# In search of the elusive Canadian moose (827km and no moose) (pic heavy)



## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

I have never seen a real moose, despite living in Canada (Ontario) most of my life. We headed to Algonquin Park to see one. Nope, they all got the memo that I was out and all hid. 

So Scott, being the wonderful boyfriend he is, said we would go to the Toronto Zoo. Yay! He bought a year membership and off we went to see the moose. Down a massively steep hill (that we then had to walk back up) and go to the moose enclosure...... no moose. He got the memo too. Apparently he was at the other end of the very large enclosure where there was no public access. 

So, I had to be content for now to shoot the other zoo animals. 

I got some really excellent advice from TPF's resident zoo photographer (thank you!) and did my best. Good thing we have a membership  I blew some good shots, missed focus on some and battled settings. But it's ok, we're going back. Going to do this until I get it right. I really am trying to learn. 

The wait to see these guys can be hours. Luckily, for us it wasn't. I've never seen a panda so was pretty excited. 



These guys are huge.


There were two owls, but once just refused to turn around. This guy only has one eye.


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

I missed focus on almost every penguin shot. Next time, switching out my lens for the fast one. Learned that lesson!

I had no idea hyena's were this big!

Kitty paws 


I loved this guy. He unfortunately just wanted to sleep.

These two (mom and baby are being moved to a different enclosure so I'll be back to get better shots of them.


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## IronMaskDuval (Apr 10, 2014)

I don't know, Barb. Looks like a moose to me. I really like the photo of the duck, and I have to get one of those owls for my house.


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

And of course, my absolutely favorite. 
View attachment 70766View attachment 70767View attachment 70771View attachment 70772View attachment 70768View attachment 70769View attachment 70770


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

IronMaskDuval said:


> I don't know, Barb. Looks like a moose to me. I really like the photo of the duck, and I have to get one of those owls for my house.
> 
> 
> View attachment 70765





You are the BEST!!!!


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

IronMaskDuval said:


> I don't know, Barb. Looks like a moose to me.



By the way, stealing this picture for my avatar.


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## robbins.photo (Apr 10, 2014)

Lol.. great set Barb.  Wonderful stuff.  Really love the last Panda shot in particular.  But now I have this image of my head of a moose wearing google glasses and using the patented BarbTrakker technology - "Ok guys, she's almost here.  Quick.. everybody hide.  Al... Al.. I can still see your tail buddy.  Ya.. crouch down.  Perfect."  Lol


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

robbins.photo said:


> Lol.. great set Barb. Wonderful stuff. Really love the last Panda shot in particular. But now I have this image of my head of a moose wearing google glasses and using the patented BarbTrakker technology - "Ok guys, she's almost here. Quick.. everybody hide. Al... Al.. I can still see your tail buddy. Ya.. crouch down. Perfect." Lol


Aw thanks. And thank you so very very much for your help. I kept your advice in mind all day and got many better shots for it. 

And I swear that's what they do! Here is the sign entering Algonquin:  We drove the whole damn thing, and not ONE moose.


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## Civchic (Apr 10, 2014)

I think I might head down there this weekend!  For sure Mother's Day, though, we go every year with the whole family (my parents and siblings and all their kids).  It's easier for me to shoot when everyone is there (ie ignore my kids since their with the grandparents, LOL).


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

Are the tigers pictures showing up for anyone else? Because for me they only show the attachment name. :/


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## BillM (Apr 10, 2014)

Love the Panda Barb :thumbup:

Be careful of clipping feet and maybe posting 3 or 4 with EXIF info might help others help you. Are you using AF-C and which metering mode ?


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## BillM (Apr 10, 2014)

No tigers


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)




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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

Tigers work this time?


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

BillM said:


> Love the Panda Barb :thumbup:
> 
> Be careful of clipping feet and maybe posting 3 or 4 with EXIF info might help others help you. Are you using AF-C and which metering mode ?



thanks Bill. Yes, clipping was a problem. There were a ton of people there so I was constantly fighting crowds. Especially little people. We got there kind of late for what we wanted but it was an unplanned trip. The next one will be right as it opens and hopefully there will be less people. It's something I really have to work on. 

Here are the panda settings: (it was similar for all of them)
exposure 1/200
f/10
iso 250
white balance - auto. I tried to do a custom white balance, but for some reason, it just wouldn't work. I have a gray card, but it kept turning the pictures blue. Not sure what I was doing wrong. 
Matrix metering. 

Hyena
f 7.1
iso 250
metering matrix
exposure 1/320

Tiger
exposure 1/250
f 6.3
iso 640 
metering matrix.

What would you have changed? 

I did most of these in shutter priority or aperature priority


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

So hopefully I did this right. Here's a link to the set on Flckr. I'm hoping they are the only ones I made public  https://www.flickr.com/photos/97509571@N08/

If anyone feels like taking a look and offering come advice, I would appreciate it. 

Heading out for a bit. Back later.


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## rodbender (Apr 10, 2014)

Wait till the snow melts there still yarded up way back in 2-3 weeks after snow melts there all over HWY60


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## JacaRanda (Apr 10, 2014)

I would like to see more of the kitties, especially the ones with the big footsies.


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## BillM (Apr 10, 2014)

Don't worry about WB, just set it to Auto and tweak as needed in post. It will probably be really close as is.

For the Panda you could have shot at f/5.6 and 1/500 shutter to take care of motion blur. And that would have had the added advantage of softening the background. I also would have tried spot or center weighted metering to expose more for the animal, let the background get dark or blowout, you can change that in post too if you want. 

But there are different strokes for different folks, that is just how I would have tried it.


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

rodbender said:


> Wait till the snow melts there still yarded up way back in 2-3 weeks after snow melts there all over HWY60



That's what they tell me. See my comment above about the memo.


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

BillM said:


> Don't worry about WB, just set it to Auto and tweak as needed in post. It will probably be really close as is.
> 
> For the Panda you could have shot at f/5.6 and 1/500 shutter to take care of motion blur. And that would have had the added advantage of softening the background. I also would have tried spot or center weighted metering to expose more for the animal, let the background get dark or blowout, you can change that in post too if you want.
> 
> But there are different strokes for different folks, that is just how I would have tried it.



Ok, so this is going to sound _really_ stupid and I should be banned from the board for even saying it, but I struggle horribly with remembering how to change my shutter speed. Now, in my defence, I was in a coma a few years back (long story) and I have memory issues now. So I read it, I think I have it, then I get out there and I forget. I think what I have to do is make myself a little cheat card. I don't remember things until they become routine. You should see me in the morning if something throws me off! I will leave without breakfast, lunch ect. It sucks. However, my boyfriend enjoys playing with my mind because we'll have conversations that I don't always remember. It's quite funny. 

OK, so change my shutter speed and change my metering. We are going out again this weekend somewhere else, and I will practice with that. Thank you!!


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## BillM (Apr 10, 2014)

Been there and done that, they let me read my coma chart one day when I went back for a checkup. It was interesting reading. I had been in a car accident and luckily my head was harder than the windshield, but my neck wasn't. Sorry, what were we talking about 

Just try to remember the triangle, to make the triangle easier just set the ISO to auto and then go back and forth with aperture and shutter speed to balance your exposure. 

What camera body are you using ?


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

JacaRanda said:


> I would like to see more of the kitties, especially the ones with the big footsies.



They ALL had big footsies!


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

BillM said:


> Been there and done that, they let me read my coma chart one day when I went back for a checkup. It was interesting reading. I had been in a car accident and luckily my head was harder than the windshield, but my neck wasn't. Sorry, what were we talking about
> 
> Just try to remember the triangle, to make the triangle easier just set the ISO to auto and then go back and forth with aperture and shutter speed to balance your exposure.
> 
> What camera body are you using ?



I had some wicked hallucinations when I came out of it. I had a friend tell me he was sorry he didn't know I was in the hospital or he would have come visit. Imagine his surprise when I told him he was there every single night in my room, sitting at the end of my bed having long conversations with me. To this day, I am not totally sure which memories are real and which are fake. The downside is that I've lost a ton of memories from before the coma. I was even going through some pictures the other day, and I have no memory of being in some of those places and taking those pictures. 

I've got the triangle, sort of. ISO auto I can do. What mode do I use? Or does it depend?

I'm using a Nikon D80 and for these I was using my tamron 270 lens.


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## BillM (Apr 10, 2014)

I shoot in Manual so on a Nikon the thumbwheel is to adjust the shutter and the front finger wheel is for F stop. So F = Finger if that helps you remember ?


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

BillM said:


> I shoot in Manual so on a Nikon the thumbwheel is to adjust the shutter and the front finger wheel is for F stop. So F = Finger if that helps you remember ?



Don't take this personally, please, but I love you right now. In a totally non-love, non sexual way. Word association, it's how I get through life.


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## BillM (Apr 10, 2014)

No worries, glad I could help :thumbup:


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

You have no idea..... god I love this board.


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## DLeeT (Apr 10, 2014)

Great stuff Barb!  All really neat, but being a kitty fan, I really like the  *BIG KITTY!  *Lee


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

Yup, I'm a huge kitty fan. Especially the tiger. We are going to the Bowmanville Zoo soon. The tiger there was the tiger in the movie Life of Pi. A lot of their animals are hand raised so you can get a little closer. Although still not as close as I would like to get to the tiger


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## IronMaskDuval (Apr 10, 2014)

symplybarb said:


> BillM said:
> 
> 
> > I shoot in Manual so on a Nikon the thumbwheel is to adjust the shutter and the front finger wheel is for F stop. So F = Finger if that helps you remember ?
> ...




If I were you Bill, I wouldn't know how to take that. That's like the equivalent of saying, I don't love you.


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

IronMaskDuval said:


> symplybarb said:
> 
> 
> > BillM said:
> ...



No one ever knows how to take me. It's part of my charm


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## IronMaskDuval (Apr 10, 2014)

symplybarb said:


> No one ever knows how to take me. It's part of my charm


I take that as you threatening me


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

IronMaskDuval said:


> symplybarb said:
> 
> 
> > No one ever knows how to take me. It's part of my charm
> ...



LMAO You're hilarious! 

Take that any way you want


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

<~~~ LOVES her new avatar btw.


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## IronMaskDuval (Apr 10, 2014)

symplybarb said:


> <~~~ LOVES her new avatar btw.


  Well, you were the one to take that beautiful picture of a Canadian moose after all.


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## dxqcanada (Apr 10, 2014)

Barb, I think it is still too early to catch the roadside Moose ... I would say in May.
Hmm, were you at the Zoo on this past Sunday ?


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

dxqcanada said:


> Barb, I think it is still too early to catch the roadside Moose ... I would say in May.
> Hmm, were you at the Zoo on this past Sunday ?



I was there on Sunday. I think we got there around 11? Scott was with a 500mm sigma and a monopod. I had a d80 gripped and a tamron 270. Scott was hard to miss! Were we there at the same time?


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## dxqcanada (Apr 10, 2014)

Hmm, my wife and I did not see a PhotoGeek with huge lens on a stick.
We were there around 1-5pm.
I was an oriental guy with fat silver lens ... not to be mistaken with the oriental guys with the white lens (damn Canon shooters).


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

dxqcanada said:


> Hmm, my wife and I did not see a PhotoGeek with huge lens on a stick.
> We were there around 1-5pm.
> I was an oriental guy with fat silver lens ... not to be mistaken with the oriental guys with the white lens (damn Canon shooters).



So we were there for a little bit at the same time. I think we left around 3. I hadn't been there in years. That hill to the Canadian section just about killed me. By Tuesday I could barely walk. I really need to start hiking more.


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## dxqcanada (Apr 10, 2014)

As you have a season pass ... wait for the train to get rolling later in the season and hitch a ride.
They have a plan to move the Canadian section above the Polar bear area, should be done in a couple years.
The revamped Eurasia section should be open this year.

It was nice to see the Siberian Tiger playing ... we always used to see him just pacing the fence.


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

This is me. 

This is Scott.


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

Oh that tiger picture is GORGEOUS.


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## dxqcanada (Apr 10, 2014)

Hmm, a white couple with cameras at the zoo ... nope, didn't see anything like that.


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

dxqcanada said:


> Hmm, a white couple with cameras at the zoo ... nope, didn't see anything like that.



*snort* point taken.


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## dxqcanada (Apr 10, 2014)

symplybarb said:


> dxqcanada said:
> 
> 
> > Hmm, a white couple with cameras at the zoo ... nope, didn't see anything like that.
> ...



It's like seeing an oriental family at the zoo with cameras ... didn't see that either.
Good thing my wife is Dutch/Canadian and I am Japanese, we stand out a bit more.


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

Well, I'm German/Canadian and Scott is Native American. We should stand out a little bit!


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## BillM (Apr 10, 2014)

IronMaskDuval said:


> If I were you Bill, I wouldn't know how to take that. That's like the equivalent of saying, I don't love you.



It's all good, I know exactly what that means :thumbup:


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## pjaye (Apr 10, 2014)

Bill *gets* me.


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## Civchic (Apr 11, 2014)

It's confirmed, I'll be there with a herd of people on May 11, dragging a wagon with a couple of kids.  I hope it's a kind of crappy day, and the crowds aren't bad.  We went last year and it was SO COLD and wet, but we had a great day because not many other crazies came with us.

I don't have any fancy fat lenses on sticks though, I'm just a fat girl with a baby 55-250 on a T3 on my hip.


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## dxqcanada (Apr 18, 2014)

The Moose are on the loose
https://www.facebook.com/TheFriendsofAlgonquinPark


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