Toucans, King Vultures & Howler Monkeys - photos from my recent Costa Rica trip

I'm freshly back to cold Ontario after a great trip to Costa Rica. I've been there a couple times before, but it's been many years. It was everything I remembered and more! 

My trip started on the Nicoya Peninsula (Pacific coast) which was extremely hot and dry (drinking plenty of beer in the shade was necessary to stay refreshed). I stayed with friends in a big rental house overlooking the ocean at Playa Ostional, an area well-known for nesting sea turtles and great surfing. There were excellent opportunities to photograph waterbirds along the shoreline (see the brown pelican photo-bomb image below) and Howler Monkeys literally from our deck.  

Brown Pelican photo bomb, Nosara, Costa Rica.
Gear: Canon 1DX & 100-400 IS II

Howler Monkey, Ostional, Costa Rica
Gear: Canon 1DX & 100-400 IS II

After a week of the extreme coastal heat (including a couple down days due to heat/sun stroke), I headed inland to an ecolodge located in lowland Caribbean tropical forest. The place was amazingly well set-up for bird photographers and birders. Fruit feeders around a covered deck attracted a dizzying array of toucans, tanagers, honeycreepers and and other tropical birds. I shot thousands and thousands of photos in the span of only a couple days. At one point, I was thinking 'Come on, not another toucan." It was that good! 

Keel-billed Toucan, Costa Rica
Gear: Canon 1DX & 500/4 IS

Keel-billed Toucan, Costa Rica
Gear: Canon 1DX & 500/4 IS

Collared Aracaris, Costa Rica
Gear: Canon 1DX & 500/4 IS

King Vulture was high on my photographic wish list, so I joined up with another photographer I met at the lodge to rent a blind that was built specifically for shooting King Vultures. Spending 2 hours in there photographing this amazing vulture species up close was one of the all-time highlights in over 20 years as a bird photographer! A face only a mother can love?

King Vulture, Costa Rica
Gear: Canon 1DX & 500/4 IS + 1.34 III

The coastal scenery of Costa Rica never disappoints! San Juanillo was my favourite snorkeling location and great for sunsets too! 

Sunset at San Juanillo, Costa Rica
Gear: Canon 1DX & 24-70/4 L IS 

 I should end with a quick shout-out to the CPS (Canon Pro Servics) gang at Canon Canada, who saved my butt by loaning me a 1DX body after I had a wee accident with another body immediately before the trip. What fun it was to enjoy the blazingly fast frame rate of the 1DX.... a seriously badass camera! 

New Photography Software for Mac Users

PC versus Mac - there is a debate between the users. I am personally a PC user and although I have been tempted by the dark side (Mac people are pushers!), I remain a loyal PC user. A large part of this has to do with the software I use for my photography work is either already bought or not available for Mac. One program that I use is BreezeBrowser for navigating my photo collection and for initial editing after a shoot. There has never been a version of this software for Mac, until now, a friend of mine Bhupendra has developed a similar program to fill the gap.

I would like to introduce to you a new image download and editing software for Mac -- FirstPass. Written by a photographer, for photographers!

FirstPass is a lightweight and intuitive program to do a "first pass" editing of photos -- download, thumbnail view, view at 100%, rate, filter, rename, delete and more.

Some of the main features of FirstPass:

- Accelerates your digital imaging workflow

- Lightweight, stand-alone image browser

- Allows automatic download from multiple sources to multiple destinations

- Fast and intuitive interface to sort, rate and view images

- Allows image download over the network

- View images in a slideshow

- Supports all RAW file formats

Available at the Mac AppStore for a limited time introductory price -- $9.99!

For more information, please visit http://firstpass.lightoncanvas.com. Bhupendra will be glad to answer any questions here, or by email firstpass@lightoncanvas.com.

Blue-winged Warbler

Blue-winged Warbler has been on my most-wanted warbler photo list for a long time. I've never lucked into a cooperative one during migration at any of the migrant hotspots like Point Pelee National Park. There are quite a few blue-wingeds nesting in the region around the area where I live (Owen Sound) so this past week I spent some time shooting them here on their breeding territories. Here are a couple of shot I'm pleased to finally get! I also had a very obliging Bobolink pose for me while I was on my way to shoot the warblers.

 

Over the next couple weeks I'll be working on Golden-winged Warbler, which also nests in this region. Golden-winged is the elusive prize that I'm lusting over; they taunt me from high up in the treetops. Check back in a week or two to see if I have any luck shooting them!   

 



Blue-winged Warbler. Canon 1D mk IV; 500/4 lens & 1.4x teleconvertor

 

Blue-winged Warbler. Canon 1D mk IV; 500/4 lens & 2x teleconvertor



Bobolink. Canon 1D mk IV; 500/4 lens & 1.4x teleconvertor

Spring migrants photographed from my car

Many spring migrants are arriving back in Ontario to take up seasonal residence in their breeding territories. To say that I'm elated is an understatement! All year I dream about spring and summer. It's my favorite time of year with endless things to photograph and never enough time to fit it all in.

One of my spring rituals is to cruise up and down the backroads of the Bruce Peninsula, photographing birds in the meadows and wet fields. I keep my telephoto lens setup ready on the passenger seat and use a beanbag to shoot directly from the car window. Beanbags are a rock solid platform to shoot from. If you turn your car off (to prevent engine vibrations) and use good technique,  it's fairly easy to get sharp photos even at high magnifications.

Birds and animals are often less afraid of a vehicle than a person on foot, so by driving slowly and being patient you can get quite close for frame-filling photos.  Here are a couple photos taken by this method in the past week. 


Upland Sandpiper. Canon EOS 1D mk IV, EF 500/4 lens & 2x teleconvertor.





Northern Shoveler. Canon EOS 1D mk IV, EF 500/4 lens and 2x teleconvertor. 




Shooting from my van with a 300mm lens supported by a "Blubb" beanbag. 



Magnificent Frigatebirds - Belize

While leisurely cruising around Caye Caulker in a golf cart in search of cold beer, I stumbled across a couple of local fisherman cleaning their fish on a dock. They were tossing the fish guts out, which attracted a group of Magnificent Frigatebirds to within point-blank range. This was the best opportunity I'd ever had to shoot frigatebirds and my photo mojo kicked in like wildfire! Aside from a quick trip back to the hotel to get more gear and memory cards, I shot the frigatebirds continuosly until all the fish were cleaned and the birds soared off. When there's a good photo opportunity before me, I stick with it as long as it lasts (thankfully, there was plenty of cold beer to be found afterwards)!

With the blazingly fast motor drive on the Canon 1D mark IV, I blasted about 1200 photos of the frigatebirds in an hour or so. This was a great test of the new lenses that Sigma had sent me.... and I was impressed with the AF capabilities. The only problem now is that I have so many photos to edit!


Photo 1 (above): Magnificent Frigatebird in flight, Caye Caulker, Belize

Canon 1D mark IV, Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 lens; 580EX II flash at +1 1/3

Exposure: ISO 400, 1/400s @ f/6.3





Photo 2 (above): Magnificent Frigatebird in flight, Caye Caulker, Belize

Canon 1D mark IV, Sigma 70-200mm f.2.8 lens, 580EX II flash at +2/3

Exposure: ISO 400, 1/2000s @ f/5.6



Photo 3 (above): Fisherman clean their catch on Caye Caulker, Belize.

Canon 1D mark IV, Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, Singh-Ray LB polarizer



Backyard bird photography setup & surprise

.
Photo 1 (above): Swainson's Thrush in my backyard, Tobermory, Ontario. EOS 1Ds mark III, Sigma 300/2.8 lens & Canon 2x teleconverter; ISO 800, 1/80s @ f/5.6

I was sitting out in my blind the other day photographing White-crowned Sparrows, when I was pleasantly surprised to have a Swainson's Thrush drop in on my perch settup for a few moments.


Photo 2 (above): Here's the view of my blind (with me in it) from the old stump that I have scattered seed  around to attract sparrows. I triggered this photo remotely from inside the blind using Pocket Wizard radio remotes. I wanted to get a photo with a bird on the perch, but they wouldn't come in with the remote camera setup so close to the stump.


Photo 3 (above): White-crowned Sparrow (immature) in my backyard, Tobermory, Ontario. EOS 1Ds mark III, Sigma 300/2.8 lens & Canon 2x teleconverter; ISO 640, 1/80s @ f/5.6

White-crowned Sparrows have been migration through the Bruce Peninsula by the thousands over the past two weeks!

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.

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.

Upcoming Presentations including Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show

I'll be presenting a number of photo shows over the next few months at various locations in Ontario. A full listing, regularly updated, is posted on my website here:   http://www.ethanmeleg.com/inpublic.htm

Or here's a sample of what is upcoming. If you make it out to one of the show, be sure to say hello!

February 27 (Saturday) - Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show
"Photographing the Best of the Bruce Peninsula"
sponsored by Canadian Geographic & Ontario Tourism
3:45pm in The Great Ontario Outdoor Adventure Theatre
http://www.outdooradventureshow.ca/toronto/

February 28 (Sunday) - Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show
"Photographing the Best of the Bruce Peninsula"
sponsored by Canadian Geographic & Ontario Tourism
12:00pm in The Great Ontario Outdoor Adventure Theatre
http://www.outdooradventureshow.ca/toronto/

March 2 (Tuesday) - Barrie, Ontario
"Freedom 35 - A Photographer's Adventure"
Barrie Users Group
7:30pm at Eastview High School
For details, visit: http://www.barrieusersgroup.org


March 4 (Thursday) - Midland, Ontario
"Freedom 35 - A Photographer's Adventure"
Midland District Camera Club
7:00pm at Len Self Blvd., Midland Ontario (North Simcoe Sports and Recreation Centre)
For details, visit: http://www.midlandcameraclub.com/

May 5 (Wednesday) - Cornwall, Ontario
TBD but likely "The Passion of Nature Photography"
St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences
17th Annual International Conference
7:00pm at Aultsville Theatre
Details to be posted here:
http://www.riverinstitute.com/events/Conference%202010/index2010.html


June 1 (Tuesday) - Southampton, Ontario
"The Best of the Bruce Peninsula"
Chantry Institute Lecture Series
7:00pm at Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre
details to be posted.

June 8 (Tuesday) - Hamilton, Ontario
Bell *Arte Camera - Customer Appreciation Day
details TBD

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.  

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.

Welcome to my new Nature Photogrpahy blog

Welcome Nature & Outdoor Photographers!
Here's my blog to share facts, opinions and miscellaneous ramblings about nature photography, photo techniques, camera gear and whatever else comes to mind.... all in an informal way.
Happy shooting!
cheers,
Ethan Meleg