In the Field

Hey...Whatcha Doing? Findlay Creek, BC, Canada. May 17, 2009.

In my neck of the woods elk are hunted (both legally and illegally) 12 months a year. And, there are lots of natural predators, including both wolves and cougars. Consequently, the elk are extremely wary and skittish - it's normally a real challenge to get within 300 meters of them. On the morning that I shot this image I had been intending to photograph Mountain Bluebirds at sunrise, but an overcast sky killed those plans. Fortunately, I ran into a herd of elk only 50 meters or so from my cabin, and in a situation where I had lots of buffaloberry bushes to hide behind. I decided that it would be fruitless to try to approach the elk - there was just too many scanning eyeballs for me to get anywhere near them. So...I decided to change strategies and try to bring the elk to me. So, I crouched behind a bush and gave out intermittent squeaks, knowing full well that the elk would hear them. After doing this for about 5 minutes the curiosity got the better of the elk and they "decided" to investigate what was making such a ridiculous noise (not suspecting it was a crazy Canuck nature photographer). When this anterless male looked over a bush I managed to capture his inquisitive stare!

This image was shot primarily as a test. I've been reasonable vocal about my disappointment in the performance of Nikon's teleconverters (or TC's) with most of my Nikon lenses. The worst of the batch (in my opinion) is the 2.0x TC (the TC-20EII) - after past testing I had pretty much declared it to be an expensive paperweight. But...in the days before I shot this image I had been pleasantly surprised by the performance of Nikon's other TC's (the 1.4x and the 1.7x) when paired with the Nikon 600 mm f4 VR. So...I decided to give the 2.0x TC a go with my 600 VR (which is a whopping 1200 mm equivalent on my D3). This image is one result of this combination. Far from perfect, but usable! A very pleasant surprise! Your shooting technique has to be absolutely impeccable with this combination of TC and lens (and the focus in incredibly finicky and you have only a paper-thin depth-of-field), but I'm happy that my 2.0x TC has become more than just a paperweight again! To read more abut my impressions of ALL of Nikon's TC's (with many of Nikon's lenses), check out the Teleconverter section of my main Camera Gear Page...

Behind the Camera

Hey...Whatcha Doing? Findlay Creek, BC, Canada. May 17, 2009.

Digital Capture; Compressed RAW (NEF) 14-bit format; ISO 1250.

Nikon D3 with AF-S Nikkor 600mm f/4G IF-ED II VR lens paired with Nikon TC-20EII (2.0x) teleconverter (1200 mm equivalent) supported on Gitzo 1348 carbon fibre tripod with Wimberley head. VR turned to "On" and in "Tripod" mode.

1/125s @ f10; -0.33 stop compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting of camera.

At the Computer

Hey...Whatcha Doing? Findlay Creek, BC, Canada. May 17, 2009.

RAW Conversion to 16-bit TIFF, including first-pass/capture sharpening using Phase One's Capture One Pro 4.8. Two RAW conversions at different exposure settings - ranging from 0 stops (for majority of image) through to +0.5 stops (to assist in recovery of shadow detail).

Further digital corrections on 16-bit TIFF file using Adobe's Photoshop CS4. Adjustments included compositing and masking of 2 exposure versions, selective colour saturation, selective exposure curve adjustment, and selective sharpening for web output.

Conservation

Hey...Whatcha Doing? Findlay Creek, BC, Canada. May 17, 2009.

Ten percent of the revenue generated by this image will be donated to Wildsight.

Species Status in Canada*: This species is not designated as at risk.

Elk (Cervus elaphus) are now common again in much of western North America - in fact elk now are found in more habitats and in higher numbers (approaching a million animals) than any other time since 1900. The future on elk populations in North America seems secure.

This antlerless male elk was photographed in the East Kootenays of British Columbia. While Ravens are not considered at threat, many ecosystems within the Columbia Valley face development pressure.

Wildsight is an effective conservation organization that protects biodiversity and promotes sustainable communities in Canada's Columbia and Rocky Mountains. Support for Wildsight, through donation or becoming a member, will help ensure that they remain effective in their efforts to conserve threatened or endangered species and ecosystems.

*as determined by COSEWIC: The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada