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.

Sunrise boat trip to Flowerpot Island

Many great photo locations are most accessible by water. Though I have been paddling canoes and kayaks since I was a kid, it can be a heck lot of work - and logistically challenging - to get to places when the light is best. I finally broke down and bought a small boat last week (16' aluminum with a 50HP engine) to open up a new world of photo possibilities. My first photo shoot with the boat was out to nearby Flowerpot Island:

 

Photo 1 (above): Self-portrait at sunrise, Flowerpot Island, Fathom Five National Marine Park, Tobermory, Ontario. Canon EOS 5d mark II, EF 17-40mm lens, Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 3 stop soft edge ND grad, ISO 200, 1/6s @ f/14

Photo 2 (above): Getting air next to the flowerpot, Flowerpot Island, Fathom Five National Marine Park, Tobermory, Ontario. Canon EOS 1Ds mark III, 24mm TSE II tilt shift lens, ISO 800, 1/500s @ f/4.5.

The great sunrise was short-lived because of overcast skies, so I decided to mess around with my tilt-shift lens. One of the great benefits of the lens is the ability to achieve depth of field at fairly wide-open apertures. By tilting the lens I was able to shoot this at f/4.5 yet have plenty of depth-of-field and a fast enough shutter speed to stop motion in air. That's me jumping... my friend Cainan machine-gunned the the shutter release for me.

Icicles along Georgian Bay shoreline

A quick post with a couple photos of the awesome icicles hanging off the Niagara Escarpment cliffs at Indian Head Cove in Bruce Peninsula National Park. It was worth the trek out there to check on the ice conditions. Will be watching the skies - ready for good light for the next excursion. Yes that's me in the first photo. Next time I'll be wearing a red jacket, of course! 

Both photos EOS 5D mark II; 17-40/4 lens (handheld) and Singh-Ray LB waring polarizer. Photo of me taken by D Carey.

Lion's Head Lighthouse, Bruce Peninsula

Lion's Head lighthouse, Bruce Peninsula, Ontario

EOS 1Ds mark III, TS-E 24mm II tilt-shift lens (shifted slightly to keep the lighthouse straight); Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer; mirror lock-up and cable release; Exposure: ISO 100; 1/30s at f/11

The town of Lion's Head boasts one of the most scenic harbours I've found on the Great Lakes. The lighthouse, blue water of Georgian Bay and distant Niagara Escarpment cliffs make an excellent combo for photos. Only a half hour from my place, I often drop in to shoot if the afternoon light is right.... as I did today.

Having photographed this lighthouse many times, I'm always looking for fresh perspectives and elements. I knew that having a person in the scene would add scale, but I was solo. No problem! With a remote/timer cable release set to shoot a frame every 10 seconds, I simply walked into the scene and posed myself for a series of photos. OK, so I'm not a supermodel... just a temporary fill in for the occasional outdoor photo!

Happy shooting!

More Georgian Bay

It's been a very productive week on assignment shooting outdoor tourism photos in the Georgian Bay area. The weather has been great and the models were excellent to work with. Thanks Karen, Lauren, Scott P, Jenn, Scott C, Melissa, Vera, Freeman and Pat for your tireless patience! Check out the initial previews below.

I'm en route to Manitoulin Island for a few days of shooting up there. My van is finally in the shop getting the body work done on the back end, so I'm cruising in a stylish new rental car. In a couple of weeks I'll have the van back in top shape ready for the next leg of my trip!

If you're interested in a trip to the Georgian Bay area, here's a link to a website with lots of great info: http://www.visitgeorgianbay.com


Photo 1: Kayakers paddle by Flowerpot Island. EOS 1DsIII; 70-200/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer


Photo 2: That's me floating in Georgian Bay to shoot water level photos of the kayakers. A semi-dry suit kept me warm in the frigid waters and the lifejacket is for buoyancy to keep the camera above water. I shot handheld the 5DII, 17-40mm lens and a Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer.


Photo 3: Hikers stand on a Georgian Bay overlook in Bruce Peninsula National Park. EOS 1DsIII; 24-70/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 2-stop soft edge ND grad


Photo 4: Me on the overlook. Here's why I always carry a point & shoot camera... to get images of me in the field.


Photo 5: Mountain bikers stop for a break on the trail. EOS 5DII; 17-40mm lens; 580EX II flash for fill; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer

Winter is definitely here!

The snow is piling up at my place - there's about 2 feet so far, and my ground-level kitchen window is nearly buried. I can't believe how much it's snowing each day. I'm lucky that my neighbour Ken has a snow blower and very kindly keeps my driveway ploughed out - otherwise I would probably end up house-bound.

The snowy landscape is perfect right now for photos. Yesterday we cross-country skied out to the Georgian Bay shoreline in Bruce Peninsula National Park. It was tough breaking trail, but well-worth it. The icicles at Indian Head Cove are dramatic, and it started snowing like mad while we were out there, which added to the winter ambiance. The sky was heavy overcast, so it wasn't the best light... but hey, you take what you get....

all shots Canon EOS 1ds m2, EF 17-40 lens

Lion's Head shoreline, Bruce Peninsula

The weather has been very dreary this fall... tons of rain and perpetually overcast skies. I've jumped on the few clear breaks to get out and shoot landscapes. These were taken on a dramatic morning a couple weeks ago.... about 20 minutes north of my house.