisburg Patriot but for some reason the never air or print any of it. Yet just this morning (SAT.) channel ABC 27 Dennis Owens was quick to point out that we (HFD) were given a four year contract extension by Mayor Steven Reed before he left office tying the hands of Thompson and creating her more heartache. Why do they never mention that the other two unions were also given extensions or even that ours does not go into effect until January 1, 2013, so how is that effecting us now. I will not even go into the differences between the contracts and what the police get compared to us. But if you visit the cities web site the contracts are on there.

Because of my work schedule and other commitments and the lack of anyone looking at my site anymore with the exception of Sparky this will be my last post for some time. I will start posting again sometime in the future so please stop back from time to time to check.

Thanks
Tired, pissed off, confused and just plain fed up, Brad

10 Point Close Up...

2010-12-03T05:13:00.002-05:00

Not much to say again today other that WOW!, can you believe it is December already. At this time when everyone is to be happy and thinking of pleasant things I find myself only worrying about my future and the jobs of my fellow brothers in the HFD. I wish I could get it out of my head just for one day but I can't even get it out of my head for five minutes. This photo was taken during the whitetail rut in SNP in early November this year. He crossed the road in front of me and went down a hill into a thick area leaving me to photograph nothing but a close up.

Back To The Elk Rut...

2010-12-02T05:05:00.001-05:00

Away from the whitetails today and back to the Pennsylvania Elk. My brain has not been working right these days leaving me at a loss of anything to type so I will just leave you with these photos taken along Dewey Road during the rut in September.

Pre-Rut Whitetail Sparring...

2010-12-01T04:40:00.004-05:00

Sorry I missed an extra day of posting on the site, I have been a little preoccupied lately. For those of you that live in my area and watch the news you will understand. Depending on my schedule with helping the union and trying to save jobs this may happen more frequently in the near future. I would like to elaborate more but I am scared my anger will take over and I will type something in that I regret.

Today's whitetail photo and video are from my pre-rut trip to SNP during the second week of October. I think I posted a video from this encounter earlier and I know I mentioned it. This was early morning when it was not light enough to capture good still of the action without raising the ISO higher than I like, but it was a good time for shooting video. The video is the first one I recorded from this experience, you will see four nice bucks in the group. There was one other buck and a number of doe's and first year deer in the herd. The still photo was one of the few that I captured that was worth posting.

Happy Thanksgiving...

2010-11-25T04:57:00.005-05:00

I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Hopefully you are all spending time with your loved ones, eating big meals and watching football. If you are traveling I hope you have a safe time of it. As for me I find myself working once again this year (this is three years in a row). With any luck no turkeys will be burnt in the city and it will not start out with a cardiac arrest as it did last year. It is hard to imagine how the volunteers coming from the suburbs would be able to save the mans life like we did last year after we are replaced with a volunteer force in this time of declining volunteers. But while we are still on duty we will continue to protect the citizens to the best of our abilities at all times.

I photographed this flock of turkeys in late September while in Elk County to photograph the rut. There was maybe 20 in the flock but they did not give me much of a chance as I had to shoot them through the opposite window in the truck.

Follow the link to view more great Camera Critters from all over the world.

Same Buck Different Lighting...

2010-11-24T05:13:00.000-05:00

This is the same buck as yesterdays second photograph but in a different lighting. Once again I tried to incorporate some of the environment but not as much. With this crop the emphasis is still on the buck but he does not fill the entire frame, I have left him with a sense of space and a place to look and walk to. The lighting is also much different than those of yesterday, this photograph was taken early in the morning when the sun was barely up. One can tell just how low the sun is by looking at the shadows from one antler onto the other. At this time of the morning in the Big Meadows often times the images take on a golden yellow to reddish color lighting. This is not something that is just captured on memory cards but is plainly visible to the eye when there. The one thing you will note from my trips is that you will see many of the same animal in different poses and actions. When working a small area you see the same bucks and does or bulls and cows everyday.

Learning To Incorpotrate The Environment...

2010-11-23T04:56:00.002-05:00

I have been trying to tell myself when I am out photographing wildlife that I need to get different shots than I am used to taking. One of my favorite photographers is Thomas Mangelson, the one thing that sets him apart from others is his ability to incorporate the environment into his wildlife photographs. Often I find myself filling the frame with the wildlife and not enough of the environment that tells the story of what the animal is doing. I also have a bad habit of wanting to take those portrait type photos. None of these things are bad as long as I take in the whole picture and photograph the wildlife and its surroundings and habitat. While in Shenandoah National Park earlier in the month for the whitetail rut I attempted to do just that many times. Sometimes I was successful other times they found the delete button with me wondering what I was doing. These are just two of the examples that I kept, what do you think. Should they have found the delete button also? In the first photograph this nice nine point buck was driven off by another nine point numerous times, on this occasion after running aways through the big meadows he decided not to try it again. In the second photo this buck was working one doe in the back part of the Big Meadows one cold morning, I spent a fair amount of time alone with him and her snapping away.

You will notice a difference in the photos even though they were both taken in the same general area. This is attributed to the lighting. The first was taken on a warm sunny afternoon and the second on a cold morning after the sun came up and went behind the clouds (ISO 1000). Lighting is so important to photography and the natural light and time of day can drastically change what an image looks like.

Back To Elk Country...

2010-11-22T04:42:00.001-05:00

After leaving the elk alone for almost the last two weeks to post coyote and whitetail deer photos, I thought this might be a good time to give you a break from that and return to the elk post for a day. These were taken along the Dewey Road in Elk County late September during the rut. I have spoken on the elk rut that much that this is not much left to say. I need to begin posting something other than big game, I have visited Wildwood lake recently and just visited Conowingo Dam yesterday with Haney. Maybe some bird or military photos are in order for the future.

More From The First Day At SNP...

2010-11-19T04:47:00.002-05:00

After photographing the buck I posted yesterday I traveled onto the Big Meadows area in search of more whitetails. But not before running into another photographer that was shooting Nikon equipment and top of the line new products at that. As always that was a mistake as I now have it in my head that I need the new D7000 body to replace the D90. If I only had my last purchase of big lens and wimberly paid off so I could buy it.

Back to the whitetails, the deer did not come out to great me and ask me to photograph them like they did in the past. In fact the deer seemed to be scarce sticking to the woods and really making me work for it. On of the first things I noticed was that there were none in the meadows, then I noticed all the apples laying under the apple trees. That seemed strange until I ventured into the woods to find many acorns at ever step. I guess the combination of many people being there on the weekend along with all the food in the woods gave the deer no reason to venture out. I did see a few but nothing worth photographing until the sun was almost setting behind the horizon. At that time in SNP along with early sunrise everything takes on a golden color that can be found in the first three photographs. Note the little buck with the broken antler and broken tine off of the other beam. The one thing I have been trying to get at SNP with no luck is some silhouette photos of the deer during sunrise or sunset. I had no luck this trip in getting them with the exception of this one shot, which happens to be the little buck with the broken antler. The trip did pick up but not the way I expected, more on that later.

To enjoy more great Camera Critters from around the world follow the link.

First Buck Of The Rut...

2010-11-18T05:06:00.004-05:00

On Saturday November 6Th I traveled to Shenandoah National Park to photograph the whitetail rut. The plan was to leave early in the morning and stay until Thursday morning November 11. As usual things didn't go exactly as planned. It was almost noon until I got leaving, brother firefighter Randy O'Donnell called me about a retired mans breakfast they were having that morning for guys that worked at the Mechanicsburg Navy Base Fire Department. I worked there before leaving for Harrisburg in the 80's. They have had the breakfast before but for some reason I was never able to attend, I decided I was not going to miss this one. I am glad I went, I got to see men I worked with and have not seen for over 20 years. It was a great time and I hope to get to do it again next time.

On to the rut, after reaching the park I was greeted with temperatures of 28 degrees and a strong wind with snow flurries. Not what I hoped for but great for wildlife. Before reaching the Big Meadows I spotted a guy sneaking along the road, that could only mean one thing. I found a place to get the truck off the road and walked back to find this ten point buck laying in the woods. What a way to start the trip. I was content to photograph the buck where he lay but the other guy with his point and shoot camera just felt he needed to get closer. As almost always happens he spooked the buck and that ended the session. Unfortunately that happens much to often. More on the trip later as this was not like any other trip I have ever had to SNP.

My Real Coyote Keeper Photograph...

2010-11-16T05:17:00.008-05:00

This is it, note the vole spread eagle just inches from his mouth.

Today as promised is my real keepers of the coyote with the vole he captured for lunch in SNP. I know there has been other photographs taken by many other photographers that would top this but the first photograph with the coyote jumping and the vole in mid air is one of my best and favorite wildlife photographs I have taken. The lighting was decent but I was trying to keep the ISO at 400 or below, that kept the shutter speeds down causing me to miss a number of the action photos from this encounter. In hind site I would have cranked up the ISO a bit more. That is a dilemma I struggle with many times in the field often making the same mistake.

After playing with his capture (yesterdays photos) he finally picked it up allowing me to see what he had. This lasted only seconds as he walked a few feet away with it and ate it in what seemed like one gulp. He then walked away ending our two day encounter. While in SNP for five days recently to photograph the whitetail rut I only seen him one more time and that was early Wednesday morning yielding no photographs. As often as I visit SNP I have to believe there will be more encounters in the future with this fellow and other coyotes. The rest of the week I will begin to post photographs from the recent whitetail rut.

Please visit my son Shane's blog today for a new post.

Day 2 With The SNP Coyote...

2010-11-15T05:06:00.005-05:00

When I posted photographs of this coyote a week or so ago I mentioned then that it would not be the last time you would see him. I also said that I got one real keeper that made the whole trip worth while, you will have to wait until tomorrow for that photo. These were taken on the second day, he was found in the same general area but had more success in looking for food this day. If you compare the previous posts with this one you will notice that his nose was covered with dirt from digging on the previous ones but on these he has a black shiny nose. Finding his food he was much more playful this day providing me a chance to get some good action photographs. As I mentioned before in two days I shot some where between 500 to 700 photographs of him. Many of those found the delete button in the camera and many more found the trash can once downloaded to the computer. But some of those were keepers providing me with my best coyote photographs to date. Now I have something to work for in the future, better coyote photos, I think I will need to work pretty hard to top them.

Car Fire In Harrisburg, And A Way Of LIfe...

2010-11-12T05:19:00.007-05:00

On the morning of November 3, 2010 as the members of "B" Platoon attempted to get some sleep the shrill of the beeps rang out around 3:15 a.m. followed by the dispatch "Box 1-3 Wagon 3, Tower 2 report of an car fire in the area of Green and Woodbine Streets". The lights came on in the bunkroom followed by five men putting on socks and pants as they headed toward the apparatus room floor. As the men reached the rigs shivering from the cold air coming through the open bay doors, wiping sleep from their eyes and shaking the cobwebs free they donned their protective clothing as the drivers started the rigs. Out the bay doors a quick left up one block and another left down Maclay Street to Green, once on Green Street the Wagons front seat rider reported to county that we were on the scene with a well involved car fire. As the riders leaped from the rig and began stretching a hose line, I set the parking break, transferred the rig to pump gear and engaged the generator. The line was quickly deployed and the back-up man waved his hand to tell me to charge the line. The line swelled with the water and the pipe man began to attack the fire. By then the Truck company arrived and began opening the car to allow for a more efficient extinguishing of the fire and insure that no one was inside.

Within a couple of minutes the fire was knocked down and overhaul had begun. Shortly after the Battalion Chief marked control and the hose line was taken up. As the last few sections of hose were being put on the rig the beeps once again went off for an automatic fire alarm in the 1700 block of Fulton Street sending the uptown and hill rigs. The call turned out to be unattended cooking and Tower 2 was held to ventilate the building. A quick stop at a hydrant to top off the booster tank and it was back to the station to clean face pieces and fill out SCBA sheets. It's now 4:30 a.m. and back to bed in hopes of getting a couple of hours sleep, 6:15 a.m. and my watch goes off telling me it is time to get up and start the coffee, empty the dishwasher and bring in the morning paper. It is to bad that I just finally fell back to sleep.

That is a night like many I have had over the last three plus decades, missed sleep, cold nights, hot days, missed holidays with the family, sad times, injuries and aches and pains. But I would never change a thing, paid or volunteer this is the best job in the world. There is the joy of helping someone, the excitement of saving a life, the brotherhood and the adrenaline of doing the job. By the way as I sat here in the firehouse kitchen typing this on night shift I had to do so in segments as we went out the door twice for calls before I could finish this post. As I near the end of my career I find myself reflecting on the good moments more and more and the things I will miss when I am gone, this job becomes more than just a job it becomes a way of life. The photos and video were all taken with a point and shoot digital camera.

Home From The Whitetail Rut...

2010-11-11T05:28:00.002-05:00

These photographs were taken in early October when I visited SNP, not during my recent trip. Very soon you will be seeing new photos from the park as I just got home today from shooting the whitetail rut. I left last Saturday but unfortunately I can't tell you any more about the trip because this is a scheduled post and you may be reading it before I even got home. It is back to work tonight and I am hoping for a slow night so I can get a few photos ready for posting. Here is hoping I got some good shots. With this trip over the best part of my fall wildlife photography has ended. I will still make a couple more trips to photograph the eagles at Conowingo Dam, birds at Middle Creek and locally, elk and deer in the snow but it just isn't the same.

Please visit Shane's blog today for a new post.

Update, I am home now and have added four new links for wildlife photography. All of these people I have net while out photographing and one, Larry's I have shot with in SNP each of the last two months. He is a retired firefighter from Virginia. Check them out there is some great wildlife photography there. Next week I will start to post some of the whitetail photographs I got while away over the last week.

Young Bull And Old Bull...

2010-11-10T05:16:00.001-05:00

These bulls were photographed the same day in the same reclaimed area. The first bull is a young one maybe three or four years old. He is not ready to compete with the older bull for the cows during the rut. If he is not taken in the hunt in a few years I will get the chance to photograph him bugling and competing for the cows. When I look at the second photograph of this bull with his head back bugling it makes me want to jump in the truck and head north. Being close to a bull and seeing him do this with the fantastic sound coming from him is just one of the sweetest things there is.

These like many of my photos from this trip look dull to me and just don't seem to have the pop. I do not know if it was my post processing or the way a recorded to photo. It may be some of both or it may be because the weather was just not that good when I was there. The lighting was flat most of the time and just did not lend itself to good photography.

Elk Cows Boxing...

2010-11-09T05:01:00.000-05:00

Have you ever seen two elk boxing? I have a couple of times but never got a photograph of it, this time was different. I was lucky enough to have the settings close, the camera facing the right direction and paying attention. Even at that I only got a few images, they were not as good as I would have liked but I finally got them. These were taken last month on Winslow Hill during the elk rut. A group of us were standing around with the tripods set up doing what we do best, talking. All of a sudden these two cows stood up and let out one of those guys, look what is going on. I don't know if anyone else got the shots or not. They were taken with the 200-400 at 400mm so it would be equivalent to 600mm. They were then cropped in to show the subject, the last photo will give you an idea of how much they were cropped and that photo was also cropped in. One of these days I will capture this just perfect, just another reason to keep traveling north.

Please visit Shane's blog today for a new photograph.

Sparring Whitetail Videos...

2010-11-05T05:27:00.004-04:00

Today like yesterday I am taking the easy route and posting two videos. These were taken in early October in Shenandoah National Park early one morning with the Nikon D90. There was a bachelor group of five bucks all nice ranging from eight to 10 points. Unfortunately it was to early to photograph without setting the ISO high but it was just right for videos. The five sparred for sometime often breaking it off to spar with another buck. It was a thrill to watch. The first video last 31 seconds and the second last 30 seconds, if you turn up the volume you will hear their antlers coming together and the wind blowing, in the second video you hear a car go by as I was not far from the road.

Whitetails And Turkeys...

2010-11-04T05:31:00.003-04:00

Today is an all video day and shows what happens when you give someone like me a camera that shoots video and send them out for wildlife all alone. The videos are all short to allow me to upload to blogger and because they were all shot from in the truck there is not much for audio. The first one was taken early one morning around 5:30 a.m., I came across this buck and since there was no traffic I decided to put the truck sideways in the road and turn up the high beams. Then I got this bright idea of lets shoot some video, so I did. At one point you get the deer in the headlights look as his eyes take in the light. The next two were taken at the same place and same time the first of those taken through the windshield. It is not often I see turkeys and deer in the same viewfinder so I thought I would shoot a little video. The last video was taken from the drivers window of the turkeys as I drove slowly along side of them. Not to worry I was steering with my knees much like to people do at 75 mph on the interstate as they are texting. The big difference is I was only going about 5 mph. That's all for today.

Pleas stop by Shane's blog today for a new post.

It Almost Happened...

2010-11-02T04:59:00.002-04:00

This was taken last month during the elk rut on Winslow Hill. These two bulls squared off with out posturing but what I captured here was it. After turning their antlers towards each other they both turned and walked away. There body stance never indicated anything would happen either. I guess it just wasn't meant to be that day.

Please visit Shane's blog today for a new post.

More Of The SNP Coyote...

2010-11-01T05:02:00.002-04:00

I know two days in a row with the coyote, but they were separated by the weekend and a different month. These were also taken the first day I photographed him and gives you a different take as he is showing his teeth and doesn't look like the pet he did in the first post. For those of you that do not photograph wildlife you would be surprised to know that I took in excess of 500 photographs of this guy in two days. Many of those found the delete button and with digital photography it cost the same for one or 500 photos. You may wonder why take so many photos of the same animal, when I make my next post of him (I don't know when that will be) you will know why. When an animal is doing something you find yourself looking for that one awesome shot and I got it on the second day, I can't wait to share it.

Coyote At SNP...

2010-10-29T05:09:00.002-04:00

While In Shenandoah National Park I expect to photograph whitetail deer and turkeys, squirrels and some birds, I always hope to see some black bears and can't wait for that bobcat encounter. What I should have expected to see but never thought about it was coyotes. When I was there earlier this month I spent time both days photographing this coyote from a hill side. He dug and dug and came up with a mouth full of dirt numerous times. If he ever caught anything that first day he ate it before showing it to me. I have photographed coyotes numerous times in Yellowstone but never like the photo opportunity this guy gave me. I have also never seen a better looking coyote as this one. He looks like he eats well and had a very nice coat. You will be seeing some more of this guy from this day and the photos I got the second day.

Click here to visit more Camera Critters from around the world.

SNP Does...

2010-10-28T05:06:00.001-04:00

These does were photographed earlier this month in Shenandoah National Park. The first photo didn't come out quite like I had planned. The sun was setting and this was the only deer I could isolate with a red back ground. Unfortunately the beautiful sky never materialized and the grass was a little high, but here it is anyways. The second photo was taken early one morning when these two groomed each other for some time. With the end of the month here it won't be long now until the whitetails begin to rut in the park. I can't wait to get there and enjoy the fresh air, beautiful scenery, wildlife and great company.

Please visit Shane's blog today for a new post.

Recent Fire Ground Photos...

2010-10-27T04:56:00.003-04:00

Today's photographs come from four emergencies that occurred this month. The first one is a HAZMAT incident that occurred on Monday October 11 in Southampton Twp. Franklin County near Shippensburg. We made a trip to visit Linda's parents and I could not help but drive past to see what was happening, in doing so I caught a couple of shots from across interstate 81. The truck was leaking sulfuric acid, crews handled the situation and returned to service after spending hours on the scene. The next two photos are from an auto accident that was near my home. Shortly after getting home from work on Wednesday October 13TH local companies responded to an accident at the intersection of Church and Mulberry for a van overturned with confinement. Crews worked to remove the patient but unfortunately that person passed away. The next two photographs are of a minor house fire we had in uptown Harrisburg on Saturday October 16Th. Now that I am driving Wagon 3 it keeps me outside at the pump panel when we have handlines off working a fire. I carry a point and shoot Sony Cyber-shot camera in my pocket and capture a few photos if I have time. We arrived to find light smoke showing and found fire to be in the wall from the second to the third floor as a result of an electrical problem. In the 5Th photo Wil Turner (T2) and Dustin Ventresca (T1) fly to the roof to check for fire extension.

The last photograph was taken the same day earlier in the morning when we responded to an automatic fire alarm on Allison Hill. These two guys are my new partners now that I am on the Wagon. For the last 17 years I worked on a ladder truck the last 15-1/2 on Tower 2 but recently I moved to the Wagon and drive for these two guys. This is Deshawn Dennis and Leon Cliatt, they have worked together on this rig for a few years together. I have always respected these two as people and firemen but recently they raised that respect level enormously. Last Monday, October 18TH we responded to a reported fire with people trapped. When we arrived we found three or four homes in a row of six burning with people screaming that there was four kids still inside. Everyone there did their jobs well but what these two guys did was nothing short of heroic and spectacular. After stretching a line they knocked down the outside fire and beat their way into a burning house. Once inside Leon continued to fight the fire alone while Deshawn began searching for trapped occupants. Leon was able to keep the blaze in check allowing a search to take place, Deshawn found one of the kids and removed them to EMS workers. A total of four kids and an adult were pulled from the home, unfortunately they all perished at the hospital. These guys along with everyone else did a superb job under the worst conditions possible and I could not be more proud to call them friends and brother firemen. That guy may not think we are firemen and we do not care what the other guy thinks be we and the citizens of Harrisburg know we are true firemen (you need to be a city jake to understand the last sentence).

Recently because of bad decisions on the part of emergency services people from across the country taking photographs during an emergency has come under fire. I and many others take photographs and I see nothing wrong with it if used properly and not abused. In the first incident a woman died in the accident, you will see no photographs of that lady because I refuse to take any of that subject. You will also see no photos from me of the fatal house fire, the camera was in my pocket but this was not the type of emergency that I would photograph, in fact the only reason I removed the camera from my pocket was to put it in the cab. Photographing emergencies is done for a number of reasons, one is to help in the investigation of what happened, another is to use for training and critiquing the incident and finally to record history. I take photographs for just these reasons and will never abuse my ability to get close to an emergency to take inappropriate photographs.

Elk Photographers...

2010-10-26T05:12:00.003-04:00

Every time I go out photographing wildlife I plan to photograph the gang that I shoot with but every time I think about it late in the week and then try and play catch up. This trip to elk country was no different. Many of the people I photographed with like Odie, Dan Swart and Bob Shank to name a few I never got a shot of. There are other that I only get to see once a year during the rut that are super people and others that I see again at SNP, all of them just complete the wildlife photography experience. I did manage to get a few of the guys I spend the most time with in the wild. The first photograph is Coy Hill of Country Captures as he gets a few shots of a bull on top of the mountain. As he was getting these photos I turned to find his brother Willard Hill of the Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer getting some video of a herd over by the log cabin. These two guys are the reason Linda gets me out of the house and her hair many times each year photographing wildlife in elk country and SNP. After finding their blogs and looking at the wildlife I contacted them a few years ago and they were kind enough to help me out on places to go for deer and elk. After meeting them they were even more kind in letting me tag along and showing me the areas first hand. I look forward every year in getting together with them to enjoy the wildlife and talk, I hope we get to do it for many more years. The last photograph is Ronald "Buckwheat" Safer, Willard introduced me to Buckwheat a couple of years ago in elk country and last year I got to try and keep up with him in the wild. Buckwheat is a great elk photographer, where I will shoot anything including photos with poor back grounds or setting Buckwheat always gets in position to get those amazing shots. Unfortunately he does not have a site but his photos can be seen from time to time in the RMEF Bugle magazine including the cover shot a couple of issues ago. This year Buckwheat had to help a friend out so I didn't get to shoot with him like last year, maybe the next trip he can get me in those good spots for some awesome photos.

Thanks guys you make the trips just that much more enjoyable.

More Bull 8A...

2010-10-22T05:14:00.005-04:00

Yesterday's post featured Bull 8A and so does today's. If you have not figured out yet by my comments you will be seeing more of this bull in the future. Yesterday I mentioned photographing this bull and another one posturing for some time but not fighting that particular time. These were taken shortly after he broke it off, he walked up close to a group of us did some bugling and took out his frustration on the ground (you will be seeing those and the posturing sometime in the future). I would rather photograph bulls without collars but I will photograph what I see. Some people remove the collars in Photoshop but that is something I do not want to do, for me this is a record of this bull. I have been going to Elk County now for three years and hope to continue for many years, at some point I want too be able to recognize the elk by name, even those that do not have collars. I am not really fond of these photos as I think my post processing could have been better, but then I really didn't come home with the high quality images that I did last year. Maybe because the weather was bad and lighting poor many of the days and partly because I do not always perform behind the camera the way I should. This just proves that because the camera looks big and fancy it does not always take good pictures, it takes an effort on the part of the photographer also.

For more Camera Critters follow the link.

Bull 8A Was The Center Of Attention...

2010-10-21T05:06:00.000-04:00

This is bull 8A with a cow. During my trip north he was the center of attention for many in the Dewey Road area. I had the chance to photographs and video tape this bull many times. I photographed him in a fight and earlier that same morning I video taped him fighting, a day later I photographed him while he and another bull were posturing but never actually fought. They did put on a good show for us. Lets just hope he makes it through the hunting season as he spent most of his time just outside hunt zone 2. Last year the two bulls I spent most of my time with were killed the first two days of the season, those two like this one are very acclimated to people and would not put up a fare chase hunt.

Please visit Shane's blog today for a new photo.

Hershey Bears Hockey...

2010-10-19T05:00:00.001-04:00

This is a post I didn't think I would make this year, Hershey Bears hockey. At the last moment before Saturday nights home opener I found out that the Giant Center was allowing people to bring in cameras to record the banner ceremony for the teams 11TH Calder Cup championship. I won't bore any of you with names of many of the players pictured here since hockey photos don't seem to be a big draw with my viewers and I almost didn't post them for that reason but then I remembered that I am doing this blog for fun and this is fun for me. Keep in mind while looking at these photos that I set in row four so I need to shoot through the glass and I don't think they have cleaned it this century. The first photo is the Bears goalies during the opening ceremonies followed by goalie Braden Holtby showing off his championship ring. The fourth photo is Micheal Nylander a former NHL all star on loan to the Rochester team from the Washington Capitols. In the last photograph if you look near the bottom of the left pipe you can see some black after the puck crossed the goal line for Rochester's first goal. By the way we lost the home opener 3-2.

Please visit Shane's blog today for a new post.

SNP Nine Point Buck...

2010-10-18T05:10:00.002-04:00

This was one of the few bucks that spent the morning out until there was enough light to photograph at reasonable ISO settings. This nine point buck was out before 6 a.m. in the same area and came back out a couple hours later, the video only last about 20 seconds.

The Two Day SNP Trip...

2010-10-14T05:16:00.001-04:00

Last week I posted a couple of photographs from SNP and mentioned I made a recent two day trip there. Today's photograph came from the second morning. It was a very good trip for wildlife, the first day I seen about 75 deer with 12 to 15 being bucks, a flock of turkey's and a coyote. The second day I seen about 60 deer, 8 or 9 that were bucks, five raccoons (no photos) and a coyote. It looks promising for the rut next month and I can't wait to get back. The only problem with the trip is that more often than not the bucks were out when it was low light forcing me to take more video than photos and when I was shooting photos they were at high ISO. This photograph was taken at ISO 1000, 1/80, f2.8. This morning there was five rack bucks together occasionally sparring, you will see video from this morning in the future. What a difference in shooting in the two locations over my break. While in elk country almost all video and photographs were taken with the 200-400 f4 lens, I only shot a few with the 70-200 f2.8, but in SNP all my photographs were taken with the 70-200 and none with the 200-400.

Please visit Shane's blog today for a new post.

Practicing For The Future...

2010-10-13T04:59:00.005-04:00

These young bulls were captured the last morning I was in elk country. While the bigger bulls fought and chased cows around these two young elk practiced for the future not far from me. It was to early to photograph without noticeable noise but with the D90 set at ISO 1250, 1/15 second at f4 they were able to be videoed. They were fun to watch, maybe I am easy but I really enjoyed watching them.

Elk Fight Video...

2010-10-12T05:02:00.003-04:00

The majority of the time when the action was taking place in elk country it was to early or to late to photograph the wildlife unless one wanted to crank up the ISO way beyond what is usable. When those times occurred I used the Nikon D90 to take video of the action. This time I remembered to put my glasses on since focusing is manual but even with the glasses it is not easy to operate the focusing ring some distance away on the 200-400 VR F4 lens and look at the LCD. I also found that unless the action stays in the same focal plane and does not get get closer of further away it is easier to maintain the focus. Even with the glasses most of my videos were not sharp, I guess I need allot more practice. The other issue with videoing is to keep the VR turned off so it can not be heard in the audio on playback, I managed to do that the entire trip except for the last day when most of the videos were shot with it turned on hence the annoying sound in this video, turn up your volume to hear the bugling of the bulls and crashing of the antlers.

This fight video last 24 seconds, I have more footage from it but it is to large to upload to blogger and at present I am unable to edit footage for use. This was taken the last morning there and shows two mature bulls competing for cows, note the other bull on the hill behind them at the beginning of the video, he moves closer when another comes of the hill. When this video was shot there was at least five mature bulls a rag horn and two spikes in the same area along with the many cows and calves.

Please stop by Shane's blog today for a new post.

It's Raining Again...

2010-10-11T05:02:00.002-04:00

Last week I mentioned that it rained in elk country when I was there for the rut, well it rained many days and hard the one day. When it rains if forces you to road hunt and I do not like to do that I prefer to get out of the truck and walk. There is another option but I don't like being a prisoner in my hotel room. The one morning it rained until around 10 a.m. when it started clearing and the sun tried to peek through the clouds. I figured it was not a good time for wildlife but I wanted to go for a walk so off I went. As luck would have it I made it to the top of the mountain and down came the rain again. To late know I was already soaked and the truck was to far away so when I spotted the two cows and a fawn I set off after them. This fawn was kind enough to pose for some photos with fall colors in the background. If you look to the right of the photograph you can see the rain coming down. If you have followed my blog for any time you know that I do not just photograph bulls, I see the same beauty in the cows and calves.

Sunset In Elk Country...

2010-10-08T05:18:00.003-04:00

I went to elk country to photograph wildlife but I think this was my favorite photograph of the trip. Wednesday night as the sun set the sky just came to life with fire. This photograph was not altered in Photoshop just cropped and sharpened, the sky really looked like this. I was about to head back to my room when I looked up and seen the beautiful sky with this tractor sitting there looking awesome. I quickly got the camera back out and started shooting, before leaving I grabbed a new friend I made on the trip Dan Swart and had him check it out. I was very proud of the photo until the next morning when I was telling Coy Hill of Country Captures about the photo. He grabbed his camera and showed me his file from the sunset, click the link and check out his new header from this evening. Thanks Coy, I love my shot but you made me feel bad that I was in the wrong location. But then that is the story of my life, wrong location or you should have been here five minutes ago.

I Am Back Again...

2010-10-07T05:05:00.004-04:00

I should have titled this post everyone is running to the Big Meadows, LOL. Yep, I am back again. After spending all last week in elk country for the rut and then the weekend at Boy Scout camp I spent one night in my own bed before taking off again. I got up at 2 a.m. Tuesday morning and went south on I-81 for SNP. I arrived in time for first light in the Big Meadow and shot from dark to dark, spent the night in Luray and shot the next morning before heading home for work today. It was a fantastic trip seeing many deer and turkey, some raccoons and a coyote. I shot more photos in a day and a half than I did all last week during the elk rut. More on the trip in a later post.

Both of these photos were something I normally do not do but should, they were previsulized. In the first one I seen the buck coming out of the meadows in front of the sign and set up to photograph him, what I did not plan for was for him to start running all of a sudden. Regardless is was a good photo for the first post from SNP because of the sign and the buck. In the second photograph I seen this doe walking across a small meadow and knew she would walk in front of the tree, or so I hoped. So I set up as low as I could get making all the camera adjustments in case she didn't stop and waited. She stopped long enough to get four or five photos before moving on. For a non antlered deer it was one of my favorites because of the colors and composition.

It is Thursday already so please stop by Shane's blog for a new photo.

Sunrise On Winslow Hill...

2010-10-06T05:01:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I mentioned being in northern Pennsylvania for the rut and that the shooting was not as good as last year. I did not bring home as many keepers as last year, some were because there was not as much action, some because I was not always in the right place and others because I did not always perform with the camera like I should have. The one thing I did bring home was many silhouettes this one was taken last Wednesday morning as the sun was starting to come up. The sky took on a pink appearance and this bull showed up on top of the hill. It turned out to be one of my favorites from the trip. This particular morning was one of the better times, I video taped a fight between bull 8A and another when it was to early to get photos and I photographed the same two bulls fighting again. That fight lasted for some time but they were in a slight hollow forcing me to listen to them for some time before they came into sight. Later that same evening the same two bulls did quite a bit of posturing but never actually fought. The sites and sounds were great but most of the time it was too early or too late to photograph. I rely on this trip to give me photos to spread out over a couple of months but I don't think I got enough quality shots to do that this year.

I Am Back...

2010-10-05T04:52:00.003-04:00

A few of you were aware of my recent travels bust most of you did not know that I have been gone the last week or so. I am finishing up my last tour of vacation for the year and what a time to take off. The phone still rang to let me know that the Mayor called us the nastiest group of men she ever worked with (funny thing is she never worked with us), the we were not going to get paid last Wednesday (we did but for firefighters this is the second pay in a row that we have not been paid for all of the hours we work) and then that the city is going to hire a bankrupt attorney and that they are going Act 47 distressed city. Can I get a few more decades off, please?

Anyways the time off was great, first up was heading to Elk County for the elk rut. This was my second year to do the elk rut here in Pennsylvania and even thought this years was nothing like last years I still think it is much better than out west. I think a couple of the reasons for the rut being slow was because is was very warm last week and as luck would have it many of the days it rained. Friday morning was my last day there and the rut seemed to be in full swing for the first time when I was there, I think I shot more photos that day than all week. I would have loved to stay longer with the temperatures down but I needed to get home to go to Boy Scout camp. With all the tourist that come in over the weekends up there I guess it was for the best that I was leaving. Yes I mentioned Boy Scout camp, I got home Friday afternoon unloaded the truck got ready and reloaded the truck to head to Wizard Safari along with Troop 180 and 3,000 other boys. It was a fun weekend and the boys had a great time but it sure was great to get home and sleep in my own bed for a change. You can expect to see more of the rut soon along with some of the great people I got to spend time with. Every year I make more friends while I am there and I can't wait for next years already. A couple more days of this vacation and it will be back to work.

By the way please visit Shane's blog for a new post today.

Albert Squirrel...

2010-10-01T05:05:00.002-04:00

This critter is called an Albert Squirrel, I would liked to have shown you a live one but I never encountered one on our recent vacation. The Albert Squirrel is native to the south rim of the Grand Canyon and surrounding area . They are not found any other place in the world. That alone made me want to photograph one more than anything and we tried. We talked to employees and rangers on places to find them. We went for walks in those areas and spent time driving around just to find one but it never happened. These squirrels are large about 20 inches including the tail, they have tasseled ears and a grey tail with white underneath. These squirrels differ from others as they do not hibernate in the winter or hide their food but continue to forage all winter. The feast on ponderosa pine seeds, inner tree bark and summer mushrooms. Not finding any I was forced to photograph a stuffed one behind glass in the visitors center.

The Cycle Of Life...

2010-09-30T05:28:00.000-04:00

These may not be the prettiest of photos but they are part of the cycle of life. These turkey vulture's were feasting on a dead mule deer near the northern rim of the Grand Canyon. When you spend enough time following and photographing wildlife sooner or later you find animals eating other animals and occasionally you even get to witness the kill. It is not a pleasant sight but it is part of nature and occurs many times every day.

Please visit Shane's blog for a new photograph today.

Early Morning SNP..

2010-09-28T05:06:00.004-04:00

This is another early morning whitetail buck from SNP taken this past June. While out in the big meadows I had numerous opportunities to photograph these bucks in great back lit situations. The problem was when it came time to post process them, I was not sure how to do it. This is my attempt right or wrong.

Please visit Shane's blog today for a new photograph.

Nevada Big Horns...

2010-09-27T05:17:00.001-04:00

These are not the best of photographs, taken around noon in bright sun and 100+ degree heat but with my track record when it comes to big horn sheep I snapped away. I have gone many places where big horn sheep exist, Glacier, Yellowstone, Alaska and just don't have the luck. I have photographed a few before but never a large ram. These were taken during our recent vacation out west. We found these three near the visitors center at the Valley of Fire State park in Nevada. I think Shane got some better ones as I gave him my bigger lens to use when the ram approached us closer and seemed to pose for photogrpahs.

More From The Eisenhower Farm...

2010-09-23T05:27:00.000-04:00

The one neat thing about the Eisenhower event is that it draws groups of people that portray the Russians (second photo), Polish (first photo), Canadian, French and other troops that fought in the war. These living historians are a wealth of knowledge and I always enjoying learning from them. Looking at the first photo you will see that the Polish soldier is using a Thompson and we found out at this event that the Russians also had some Thompson's. I think they are some of the coolest guns around but I do not think it would have been my weapon of choice in the war.

Please visit Shane's blog today for a new photo. And what do you know a whole week of new photos for a change. Maybe I can do that more often in the future with fall coming.

WW2 Weekend At The Eisenhower Farm...

2010-09-22T05:14:00.000-04:00

On the past two post I mentioned that Shane and I attended the World War 2 weekend at the Eisenhower farm in Gettysburg on Saturday. This years event was as good as last years but for some reason I was just not into taking photographs like I usually am. I did record a few and here is two of American GI's. It was still a good day as we spoke to numerous people we have gotten to know from attending so many of these of the last few years. Shane also got the application and information needed to join a venture crew that takes part as the 45Th infantry division. Now we are hoping to have him outfitted and in action by the Battle of the Buldge in January.

Redtail Hawk Struck By Car Conclusion...

2010-09-21T05:04:00.003-04:00

When I left you yesterday the bird had been retrieved from the side of the road and we were awaiting trained help. It was decided to take the bird across the road and place it in a covered shaded area. The gentleman that picked the bird up moved on and Shane, the Franklintown fire chief Mike Whitzel and myself waited for the game commission to arrive. At about 4:50 p.m. a deputy arrived and placed the hawk in a cage to be transported to York County and a woman that deals with injured birds.

Yesterday afternoon I received a phone call from the Mike Whitzel (the fire chief) to bring me up to speed on the injured Hawk. It turned out the woman we had been trying to get a hold of no longer had the permits required to work with these birds. The Deputy transported the injured Hawk to another facility in Helam Twp., York county to be treated. What we have been told so far is that there were no broken bones but the bird had taken a serious blow to the head. The one eye is in question and the bird will be kept there for several months to be brought back to health and see if the eye recovers. If the eye does not recover enough to allow the Hawk to hunt and be released he will be placed in a zoo type setting to live out the rest of his life. Thanks for the update Mike.

This reminded me of last August when Shane and I came across the Elk stuck in a swing set in Benezette. He recovered fully and this year his antlers grew normally with the exception of one tine in the front that is all white. I am hoping to come across this bull soon and photograph him. If I do the photos will be posted here.

It is Tuesday already so please visit Shane's blog for a new photo today.

Redtail Hawk Struck By Car Part 1...

2010-09-20T05:15:00.001-04:00

This Saturday Shane and I attended to World War II weekend at the Eisenhower farm in Gettysburg (more from that later). On the way home while traveling the Williams Grove Road in Monroe Twp. Cumberland County we noticed a redtailed hawk standing alongside of the road looking very out of place (around 3:41 p.m.). About that time I noticed the Franklintown fire chief walking along side the road to check on the bird. After a quick check of is the bird injured I decided to pull over to see what I could go. As he began to make phone call we learned that the game commission had already been called but no estimate of arrival time was given. We both felt the hawk was either flying into pick up prey or had dropped his prey and was attempting to retrieve it when it was struck by an auto mobile. With in a few feet of the bird was a smashed rat on the road that was probably the meal in question. As we observed the bird most of the time he kept his eyes shut and appeared to be labored in his breathing occasionally loosing his balance when a larger auto drove by.

It was decided to try and help the bird in another way if we could, Shane began to look up places on the net while I called home to have Linda look up numbers for bird rescues or veterinarians. At the same time the local fire chief (sorry for not remembering your name) was making the phone calls to try and get some help. As it would be we constantly struck out. At about 4:30 another man stopped and said he had some knowledge and history with birds of prey. Up to this point we attempted to keep the bird safe from oncoming traffic but did not try and retrieve the bird because we did not have the proper hand protection. He retrieved his gloves and a towel from his truck and picked the bird up. It is not known just how long the hawk stood in the harsh afternoon sun close to traveling vehicles. The hawk gave up very little resistance when he was picked up and allowed the man to hold him with little to no movement. It was at that time that we realized that the side facing away from us had been struck and that the bird had suffered potentially severe injuries.

I did not take any closeup photographs while the man held the hawk. More and the conclusion tomorrow.

The Elk Rut Is Almost Here...

2010-09-17T04:56:00.002-04:00

From accounts I am reading on the net the Elk rut is beginning, now lets just hope it waits to reach its peak later in the month. I wanted to make a pre-rut post but reading my regular blog list I have found that everyone else has already beat me to it. Willard Hill recently reported that from accounts he is getting that the rut is starting here in Pennsylvania. His brother Coy recently made a post on the upcoming rut and so has Haney. I also read that Bob Shank and his son are making a day trip there this weekend to see what activity is occurring. I will be looking forward to Bob's post to find out what is happening up north. By the time I arrive Willard and Coy will already be in the area and have things scouted out, hopefully they will be able to send me in the right direction when I get there. Bob is also scheduled to be there the same week and I am looking forward to meeting up with these guys along with Steve and Buckwheat for some great sites, sounds and photography. Sadly Haney will not be making the trip this year, now I do not know who to stand behind when a bull Elk is bearing down on us. I must say the best part of the trip this year may be no phone, sirens or Harrisburg.

To see more Camera Critters click this link.

Early Morning Light At SNP...

2010-09-16T04:57:00.000-04:00

I know more old stuff, maybe one of these days I will find my cameras and get out and get something new. But for now more whitetail deer from my June trip to SNP. The bucks were photographed in the Big Meadow during the early morning hours when the lighting is very golden. These to played for awhile but never gave me that great photo opportunity, except once and I messed it up. I will post those sometime as crappy photo day.

Please visit Shane's blog today for a new photo.

More SNP Bucks In Velvet...

2010-09-14T05:13:00.000-04:00

Another short post today, these are two more SNP bucks in velvet photographed this June.

Please visit Shane's blog today for a new post.

Velvet Buck...

2010-09-13T05:31:00.000-04:00

I almost skipped today's post on both blogs, if you are someone that looks at both sorry about the fire site yesterday I just forgot to post something. I have no problems with the views I have just not had the time and like everything else in life sometimes you just feel like you need a break. With that said I will keep the rest of this short. A week or so a go I posted about Elk and their antlers covered with velvet. The whitetail deer is no different than the Elk so here is a photo of one of this years bucks from SNP covered in velvet.

Whitetail Fawns...

2010-09-10T05:12:00.002-04:00

These whitetail fawns were photographed this June at SNP. I am sure I won't recognize them on my next trip there but I hope to see these and many more again this year. Today's post is short as I am at a loss for words and time.

For more Camera Critters click this link.

More Wildlife...

2010-09-09T05:32:00.001-04:00

I will get back to posting other things soon but I have been enjoying looking back over the wildlife files so you get it again today. With the upcoming season I hope to reload the hard drive with many more new whitetail and Elk photos and if I am lucky maybe a bear or two and some small game. These were taken this June in Elk County the two calves were one of the few that turned out well, there was seven in the herd but with the low light the shutter speeds were slow enough that any movement created a blurry photograph. This young bull should do some bugling this year but I doubt he will compete for any cows for another couple of years. Hopefully he will be spared by hunters and grow up to be a major player.

Please visit Shane's blog today for a new post. If you have not been there for some time he has posted some pretty neat baseball photos lately.

3RD Anniversay...

2010-09-08T05:12:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the 3RD anniversary post on my photo blog (#803). Instead of coming up with something new I decided to put up photos that have appeared over the last three years. I set out to put up my personal favorites, not knowing how many I would post after going through the file it ended up at 16 photographs. These favorites may not be technically correct or my best but they are my favorites for various reasons. For some of you that have been with me all along you will have seen them before but for the newer viewers some of these will be new to you. Do you have any favorites of mine? Did I post any of them here or did they not make my cut? Here is hoping I stay with it for another three years.

People vs Wildlife...

2010-09-07T05:16:00.003-04:00

Over the years while out watching and photographing wildlife I have seen all kinds of stupid things that people can do. One of the questions I get asked is why do you wear camo in some of the areas when the animals are acclimated to people. That is simple so the people do not see me. Unfortunately I have not always photographed all the stupid things I have seen but I have started to. These particular two incidents occurred last year at SNP during the whitetail rut. In the first photo this woman walked a distance out through the big meadow with her dog to photograph this deer. That is right she had no concern for the other photographers that were keeping a distance and trying to get a natural photo. In the second one this guy chased this buck down to get the photo he wanted, I guess the bigger lens on his camera was not big enough. I have seen women walk up to sleeping Elk and shoot flash photos in their faces, kids and adults trying to pet the deer and people walking up to Buffalo's. But the worst was when the guy with the disposable camera walked hundreds of yards in front of dozens of photographers to get between two mature male moose during the rut to take a photo and then walk along with them the entire time keeping anyone else from getting a shot. Some people just deserve to get gored and when they do I hope I get the photo. With the approaching season I should see many more stupid things but this time I plan on photographing them.

Do you think these people don't know that wild animals have killed and cripples people? Some of these places the wildlife is acclimated to people but do they not realize that the first part of wild animal is WILD? Some people just do not get it.

Hey it is Tuesday already so please visit Shane's blog for a new post.

Keeping The Wildlife Theme...

2010-09-03T04:58:00.001-04:00

I started the week dipping into files from earlier this year to post wildlife so I am going to end it the same way. Getting back to deer and Elk made this weeks post fun again. Maybe that means I should stick with wildlife photos. This nine point buck was the largest point wise that I seen last year at SNP. I photographed him on numerous occasions and my son even had the chance to photograph him this trip. I am looking forward to photographing bucks again soon and with any luck some that will make this one look small. I really love summer and being off with my son, swimming in the pool and not working but the coming season sure is allot of fun with the changing colors, the behavior change in wildlife and the time I get to spend in the woods viewing and photographing wildlife.

For more camera critters click this link.

Post 800...

2010-09-02T05:03:00.003-04:00

Wow! post number 800 already and next week will be the third anniversary of the blog. It is hard to believe that I have been doing this that long but it is harder for me to believe that I will do it another three years. My last post featured Elk in velvet, whitetails are another mammal that grows antlers with velvet. My last trip to photograph whitetails was in June around the same time as my last Elk trip. They were both photographed at different times of the day, the first as the sun came up and the last as the sun was about to set leaving me with little light for action. I photographed some bucks but more importantly I photographed numerous fawns. With the way my job has been lately I really need this relief from it. When I observe and spend time with wildlife all my worries just go away, I am relaxed and having fun. I have a two day trip coming up right after the Elk rut to SNP to watch deer and get me primed for the whitetail rut. Now to get the week off in early November to enjoy the rut this year in SNP.

Please visit Shane's blog again today for a new post. He is working hard to keep it up with school starting again (first year in high school and lots of homework), scouts, bowling and a part time job. He is a fine young man and I am very proud of him.

Velvet...

2010-08-31T05:32:00.001-04:00

I normally do not try to educate others on wildlife as I myself am always learning but today's post will be a little different. You see lately with the seasons about to change a Christmas song has been going through my head but with different words, I have had "visions of Elk dancing through my head". In less than a month I will be heading north to photograph the Elk rut in Pennsylvania. This will me my second year doing so in Pa. and I look forward to the sounds, sights and friends. This all got me to thinking about the bulls in velvet which brings me to today's post.

The photographs are not cropped the way they normally would be but are done so to show you the velvet on an Elk's antlers. The racks on an Elk are called antlers and not horns because they shed them each year and grow a new set. If an animal keeps theirs for life they are called horns. Once an Elk begins to grow his new antlers they are covered with velvet. The velvet is a vascularised skin which supplies oxygen and nutrients to the growing bone. Once the antlers reach their full size the velvet begins to die off and fall from the antlers. The Elk will rub their antlers on tree and other items to help remove the velvet. The first three photographs were taken this June when the antlers were still growing. Because of vacation and other commitments I did not make my August trip north this year to see the Elk shedding the velvet. When Shane and I made the trip in mid August last year the mature bulls had already shed their velvet or only had small strands remaining on their antlers. At that time the only bulls left with velvet were the young spike bulls shown in the last photograph and taken last August. My next trip north the velvet will be all gone and the bulls will be competing for the cows in mating season. I can't wait for this annual trip.

Please visit Shane's blog today for a new post.

Resting Mule Deer...

2010-08-30T04:57:00.002-04:00

I was going to skip today but changed my mind at the last minute. After uploading the photo and looking at it maybe I should have stayed with my first thought. This was one of the few wildlife we seen on our recent vacation. This mule deer buck was photographed as he relaxed in the mid afternoon heat at Bryce National Park. I really need to get out and photograph some whitetails and Elk, if for no other reason just to make me feel better and relax.

Valley Of Fire State Park...

2010-08-26T04:42:00.001-04:00

This photograph was taken on our recent vacation at the Valley of Fire state park in Nevada. The park is less than an hour north of Vegas and close to a portion of Lake Meade, it is Nevada's oldest and largest state park dedicated in 1935. The valley derives its name from the red sandstone formations and the stark beauty of the Mojave Desert. Ancient trees and early man are represented throughout the park by areas of petrified wood and 3,000 year-old Indian petroglyph. I really like the red rocks in our travels. Because of the landscape and lack of wildlife most of the photographs I took were landscapes, not something I do often or am very good at. The last time I used my wide angle lens I showed no one the photos because the sides were distorted and I just thought they were terrible. I learned one lesson and removed the filter from the lens before leaving. The bulk of my photos were shot out west with a wide angle lens so I hope as I get to looking at them some came out good.

Please visit Shane's blog today for a new post.

Black Crowned Night Heron...

2010-08-25T05:04:00.001-04:00

Another quick post today, man has time been in short supply lately. I am hoping to get to work on a few photos from vacation soon to post and get around to the other blogs on my list. Like yesterdays these were also photographed in Harrisburg at Wildwood Lake. This is a Black Crowned Night Heron. I realized I never mentioned that yesterday's photo was taken in Bellevue Park at one of the small ponds. The summer went by so fast I never got to Wildwood more than twice this summer.

Filling Space...

2010-08-24T05:33:00.001-04:00

I was going to skip today's post just because I was tired and didn't feel like doing a photo, busy and just tired of blogging and only having a couple of people look. But because it is Tuesday and Shane posts today I thought I would make one real quick. The mallard was photographed earlier this summer in Harrisburg, it was one of the better reflections I got on the outing. I mentioned Shane please visit his blog today for a new post, guess what I get home from a long night at work this morning to find he didn't even make a post, oh well.

Arizona Bull...

2010-08-23T05:19:00.001-04:00

I needed a a quick and easy post for today but that was easier said than done. This stupid system has been working like a piece of junk making it difficult to work on any photos. I guess when I see it on another computer I will know if I did alright or not. This was one of the few Elk we seen at the south rim of the Grand Canyon. I have photographed many Elk and most of those were better than this one but I could not pass up the chance to photograph a bull in four different states.

For those of you that start work on Monday's I can sympathize with you this week. After being off for 37 days it was ended by attending a National Boy Scout Camporee four hours north this weekend. I got up early yesterday morning and traveled back home for the most dreaded thing there is, back to work last night. I would rather be doing just about anything else. On the bright side four more days and if push comes to shove I can retire and move on with another phase of my life.