Bosque del Apache - anyone shot video there before? at DVinfo.net

Kin Lau · December 6th, 2009, 04:51 PM

We'll be going to Bosque del Apache in couple of weeks, hoping to catch a few "blast-offs" and evening fly-in's of Snow Geese, Sandhill Cranes and other waterfowl.

I've got the still photography side all figured out, but I'm hoping for pointers and suggestions for the video side.

I'll have my HF100 (consumer) with a wide angle attachment, and also my 7D with either a 15/2.8 fisheye or 18-50/2.8 zoom or 30/1.4 with a Rode Videomic and Edirol R09 for sound.

I can see that the early morning blast-offs will likely require the 7D with the high-iso, possibly even the 30/1.4.

What worries me is the "rain" from the geese as they take off. I don't know how bad it'll be. I can easily protect the cameras, but capturing sound will be interesting.

Kin Lau · December 29th, 2009, 02:33 PM

I'm back now and here's a few notes for anyone researching this.

Bosque is much less active than it used to be. The crane pools just north of the refuge (but still managed by the refuge) are the best places to shoot.

Audio: keep in mind that Bosque can be windy. It is also right next to a road with a highway about 1mile away so traffic noise will be a bit of a problem. Don't expect more than 10-15min's of uninterrupted audio. However, you will not get away from the photographers (I was shooting much more stills than video), so all those "clicks" will be audible.

Video: You don't need an ultra-wide for Bosque, I was okay most of the time with my HF100 w/o the wide, but it's nice for the blastoff. You'll spend more time with your tele than wide, but that 5 second blastoff is great.

The snow-goose do dump when they flyout, but they're usually far enough out that you won't get hit, it was never a problem, it wasn't even close.

December 6th, 2009, 04:51 PM	#1
Kin Lau Major Player Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ottawa, ON Posts: 385	Bosque del Apache - anyone shot video there before? We'll be going to Bosque del Apache in couple of weeks, hoping to catch a few "blast-offs" and evening fly-in's of Snow Geese, Sandhill Cranes and other waterfowl. I've got the still photography side all figured out, but I'm hoping for pointers and suggestions for the video side. I'll have my HF100 (consumer) with a wide angle attachment, and also my 7D with either a 15/2.8 fisheye or 18-50/2.8 zoom or 30/1.4 with a Rode Videomic and Edirol R09 for sound. I can see that the early morning blast-offs will likely require the 7D with the high-iso, possibly even the 30/1.4. What worries me is the "rain" from the geese as they take off. I don't know how bad it'll be. I can easily protect the cameras, but capturing sound will be interesting.

December 29th, 2009, 02:33 PM	#2
Kin Lau Major Player Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ottawa, ON Posts: 385	I'm back now and here's a few notes for anyone researching this. Bosque is much less active than it used to be. The crane pools just north of the refuge (but still managed by the refuge) are the best places to shoot. Audio: keep in mind that Bosque can be windy. It is also right next to a road with a highway about 1mile away so traffic noise will be a bit of a problem. Don't expect more than 10-15min's of uninterrupted audio. However, you will not get away from the photographers (I was shooting much more stills than video), so all those "clicks" will be audible. Video: You don't need an ultra-wide for Bosque, I was okay most of the time with my HF100 w/o the wide, but it's nice for the blastoff. You'll spend more time with your tele than wide, but that 5 second blastoff is great. The snow-goose do dump when they flyout, but they're usually far enough out that you won't get hit, it was never a problem, it wasn't even close.