Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Moved to Owen Sound & great luck with Coyotes this morning

Coyote photographed near Owen Sound this morning.

I've been incredibly busy lately which accounts for the lack of blog posts over the past couple of weeks. First and foremost, I've moved to the town of Owen Sound in a great apartment close to downtown. I'm finally settled in but it was no small task moving my stuff (second floor apartment). I have way too much photography gear; one room is completely jammed with everything from blinds and waders to camera packs and tripods.

My trip to Kenya is coming up in a few weeks so I'm starting to get organized for that. Traveling by plane with tons of camera gear is always a pain in the ass. I'll be fine-tuning the packing of camera gear right up until the last minute.

This morning I went out for a quick photo shoot on the outskits of Owen Sound with my buddy Craig (the guy behind http://www.canonrumors.com/). In early morning light, we stumbled across a pair of coyotes in a farm field close to the road. One of the animals was very pale/tawny in appearance and obliging for the camera. We shot from the van and it was certainly the best opportunity I've had photographing wild coyotes. Immediately afterwards, I locked the keys in the vehicle. The excitement of the coyotes helped to offset the wait for a tow truck driver who was able to unlock the van in a couple of seconds.

Both of these photos were shot with a Canon EOS 1Ds mark III and 500mm/4 lens at ISO 400 from a tripod set up in my van.

9 comments:

  1. Beautiful light Ethan and the eye contact really makes the shots. Sounds like you've been pretty busy. I hope PhotoShelter is working out well for you. Kenya sounds fantastic!

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  2. Wow exciting times coming up.....Owen Sound has some exciting waterfalls you should checkout....wish I could give you directions, but have only been told the fact.....Good Luck in Kenya and of course the at the airports.....

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  3. Re airlines travel. From my expereince and considering airlines charge exhorborant prices for excess luggage, I discovered that if I carried two of the largest suitcases permitted I could jam everything in. Take all of your usual luggage and camera backpacks, tripods, etc, and stuff them into those two large suitcases. They are a pain in the butt to haul around from point to point, but once on location they essentially stay in the hotel room. I found this approach to be a lot easier and more practicle at the end of the day. Besides, it doesn't scream "camera gear, steal me" to some wanna be thief like a Pelican case or Lowepro pack might (they are inside the big suitcase(s).

    It is also worth checking out the cost of "Executive Class" air travel when at your destination. It can be quite economical by our Canadian standards, and comes with unlimited luggage. Yes, the complimentary wine in a real glass is a nice bonus!

    Safe journey's.

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  4. You people never learn. 3 keys; regular, second ignition in pocket, third in photo vest. Isn't it nice to know though that a tow truck driver can enter your brand new van in a few seconds? Better keep that 600 hidden. Never know when you'll come across a tow truck driver with a Canon mount.

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  5. This is amazing! I love the last one! Owen sounds looks beautiful! If you would like to see my photography blog, the link is above and below!

    smile
    lifeincolorblog.blogspot.com

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  6. Eric, you're right about everything except the photo vest. Nothing says camera geek like a photo vest! I never wear them.

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  7. Dale, thanks for the packing tips! Here's my usual strategy... totally 3 bags:

    1) I use a large MEC duffle bag as my checked luggage because the bag weighs very little (compared to a suitecase). I stuff this with clothing, tripod, heads, chargers, etc... basically everything except delicate camera gear.

    2) Gura Kiboko Bag as my carry on. This bag is the largest legal carry-on size possible, yet very lightweight so it doesn't soak up precious cargo weight. All lenses, bodies and important accessories (flashes, teleconvertors, etc) go in here. This is the bag I always fuss over packing because it's jammed full of expensive glass and it gets heavy. I'm going to play the 'should I take this lens too?" game right until the last minute.

    3) One "personal item" carry-on... which is a small daypack. I pack my laptop, essential personal items (passport, wallet, blackberry) in this bag as well as any fragile camera gear that couldn't fit in the Kiboko.

    Now I just need a travel assistant to carry all of the stuff!
    cheers,
    Ethan

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  8. Nice Ethan. At least you don't have kids helping you with the doors being locked. I have 3 and they are very active! Luckily they love going out to shoot with me.

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  9. Those eyes are intense, just locked my keys in the car last night while it was running. Luckily the guy at the gas station was in the holiday spirit and unlocked it for free.

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