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| Mature 8 Point Lip-Curls: Canon 7D-Canon 600mm f4-ISO 400-1/400 Sec. f 5.0 |
The rut of the Whitetail Deer is now going full steam
and I am seeing quite a few bucks while photographing in Pennsylvania
and Maryland. Unfortunately one of my favorite whitetail photography
spots, Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, has been ruined
temporarily by the CWD study, which resulted in most of the mature bucks
being fitted with collars. The loss may be permanent with the specter
of herd reduction looming on the horizon. As a result most of the bucks
I am photographing are smaller than the better ones that could be found
at SNP in the past.
Photographing and filming the
bucks as they check the scrape lines, and chase the does has been one of
my favorite outdoor activities for many years.
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| Mature 8 Point At Scrape: Canon 7D-Canon 600mm f4-ISO 400-1/1250 Sec. f 4.5 |
I have been using the 7D a lot lately after a long
period of letting it gather dust.. I now use the noise reduction tools
in Photoshop CS6 Camera Raw and Adobe CC rather than noise ninja and I
have found that the 7D's low light performance is not as bad as I had
thought, although it is not as good as the 5D MK III in that respect. I
now feel comfortable using it at ISO 800 and 1000 and will use 1600 in a
pinch. Some will want to know why I am using the 7D instead of my
70D. The long and short is that I am using the 70D primarily for video
as its' auto focus system works very good for video, while the 7Ds' does
not. I usually shoot with both cameras set up on their respective
tripods and the 7D is used on the 600mm to take advantage of long range
shots. I do often use the 5D MK III in poor light or when the animals
get closer and it is not hard to shift between the 7D and 5D MK III on
the 600mm F4, but it is a hassle to tear the video rig down to use the
70D on the 600mm. When the 7D is on the 600mm F4, I usually keep the 5D
MK III handy with a smaller lens such as the 70-200mm IS II mounted to
handle the closer shots and at times I even use the 300mm f2.8. This
rig is used hand held unless conditions are such that I decide to
dismount the 600mm and go with a smaller lens for my shooting and want
the added stability of the tripod.
The next two shots
were taken hand hand held with the MK III and the 70-200mm. I still
like to use a tripod when possible, but lenses such as the
70-200mm f2.8 L do work well hand held when one uses good shooting
technique. I find that I get a high percentage of sharp shots while
doing so, especially when using the 5D MK III.
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| 8 Point Chasing Doe: Canon 5D MK III-Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS II@200mm-ISO 400-1/1600 Sec. f 5.0 |
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| 8 Point Chasing Doe: Canon 5D MK III-Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS II@200mm-ISO 200-1/640 Sec. f 5.0 |
The rut should continue for at least two
more weeks with some periods being more active than others, but the
activity will crash with the opening of rifle deer season on the Monday
after Thanksgiving if it does not wind down on its' own accord before.
Originally published at
Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.
