Stealth Wildlife Photography Not Just for Hunters

When the lights go out do you know what your wildlife neighbors are doing?
If you are an outdoor traveler interested in photography, digital stealth cameras (aka camo camera, deer camera) are a neat way to catch the wildlife after dark. Setup your camo-cam on any tree and see who your night visitors are. Working with a motion detector shutter release, these stealth cameras take photos automatically day and night without your participation.

These night spy photos were taken in AZ and digitally edited in my RV using a laptop. This is a good example of why Photography and Laptop computers combine to make one of the best RV hobbies.

Digital wildlife spy cameras are relatively cheap, need no film, operate automatically with ease, weather resistant and most importantly FUN. View your catch on a monitor or download the images to your travel laptop and digitally edit your photos for a perfect photo trophy.

If you are an RVer documenting your travels these digital stealth photos will make a great addition to your RV travel log or scrapbook. For greater success with your camo camera, bait your subjects with water (the all species universal bait). Do not use food as bait as the wildlife will become dependant on humans for food.

Until the next post: Don’t be afraid of the things that go bump in the night; take their portrait!

OR_Maverick
Happy Jack, AZ

Photography a Perfect RV Hobby

Most travelers take snapshots for mementos of their travels.
Digital photography is perfect for the RV life. You take your photos when enjoying the great weather and edit the images when the weather forces you indoors. Space requirements are minimal; a digital camera, laptop and optional printer. No shoe boxes full of negatives necessary. Rvers traveling with a printer can share their memories with friends before moving on to the stop or copy the images to a CD. Scrapbooks, photo albums and travel logs can be kept on computer or printed for hard copy.

Now look what you can do in your PC Darkroom.



Standard software on today’s computers includes Darkroom Capabilities. These easy to use photo editing tools are all you need to turn an ordinary, once in a life time snapshot, in to a work of art. I call Windows Photo Gallery a PC Darkroom.

The 3 basic photo editing tools you need to know are:

1. Cropping the Image
2. Adjusting the Exposure
3. Adjusting the Color

Although this photo editing process is very simple and easy to understand it requires more space than allotted here. I have written a webpage; Digital Photo Editing Basics that details the photo editing process using Windows Photo Gallery.

Until the next post: Shoot first and edit later! The film’s FREE!

OR_Maverick
Gold Country, Oroville, Ca N 39° 30.145’ W 121° 30.354 630 ft

Look What I Found Treasure Hunting!

I told you in my last Treasure Hunting post that you would be amazed at what you will find with your metal detector. I walked across a dry lake bed (Lake Shastina, Ca) to see what I would find. Here’s the result:

• $.45
• 6 golf balls
• Assorted rusted fishing lures and weights
• 1 horseshoe
• 1 abandon sluice box!

Notice not everything on the list is metallic. Treasure hunting gets you out of the RV and exploring your surroundings. I would never have found a great photo opportunity like this one without my Tesoro metal detector. (I’ll bet there’s a great story behind a sluice box in a reservoir lake bed.)

The next day I tried my luck around a fire ring at Pilgrim Creek Sno-park. I found 16 coins ($1.47) in 45 min. Two other fire rings only netted me 1 penny.

To get you geared-up and out treasure hunting check out Treasure Hunting Tips.

Until the next post: Remember Ben Franklin’s famous words; “a penny found is a penny earned”.

OR_Maverick
Pilgrim Creek Sno-Park, Ca N 41° 20.20’ W 121° 59.75’ 3,170 ft

Need a Hobby? Try Treasure Hunting!

Okay so you have been to every antique store on your usually route. You have seen all the usual old stuff. You have read all your favorite books twice. Now what?

You Need A Hobby. Be a modern day Treasure Hunter; get a Metal Detector! It’s easily transported in your RV, simple to use and cheap (once you find a metal detector) just a battery every once in awhile. Go find your own old stuff and pick-up some laundry money as a bonus. You get sun, fresh air, exercise, some spare change and its fun. The fun part is you never know what you will find.

Being an RVer you have a new source of treasure at each campsite. Just take out your metal detector and poke around fire rings, picnic tables and beaches. Or turn it in to a serious hobby. Pack a picnic lunch and go in search of old homesteads, mines, logging camps, etc.

To get you started I put together some Treasure Hunting Tips. (Mom click the link.)

Until the next post: Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers. Or is it One Mans Treasure…?

OR_Maverick
Lake Shastina, Ca N 41° 30.33’ W 122° 23.56’ 2,720 ft