Please Don't!

I took this shot as we were leaving Benzette on Sunday. There seem to always be a few people who can't or won't abide by the law, or in this case, use good sense! Signs ask you to share your lunch with people not animals. A fun way of doing saying do not feed the elk! This a large & powerful WILD animal who is quietly munching on an apple in someones hand. Unfortunately he could change his attitude in seconds without notice. Should he injury a human who would be at fault? Would YOU want to be the reason an animal we enjoy viewing is terminated? In a few short weeks this same elk may walk up to another person, expecting to receive a treat, instead gets wounded or killed because a hunter is carrying a rifle not apples. Please, think about your actions.

Trip to the PA Elk Range

Andy & I made an all to infrequent trip to Benzette, Winslow Hill, & the PA Elk Range on Sunday. Like most elk enthusiasts, I like to get nice bull shots.......

But I don't mind a cow shot mixed in.........

or even a family portrait.

Elk Silhouettes

Capturing this elk at the top of a hill gave an opportunity to produce one of my favorite types of image, the silhouette. The magic of PSE makes this process very easy. The shadows needed to be darkened & the intensity of the sky increased.


Pretty much the same process to start this one, then I cloned out the bush & cloned in some of the hill top to keep the horizon even.


The final one was a mistake. Somehow I ended up "dumping" a bucket full of black over the image. Turned out kinda cool, I thought. (Although I am glad there is an undo switch!)

More from our Trip

I couldn't help noticing these plump buds in contrast to the snow on the ground. A promise that spring is coming!

There are many hunting camps, cabins, & summer homes in this area of Pennsylvania. While I love the idea of being across the river relaxing away from the crowd, I would seriously need to consider using a swinging bridge to get there! We seen quite a few of the foot bridges along the way. This one had a seperate line & carrier for your supplies. Notice it has solar lights for night time travel.

One way to brighten your trip to the outhouse!

Take notice in this shot & the one from my last post how the elk don't mind sharing with people, especially if you share your garden, your crops, your shrubbery, & your flowers with them. The only large bull we seen was in the little town of Benzette quite close to houses. We have often seen elk browsing in front yards, back yards, under apple trees, or even resting in a yard. I can't forget one of my early trips to the area. We rented a room in a boarding house in Benzette, did some traveling around in the evening then returned to our room. A huge bull elk had bedded down between the car & the house! How exciting to walk cautiously past! Should you decide to visit this beautiful area & take a peek at these magnificent animals, please remember, even thought some elk will allow one to walk up & sometimes even take an offered apple - DON'T DO IT!! They are wild animals & can cause significant injury. It saddens me to think an elk could be destroyed because it injured someone that did not respect it's space.

Pennsylvania Wilds

I have taken a break from blogging for a little while trying my hand at something new. I decided to try making greeting cards using my pictures & with stamping. The hardest part seems to be cutting everything straight! Anyhow, Andy & I made a trip to Elk County in northern PA to see the elk & photograph anything that would stand still. Falling snow made it quite interesting - my elk are spotted! I really don't care if I shoot cow or bull elk, they are all magnificent animals, but one could not help noticing the lack of males. There were quite a few elk to photograph, but only one decent sized bull. This is compared to several years ago, before the PA Game Commission decided to allow a hunting season, when the proud bulls were everywhere. I plan to share shots of the elk & the surrounding area (although I don't have my favorites post-processed yet). Then move on to the ride home & a stop to capture ducks on the pond in Roaring Springs