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.

Northern Gannet colony on Bonaventure Island

Northern Gannet sky tilting (shot from ground level)
EOS 1DsIII; 500/4IS lens & 1.4x teleconvertor; 580EXII flash

I spent the other day photographing at the world's largest Northern Gannet colony on Bonaventure Island at the eastern tip of the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec. This was one of the most fun, action-packed days of shooting I've had in a long time. There are tens-of-thousands of gannets and non-stop opportunities to shoot them.

Getting to Bonaventure Island requires taking a tourboat from the adjacent town of Perce. Once on the island, it's a solid 45 minute hike to the colony. Wanting to have a full range of lenses with me, I carried my main camera pack plus another pack with the 500mm lens. Soaked in sweat on the humid morning, I was elated to finally reach the colony!

It was overcast and foggy in the morning, then sunny in the afternoon... which gave me a range of conditions to photograph in. All-in-all, it was a great day of photography!

Northern Gannet flying over colony

EOS 1DsIII; 24-70/2.8 lens & Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer; 580EXII flash

Northern Gannet landing in foggy conditions

EOS 1DsIII; 70-200/2.8 lens & 1.4x teleconvertor; 580EXII flash

Gaspe Peninsula - Quebec

I arrived yesterday on the Gaspe Peninsula in eastern Quebec. It's my first time here and I am blown away by the scenery. The southern coast of the St. Lawrence Seaway reminds me of the Big Sur Coast in California.... vibrant green undulating hills dropping into the sea.

I'm only here for a couple days, so have been busy shooting some of the regional icons. This morning I work up at 3:45 am to hike up a painfully steep 1.8km trail to a lookout tower over Cap-Bon-Ami in Forillon National Park. The pre-dawn light was bright red, but I couldn't shoot it from the trail (no vantage points). I made it to the tower right just in time for sunrise, which was dulled by thin clouds. There were a few breaks in the clouds with decent light for photos.

Sometimes I become so focused on a destination (the tower) that I overlook better - and easier to get to - locations. After hiking back down to my van, I found that the most photogenic spot was right below the parking lot. By that time I got there, the light had become too drab to shoot. There's a good reason to get back there again.... and I look forward to not having to do that brutal hike again!

The following three photos were shot from the lookout tower.


EOS 1DsIII; 24-70/2.8; Singh-Ray Gold'n'Blue Polarizer; 2-stop hard edge ND grad; mirror lock-up & cable release


EOS 1DsIII; 24-70/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad; mirror lock-up & cable release


EOS 1DsIII; 24-70/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad; mirror lock-up & cable release


This evening I made it to the famed Perce Rock and found a beautiful patch of Fireweed, which I used for a foreground.


EOS 1DsIII; 24-70/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 2 stop hard-edge ND grad; mirror lock-up & cable release