Sunrise on Georgian Bay with the new 24mm Tilt-Shift lens

I seem to be doing more socializing, exploring and photo work lately than actually getting out shooting. There are many old friends to catch up with now that I'm settling back into life on the Bruce Peninsula. And after being on the road for a year, I'm finally tackling business projects that have been on the back burner for far too long. Top of the priority list is a searchable photo database for my website, which is pretty much essential to run a stock photography business.   

In the overall scheme of pacing, taking regular breaks from shooting keeps my photo mojo fresh!

The weather over the past couple days has been incredible, so I hiked out in darkness this morning to the Georgian Bay shoreline in Bruce Peninsula National Park for a sunrise shoot with my new tilt-shift lens. What a beautiful, crisp morning!

It's going to take me a bit of practice to become comfortable and efficient shooting with the tilt-shift lens. With full depth-of field my goal for landscape photos, getting the tilt adjusted just right and paired with an optimal aperture, requires a bit of fooling around.... I'm sure I'll have the hang of it soon. 

Although I've only shot this lens a couple of times now and am still learning how to use it, I am already amazed by the sharpness! And I'm similarly impressed by the depth of field that can be achieved at middle-of-the road apertures. Sweet!

Above photo: Predawn glow over Georgian Bay in Bruce Peninsula National Park; EOS 1Ds mark III; TS-E 24mm II tilt shift lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 3 stop hard edge ND grad (handheld in front of lens); mirror lock-up and cable release; ISO 200; 4s @ f/16

Above photo: Waves crash at sunrise, Georgian Bay shoreline in Bruce Peninsula National Park; EOS 1Ds mark III; TS-E 24mm II tilt shift lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 3 stop hard edge ND grad (handheld in front of lens); mirror lock-up and cable release; ISO 400; 1/15s @ f/11

For this photo, I needed a shutter speed of 1/15s to blur the wave slightly, yet still have defined streaks of water. I also wanted full-depth-of field in the photo. The solution: tilt the lens and set a moderate aperture which allowed for the desired shutter speed.

Check back soon for more tilt-shift photos. And if you want to see some results from Canon's new 17mm tilt-shift, check out this post on Mac Danzig's blog.

Photoshop and Nature Photography: How Far is Too Far?

Here's a link to a brilliant article written by Darwin Wiggett and Samantha Chrysanthou on Naturephotographers.net online magazine/forum:

Photoshop and Nature Photography: How Far is Too Far?

Entertaining and thought-provoking, they tackle the great debate between the "Purists" and "Processors". Their photos are, of course, excellent too. Kudos to Darwin and Samantha for hitting this one bang on!

Trip retrospective on the Singh-Ray filters blog

Check out the latest post on the Singh-Ray Blog - a retrospective look back at my travels over the past year. Their blog is well-worth following.... the photos are inspirational and it's an excellent resource for learning how to use filters in outdoor photography!

First photos - Canon 24mm Tilt-Shift lens (TS-E 24mm II)

Above photo: Sunset over Dorcas Bay, Bruce Peninsula National Park

EOS 5D mark II; TS-E 24mm II tilt shift lens; Singh-Ray 2-stop reverse edge ND grad (handheld in front of lens); mirror lock-up and cable release; ISO 200; 1/6s @ f/11

Above photo: Sunset over Dorcas Bay, Bruce Peninsula National Park

EOS 5D mark II; TS-E 24mm II tilt shift lens; Singh-Ray 3-stop hard edge ND grad (handheld in front of lens); mirror lock-up and cable release; ISO 200; 1s @ f/11

I've been dying to get out with my new 24mm tilt shift lens since buying it last week, but the weather has been so dull... I had resorting to shooting in my kitchen and living room! You can imagine how elated I was to see the skies shaping up for a great sunset this evening. Off I raced to a prime sunset spot along the Lake Huron shoreline.
 
Becoming proficient with a tilt-shift lens takes some practice, and I am far from good at it yet. But the initial results have me extremely excited. This lens is razor sharp from corner to corner, without the soft edges, vigneting and barrel distortion issues that plague Canon's other wide-angle lenses [these problems are most obvious on full-frame sensor bodies]). I expect the tilt-shift is to become my bread-and-butter lens for landscape and outdoor recreation photography... and it's only a matter of time until I get the 17mm version too.
 
For the above photos, I used the tilt feature to increase depth of field so everything was in focus from the foreground (only inches from the lens) to the distant horizon at f/11 - amazing! With other (non tilt-shift lenses), it would have taken a small aperture of f/22  to get the same depth. The tilt-shift lens allows you to shoot at more optimal apertures for lens sharpness and with faster shutter speeds.   
 
By the way, I would normally use a polarizer for these photos (to cut the bluish glare of the water and wet stand) - but I had to order a larger size to fit the new lens (it has an 82mm front end). Once it arrives - look out - this will be a deadly landscape photography setup! More to come.

VW Van Farewell, Canon's new 24 Tilt-Shift lens and Twitter

Much to tell you since the last post!

Above photo: "Turtle" and I on the Texas coast in April.

I've parted ways with "Turtle", my VW Westfalia van/home for the past year. Why the name "Turtle", you ask? It was my shell, providing refuge from intense desert sun, frigid nights and coastal downpours during my travels. And like most VW Westy vans, it was very slow... especially on hills!

Turtle and I had a love/hate relationship, exploring incredible landscapes but also stopping frequently to share my life savings with repair shops. A young couple bought the van yesterday to begin their own journey southwest. Lucky for them, most of the major repairs have been completed!

Above photo: Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II lens

With some extra cash in my pocket from selling the van, I bought the new Canon 24mm Tilt-Shift lens yesterday. There have been some great reports about this lens from other photographers (FYI, I never buy a piece of camera gear as soon as it's released... I wait for several months until its been tested by others). 

There are a couple of huge benefits of Tilt-Shift lenses for landscape and outdoor adventure photography: 
-not distorting objects such as lighthouses, trees or people (which 'bend' with typical wide angle lenses)
-more depth of field... allowing for faster shutter speeds and sharper images because you are able to shoot at optimal apertures such as f/8 or f/11 and still get full depth-of-field.

Expect to see some images with the new lens in coming posts.... I can't wait to get out shooting with it!

Incidentally, I would have preferred the extra wide focal length of  Canon's new 17mm TS lens, but the front lens is convex, so it's not possible to put a polarizer on it. Darn!

Twittering? Yes, it was only a matter of time before I'd get with the times and start twittering. Click this link to stay current with what I'm up to: Follow Ethan on Twitter

Thanks and happy shooting!

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009 Awards

The Wildlife of the Photographer of the Year competition just announced the 2009 winners. Check out some of the finest nature photography in the world... lots of inspiration here:

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/temporary-exhibitions/wpy/onlineGallery.do

My favourite photos from among the winners are:

-Sardine round-up by Paul Nicklen (Canada) in the "Animal Behaviour: All Other Animals" category
-Starling wave by Danny Green (UK) in the "Nature in Black and White" category
-Deer in the grove of giants by Floris Van Brugel (US) in the "Animals in the Environment" category
-Wild, wild wolverine by Sergey Gorshkov (Russia) in the "Animal Portraits" category
-Ice Fox by Henrik Lund (Finland) in the "Animals in the Environment" category
-Wild spring garden by Floris Van Brugel (US) in the "In Praise of Plants" category

A full year on the road!

Today marks a full year of traveling since hitting the road last autumn. What a wild trip it has been.... many miles, incredible places and experiences..... and more photos than I probably know what to do with.  After such a long time living wanderlust, I've decided to settle back down in Ontario for the foreseeable future. Life on the road is grand, but a year is a long time to live in a van (especially by yourself!) ..... so I'm looking forward to being in one place for a while. I've rented a beautiful house near Georgian Bay and will be working on some cool projects,  getting my new photos into circulation and recharging my bank account (van repairs were damn expensive!). I'm particularly going to enjoy regular showers, home-cooked food and an indoor plumbing (versus always having to pee behind trees)!  

Thought you might be interested in a few basic trip stats from the year....
- 78,500 km driven
-  1,020 km waked carrying my camera gear
- 87,000 photos taken
- $16,500 spent on van repairs/maintenance
- 433 bird species seen
- favorite place: giant redwood forests of northern California
- 19,000 different blog visitors

If you've been following the blog, you'll be pleased to know that I did not break my 6 day record of wearing the same t-shirt. And I only ate 3 bags of Oreos during the entire trip!

How about my favorite photos from the past year? Here are a few that stand out in my mind:

Above photo: Star trails over Jumbo Rocks, Joshua Tree National Park, California

Above photo: The Subway canyon in Zion National Park.

Above photo: Salt Creek cracked mud, Death Valley National Park, California

Above photo: American White Pelican landing, Salton Sea, California

Above photo: Painted Bunting, central Texas coast.

So what are my next big trips? Aside from some shorter trips within North America, my top destinations are Madagascar and Australia. Those are fairly expensive destinations, so I'll be saving my cash for a while.... even if it requires surviving on dried cat food and cheap wine.

Wood Ducks in autumn colors

I'm in Cleveland, Ohio for the weekend at the North Chagrin Reservation pond, considered the premier location to photograph Wood Ducks with fall color reflections. I arrived at the pond (next to the Nature Centre) around lunch time and by the time I stopped photographing at dusk, I'd shot 973 images. The pond has many tame wood ducks, beautiful reflections and gets bathed in soft evening light. What more could you ask for?

I've been back in the hotel room all evening editing the photos... my eyes are bugging out from staring at the laptop.

Here's a travel tip: I stay in hotels often and save a pile of cash by booking them through discount sites such as hotwire or priceline. Tonight's room (in a 3.5 star hotel) cost about half the usual price.

Here are a few quick picks. All shot with an EOS 1Ds mark III; 500/4 IS lens (first two with a 1.4x teleconverter). More coming in the next post.

Point Pelee National Park & Holiday Beach Conservation Area

Sorry for the long wait for another post, but I've actually been working this week! My photo collection had outgrown my storage system, so I shifted to an upscalable Drobo storage system (a bank of hard drives). At the same time I've added all of the photos from the past year (hundreds of GBs). I have a well-edited collection, but it's still over a terrabyte of data. All the files are backed up in triple redundancy (you can never be too careful) and it takes a heck of a long time to complete a major backup!

I'm down in the Pelee area (my mom lives here, so I am visiting) and have been doing a bit of photography  when not at my computer. I've been mostly chasing birds and shoreline images.

For the first photo at the tip of Point Pelee National Park, the light was fairly flat and the beach lacked strong foreground elements. To create a more dramatic image I used a 2-stop hard edge ND grad (Singh-Ray) to darken the clouds and a slow shutter speed (1/4 second) to blur the water for a sense of movement in the foreground. In landscape photography, these kind of tricks are akin to pulling a rabbit out of a hat. When conditions are dull, there are always creative techniques to make a stronger photo.  EOS 1Ds mark III; 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad; ISO 200; 1/4s at f/18; mirror lock-up & cable release

For this next photo of a White-throated Sparrow, I had set up a blind in my Mom's backyard (it's an incredible yard for migrating birds) and put out some feeders. Dozens of sparrows came in to ground feed and one would occasionally land on a strategically placed log. EOS 1Ds mark III; 500/4IS lens & 1.4x teleconverter; 580EX II flash (fill set at -1 2/3); ISO 400; 1/200s at f/5.6   

I spent a few mornings trying to photograph migrating hawks from the famous tower at Holiday Beach Conservation Area. It seems that every day I missed, the hawks were low and plentiful. On the days I was there, the birds were flying high... except for this flock of Mute Swans (an exotic species that nest in the marsh at Holiday Beach) which flew by the tower - low - in early morning light. EOS 1Ds mark III; 500/4 IS lens & 1.4x teleconverter. ISO 400; 1/2000s at f/5.6.  

Monarch Butterfly Migration at Point Pelee National Park

I stumbled across good numbers of roosting Monarch Butterflies yesterday morning at the tip of Point Pelee National Park while leading a private photo workshop. There were easily a thousand monarchs, including some groups nearing 100 individuals. It was a sunny morning, the monarchs were low.... what more could we ask for!


Photo 1: Canon EOS 1Ds mark III; 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer; Exposure: ISO 400, 1/80s, f/14


Photo 2: Canon EOS 1Ds mark III; 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer; 580 EXII flash (fill set at -2/3); Exposure: ISO 400, 1/125s, f/11

Photo 1: Canon EOS 1Ds mark III; 70-200/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer; Exposure: ISO 400, 1/60s, f/8

Canon EOS 7D camera body

I'm down in southern Ontario visiting my family and waiting for better light to photograph migrating raptors in flight at Point Pelee and Holiday Beach. Peregrine Falcons were moving yesterday but the weather was overcast and drizzly, so no photo opps. Crossing my fingers for some clearer skies!

I've been getting many emails from photographers asking for my thoughts about the just released Canon EOS 7D. I'm not in the market for a new body right now, so I haven't had a 7D in my hands yet. But I have been reading some of the reviews in the online photo forums and it sounds like it could be a great value body for bird & wildlife photography. When looking for information about new cameras, these are the websites where I start my research:

Rob Galbraith - Digital Photography Insights

Canon Rumours

The Luminous Landscape

dpreview

Naturscapes.Net (forum discussion about the 7D)

EOS 1D Mark II N for sale; Aspiring bird photographer

A couple of quick notes here:

1) My friend Bryan Holliday from Phoenix, AZ has a Canon EOS 1D Mark II N for sale in great shape. Interested? Check out Bryan's blog for more information.

2) A couple years ago I met an aspiring young birder named Brendan Toews after he discovered the first nesting Piping Plovers at Sauble Beach, Ontario in decades. Brendan quickly became hooked on bird photographry and has been building a good portfolio of images ever since. Check out some of his work on his website.

Algonquin finale

Just finished a great weekend photo workshop with a keen gang of photographers in Algonquin Provincial Park. A huge thanks to all the participants, my co-leader Ian "Mooseman" Brooks (see your call on YouTube soon!), workshop host Outdoor Photography Canada magazine, and Gary & Tina Schultz of the Algonquin Lakeside Inn. We had an incredible sunrise on Saturday morning and vibrant autumn colours to fill our memory cards!



Photo 1: The workshop group at the Algonquin Lakeside Inn.

Photo 2: Autumn river colours, digital "Orton" effect. EOS 5D mark II; 24-70/2.8; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer; Exposure: ISO 100; 8 seconds at f/16

I knew this scene was perfect to create an "Orton" image, merging an out-of-focus photo with a sharp version of the same scene (once done by combining two exposures, now easily accomplished digitally from a single image). Here's the link to instructions on how to do it: Orton Imagery

Photo 3: Algonquin Park wetland; EOS 5D mark II; 17-40/4 lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad (4x6" size, handheld in front of lens). Exposure: ISO 200; 0.8 seconds at F/20. Mirror lock-up & cable release.

I put on hip waders and carefully trudged into this pond to get a low perspective on the lilypads for this wide-angle landscape photo.

Photo 4: Moose; EOS 1Ds mark III; 500/4 IS lens; Exposure: ISO 400; 1/40 second at f/4

During the workshop we showed the group where and how to find moose, but explained that wildlife photography is usually most productive when you're out shooting by yourself. After the workshop ended, co-leader Ian and I were out searching for moose when we found this bull along Opeongo Lake Road. Ready to shoot, we had only a few moments before the moose ran off into the woods. I shot this image from the car window using a Blubb beanbag.

Algonquin Park fall colours - part 2

Fall colours are progressing well in the Algonquin Park region. I've been having a great time roaming around the park in search of the best pockets of colour, in prep for leading the Outdoor Photography Canada magazine photo workshop here this weekend.

Photos taken with Canon EOS 1DsIII or 5D mark II bodies; 24-70/2.8 lens and 17-40/4 lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer

Algonquin Fall colours begin

I arrived in Algonquin Park yesterday to photograph fall colours and scout for the upcoming workshop this weekend. There are many places in the park along the Highway 60 corridor where fall colours are already vibrant - approaching 50% of the canopy. It should build towards peak in about a week - around the last few days of September and first days of October. This is my favourite time of year here..... great colours and no bugs!


Photo 1: Leaf detail; Canon EOS 1DsIII; 24-70/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer; Exposure: ISO 200; 1.3 seconds @ f/11; mirror lock-up & cable release

Photo 2: A photographer admires the fall colours. EOS 1DsIII; 17-40/4 lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer; Exposure: ISO 200; 5 seconds @ f/16; mirror lock-up & cable release

Photo 3: Leaf on rock in flowing river. EOS 1DsIII; 17-40/4 lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer; Exposure: ISO 200; 30 seconds @ f/22; mirror lock-up & cable release

Beware: Nature Photographer loose in the City!

As a freelance photographer, I am often consumed with the business.... either out in the field photographing or spending long hours at my computer managing images and communicating with clients. It's rare that I don't have photography on my mind.

A mental break every now and then helps me to stay energized, so I've taken a couple days off this week to chill out in Toronto. Last night I saw Regina Spektor in concert at the Sound Academy (beautiful view of the Toronto skyline from there). Tonight I'm going to the U2 concert and have great tickets for the show. I listen to music non-stop when I'm on the road, and U2 is my favourite band, so I'm very excited to see them live tonight!


Photo 1: That's me last night at the Regina Spektor concert. The sunset over the Toronto skyline was amazing. Thanks to my friend Vera for getting the photo of me.


Photo 2: My friend and I sat outside the public library in Portal, Arizona this winter at 6am to use the internet connection to buy U2 concert tickets for the Toronto show tonight.

A great Bruce Peninsula landscape photo workshop

I just finished hosting a weekend landscape photography workshop on the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario. The weather was incredible and the participants were great to work with! A huge thanks to Judy-Ann C, Sterling G, Lisa D, David T ("Sherpa"), Richard M, Dave & Barb B, Craig B (assistant) and David G for joining along!

During the weekend we visited some of the most scenic locations on the Georgian Bay shoreline to focus on practical field techniques in landscape photography. I don't photograph much during the workshops because I'm busy helping other people shoot, but I couldn't resist a quick image of this co-operative Herring Gull posing in the foreground with Niagara Escarpment cliffs behind.



Thanks to my assistant Craig - an excellent photographer and founder of http://www.canonrumors.com/ - for capturing the following photos of our workshop in action.

Bird Photography Calendar

My friend Bryan Holliday has just released a 2010 calendar featuring his stunning bird photography. The 16 month calendar "Winged Journey" is available through his website: http://www.wingedjourneycalendar.com/

Be sure to check out the calendar and browse Bryan's website to see his bird images.

Upcoming Presentation - Tue Sept 8 in Toronto

I'll be presenting "Freedom 35: Living the Dream" next Tuesday evening (Sept 8) at the Toronto Digital Photo Club. Come on out to see the photos and hear the stories from my North American travels in a VW camper van over the past year. The presentation is full of tips about nature photography and photo travel.

For more information, visit my website: http://www.ethanmeleg.com/inpublic.htm

Or the club's website: http://www.torontodigitalphotoclub.com/

If you make it to the show, be sure to say hi.

Sunrise at Forillon National Park

On the way back from Newfoundland, we detoured through the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec because I wanted a chance for better light to shoot the spectacular shoreline at Cap Bon Ami in Forillon National Park. The weather cooperated and the predawn glow lit up the wet foreground rocks beautifully. The combination of layered rocks, water and cliffs makes this a magical location for landscape photography.


Photo: Cap Bon Ami, Forillon National Park, Quebec;
EOS 1DsIII; 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray Gold'n'Blue Polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad; ISO 200; 6 seconds @ f/22.