Hiking/Photography

245

Replies

  • I've backpacked the Narrows in Zion and it was the most amazing hike I've ever done. The Laurel Highlands in PA is a nice one too. They have shelters every 8-12miles that you can rent. Its a linear trail though so make sure you have a ride to get back to your. My buddy and I spent three days hiking south (the trail ends at a bar in Ohio Pyle :) ) and ended up having to rent bikes to ride the 40 miles back to our car the next day. If you plan it right you can pop out of the woods in the summer time at Seven Springs and catch a concert too. Saw BB King on his 80th b-day during that hike, and it we didn't even know he was going to be playing!!

    Favorite place to hike yearround is Gunpowder State Park in MD (where i'm from), lots of birds to photograph.
  • fitnesspirateninja
    fitnesspirateninja Posts: 667 Member

    Recently I've been obsessed w/ shooting moss! I'm always too slow to shoot animals! :laugh: :grumble:

    I like taking pictures of moss, too!
  • DJH3
    DJH3 Posts: 243
    I need to get me a good starter SLR that won't break the bank account, would like one with a good zoom or one that i can buy a better zoom lense for. any help would be awesome. right now i'm mainly using my iphone and a small hand held digital camera.
    Most of the decent entry level dSLR cameras are gonna run ya around $600. Personally I think my Sony a33 is perfect for learning photography since it has a few cheat options on it. If you shop around you can prob get some good deals. Even better if there is a camera store nearby they usually sell decent used gear at pretty good prices.
  • DJH3
    DJH3 Posts: 243
    Moss is fun to get pics of! Lots of textures and it doesn't move. lol
  • UpToAnyCool
    UpToAnyCool Posts: 1,673
    Oooh, gosh, I have some reading to do, re: SonyA33 - translucent mirror technology?! :huh:

    Any recommendations on websites for digital camera research? I've been looking at www.dpreview.com...
  • DJH3
    DJH3 Posts: 243
    I think dpreview.com is about the best. One thing I do is go on amazon and look at all the user reviews then decided if I can handle all the complaints about a product.

    Oh... and if you can actually see pics taken with the camera (unedited is best) then you can decide what your preference is on quality of the pics.
  • fitnesspirateninja
    fitnesspirateninja Posts: 667 Member
    @Loops - are you worried I might hurt the birds' feelings? I will try to be more sensitive.
  • UpToAnyCool
    UpToAnyCool Posts: 1,673
    @fitnessninjapirate:
    Well, it's just that those brown birds are sooo sensitive - they can't do tricks, like turn their heads 270 degrees :laugh:
    Plus if they hear you, they'll fly away. :tongue:
  • Kityngirl
    Kityngirl Posts: 14,304 Member
    I've backpacked the Narrows in Zion and it was the most amazing hike I've ever done. The Laurel Highlands in PA is a nice one too. They have shelters every 8-12miles that you can rent. Its a linear trail though so make sure you have a ride to get back to your. My buddy and I spent three days hiking south (the trail ends at a bar in Ohio Pyle :) ) and ended up having to rent bikes to ride the 40 miles back to our car the next day. If you plan it right you can pop out of the woods in the summer time at Seven Springs and catch a concert too. Saw BB King on his 80th b-day during that hike, and it we didn't even know he was going to be playing!!

    Favorite place to hike yearround is Gunpowder State Park in MD (where i'm from), lots of birds to photograph.

    I've skied at Seven Springs several times and LOVE it. Have thought about going back there soon. Never though about hiking there during the off season though. :happy:
  • DJH3
    DJH3 Posts: 243
    We got lots of hawks and a few owls here. I'll try to take some pics for ya.... (dang... means I need another lens)
  • Kityngirl
    Kityngirl Posts: 14,304 Member
    Oooh, gosh, I have some reading to do, re: SonyA33 - translucent mirror technology?! :huh:

    Translucent mirror tech is REALLY cool. BTW. I can use a completely manual film SLR as well as my twin lens medium format and I'm so in love with the Sony. Lol.
  • DJH3
    DJH3 Posts: 243
    Only real bad thing about the translucent mirror tech is that I have to turn my camera off if I don't plan on shooting right away because it's constantly trying to focus every time you move the camera around. Eats the battery.
  • UpToAnyCool
    UpToAnyCool Posts: 1,673
    I can use a completely manual film SLR as well as my twin lens medium format and I'm so in love with the Sony. Lol.

    oooo. wow, very cool. do you mean like a 2-1/4" x 2-1/4" format Rolleiflex? Niiiiiiiice!!!!
  • Kityngirl
    Kityngirl Posts: 14,304 Member
    I can use a completely manual film SLR as well as my twin lens medium format and I'm so in love with the Sony. Lol.

    oooo. wow, very cool. do you mean like a 2-1/4" x 2-1/4" format Rolleiflex? Niiiiiiiice!!!!

    Exactly like that. :happy: Except it's a Czech version from the 50s. Has a really cool brown leather case and I've taken some fun pictures with it, but the film is insane to get processed any more. :ohwell: If I had a room I could turn into a dark room I'd still be using it for BW film....
  • DJH3
    DJH3 Posts: 243
    BW? I think that's what photoshop is for.

    Morning all.
  • Kityngirl
    Kityngirl Posts: 14,304 Member
    BW? I think that's what photoshop is for.

    Morning all.
    :tongue: I love developing my own film and printing it. It's really relaxing. Not that I don't thoroughly enjoy digital media and PhotoShop. :wink:
  • fitnesspirateninja
    fitnesspirateninja Posts: 667 Member
    Only real bad thing about the translucent mirror tech is that I have to turn my camera off if I don't plan on shooting right away because it's constantly trying to focus every time you move the camera around. Eats the battery.

    Last spring I watched a young hawk "branching." His parents would go out hunting and he would sit on top of a pine tree and cry for food. One of the parents would come back and circle around him until he started flying. Every week he started flying further and futher away from the nest until he eventually left. The parents are still here, though.

    It would have been an amazing thing to document on film.
  • Kityngirl
    Kityngirl Posts: 14,304 Member
    Last spring I watched a young hawk "branching." His parents would go out hunting and he would sit on top of a pine tree and cry for food. One of the parents would come back and circle around him until he started flying. Every week he started flying further and futher away from the nest until he eventually left. The parents are still here, though.

    It would have been an amazing thing to document on film.
    That would have been really cool to witness. Taking a couple of shots a day documenting his progress....
  • DJH3
    DJH3 Posts: 243
    That would have been really cool to witness. Taking a couple of shots a day documenting his progress....
    Would have been a cute personal documentary.
  • DJH3
    DJH3 Posts: 243
    (Poll) What lens spends the most time on your camera?

    Macro
    Telephoto
    Portrait
    Wide Angle
    Other
  • DJH3
    DJH3 Posts: 243
    (Poll) Have you ever hiked in the snow?
  • UpToAnyCool
    UpToAnyCool Posts: 1,673
    Funny - might snow hike tomorrow. There might not be enough snow to XC ski so it might turn into a hike.
    Nothing hardcore - not like the Himalayas or anything!

    What do I shoot?
    Mostly macro, natural light. Trying to get better at low-light shots.
    Mostly inanimate objects: flora, fauna, FOOD, landscape/cityscape. Like I said about the moss, not so great w/ timing.
    I'm a big fan of candids of humans, but my timing is terrible. :grumble:
  • UpToAnyCool
    UpToAnyCool Posts: 1,673
    If I had a room I could turn into a dark room I'd still be using it for BW film....

    I hear ya! Although I only know how to process B&W... :ohwell:
  • fitnesspirateninja
    fitnesspirateninja Posts: 667 Member
    That would have been really cool to witness. Taking a couple of shots a day documenting his progress....
    Would have been a cute personal documentary.

    Since his parents are still here, I'm hoping I'll be able to watch the this year's fledgling, too. It's funny, I've always thought that hawks were born majestic and noble. It turns out they have to grow into it - they're total spazzes when they're learning to be adults. The noise that guy made when he was demanding food was horrid. And he would go on and on for hours! But I was sad when he set out on his own.

    I would need to get a pretty fantastic camera and lens to document this. Sometimes they'll fly low over my house, but usually they're up high above a pasture next door.
  • DJH3
    DJH3 Posts: 243
    Funny - might snow hike tomorrow. There might not be enough snow to XC ski so it might turn into a hike.
    Nothing hardcore - not like the Himalayas or anything!

    What do I shoot?
    Mostly macro, natural light. Trying to get better at low-light shots.
    Mostly inanimate objects: flora, fauna, FOOD, landscape/cityscape. Like I said about the moss, not so great w/ timing.
    I'm a big fan of candids of humans, but my timing is terrible. :grumble:
    One thing I learned on my last trip to Columbus is timing doesn't matter if you can shoot 7fps.
  • Kityngirl
    Kityngirl Posts: 14,304 Member
    I hear ya! Although I only know how to process B&W... :ohwell:
    Color is a pain in the *kitten* to process manually...and a bit dangerous since it entails fermaldehyde. They get picky about where you dump that apparently... :tongue: Plus the whole process has to be done in complete darkness, not even a "safety" light can be on because the film is so sensitive. HUGE pain. Same thing with the actual print processing. Not worth it for the time and money involved.

    I mostly shoot with macros but I started to get really into wide angles the last time I took my SLR out for a spin. Lol.

    Snow hiking- yes. Love it when you're properly attired. Not so fun when hiking out of necessity because your car is stuck and you're in tights and snow boots....
  • DJH3
    DJH3 Posts: 243
    We're so spoiled these days. Carharts and digital photos. Wonder what the future holds for hiking and photography. Wonder if there will be any places left to hike. Mars?
  • Kityngirl
    Kityngirl Posts: 14,304 Member
    There are always places to hike, they don't necessarily need to be new places. I love to go back to the same places over and over again, seems like you see something new every time. Especially if there are great seasonal changes like here. Can't wait to really get out next fall when the leaves are changing. :happy:
  • UpToAnyCool
    UpToAnyCool Posts: 1,673
    @kityngirl - ah your crazy shamrock princess tableau, compliments of your neighbor, as promised! :smile:
    @DJH3 - last time i checked they did not make carhartt one pc insulated coveralls for 5'-0" women, but i can keep dreaming! :laugh:
  • DJH3
    DJH3 Posts: 243
    There are always places to hike, they don't necessarily need to be new places. I love to go back to the same places over and over again, seems like you see something new every time. Especially if there are great seasonal changes like here. Can't wait to really get out next fall when the leaves are changing. :happy:
    Like bats in a tunnel!
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