How Close Is Too Close?

Rocky Mountain Elk -- Yellowstone National Park, WY

This, folks, is too close.

I shot this from across the road.  These tourists were as close as they look, maybe ten feet away from this elk.  I'm always amazed at the patience of these beautiful creatures.  I was frustrated with these people but not enough to chastise them.  I'm not a ranger, just a fellow tourist, after all.

This reminds me of another encounter with some even bigger elk in Redwood National Park.

Roosevelt Elk -- Redwood National Park, CA

Family Portrait

Stout Grove, Redwood National Park, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, f/4, 1/25s, ISO: 100

After a week of posting "easy" photos taken under a redwood canopy, here we have an example of a more difficult shot.  DXO has bailed me out a bit in post-processing, but the extreme difference between the light and dark sections are still evident.

This photo of my brother's family was shot a couple of years ago on a beautiful sunny day in the Stout Grove in Redwood National Park.  I joined my brother and his family for a couple of days of camping in Redwood National Park.  That was a fun trip.  There's a totally different vibe to the redwood groves in that park to what one experiences in Muir Woods.  I'm not going to try to explain that difference, at least not today.  Visit 'em both if you haven't experienced them, you won't regret it.

Photo selection inspired by Geogypsy's Foto Friday Fun 154, image #7429.

Sunlight, Fog & Redwoods

Redwood National Park, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, ISO: 100, f/6.3, 1/40s

Some national parks knock your socks off from the get go.  Yosemite, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon are like that.  Others are slow growers.  Redwood National Park is like that for me.  In some ways it's just a stretch of Pacific coastline.  There are better places to experience redwood trees.  There are more dramatic stretches of coastline.  Redwood National Park puts the two together in a quietly impressive way, which combined with the atmospheric Smith River and the consistently accessible Roosevelt elk herds makes this one of my favorite parks to visit.

Selection inspired by Geogypsy's Foto Friday Fun 146, image #7571.

Elegant Tern

Elegant Tern -- Klamath River, Redwood National Park, CA

Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II, 1/2000s, f/5.6, ISO:400

Well, I never was able to identify this bird with a whole lot of confidence.  I still think it's an elegant tern.

Elegant Tern

Elegant Tern -- Klamath River, Redwood National Park, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II, 1/1200s, f/5.6, ISO:200

This was a tough bird for me to identify.  I'm pretty sure based on the size, tail and slight curve of the beak that this is an elegant tern.  I wouldn't want to bet a lot of money on it, though.  I took this picture at the mouth of the Klamath River in late August while the salmon were running.  So much activity was going on that day.  People were fishing on both sides of the mouth of the river with poles and nets.  People were fishing in boats as well.  Birds were fishing.  Sea lions were fishing.  It was quite a spectacle, something I'm glad to have experienced.

Photo selection inspired by Geogypsy's Photo Friday Fun #92, photo #7035.