PICTURES FROM BOUNDARY WATERS, SUMMER OF YEAR 2000
I made these pictures with a hand held Nikon Coolpix
990 camera. Today the best still camera for wilderness photography
is Nikon Coolpix 5700 with the optional battery pack, which uses
six AA batteries. The AA batteries can be charged in a wilderness
with a solar charger. Sony DSC-F717 camera also makes good pictures,
but its proprietary batteries are not compatible with the solar
chargers. Minolta DiMAGE 7Hi is powered by four AA batteries, but
the quality of its pictures and its close focus are inferior to
both the Nikon Coolpix 5700 and the Sony DSC-F717. The classical,
swivel body Coolpix cameras like the model 990 have small, fixed
lenses which perfectly match oculars of telescopes and microscopes.
This chipmunk enjoyed dashing between
my legs, apparently to prove his superior running skills.
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Every evening beavers toil in Cherokee Creek.
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Pitcher plants are rather common in
the bogs. Blue flag irises are very common. Orchids are rare.
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Fente Lake seen from a portage to Afton Lake.
The portage is covered with a thick layer or froglets in
early June.
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You will get your feet wet when you travel
in the Boundary Waters. As I walk on Howl Lake boardwalk I
sink into the muddy water. Other boardwalks are not much
better. Some portages are dangerous -- you have to jump
on slippery boulders or wade waste deep in mud.
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An otter family lives in the south part of
Long Island Lake. My Coolpix 990 could not zoom on them well.
I had very close encounters with a bold eagle and a moose, but
they were gone before my slow camera was ready to take pictures.
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Boundary Waters Wilderness is so humid that
trees are draped with mosses and images of astronomical objects
are blurred.
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Sony DSC-F717 and several Nikon Coolpix
cameras can take macro photos from a distance of two
centimeters. I took this photo in bright sunlight holding
the camera in my hand. Strong illumination is necessary
when taking macro photos of moving objects. Not long ago
Nikon made a nice, battery powered light that fits on the
Coolpix lens. It is called SL-1.
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Note the bumps on the leading edge of
this dragonfly's wings. They may reduce aerodynamic drag.
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Commercial macro photographers kill the
animals to ensure they are still, then shoot the photos
through a small hole to improve depth of field.
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Another photo compromised by poor depth of
field.
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Moose eating water lilies are a common
sight on Whipped Lake. This year, however, I could see only
two moose.
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The mouth of Brule River (discharging into
Lake Superior east of Boundary Waters) is a good place
for beachcombers.
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