Black Bears and the Barron Canyon - a great day in Algonquin Provincial Park

Black Bear cub, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario.
Canon EOS 1D mk IV, 500/4 IS + 1.4x 

My plan was simple: go to bed early, wake up at 2:30am, have a shower, fill a travel mug with coffee and drive to Algonquin Park in time for sunrise. The plan fell apart at the going to bed early stage. I finally dozed off after midnight and the 2:30am alarm rang far too soon. I debated skipping the photo shoot and staying in bed, but my conscious wouldn't allow it.... so I battled with the snooze button for an hour before mustering the willpower to get moving. And I am sure glad that I did!  

Miraculously (ok, it was a lack of traffic and some speeding) I made it to the park in time for dawn. Sunrise was a bust due to a heavy morning mist, but no worries... that wasn't what I was after. My morning target was a blueberry patch that I'd heard was attracting bears. Sure enough, the bears were there and very cooperative. Photographing the sows and cubs was a great way to start the day. I hardly noticed how tired I was!

Black Bear sow (ear tagged), Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario.
Canon EOS 1D mk IV, 500/4 IS + 1.4x 

Once the light started to get harsh (bear fur does not photograph well in bright light), I left the bears, had breakfast with a friend and then started driving east. I'd always wanted to explore the Barron Canyon on the east side of the park, so I fought through my lack of sleep and made it into Pembroke by mid afternoon, checked into a hotel and immediately fell into a coma-like nap for a few hours.  

I woke up refreshed and ready to explore, but not before a nutritious dinner (a hot dog and a cookie) from the gas station. The drive from Pembroke to the Barron Canyon hiking trail lot was only 45 minutes, and the hike up to the canyon overlooks was surprisingly short. I spent the next couple of hours in awe of the striking scenery of the Barron Canyon, shooting photos until the sun went down behind the hills, and then hiked down at dusk, elated after a great evening. 

Happy shooting!

Selfie at the Barron Canyon, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario.
Canon EOS 5D III, Sigma 24-70/2.8, Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer and 3 stop hard edge ND grad

Barron Canyon, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario.
Canon EOS 5D III, 16-35mm, Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer and 2 stop hard edge ND grad

Muskoka fall colours + waterfalls = a landscape photographer's dream!

Photo 1. Fall color scene on the Magnetawan River near the town of Magnetawan, ON.
Gear: Canon 5D mk III, 16-35mm lens, Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer.

Nothing beats a drizzly, overcast day to get me motivated to shoot fall colors. Those are perfect conditions to bring out the rich red, orange and yellow foliage... and create beautiful images of satin-blurred creeks and waterfalls. I spent a few days this past week touring around the Muskoka area searching out the best scenes, just as the fall colors peaked. Since I've only recently moved over to the east side of Georgian Bay, I'm still learning new locations. Thankfully, there's a great resource to help! Fellow Ontario photographer Andrew McLachlan's ebook "A Photographer's Guide to the Ontario Landscape" is packed full of great locations. It would have taken me years to find all of these spots without Andrew's book!


In photo 1 (above), I laid down in the creek with my wide angle lens to get an intimate portrait of the bubbles and leaves (yes, I arranged some of them). It was worth getting soaked for this shot! I tried to balance the shutter speed.... slow enough to slightly blur the cascading water, but still keep the bubbles and leaves sharp as they were moving slightly. It was shot at 1/2s, f/11.

Photo 2. Fall foliage along the Magnetawan River near Burk's Falls.
Gear: Canon 5D mk III, 16-35mm lens, Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer.

In photo 2 (above), the red foliage was so amazing I climbed into the centre of the small tree with my wide angle lens to shoot through the leaves and have the river running in the background. It took quite a few images to get a composition that I liked.

Photo 3 (below) is one of the most well known fall river scenes in Ontario - the Oxtongue River Rapids just west of the Algonquin Park west gate. These scenes are very easy to shoot. Here's my recipe: 1) go on a overcast or drizzly day, 2) use a tripod for stability and polarizing filter to cut glare and give you rich saturation, 3) set a low ISO speed and stop down your lens to a smaller aperture (eg. f/11 or 16) which results in a slower exposure that will render the water blurred. My favorite shutter speeds for blurred water are around a 1/4 to 1/2 second.

Photo 3. Fall colours at Oxtongue River Rapids west of Algonquin Provincial Park.
Gear: Canon 5D mk III, Sigma 24-70mm lens, Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer.

 The most dangerous part of shooting these kind of scenes is slipping on the wet rocks. I almost wiped out when I was shooting photo 4 (below) of Rosseau Falls. Good footwear and agility is critical!

Photo 4. Rosseau Falls and fall colors.
Gear: Canon 5D mk III, 16-35mm lens, Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer.

Stubbs Falls in Arrowhead Provincial Park (photo 5 - below) is one of the most picturesque of all the falls I photographed this autumn. As a bonus, the access is very easy... a short hike! I liked it so much, I posed for a self-portrait next to the cascade.  

Photo 5. Self portrait at Stubbs Falls in Arrrowhead Provincial Park.
Gear: Canon 5D mk III, 16-35mm lens, Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer.

Algonquin Park winter scenes

I'm off to Belize tomorrow for a short escape from winter to do some tropical shooting. In sharp contrast of weather, I was in Algonquin Park this past week and one morning checked my themometer which read a rather frigid -24C (but it was a beautifully sunny and calm morning!). A friend called me on my cellphone and my cheeks were so numb I could barely speak! 

I don't have much time to process the files (I'm packing) but couldn't resist posting a few inital shots: 

 

Photo 1 (above): Hoar frost along Opeongo Lake Road, Algonquin Park. Canon EOS 5D mark II; Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray 3 stop hard edge ND grad

Photo 2 (above): Sunset over Lake of Two Rivers, Algonquin Provincial Park. Canon EOS 5D mark II; Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad

Photo 3 (above): Sunset over Spruce Bog, Algonquin Provincial Park. Canon EOS 5D mark II; Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 3 stop soft edge ND grad

Photo 4 (above): Common Redpoll on spruce crown, Algonquin Provincial Park

Canon EOS 1D mark IV; Sigma 300mm f/2.8 lens

Algonquin Park - Boreal Chickadee, marten, redpolls and snow angels....

Photo 1 (above): Boreal Chickadee, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario. Canon EOS 1D mark IV;  500mm/4 lens & 1.4x; 580EX fill flash at -1 2/3; ISO 800, 1/125s @ f/5.6

Boreal Chickadee has been on my photo wish-list for more than a decade. I've tried to call the shy and secretive species in for photos, but my best efforts had only resulted in shots of blurry blobs hidden behind branches. So when I read a bird report last week about several Boreal Chickadees coming in to a new suet feeder in Algonquin Provincial Park, I packed my gear and headed to the park. The birds were more cooperative than I ever could have hoped for. Over the past two days, I shot hundreds and hundreds of photos of the chickadees. Bird photography bliss!   

To make things even more exciting, an American Marten dropped in for a visit to the suet. It's not often that I end up shooting two new species for my collection in one day.... well worth standing around in a cold, damp spruce bog!

Photo 2 (above) American (Pine) Marten, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario

Canon EOS 1D mark IV; 500mm/4 lens; ISO 640, 1/250s @ f/4

There were a few flocks of Common Repolls coming to birdseed at other locations in the park, so I put up a platform feeder setup (on a spare tripod) with a snowy spruce branch as a perch and enjoyed some great finch shooting! The birds were so close and approachable, I was shooting full framers with a Sigma 300/2.8 lens. 

Photo 3 (above): Common Redpoll on spruce, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario

Canon EOS 1D mark IV, Sigma 300/2.8 lens; 580EXII flash at - 2 1/3; ISO 400; 1/250s @ f/4

I always try to end my day at a scenic spot to photograph sunset. Thankfully picturesque lakes are in abundance along Highway 60 in Algonquin Park. In the last light of day, I ran onto the snowy lake and made a snow angel for the photo. Using a Canon TC-80N3 remote time, I set it to shoot an image every 10 seconds, allowing me to be my own snowy supermodel.  What fun!

Photo 4 (above): Self-portrait making snow angel, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario

Canon EOS 5D mark II; Sigma 24-70/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer and 3 stop reverse ND grad; ISO 400; 1/10s @ f/20; Canon TC-80N3 remote timer

Fall colors, Sigma Canada, chipmunks and dropping lenses into rivers....

Photo 1 (above): Algonquin Park fall colors detail. Canon EOS 5D mark II, Sigma 300/2.8 lens & drop-in polarizer, ISO 200, 1/80s @ f/8; mirror lock-up and cable release.

Sorry for the delay in posting, I've been on the road visiting family for Canadian Thanksgiving and had some internet issues... the server would not let me upload photos to blogger. All better now that I am back home and I can share more photos from my recent shoot in Algonquin Park.

Sigma Canada (distributed by Gentec International) has recently added me as one of their pro shooters and hooked me up with some great lenses. Check out their brand new website http://www.sigmacanada.ca/ and be sure to click on the Pro Gallery to see me along with fellow Canadian photographers Darwin Wiggett and Crombie McNeil.

So far, I've got two Sigma lenses in my bag: the 12-24mm wide-angle zoom and the 300mm f/2.8 telephoto. Actually, let me clarify that.... I accidentally dropped the 12-24mm into Oxtongue River Rapids during my recent fall colors shoot. It completedly submerged for a few minutes before I perilously fished it out and sent it back to see if it can be salvaged... cross your fingers for me! In case you're counting (I am), that's two lenses I've dropped this summer/fall..... damn!

A 300/2.8 lens has been on my must-get list for some time, so this is a welcome addition to my system (in good time for my upcoming Africa trip). The Sigma 300/2.8 is razor sharp and has very fast autofocus. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it comes standard with a drop-in polarizer (and the design is better than Canon's drop in filter system). I'll be calling Singh-Ray soon to see if they have an LB warming polarizer that will fit!

And now to some photos.....

Photo 2 (above): Algonquin Park fall colors forest edge. Canon EOS 5D mark II, Sigma 300/2.8 lens & drop-in polarizer, ISO 200, 1/15s @ f/11; mirror lock-up and cable release. I like compressed landscapes with telephoto lenses. This is a classic situation to use a polarizer... to help improve contrast and saturation in the misty conditions. 

Photo 3: Algonquin Park fall colors. Canon EOS 5D mark II, Sigma 300/2.8 lens & drop-in polarizer, ISO 400, 1/640s @ f/7.1; mirror lock-up and cable release. Even in very dull, overcast light I was pleased with the rich contrast of this lens.

While I was in the Algonquin area, I dropped in to visit my friend Gary Schultz, owner of the Algonquin Lakeside Inn (just west of the park). The feeders at the Inn were busy with activity so Gary and I caught up while shooting. I highly recommend a trip to stay at the Inn and enjoy the great shooting at the blind/feeders!


Photo 4 (above): The photo blind at Algonquin Lakeside Inn, with ower Gary Schultz on the right.


Photo 5 (above): Rusty Blackbird. Canon EOS 1Ds mark III, EF 500mm f/4 lens & 1.4x teleconvertor. ISO 640, 1/125s @ f/5.6. Rusty Blackbird is an elusive and rarely photographed species... this was only my second time photographing them.


Photo 6 (above): Eastern Chipmunk with cheeks full of seeds.Canon EOS 1Ds mark III, EF 500mm f/4 lens & 1.4x teleconvertor. ISO 640, 1/400s @ f/5.6.

Algonquin Park fall colors

I'm way behind in editing photos at the moment but couldn't resist processing a few from last week in the Algonquin Provincial Park area. I've been given some Sigma lenses to test out from Gentec International (Canadian distributor for Sigma) and I'm having a blast with them... especially the 300/2.8, which I took the bottom photo with. This is my first 300/2.8 and it is so amazingly sharp... expect to see me shooting a ton more photos with it!


Photo 1 (above): Maple leaves along Oxtongue River Rapids. Canon EOS 5D mark II, 17-40mm lens, Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer. ISO 100, 0.6s at f/22. [By the way, the leaves were placed there by an oreo-eating mammal.]

Photo 2 (above): Autumn colors in mist along Opeongo Lake Road, Algonquin Provincial Park. EOS 1Ds mark III, Canon EF 500mm f/4 lens. ISO 400, 1/50s at f/8.


Photo 3 (above): Autumn colors along Highway 60 in Algonquin Provincial Park. EOS 1Ds mark III, Sigma 300/2.8 lens. ISO 200, 1/160s at f/8.

A few days in Algonquin Provincial Park

I'm back from a week on the road including a few days of shooting in the Algonquin Provincial Park area. It was a productive trip with some fantastic photo opportunities! Hope these look ok, I'm processing them in a weary-eyed state.

A highlight of the trip was an unusually tame moose, which walked right up to me within a meter (I was safely tucked in behind my van). At one point, I was able to lie down on the ground to shoot low level perspectives with a group of people standing behind it. What amazed me the most, however, was how foolish some people were - walking right up to it with their point & shoot cameras. The moose wasn't acting aggressively, but passing cars could easily have spooked it causing it to plough into (through? over?) the tourists. Getting run over by a moose can't be good for you. Rest assured that I would have captured the exclusive photos of 'natural selection' in progress!


Photo 1 (above): Young moose and onlookers along Highway 60 in Algonquin Park.
EOS 1Ds mark III; EF 70-200/4 lens; handheld


Photo 2 (above): Highway 60 through Algonquin Provincial Park
EOS 5D mark II; EF 70-200/4 lens; Singh-Ray LB Warming polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad


Photo 3 (above): Sunset clouds over Lake of Two Rivers with Oxeye Dasies in foreground.
EOS 5D mark II; EF 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer & 3 stop hard edge ND grad


Photo 4 (above): Common Loon portrait (photographed from a canoe).
EOS 1Ds mark III; 500/4 IS lens & 1.4x TC; Gitzo tripod & Wimberly head sitting on canoe bottom.

For my travels in the Algonquin Park front country, I base out of the Algonquin Lakeside Inn motel just west of the park along Highway 60 at Oxtongue Lake. It's the most convenient place to stay with comfortable ammenities and great access to the park. Over the years I've gotten to know the owner Gary Schultz, who is a budding (and pretty damn good) nature photography. The Inn's property is a magnet for birds, so last fall I suggested that Gary put up a photo blind and some strategically located feeders with perches. He's done a fantastic job setting up the yard for bird photography and attracting various bird species throughout the seasons. I shot Purple Finches this week - it's the best shooting I've ever had for them... unfortunately I accidentally erased my best shots because of lack-of-sleep induced stupidity. I'll be back soon to reshoot them!

Here's the best part... stay at the Inn and you have free use of the photo blind. Gary is very obliging and you can fine-tune the perches to your needs. Don't miss out on this - it's a great bird setup with tons of activity!


Photo 5 (above): Male Purple Finch at the Algonquin Lakeside Inn feeders.
EOS 1Ds mark III; 500/4IS lens & 1.4x TC


Photo 6 (above): The blind and one of the feeder setups at the Algonquin Lakeside Inn.
Shot with a Canon G11, which I keep handy to capture the behind-the-scenes photos.

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

A cold weekend in Algonquin Provincial Park

My girlfriend and I spent this past weekend in Algonquin Provincial Park. My goal: Evening Grosbeaks and some winter landscape photos. Her goal: snow and cross-country skiing. Life was good for both of us.

I'd been following reports of a large flock of Evening Grosbeaks feeding at the Algonquin Visitor Centre feeders, and they were there on cue. I spent about 3 hours with them on Saturday morning, in frigid -20C temps. It was painfully cold, but gratifying to shoot a bird I've had on my hitlist for years. The fact that Evening Grosbeak populations are in serious decline (for reasons unknown to researchers) added some urgency to my quest.
























Evening Grosbeak, Algonquin Park
Canon EOS 1DSm2, EF 600/4 lens, 1.4xTC


















Winter Sunset at Tea Lake, Algonquin Park
Canon EOS 1DSm2, EF 17-40L lens, Singh-Ray: Blue & Gold Polarizer, 4x6" 2-stop soft ND grad

























Walking on snowy Lake of Two Rivers, Algonquin Park
Canon EOS 1DSm2, EF 17-40L lens, Singh-Ray Warming Circular Polarizer
Self-timer


















Cross-country Skiing through hardwood forest, Fen Lake Trail, Algonquin Park
Canon EOS 1DSm2, EF 17-40L lens, fill flash at -2 stops


I'm thawed, the photos are edited, dust spots cleaned off my digital sensor.... and ready for more winter shooting!
cheers,
Ethan-