Critters
Animals don’t cooperate. Hard stop. They don’t make appointments. Also hard stop. You have to go to them when you THINK they’ll be there. You have to be ready when they are. They won’t wait around for you. And in many cases, you aren’t the only human there for the photo shoot.
My settings for wildlife photography are with each shot.
One of my favorite critters of all time
This is Gipper. He was our 4th rescue dog. He started on our Destination? Changing journey and was the best road dog you could ever imagine. Simply put, he was simply perfect. In every way.
He was an old boy when we started and couldn’t hear too well. As a youngster, he could jump high enough to look me in the eye. But in the last couple years, I had to porter him up and down stairs and in and out of the camper and truck. I loved being his porter.
He ended up getting liver cancer. We had to say goodbye to him in July 2023 while we were in Cle Elum, Oregon. Losing him created a huge hole in our tiny home…and in our hearts. We loved him and miss him so much.
This was taken while we were in Eureka, California, in May 2023, just 2 months before he crossed the bridge.
f/2.8 | 1/5000 second | ISO 250 | 25mm
MIKE MIKE MIKE MIKE!
As we were moving from one location to another in Arkansas, we saw a couple camels. WHAT?! Camels in Arkansas?! It’s true. We later heard the owners brought them there for an annual Nativity scene.
The next day we drove past them again, this time off of a side county road. Of course we stopped. You have to. They’re camels. In Arkansas.
We don’t know if this is Delilah or the other, unknown-named one. Either way, he (or she) was very soft and gentle.
f/22 | 1/025 seconds | ISO 1250 | 100mm
Roosevelt Elk
While in Eureka, California, we drove up and down the 101. Almost every time we got in or around the Redwood National and State Park, we saw a herd of elk.
f/6.3 | 1/80 second | ISO 1600 | 428mm
Rocky Mountain NP
We drove the Fall River Road up to the Alpine Visitor Center. We saw this guy and a few other elk just off of a walking path. They were close enough to the path that the ranger wouldn’t let people go up or come down until there was a safe distance. Later that day as we were leaving the park, we got caught up in an elk jam.
f/8 | 1/1000 seconds | ISO 250 | 428mm
Port Aransas
While we were in Livingston, Texas, we met Robin, a cool chick and a skoolie camper. We just happened to bump into her again in Port Aransas. We hung out and had a couple cocktails at her site right on the beach. Watched the sun go down and enjoyed each other’s company.
She told us about a bird sanctuary nearby, the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center. All kinds of bird are there…and a crocodile!
f/9 |1/2500 seconds | ISO 800 | 186mm
Trickster
In some cultures, the coyote is referred to as a trickster. We saw this particular trickster along the highway as we were travelling to Guadelupe Mountains National Park in Texas. He seems to be focused on some protein.
f/7.1 | 1/200 seconds | ISO 100 | 400mm
Nice Rack
While in Spearfish, South Dakota, we were less than 2 hours from Badlands National Park. I decided to take a week of PTO to enjoy everything in that beautiful part of our country. On July 3rd, I got up in the middle of the night, made the almost 2-hour drive, and got to the park about 3:00am. I spent over 4 hours in various parts of the park, taking nighttime photos and sunrise photos.
As I was leaving, I happened to see this guy along the side of the road. I used my telephoto lens to give him plenty of room.
f/18 | 1/800 second | ISO 2500 | 300mm