Shoot to Thrill! Stacey Houston uses automatic mode to capture natural instincts
September 2, 2009 by Women’s Outdoor News
Sometimes a picture is not what it seems. The Whitetail buck in this shot was not fleeing the scene because of my presence, but was in fact, in hot pursuit of a receptive doe. Bucks tend to behave as though they have lost their minds when in the rut, often losing their fear of humans and throwing caution to the wind. As a photographer, I try to use this to my advantage, and capitalize on the rutting behavior of these magnificent creatures to capture photographs of bucks that would under normal conditions be nocturnal.
Often times when photographing wildlife, you are only given a split second to capture an image, before the animal disappears from view. This doesn’t leave much time to decide what settings to put your camera on, so I try to leave my camera on the automatic mode. When I am out I never know what I am going to encounter – an eagle soaring overhead in the bright morning sky, a bull elk ghosting through the dark shadows on a mountain side, a wolf taking care of business on a bright white snow bank, or maybe even this whitetail buck leaping over this fence in the early morning hours before sunrise. With my camera set on auto I have been able to capture some wonderful images that I may not have gotten if it had been set on the wrong setting. Wild animals don’t normally stick around for long, but if they do decide to grace me with their presence, then I will take the time needed to make adjustments.
(Canon Camera set to Automatic mode for this shot, F7.1~ 1/400 ~ ISO400 ~ taken with Sigma lens 500mm)
~Stacey Huston
Huston is an outdoors woman to the core. She would much rather spend time in the high country than in the local shopping mall, and feels more at home in heavy timber than in a salon. She is an accomplished photographer and is the staff photographer for Journey With Red Hawk T.V. series. Stacey is also a licensed falconer and raptor rehabilitation volunteer, helping injures raptors to once again soar on open skies. She resides with her husband of 18 years and their two boys in the mountains of western Wyoming.
© 2009, womensoutdoornews.com. All rights reserved. Please provide a link to The Women’s Outdoor News if you republish this post.
Shoot to Thrill! Stacey Huston debuts with story and photo about patience on the lek grounds
August 18, 2009 by Women’s Outdoor News
The WON welcomes outdoor photographer Stacey Huston to its ranks of Shoot to Thrillers. Stacey details not only the techniques used to acquire this photograph of a sage grouse, but also, she lets readers into her thought processes — always important in photography.
Spring 2008
It was that silent time in the early morning, just before daybreak when the world seems to hold its breath. That time, when a blanket of darkness shrouds the land as we parked the jeep near what I hoped would be the lek grounds. As I rolled down the windows to listen, I get a bit anxious, worried that we may not be in the correct area. I know that the male sage grouse congregate on their strutting grounds in open areas along side of the thick aromatic sagebrush clustered on the western plains … That shouldn’t be too hard to find. Wrong! It’s a little more complicated than that. They don’t just display in any open area, these grouse return only to specific areas as they have for decades. The males (boomers) will stiffen out their spiky tail feathers and fill the sacks on their chest with air as instinct drives them to join in an intimate dance with nature. The female will observe these displays to choose a suitable mate. Although all of the males strut, only a choice few will do most of the breeding. Once this ancient ritual has finished, the females will then disperse off onto the sage covered plane to raise the young on their own.
Sage Grouse displaying on Lek grounds.. Cannon EOS Digital Camera/Sigma 50-500mm lens Shot settings: F10/ 1/500sec /500mm/ ISO 320 When photographing the sage grouse I use my automobile as a blind and try to arrive before light. Parking in a place that I hope will not disturb the natural actions of these birds, but will still allow for some good shots. I used the rolled down window of my jeep as a rest for my camera. Most importantly bring along plenty of coffee or hot chocolate because early mornings in March can be quite chilly here in northwest Wyoming.
Sage Grouse displaying on Lek grounds.. Cannon EOS Digital Camera/Sigma 50-500mm lens Shot settings: F10/ 1/500sec /500mm/ ISO 320 When photographing the sage grouse I use my automobile as a blind and try to arrive before light. Parking in a place that I hope will not disturb the natural actions of these birds, but will still allow for some good shots. I used the rolled down window of my jeep as a rest for my camera. Most importantly bring along plenty of coffee or hot chocolate because early mornings in March can be quite chilly here in northwest Wyoming.
As the silence seems to spread around us, I began to detect a sound. As the faint glow of the early morning sun begins its climb over the eastern hills, this sound also begins to grow and swell, and we soon find ourselves surrounded by an almost hypnotic beat. I sound that I can only describe as water dripping, or maybe the sound of drums… playing faintly in the distanced. It was hard for me to imagine that these amazing birds are responsible for this beautiful sound. I have always loved the songs of birds, but this, I would not say is a song. It is more like an ancient music, and if you listen carefully and close your eyes, you can almost picture the native ancestors of this land, gathered around the drums and dancing in the flickering firelight, dancing with the never-ending circle of life…
I would have to say that the best advice I can give anyone who wants to photograph wildlife would be, “get out there.” Take the time to study the animals that you are looking for. Learn their habits and patterns, how they react to danger and changes in weather. You can learn a lot by searching the Internet and reading books, but that will only take you so far. There will come a time when you will just have to get out there and observed, make mistakes and learn. Wildlife photography is not a given. The animals do not always show up at the right time or place for you to get the shot, but if you are persistent and prepared, your time will be rewarded. The best equipment that money can buy does no good if you do not know the animals that you are pursuing. Keep searching and don’t give up. Spending time in the field and knowing the animals, will only increase your chance of locating even the most secretive of creatures.
Spring 2009
The annual return to the lek grounds has once again been triggered; unheard and unseen “something” once again draws the grouse back to this ancestral place amongst the sage covered hills of Wyoming.Throughout the last month, I‘ve wasted countless gallons of gas, and many hours checking the area for any sign of their impending return – to no avail. Thanks to the wonderful world of digital photography, I was able to tell that the pictures I took of the dancing Sage Grouse last spring, where taken on March 27 and again, in the snow, on the 30th.
Despite my vigilance, these large secretive birds continued to elude me until the morning of April 1st. On this morning, I happily stepped into the roll of April fool, as I once again sat mesmerized by this intriguing bird’s performance. Around and around they strutted, confidently demonstrating to all four sacred directions, in hopes of attracting a mate.
I will never understand what force signals the beginning of this performance. Or what it is that tells the Sage Grouse that this round of dancing has concluded until the next time the sun climbs the western sky to warm the ground, and they‘re called to return and share their reverberating music in celebration of the arrival of spring.
~Stacey Huston
www.staceyhuston.com
Stacey Huston is an outdoors woman to the core, she would much rather spend time in the high country than in the local shopping mall, and feels more at home in heavy timber than in a salon. She is an accomplished photographer and is the staff photographer for Journey With Red Hawk T.V. series. Stacey is also a licensed falconer and raptor rehabilitation volunteer, helping injures raptors to once again soar on open skies. She resides with her husband of 18 years and their two boys in the mountains of western Wyoming.
© 2009, womensoutdoornews.com. All rights reserved. Please provide a link to The Women’s Outdoor News if you republish this post.
Hunting Clothing for Serious, Dedicated Women Hunters
Anne Vinnola says: “Just ask any woman hunter, and she will tell you, the most difficult part of hunting? Her wardrobe. Finding well fitting, hard working, layerable, hunting pants and shirts. Some mainstream clothing companies are slowly beginning to work women’s sizes into their lines, but mostly they are cut like a man and just sized smaller.”
As a woman, I am always trying to find resources tailored for women. I constantly battle the cold because of having a thyroid problem. I decided to do some research on ways to keep warm and here is what I found!
According the Wikapedia, layered clothing is a manner of dressing using multiple garments that are worn on top of each other. Some of the layers have different, largely non-overlapping, functions. Using more or fewer layers, or replacing one layer but not others, allows for flexible clothing to match the needs of each situation. Two thin layers can be warmer yet lighter than one thick layer, because the air trapped between layers is a good insulator
Layered clothing is particularly relevant in cold climates, where clothing must at the same time transfer moisture, provide warmth, and protect from wind and rain. In a hot and dry climate, clothes have very different functional requirements: they must block the radiation from the Sun, and allow for sufficient air circulation. Therefore, layered clothing in the sense used in this article is largely irrelevant to hot and dry climates.
Outdoor and sportswear manufacturers favor layered clothing because, among other reasons, it allows them to offer so-called “technical” or “functional” clothes which are optimized for the particular demands of a specific layer. Such clothes are often made of advanced synthetic materials.
With that being said I was on a quest for clothing that not only kept me warm but was made for a woman and had many thin layering options. Impossible you say? I thought so too until I ran into Kirstie Pike from PróisTM Hunting Apparel.
Kirstie states “PróisTM Hunting finally answers our “Quest” for great Women’s Hunting Clothing and Gear. Throughout our years of hunting, we at PróisTM were amazed at the fact that there was literally nothing on the market for women who hunt.”
This “Quest” for Women’s Hunting Clothing soon became an obsession; they thought women’s huntwear must be something of a myth! While they attempted to avoid sounding like a frustrated feminists, they found it unreasonable that successful women hunters could not find appropriate gear for their sport.
Simple concept, the PróisTM Hunting team thought; Combine technical hunting components, functional fabric and an athletic composition, and unite it with patterns that are engineered to the female form…Voila, PróisTM Hunting Apparel!
This new women’s hunting clothing concept takes layering to a new art form. The PróisTM shirt is a cross between the finest athletic wear, and a comfortable favorite shirt. Polyester wicking fabric keeps moisture from your skin and allows you to stay dry and warm. Thumbholes help the shirt to stay in your gloves and it is perfect alone for cool fall mornings of archery or layered for those cold winter rifle hunting trips.
PróisTM Hunting Pants are crafted using 100% polyester brushed tricot for warmth and durability. They are snag resistant and silent in the woods. Each pair is fitted just below the waist for comfort and fits a woman’s form perfectly. There is plenty of storage room in the deep cargo pockets and thoughtfully pleated knees for kneeling comfort. They are boot cut to fit over bulky hunting boots with elastic cuffs and cord lock to cinch close to your boot. Add in their vests, jackets and rain gear and you are set for all occasions.
PróisTM Hunting Apparel is taking the industry by storm with their “made FOR women” hunting clothes. Women are not interested in merely looking like hunters; we are hunters that demand the best quality hunting clothing. We fully understand that fit, warmth and durability makes a huge impact on our hunting success. PróisTM Hunting Apparel is serious clothing for serious, dedicated women hunters.
See the original article at CampWildGirls.com
New women’s hunting gear takes extreme measures against cold
Coming to our Camp Store Soon!
The experts at Próis® Hunting Apparel create every detail of their high performance clothing lines to provide the ultimate in comfort and utility. Let’s face it – if you’re a serious hunter, at some point you’re going to be out in the cold. Now you won’t have to feel the bite of Mother Nature’s chilly teeth during long hours in a blind or stand, or while trekking across icy terrain – thanks to new Próis Xtreme™ pants.
These ultra-tough, super-heavyweight pants are precisely designed to stand up to extremely cold conditions. They’re constructed with a 100 percent polyester 8000/5000 waterproof, breathable shell – it’s whisper soft and silent, insulated with an industry-leading 200 Gram 3M Thinsulate, and lined with sleek nylon tricot – so while you might be braving the elements, your mind will be on the game, not on your goosebumps.
These custom designed pants feature an elastic waistline with an additional elastic drawstring and cordlock to keep them right where you want them. Próis Xtreme Pants are built for long days in the field, with roomy cargo pockets complete with pillow top enclosures, along with 9″ boot zippers to make them as easy to get in and out of as they are to wear for hours on end.
Próis designs are specifically created to meet the needs of serious women hunters – so every detail, from the incredible fit to the extremely durable, high performance fabrics and styles – anticipate the conditions you’ll face in the field. These unique pants come in Realtree AP HD® and Advantage Max-1 HD® in sizes from XS through XL – so a wide range of hunters can fit into them, and then slip into the background while waiting for the moment of truth. The Próis Xtreme Pants are available as of August 2009 and, like all Próis gear, they are proudly manufactured in the U.S.A.
For more information about the Próis Xtreme Pants or any of Próis’ innovative line of serious, high performance hunting apparel for women, contact: Próis Hunting Apparel, 28001-B US Highway 50, Gunnison, CO 81230 • (970) 641-3355 • Or visit www.proishunting.com.
See the original article at CampWildGirls.com
