p.3 #1 · And the cold never bothered me anyway....
Ted ellis wrote:
Top to bottom an excellent series Eric.
Thanks so much Ted
---------------------------------------------
johnohio wrote:
First class images of a subject I will probably never get to view in person. Thank you for sharing. Love the interaction between mother and cubs.
John
Thanks John....I never thought I would either and so was thrilled when I got the opportunity
---------------------------------------------
marc2307 wrote:
Superb PB family set Eric with No's 1 & 2 the standout, got my vote.
These guys are on my list very soon.
Cheers
Marc
Thanks Marc....they are very special but a very different wildlife experience than Africa even forgetting the weather. But I'm sure you knew that already.
Thanks for the support
p.3 #6 · And the cold never bothered me anyway....
Lovely photos. Great detail. Great color management. Glad you are ok. What tour group did you go with? Love to see you post your preparations, your actual trip and what you went thru.
p.3 #7 · And the cold never bothered me anyway....
runakid wrote:
Lovely photos. Great detail. Great color management. Glad you are ok. What tour group did you go with? Love to see you post your preparations, your actual trip and what you went thru.
Thanks so much....I did not go with a tour group but you could and honestly, it would be much easier to secure a spot if you do. Dave Hemmings (eaglebear here on FM) runs tours there and does a great job. Without going with a tour the wait list is many miles long and unless you have a really good friend who after waiting 7 years got a spot and added you AND paid the deposit before even asking the best way to get in is with one of the various tours that books spots a couple of years in advance.
I was by no means a cold weather person and had no appropriate clothing to deal with -20 to -40 be it C or F.....And I found after the first time in 2018 I was woefully unprepared but fortunately that was a mild weather year. By boots were much too thin soled...so I got these Baffin boots which were just perfect. My "ski"/cold weather pants were barely adequate so I invested in some North Face bib ones which were perfect....a thermal weight base layer is also essential. My jacket was fine....I had Arc'teryx which I loved...the heaviest weight/polar rated....but many had Canada Goose and swear by them...not a big fan of their fur collar for ethical reasons but that's a personal choice. I had this big lined hat with ear flaps and a balaclava...but covering all facial parts is a big problem and at -40 skin freezes very quickly. Gloves of course are very important and some had battery operated ones (and battery operated socks as well) and I wish I did as well....hard to manipulate the camera with mittens and when one takes off the mitten and is left with a relatively thin wool finger glove the chances of freezing fingers is real...so I also brought battery powered hand warmers in addition to the chemical ones. They work well but it means putting your hand in your pocket to grab and warm up your fingers. You must remember to remove the rubber grips on top and bottom so your whole hand can grip the warmer...I didn't and as a result have a case of frostnip on my right pinkie....numbness, tingling...not fun but now about 2 weeks later it's about 75% gone and I'm sure it will be just a memory in a couple more weeks. We can discuss camera gear another time but it didn't appear anyone had any significant issues with Nikon or Canon...I only saw one Sony body so I don't know about that. The biggest issues are battery life (Nikon seemed to do better for whatever reason) and frosting of the LCD as one's breath caused moisture to develop and almost instantly freeze. Also taking your camera inside after a day out can be an issue so putting it in a dry bag or even a large zip lock helps keep moisture at bay.
There are some other unforeseen issues that can pop up but I think that's more than enough for now.
Hope this is a little useful.
p.3 #8 · And the cold never bothered me anyway....
Wow- what a full and complete answer. First, thanks for taking the time to answer.
I am looking at a polar bear trip in 2021 [trying to limit myself to one major photo trip per year] with Expeditions Alaska. They go by boat along the coast to see bears feeding around the whale carcasses.
I know what you mean by Nikon having good battery life. On a recent Yellowstone trip with Jared Lloyd I had no problem with battery life. No one mentioned having to change batteries on Nikon or Canon cameras.
With your helpful answer I will begin to upgrade my outer wear in anticipation of my 2021 trip. I did go with snowboarder pants this past trip to YNP but we were in and out of a vehicle. They worked for that but not sure if they would be fine for an all day outside camera shoot. While in Haines in November I purchased some fleece long johns that are worn by commercial fishermen. They were fantastic. I will look into the North Face bibs though as suggested.
Thanks again.
dan
p.3 #12 · And the cold never bothered me anyway....
RandyR wrote:
you nailed the opportunity, these are natgeo quality
Wow, thanks for those really nice words.
---------------------------------------------
jaylee73 wrote:
Wow, these are exceptional images! Thanks for sharing.
Jason
Thanks Jason...they are really quite special subjects and I feel really fortunate to have had the opportunity to see them
---------------------------------------------
GeneO wrote:
Wow, amazing Eric!
Many thanks Gene...now show us some stuff, Hawkman!!
Eric
p.3 #14 · And the cold never bothered me anyway....
lighthawk wrote:
Absolutely stunning.
The noro virus will be a forgotten memory, and frostbite should absolutely be respected.
Yet, you will have these images to share and cherish for a lifetime.
Thanks so much...yes, I was lucky not to get sick so my memory is a more pleasant one than those who were less fortunate.
Frostnip is slowly going away and I still have many images yet to process so the memories come flooding back regularly.
Eric
