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

Lake Superior Provincial Park camping trip

I've just returned from a trip to Lake Superior Provincial Park, which ranks on the shortlist of my very favorite places in the world. The landscape is grand, the shorelines wild and the potential for dramatic skies over Lake Superior keeps luring me back there time and again. During a lakeside dinner of fajitas on Saturday evening, I studied the clouds and predicted a wash out sunset. A half hour later I was sprinting  down the beach with my camera gear to shoot the most dramatic skies and kick ass sunset I've ever hit on Superior. That's the way it works in landscape photography - the best skies often materialize when you least expect them. Here are some of the photos from the trip.


Photo 1 (above): Sunset and dramatic clouds over Lake Superior shoreline in Lake Superior Provincial Park. Canon EOS 5d mark II, 17-40mm lens, Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo polarizer & 3 stop reverse ND grad; ISO 200, 3.2s @ f/20; mirror lock up & cable release


Photo 2 (above): Sunset and dramatic clouds over Lake Superior shoreline in Lake Superior Provincial Park. Canon EOS 5d mark II, 17-40mm lens, Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo polarizer & 3 stop reverse ND grad; ISO 200, 2.5s @ f/20; mirror lock up & cable release


Photo 3 (above): Afterglow over Lake Superior cobble rock shoreline in Lake Superior Provincial Park. Canon EOS 5d mark II, 17-40mm lens, Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo polarizer & 3 stop reverse ND grad; ISO 200, 20s @ f/22; mirror lock up & cable release


Photo 4 (above): A shoreline campfire and playing guitar after sunset on the Lake Superior shoreline in Lake Superior Provincial Park. Canon EOS 5d mark II, 17-40mm lens, Singh-Ray 2 stop hard edge ND grad; ISO 640, 13s @ f/13; self timer (that's me on the right)


Photo 5 (above): Long exposure of clouds (streaking) after sunet on the Lake Superior shoreline in Lake Superior Provincial Park. Canon EOS 5d mark II, 17-40mm lens, Singh-Ray 2 stop hard edge ND grad; ISO 200, 247s @ f/11; mirror lock-up & cable release


Photo 6 (above): Evening light over sand ripples on the Lake Superior shoreline in Lake Superior Provincial Park. Canon EOS 5d mark II, 24-70/2.8 lens, Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 2 stop soft edge ND grad; ISO 200, 0.6s @ f/22; mirror lock-up and cable release

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.

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-

Badlands....... WOW!

I just spent a couple days camping in Dinosaur Provincial Park in the Badlands area of Alberta. The park greatly exceeded my expectations, and I can say without hesitation that it's one of the most incredible places I've ever been or photographed. I was surprised to find such an otherwordly landscape stuck right in the middle of the prairies.

I'm back in Ontario shooting for a couple days on the north shore of Lake Superior.

It's been a great trip, but I look forward to sleeping in my own bed again in a few days!