French River trip

I spent a few days at a cabin on the French River this past week with my girlfriend and best friends. Although the weather was highly variable, the trip was relaxing and there were a few excellent photo opportunities. Outdoor recreation photos are the money-makers in my collection. I owe my friends a huge thanks for their generosity and patience in modelling for me. Sometimes it takes many trials to get the shot just right! The tan canoe color is not the best for photos, so we just ordered a shiny red canoe which arrives next week. You'll be seeing photos of it soon!

All photos taken with EOS 1Ds mark III; 24-70/2.8 or 70-200/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer.

Hope you're having a great summer!
Ethan-

Update - SOLD - Tripod Heads (Wimberley & Kirk BH1)

Update: BOTH HEADS ARE SOLD
I'm selling two of my ballheads which have given me years of great use: 1) a Wimberley version 1 gimbal head and 2) a Kirk BH1 ballhead. Here are details of each. Send me an email if interested (info@ethanmeleg.com).

1) Wimerley Head (v1). Asking $450 cdn plus shipping. I've used this head for all my bird and wildlife photography for the past 5 years. The gimbal style head is ideal for 500mm or 600mm lenses, making it effortless to track moving subjects.
This head is in perfect working condition and has moderate cosmetic wear (scuffs) from regular use. The new version currently sells for $720 + tax at Vistek; or approx $595 US + tax & shipping direct from Wimberley). Has quick release platform, but you'll need to get your own Arca-style plate to match your lens. These plates are readily available from companies such as Really Right Stuff, Kirk Enterprises or Wimberley.




2) Kirk BH1 ball head. Asking $250 cdn plus shipping. This is a classic ball head used by many nature photographers - I use it everyday as my standard head for landscape, macro, etc.... with all my lenses. It's rated to support fairly heavy camera systems (I think approx 50lbs) and I have often used it with my 500mm and 600mm lenses. Mine is in perfect working condition and has minor cosmetic wear. New from Kirk, these are selling for $355US (+tax & shipping). This head has a quick release platform for Arca-style plates - you'll need to get one to match your lens or camera body. The plates are readily available from companies such as Really Right Stuff or Kirk Enterprises.

Incredible luck (pileated woodpecker, black bears)

The photo gods were smiling upon me yesterday. I was planning to wake up at 2:30am (seriously) to drive up to Killarney Provincial Park for sunrise, but when my alarm clock went off I could not drag myself out of bed... so I slept in and left around 7:30am. My laziness paid off. While leisurely driving northwards, I stopped for a break en route and stumbled across a Pileated Woodpecker nest right in the parking lot at the rest stop! I've been wanting to shoot a natural Pileated nest with chicks for a decade (have shot them in hydro polls before). This was a good start to the day!

After a couple hours with the woodpeckers, I continued up to Killarney. On the highway into the park, I found a black bear with 4 cubs feeding right along the road. This was my first-time photographing wild black bear cubs - so you can imagine how ecstatic I was to spend about 5 minutes with them at close range before a "bear jam" of traffic scared them away.

Photographing Pileated Woodpeckers and Black Bears in the same day ranks as a wildlife grand slam for me. And to top off the weekend, I spent the rest of my weekend along spectacular stretches of the Georgian Bay shoreline shooting landscapes. I'm too tired to post those photos now (have been up since 4:30 this morning) so check back soon - I'll get them up when I catch up on my sleep!
Ethan-

Pileated Woodpeckers at nest
EOS 1DsmIII; 500/5 IS with 1.4x or 2x TC. Fill flash at -2 1/3




Black Bear cubs, Killarney Provincial Park
EOS 1DsmIII; 500/5 IS

Meadow birds

I woke up early this morning to focus on breeding birds (central Ontario is a great place to live because of the diversity of breeding birds). At about 6:30am it started raining, so I killed time by driving around checking out other future potential photo locations. As soon as the rain stopped, bird activity picked up significantly and I photographed these meadow species.

Clay-colored Sparrow
EOS 1DsmIII; 500/4IS + 2x TC; fill flash at -2 1/3


Indigo Bunting
EOS 1DsmIII; 500/4IS + 1.4x TC; fill flash at -2

Carden Challenge - we won!

This past weekend I competed in the 'Carden Challenge', a 24hr birding marathon (objective to identify as many bird species as possible in a defined area during the 24 hr period). The event raised approx $15,500 which will go directly to conservation efforts to protect the Carden plains area.

Our team consisted of myself, Mark Weircinski (absent from photo) and Greg Stroud. The weather during the challenge was crappy - it rained a ton and then became windy. But thanks to an unbelievable amount of junk food, we maintained an aggressive pace and won the event by identifying 119 species - edging out the next team by only 2 species.

I'm still catching up on my sleep and my blood sugar levels (from all the junk food) are returning to normal.

Thanks to all the people who generously sponsored me for the event - it was a great success!

Ethan-

Wetland birds

The evening light was sweet yesterday, but I was struggling to escape the gravitational pull of my couch. Thankfully my photo mojo won out and I drove to a nearby wetland to see what I could find. To my pleasant surprise, there was an unusually cooperative Spotted Sandpiper - a species that has alluded my camera lens for about a decade (I've seen tons, but they always take off before I can get a photo). This bird stayed put for 10 minutes for me. I shot about 120 photos as it walked around the open weed mats in great evening light.

To finish the night off there were several Marsh Wrens engaged in a territorial battle - singing back and forth to each other. They too obliged for my camera lens.

It pays to get out - there's always something to shoot!

All taken with EOS 1DsmIII, 500/4 IS and 1.4x or 2x teleconvertors.
ISO 400.

Latest pictures - Algonquin Park, Carden Plain, Oastler Lake

This is a crazy time of year for me - there are so many photo opportunities everywhere, everyday. Sometimes I get stressed out trying to decide what to shoot!
I've been all over central Ontario in the past week and am just starting to edit the thousands of photos. Here are a few early favorites.
Happy shooting!
Ethan-

Sunrise near Algonquin Park.
EOS 1DSmIII; 24-70/2.8 L; Singh-Ray Gold'n' Blue Polarizer and 3 stop hard edge ND grad


Prairie Smoke wildflower on the Carden Plain
EOS 1DSmIII; 24-70/2.8 L; Singh-Ray 2 stop hard edge ND grad


Common Yellowthroat warbler, near Kirkfield
EOS 1DSmIII; 500/4 IS; 2x teleconvertor


Kayaker at Oastler Lake Provincial Park
EOS 1DSmIII; 24-70/2.8 L; Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer


Kayaker at Oastler Lake Provincial Park
EOS 1DSmIII; 24-70/2.8 L; Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer

Autumn in Algonquin Photo Workshop - Oct 4-5

Hello friends,
Just a heads up that I am hosting a photo workshop "Autumn in Algonquin Park" on October 4-5. This is prime season for fall colours in Algonquin Park, one of the most majestic and cherished parks in Canada.
For full details, please visit: http://www.ethanmeleg.com/tour-Algonquin--fall-2008.htm
The tour is already half full, so book quickly to reserve a spot!

Also, please note I am currently planning a number of photo workshops/tours over the next couple years. As details are confirmed, they will be posted here: http://www.ethanmeleg.com/programs.htm

Thanks and hope you're having a great spring!
cheers,
Ethan-

Point Pelee National Park - songbirds

Greetings!
Sorry for the lag in posts lately. I'm recovering from what must be the worst cold/flu I've ever had. I was literally incapacitated for several days, half wasted on cough syrup and stuck on my couch watching crappy day-time television during the rare moments when I wasn't in a deep, medicated sleep. I was so bagged, I didn't even have the energy to move the 3 feet from my couch to the computer to process my RAW files from Pelee last week. Being sick during prime spring season isn't easy for a nature photographer!

I've got my photo mojo back now, so here are some of the results from last week. I had a couple productive days at Pelee with of a pocket of low, cooperative warblers. This was my first spring using the 500IS lens for warblers, and with the full-frame sensor camera I was worried that the 1.4x TC would not yield enough magnification. My good friend Chris Dodds (www.chrisdoddsphoto.com) assured me that sharp results were possible with the 2x teleconvertor, even in shaded situations with relatively slow shutter speeds (using IS and good long-lens technique). He was indeed correct and I was pleasantly surprised by the high ratio of sharp shots.

I'm off to shoot spring vegetation and rivers on this drab and wet weekend - so check back in a couple days for some more photos.
Hope you're having a great spring!

Magnolia Warbler
EOS 1DsmIII; 500/4IS; 2x TC
ISO 400; 1/125s at f/8; fill flash at -2 1/3


Black-throated Green Warbler
EOS 1DsmIII; 500/4IS; 2x TC
ISO 400; 1/125s at f/8; fill flash at -2 1/3


Black-throated Blue Warbler
EOS 1DsmIII; 500/4IS; 2x TC
ISO 400; 1/160s at f/8; fill flash at -2 1/3


Carolina Wren
EOS 1DsmIII; 500/4IS; 1.4x TC
ISO 400; 1/200s at f/5.6; fill flash at -2 1/3


Veery (cropped from horizontal)
EOS 1DsmIII; 500/4IS; 1.4x TC
ISO 640; 1/20s at f/5.6; fill flash at -2 1/3

Sponsor Ethan for the Carden Challenge (Birdathon)

Hello friends!
On May 30 at 6pm, I'll be starting a 24hour birdathon to identify as many species of birds as possible in the Carden region of central Ontario. I'll be joined by teammates Mark Wiercinski, John Haselmayer and Greg Stroud - they are all serious bird geeks. We'll be competing against a bunch of other teams and our plan is simple: we're going to kick some birding butt!

The birdathon is a fundraiser to support conservation of the Carden Alvar, a highly significant ecosystem, which also happens to be one of the top locations in Ontario for birding and bird photography.

So what am I asking from you? Please support this worthy conservation cause by sponsoring me for the event. You can pledge a fixed amount or on a per-species basis. To make a pledge, simply send an email to the Couchiching Conservancy at: nature@couchconservancy.ca and tell them the pledge amount and your contact info (ie. mailing address). They'll heckle you for the cash later.

If you're still skeptical and want to know more, check out the following webpage:
http://www.cardenguide.com/Festival/carden_challenge.htm

Thanks on behalf of the birds!
cheers,
Ethan-

Upcoming Presentations

I have a bunch of upcoming presentations - one this Thurs night right here in Midland and several (repeats) throughout the weekend at the Henry's Photographic & Digital Imaging Show in Toronto next weekend. Here are the details, hope to see you there!
cheers,
Ethan-

May 1, 2008 at 7:00pm
The Story Behind the Photos
Midland District Camera Club
Midland Rec Centre, Midland, Ontario
Details http://midlandcameraclub.com/

May 2-3-4, 2008 (various times, see below)
At Henry's Photographic & Digital Imaging Show - Toronto International CentreGet
Great Wildlife & Nature Photos!
I'll share practical field techniques of how I use Gitzo & Manfrotto tripods everyday to capture my photos. Specific topics include: Telephoto techniques for wildlife and birds; Going Low and Long for Landscapes; Magical Macros & Wildflowers; Shooting from a Kayak; Travelling Lightweight

Also, I'll be hanging out a bit at Outdoor Photography Canada (OPC) magazine booth to meet guests and sign the latest OPC magazine issue, which has a feature on me.
Presentation Schedule:
Friday: 11:30am-12:15pm and again at 4:30pm-5:15pm
Saturday: 11:30am-12:15pm and again at 5:30pm-6:15pm
Sunday: 12:30pm-1:15pm

For more details, visit: The Photographic & Digital Imaging Show

Trumpeter Swans

It's finally starting to feel like spring here in central Ontario. Much of the show has melted and the long sunny days are setting in!

There are some great wetlands near my place with Trumpeter Swans that originated from a reintroduction program. I had some fun photographing the swans on Sunday. The wide-angle shots were taken with my new Canon 24-70/2.8 lens. After using the 17-40 f/4 lens for years with the full-frame sensor bodies (1D series) - and always being disappointed with the soft corners, light fall off and barrel distortion - the 24-70 is a refreshing lens. Amazingly sharp and much better performance with a full frame sensor body.

EOS 1DsmIII; EF 500mm


A bit of fun with the wide-angle lens....
EOS 1DsmIII; 24-70/2.8 lens


Here's my friend Ian with his wide-angle lens at ground level to shoot exaggerated images of the swans.

Presentation in Waterloo Monday April 6; 7:30pm

If you're near Waterloo tomorrow (April 6) evening, stop by the Highland Glen Camera Club to catch my show "The Story Behind the Photos". The presentation starts at 7:30pm and full details can be found on the club website: www.waterloocameraclub.ca

Feature in Outdoor Photography Canada

Be sure to check out the latest issue of Outdoor Photography Canada magazine to see a feature profile on me. In the interview I talk about how I got started in nature photography, what my favorite subjects are and how I philosophically approach nature photography. The interview was done from my cellphone while shooting Pine Grosbeaks in Algonquin Park - the ideal setting!

The magazine is out in select stores (ie. Chapters) across Canada or you can subscribe online at their site: Outdoor Photography Canada
This is a solid magazine - a fine showcase of Canadian landscapes and wildlife.
Happy spring!
Ethan-

Ducks, Swans and packing!

I've recently sold my house and have been packing, organizing, pitching stuff out, etc.... which explains why I've been posting sporadically lately. There's a long story of why I'm moving, which you'll hear in detail later, but in a nutshell I'm freeing myself up to do some epic travelling and photography. As of this fall, I'll be off for a couple year trip to a long list of destinations. For much of that time I'll be living, photographing and running my photo business (thanks to WIFI connections) from a VW campervan. Crazy, but I can't wait!

I have been out shooting quite a bit lately, but haven't had much time to process the files. Yesterday, in anticipation of great light, I went to LaSalle Park Marina in Burlington to photograph ducks. The birds were cooperative and the light was great. Here are some of the results.

All photographed with EOS 1DsmIII; 500/4IS lens; some with 1.4x TC.

Long-tailed Duck:


Bufflehead (a very tough bird to expose for!):


Red-breasted Merganser:


Mute Swan:

Making the most of winter!

I'm not a big fan of winter, but until I'm able to migrate south, I make the best of it. Here's what I've been up to lately.

Ice Jumping
My friend Scott and I went out to shoot ice piles along the Lake Huron shoreline near Tobermory last weekend. As we were waiting for the light to improve at sunset, Scott kindly agreed to pose for some action shots, jumping off the ice piles in his snowshoes. After about 10 repeat jumps, it all came together for this shot. Note the red jacket - every outdoor photographer should have one! EOS 1DSmIII; EF 70-200IS at 200; 1/800s @ f/4; ISO 400



Icy Shoreline Sunset
The two below photos are what we were really after. Once the sun had set, the afterglow was spectacularly deep purple and orange, bathing the ice with rich color. These were long exposures (20-30s) at f/18, using a 2-stop soft edge Singh-Ray 4x6" ND grad, which I handheld in front of the lens. EOS 1DSmIII; 17-40mm lens; ISO 400; cable release & mirror lock-up




Common Redpoll
I shot these today in Penetanguishene in a friend's backyard. There were about 150 redpolls swarming their feeders - it was very busy! There were only a few individuals that were brightly plumaged males and I spent hours trying to get shots of them. I used my classic feeder setup to get these - attaching perches to the feeder poles with zip ties.
EOS 1DSmIII; 500/4IS; ISo 400; 1/320s @ f/6.3

Timber (Grey) Wolves

Today I went to a private game park to photograph captive Timber (Grey) Wolves. The weather conditions were idyllic - bright overcast with periods of snow. And of course, the wolves were magnificent!

Photos with EOS 1DsmIII; 500/4 IS lens (some with 1.4 x & 2x teleconvertors)
ISO 400; manual metering off snow + 2 (confirmed by checking histogram)