Only two minutes? Wow! You did really well!

What a beautiful place! Your photos really capture the scenes in a way that makes a person long to see it in person.

Back Country Gallery and The Nikonian

I have used a 500PF on a D500 for nearly three years. Since I like to shoot birds, it is seldom too long. Sometimes I miss the zoom capability but I also have an 80-400 to go to when I'm shooting large birds like GBH's, etc.. I have used a 1.4III TC with the 500 and I find the IQ to be quite acceptable. The big problem with using the TC is the hit you take on focusing ability. And, since your largest aperture with the TC is f8 you're also going to be seeing some high ISO's. In the end, there is no perfect lens for all uses. The lighter weight and smaller physical size are a big advantage if you ask me. At times, I am amazed at how low I can go with the shutter speed and still get a sharp image even though I'm not using a tripod. The lighter and smaller your rig is, the longer you can hold it and the farther you can carry it. My 500PF is definitely not for sale.

I never knew that Studebaker made trucks. One can learn a lot on this forum! Great pictures!

This is precisely the info I am looking for. Thanks DaveD65 and to all who replied.

Visited Petrified Forest N.P. for the second time in 2019. Spent nearly two days there and saw a great deal more and got much better pictures than the previous visit years ago. We spent a lot more time getting out and walking and it really paid off. Go to the visitor's center first and get some info on all the sites in the park. If you only see the area around the visitor's center you will be missing an awful lot, maybe most, of what the park has to offer. You can get a decent lunch at the facility within the park. Be aware that the park has definite opening and closing times and they are enforced by patrolling rangers. Guess how we found out. I believe this is necessary to try and prevent theft.

Thanks for the link but I had already looked at that but didn't get anything current or specific from it.

We spent a few days at New River Gorge last fall. We have the idea that it might be really nice if we could catch the laurel etc. and other spring flowers in bloom. Can anyone tell me what the most likely time would be to catch the spring bloom? We live in Michigan.

YES, the flower is purple dead nettle, or at least that's what we call it in our yard.

One way to look at it is: Glacier is more of a hiker's park with way more wildlife opportunities (take your longest lens) and Yosemite will offer more opportunity to see vistas by driving. I've been to both and would say neither is to be missed. Yosemite will likely be more crowded but Glacier gets really full too. Which ever you choose, look into lodging WELL in advance. There are some really great places to eat at or near both parks. The Belton Inn near Glacier was very much to our liking. Dinner at the lodges inside the parks is going to require reservations (at least in my experience). We were at Glacier in the September and Yosemite in May. Both had plenty of people even at those times. These parks are so huge that there is no realistic possibility of seeing the whole park unless you have weeks or even months to spend there. I truly love the national parks. I've been to 44 of them. I hope to make at least 50 before I die.

I know exactly how you feel. I see pictures that are "crazy sharp" with "OMG" color and detail nearly every day on the forums I frequent. I look at the exif data and see that many of those images were taken with the exact same camera and lenses that I use. The problem has got to be with me and my technique, right?

I've been studying the issue. This is what I've concluded so far: It's a lot about the quality of light you have and how close you are. Post processing skills are huge in the equation. I have seen some improvement. I now get one of those, at least for me, stand out images every once in a while.

Your moose shots were most likely in pretty flat light since it was snowing at the time. The distance from subject must have been significant if you were using the 600mm w/ 2x TC. Cutting through all that snow and atmosphere didn't help anything. Don't be so hard on yourself.

I HIGHLY recommend you go and spend some time reading the Back Country Gallery forum. It is free and it is primarily focused on wildlife photography. Check out Steve's E books. They're really good and a great dollar value.

I do not know Steve Perry personally and have no personal interest in or connection with his business.

I never worried about the number of focus points being available. My preference is for "small group". It works really well for me with the D500 and the 80-400 and 500PF. You might want to go to the Back Country Gallery and read what Steve Perry and others there have to say about BIF. BCG is a wildlife photography oriented site. There is also a forum to join if you so desire.

I really enjoyed seeing your photos of the log buildings. Very interesting and attractive at the same time. Thanks for posting!

I, for one, am convinced that no one will much care about the images I have created EXCEPT the ones that are of family and friends. What I currently do is create albums in PS Elements and then put them on flash drives and discs as well as save the originals both in my computer and on the SD card. All of these devices are marked as to what is on them. Certain albums (like the ones with the grandchildren) are given to others on a flash drive or disc right after processing in the hope that they will be a record of our times. I know that there is no one perfect way to preserve them but this is what I have decided on.