Tourism photos from around Ontario

It's a cold, drizzly Labour Day and I'm sitting here in a pair of blue jeans and a sweatshirt in disbelief that it's already September and summer seems to be on the way out. It's been one of the busiest summers I've ever had, which explains the sparsity of blog posts. The past month I've been working on photo shoots for tourism clients, traveling around Ontario with minimal sleep, but fueled by grand ideas for photos and, of course, plenty of medium roast coffee.

One of my favorite parts in the process of photography is conceptualizing the images. After discussing the key elements and objectives with my clients, I think about locations, lighting/time of day, perspectives, props, etc and begin to previsualize potential images. When I lock onto an idea for a shot, I often draw rough conceptual sketches on a note pad (my skill level at drawing is limited to stick people!). Once all of the planning and leg work is done, then it's time for the best part.... shooting the photos!

Here are a few of the tourism images I've been working on over the past month from some of my favorite parks:

Point Pelee National Park marsh at sunrise. Canon 5D mk II, Sigma 24-70/2.8,

Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo polarizer & 3 stop hard edge ND grad.




Bruce Peninsula National Park - hikers along Georgian Bay shoreline. 

Canon 5D mk II, EF 17-40/4, Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo polarizer.

Rondeau Provincial Park beach at sunset. Canon 5D mk II, Sigma 24-70/2.8,

Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad.

Point Pelee National Park tip at sunrise. Canon 5D mk II, EF 17-40/4, 

Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad.

Bruce Peninsula National Park - hikers along Georgian Bay shoreline, sunrise.

Canon 5D mk II, EF 17-40/4, Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo polarizer & 3 stop

hard edge ND grad.  

Ice + sunshine = a great winter photo shoot!

I hiked out to the Georgian Bay shoreline of Bruce Peninsula National Park yesterday with photo buddies Ian "Flash" Brooks, Roy Ramsay (publisher of Outdoor Photography Canada magazine) and David Topping (website to come). It was a beautifully sunny and cold day - perfect conditions for a winter photo shoot!

Ian was wearing a bright red jacket and felt like being a supermodel, so I took advantage of his willingness to pose. Having a person in the photos adds depth and perspective to the landscape.

All of these photos were shot with:
Canon EOS 5D mark II, EF 17-40mm lens; some using a Singh-Ray LB polarizer and/or 580EX flash

Icy shoreline of Georgian Bay

Above photo: Self-portrait this morning; bundled up in many layers to stay warm!

-23C (before the windhcill). That's the balmy temp my friend and I set out in this morning for our trek to shoot the Georgian Bay shoreline in Bruce Peninsula National Park. We picked the coldest day of the winter so far, and could easily have rescheduled for any other day, but we were both too proud to be beaten by the weather (or to admit it).

The frigid wind blew fiercely off the water and created a mist that was at times so thick it was impossible to shoot. But every now and then the sun would peak out and burn off the mist for enough time to snap a few photos.

I'm wiped out tonight from the chill and hiking through snow drifts but couldn't resist processing a few shots from today. I'll be going back again later this week... and crossing my fingers for warmer weather!

Below photos:
Indian Head Cove, Bruce Peninsula National Park
Canon EOS 5D mark II, EF 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray LB polarizer & ND grads.

Great sunset over Lake Huron tonight!

The skies were shaping up nicely so I raced down to the beach for an hour of magical light. The location is Dorcas Bay in Bruce Peninsula National Park on the Lake Huron shoreline. Both photos were taken with an EOS 1Ds mark III, 24-70mm f/2,8 lens, Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo polarizer and 3 stop hard edge ND grad. ISO 200, f/22, 0.8 and 1.3 seconds respectively.

Best of the Bruce - photo workshop results

I am procrastinating right now. Though I should be writing my next column for Outdoor Photography Canada magazine (it's due Oct 1), I find myself nearing the bottom of a great bottle of Spanish red wine and surfing YouTube for live music (it has been a crazy busy couple of weeks, this is my first night off). I am also playing catch up on my blog, hence this post. I've just returned from the peak of fall colors in Algonquin Park... shot some great photos which you'll see in a couple of days. But first, here are photos from a workshop "Best of the Bruce" that I hosted last weekend in partnership with the amazing E'Terra ecolodge.

First, a huge thanks to participants Trina, Tom, Rick, Bruce, Gary and Anne. Thanks also to the sponsors who joined together to make a great contest (that Trina won) for a spot on the tour and an awesome prize package: Canadian Geographic, Ontario Tourism, E'Terra, Sigma, Lens Rentals Canada, Blue Heron Cruises, Bruce Peninsula Helicopters, Lowepro, Coleman and Velbon. [original contest page with links to sponsors here: http://photoclub.canadiangeographic.ca/cg/Contests/otmp2010/default.aspx ]. And lastly a really huge thanks to my friend Canon Rumors Craig, who was supposed to co-lead the workshop and got married instead... but generously promoted the workshop to his audience and instantly filled the remaining spots. Thanks Craig, I owe you a very good bottle of wine in Africa!

Of all the workshops I've ever hosted, we had the best photography weather on this one (so far)! A brief but dramatic sunrise started us off at Halfway Log Dump on Saturday morning, followed by a mind-blowing sunset on Cove Island. Sunday was sunny skies for sunrise at Flowerpot Island and sunset at the Grotto and Indian Head Cove in Bruce Peninsula National Park.

I don't shoot much on my workshops, but couldn't resist a few here and there....


Photo 1 (above): Moon next to Cove Island Lighthouse at sunset. Canon EOS 1Ds mark III, 70-200/4 lens, Singh-Ray LB polarizer ISO 400; 1/400s @ f/8; mirror lock-up & cable release


Photo 2 (above): Pink afterglow behind the Cove Island Lighthouse. Canon EOS 5D mark II, 24-70/2.8lens, Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo polarizer; ISO 200; 0.8s @ f/16; mirror lock-up & cable release


Photo 3 (above): Self-portrait, Flowerpot Island sunrise. Canon EOS 5D mark II, 17-40mm lens, Singh-Ray Gold-n-Blue polarizer; ISO 200; 2s @ f/16; mirror lock-up & cable release


Photo 4 (above): Georgian Bay lapping at the shoreline of Flowerpot Island, Fathom Five National Marine Park. Canon EOS 5D mark II, 24-70/2.8 lens, Singh-Ray LB Warming polarizer; ISO 50; 1/3s @ f/22
More and more I find myself chosing slight water blurs that evoke water movement, using shutter speeds just less than a second.


Photo 5 (above): Flowerpot Island, Fathom Five National Marine Park. Canon EOS 5D mark II, 24-70/2.8 lens, Singh-Ray LB Warming polarizer; ISO 200; 1/10s @ f/22; mirror lock-up & cable release


Photo 5 (above): Flowerpot Island, Fathom Five National Marine Park plus a bit of Ethan for tourist effect. Canon EOS 5D mark II, 24-70/2.8 lens, Singh-Ray LB Warming polarizer; ISO 200; 1/13s @ f/22; mirror lock-up & cablerelease

Georgian Bay shoreline - Niagara Escarpment

After many wavy days, calm conditions yesterday afternoon motivated me to get out for a great photo shoot along the Georgian Bay shoreline near where I live. In about 2 hours I shot 1200 photos..... there's no reason to shoot conservatively when you're bouncing around in a boat!

Note that I am now testing out some Sigma lenses, which they have generously provided. A couple of the below photos were taken with their 12-24mm, which is an awesome focal length for mega-wide angle shots.


Photo 1(above): The clear blue waters of Indian Head Cove in Bruce Peninsula National Park. EOS 5D mark II; Sigma 12-24mm lens (at 12mm); ISO 400; 1/400s @ f/8; handheld from the front of my boat


Photo 2(above): Trees and boulders on the Georgian Bay shoreline of Bruce Peninsula National Park. EOS 1Ds mark III; Canon 70-200mm/4 lens (at 155mm); ISO 640; 1/125s @ f/4; handheld from boat


Photo 3(above): Boulders fron the Niagara Escarpment cliffs on the Georgian Bay shoreline of Bruce Peninsula National Park. EOS 5D mark II; Sigma 12-24mm lens (at 19mm); ISO 400; 1/100s @ f/5.6; handheld from the front of my boat

Help me name my boat !

Here's my latest photo accessory... 16' and 50HP of boat-awesomeness to shuttle myself around to faraway shorelines. A boat needs a name and I need your help to come up with something clever! The name should be photo related and it can't be too long (it's a small boat so the name has to fit!). So far my friends have given me some good suggestions:
Shutter Speed
Over-Exposed
F-Stop
I wanted to call it "EthanMeleg.com Corporate Yacht" but my friends said that was lame.

Please post your best suggestions! If I pick your name, you can either have 1) a boat trip (if you live nearby) or 2) an 11x16 print of your choice from my entire collection.

My Mom is up for a visit and the boating conditions were perfect yesterday, so I took her out for a tour along the spectacular shoreline of Bruce Peninsula National Park. That's Georgian Bay in the background.... love that Caribbean-blue water! Below are a few photos from our excursion.


Photo 1(above): That's me with the boat on the shoreline of Georgian Bay. EOS 5D mark II; 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer; photo shot by my Mom


Photo 2 (above): The cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment in Bruce Peninsula National Park plunge into the clear blue-green waters of Georgian Bay. EOS 5D mark II; 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer


Photo 3 (above): Framed by a shoreline cave, my Mom looks out at the blue waters of Georgian Bay from Bruce Peninsula National Park. EOS 5D mark II; 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer;


Photo 4 (above): That's me at the helm. Photo shot by my Mom with a Canon G11.

Bruce Peninsula wildflowers & landscapes

A quick post with a few photos from this week....


Photo 1 (above): Stretching out at sunset on the Georgian Bay shoreline in Bruce Peninsula National Park. EOS 5D mark II; 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer


Photo 2 (above): Canoeing on Georgian Bay in Fathom Five National Marine Park, Tobermory. EOS 5D mark II; 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer


Photo 3 (above): My friend photographing a clump of Yellow Lady's Slippers in Bruce Peninsula National Park, Tobermory. EOS 5D mark II; 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 3 stop hard edge ND grad


Photo 4 (above): Ram's Head Lady's Slipper in Bruce Peninsula National Park. This was the last fresh Ram's Head I shot this year.... they were finished early because of the hot, sunny weather. EOS 5D mark II; 70-200 f/4 lens with 2x teleconvertor & 25mm extension tube; mirror lock-up & cable release; 2 reflectors used (one on each side of flower).

The pinnacle of peak photo season!

I live on the Bruce Peninsula - an incredible place for nature photography! From mid May through late June, my life is turned upside down as I try to photograph the plethora of subjects that are at their best. This brief window of time is the peak for breeding birds, plants (wildflowers & ferns) and landscapes with fresh green foliage. On any given day I'm off in many directions and forced to make hard decisions about what to shoot. I don't get to sleep much at this time of year!

These three photos, which I've photographed in the last few days, exemplify that wonderful dilemna! The first is a landscape from one of my favorite spots in Bruce Peninsula National Park. The second is a Bobolink in full song. And the third is an Ostrich fern, backlit by by evening light.


Photo 1 (above): Self portait at sunset in Bruce Peninsula National Park.
 EOS 5D mark II, TSE 24mm tilt shift lens, Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer & 2 stop soft edge ND grad (Z-pro sprocket setrup), Canon TC-80N3; horizontal flip in photoshop for optimal cover composition.The Canon TC-80N3 timer remote controller is ideal for shooting self portraits. I set it to expose every 10 seconds, which gives me plenty of time to pose for the next photo.


Photo 2 (above): Bobolink singing, Bruce Peninsula. EOS 1Ds mark III, 500/4 IS lens & 2x teleconvertor.
Photographed from my van window with the lens/camera resting on a Blubb beanbag. Bobolinks are a grassland bird species facing serious declines in many part of their range. I'm lucky to have many in the fields near my place!


Photo 3 (above): Ostrich Fern, Bruce Peninsula
EOS 5D mark II, 70-200/4 IS, 25mm extension tube; cable release & mirror lock up.
In the evening, these ferns are beautifully backlit and the distant forestedge becomes a dramatic black background.

Local landscapes and playing with the Canon 800mm f/5.6

I've been shooting a grab bag of images over the last week. First, I received a new Singh-Ray filter... an LB warming polarizer sprocket type to fit a Z-pro holder. This filter is very welcome in my camera bag. It allows me to shoot wide angle photos using a Z-pro filter holder which is large enough to avoid vignetting, yet still fits my Singh-Ray 4x6" ND grads (rather than hand-holding them). The first photo below is a teaser with this combo; expect to see a full report soon.

Photo 1 (below): Sunrise at Halfway Log Dump in Bruce Peninsula National Park
Canon EOS 5D mark II; 24mm TSE II lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 2-stop "Daryl Benson" Reverse ND grad; I love how sharp the new 24 tilt-shift is.... razor sharp, corner to corner.

My friends have just opened a lens rental business called Lens Rentals Canada. They have an incredible selection of pro lenses (mostly Canon, but a few Nikon too) ranging from super-telephotos and medium-telephotos, to tilt-shifts and wide-angle. They ship them all across the country. I'm lucky to close by (the business is based out of FotoArt camera store in Owen Sound, Ontario - the place I buy most of my camera gear). I couldn't resist picking up the new Canon 800mm f/5.6 supertelephoto for a few days. Holy cow, it is the mother of all lenses... a dreamy piece of glass!!!

Photo 2 (below): That's me shooting with the Canon 800mm f/5.6 lens. I set up the photo, sucked in my gut and my friend Craig Blair (of http://www.canonrumors.com/ notoriety) clicked the shutter.

Canon EOS 5D mark II; EF 70-200mm f/4 lens

Photo 3 (below): Sandhill Crane, Dyers Bay, Bruce Peninsula

Canon EOS 1Ds mark III; EF 800mm f/5.6 lens & 1.4x teleconverter

I shot this from my car window with the lens supported on a "Blubb" beanbag.

Photo 4 (below): Lesser Scaup at sewage pond, Bruce Peninsula.

Canon EOS 1Ds mark III; EF 500mm f/4 lens & 1.4x teleconverter

I was hanging at the local sewage pond (no kidding, isn't nature photography glamorous?) and was frustrated that these scaup were on the opposite side of the pond. Just for fun I decided to try calling them in with my iPod (playing their call) and they instantly flew over to me. I photographed them full frame out of my car window, with my lens resting on the Blubb beanbag. 

Sunrise through Icicles

After my previous icicle shoot (see last blog post), I went back a couple days later to photograph the last of them before they had melted. I hiked out in the dark to be on location and setup for the sunrise-through-icicles photos I had in my mind. In the first photo (below) the sun was barely up, so I used a splash of fill-flash to light up the icicles. A few minutes later when the sun was higher, there was plenty of warm light shining through the icicles to reveal  the detail of their texture.

Both photos were taken with an EOS 5D mark II, EF 24-70/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray L ColorCombo polarizer.

I can't get enough icicles!

Photo 1 (above): EOS 5D mark II, EF 14mm/2.8 L lens (from http://www.lensrentalscanada.com/)

What do you get when you add a soaked hiking shoe in freezing temps, a wipe out that almost costs you a brand new 24mm tilt-shift lens and a couple of hours laying beneath a ridge of ice that weighs about a ton and could collapse on you at any time? A great morning photo shoot!! 

While hiking yesterday with friends, I found a few lingering ridges of ice that had the best concentration of icicles I've ever seen. The light was dull and the time was ticking - they would melt within a couple of days. I scouted out potential photos and plotted the return trip.

I invited my friend Craig along (he's the mastermind behind the popular website http://www.canonrumors.com/) and we hit the trail in predawn darkness this morning. Mostly overcast conditions crushed the dream  photo I had pre-visualized, but even in dull light the icicles were great. Soon the clouds parted to reveal some blue sky. Nothing beats the contrast of sparkling icicles against a blue sky!

Photo 2 (below): Canon EOS 5D mark II; EF 17-40 L lens, Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo polarizer

Photo 3 (below): EOS 5D mark II, EF 14mm/2.8 L lens (from http://www.lensrentalscanada.com/)

Photo 4 (below): Canon EOS 5D mark II; EF 17-40 L lens, Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo polarizer

 

Photo 5 (below): That's me. The wide-angle distortion stretched out my torso, making me look skinner than I really am. Excellent! Canon EOS 5D mark II; EF 17-40 L lens, Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo polarizer; Canon 580EX II for fill flash

Last of the Icicles on the Georgian Bay shoreline

Unseasonably warm weather put a quick end to the great icicles along the Georgian Bay shoreline that I'd been photographing last week. I made it out for only one more shoot before they had melted away... see photos below (taken with an EOS 5D mark II, EF 70-200/2.8 L IS lens and Singh-Ray LB polarizer). Thanks to my friend Don Wilkes for clicking the shutter on the second one while I smiled! 

Today I finally traded in my trusty 70-200/2.8 IS lens for the lighter and reputedly sharper f/4 version of the lens. I'm looking forward to the significant weight savings (my camera pack is heavy!). I'll be hitting the trails over the next while to test it out.