Newfoundland luck

I'm not a big believer in the notion of luck. In photography, you have to be out in the field and prepared for the unexpected. In essence you create your own luck. The photos below are two examples of being in the right place and ready to shoot.


Photo 1: Red Fox (silver/black morph), northern Peninsula, Newfoundland; EOS 1DsIII; 500/4IS lens & 1.4x teleconvertor.

This fox was walking along the roadside, so I quickly got my camera ready and doubled-back. I photographed it out of the side door of my van..... there was only enough time for about 10 shots before it took off.
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FOX ID UPDATE: Thanks to a couple of other photographers emailing me about the fox - and some internet research - here's more info about it. The species is indeed Red Fox, but the colour morph is commonly known as the "Silver Fox". Apparently this colour morph was created through selective breeding for the fur industry. Animals in the wild may be decendents or cross-breeds with once captive individuals.
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Photo 2: Sunset, Trout River area of Gros Morne National Park; EOS 1DsIII; 24-70mm lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad

After cooking an exquisite surf & turf dinner over a campfire and sitting down to enjoy a glass of wine, I noticed some glowing clouds (it had been heavy overcast all evening). My friend and I raced over to a grand landscape vista we'd scouted earlier in the afternoon. We had only a couple minutes to shoot one of the most spectacular sunsets of the trip to Newfoundland.

Newfoundland Puffins, Whales & Lobster Traps

When you're out photographing all the time, you have good days and bad days. Weather plays a big role in your photographic success. After numerous foggy/overcast days and Hurricane Bill forecast to hit eastern Newfoundland, I was hoping for a good day. And then I found puffins - lots of them flying and landing within close range. To say that my photo mojo peaked is an understatement. As birds go, puffins are way up on the very cool list. I had only 2 hours with them before the remenants of the hurricane ended the shoot with heavy overcast skies, rain and winds. But those two hours were magical!


Photo 1: Atlantic Puffin, eastern Newfoundland; EOS 1DsIII; 500/4 IS lens & 1.4x teleconvertor; 580EX II for fill flash


Photo 2: Atlantic Puffin landing, eastern Newfoundland; EOS 1DsIII; 500/4IS lens & 2x teleconvertor


Photo 3: Beluga Whale, eastern Newfoundland

Departing eastern Newfoundland to travel back westwards across the province, we started the drive on a scenic coastal road. My friend spotted several humpback whales feeding on capelin schools in a scenic bay, so we stopped to see if we could hire a local fisherman to take us out for close photos. Although we couldn't hire a boat at that time, a local guy mentioned that a Beluga Whale was hanging out in the harbour. No sooner had the words come out of his mouth, and the beluga surfaced right next to the dock. For about an hour, we watched the beluga at close range, and played tug-o-war with the tame whale, as it playfully grabbed onto mooring lines from a fishing boat. What a great experience!

It was hard to leave the beluga, but we had a long drive across the province to make our next destination. At sunset we stopped near Castors River on the northwestern coast to camp for the night. Here's the view from where we camped....


Photo 4: Lobster Trap at sunset, Castors River, northwestern Newfoundland; EOS 1DsIII; 17-40mm lens, Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 5-stop hard edge ND grad (handheld during 8 second exposure)

More Newfoundland

Here are a few photos from the past week of exploring the Newfoundland coast. The scenery has been fantastic and the weather.... well, let's just say that it's classic coastal conditions (fog, rain!). I've been eating fresh seafood daily, in fact eating some as I write this! I'm tired and weary from a very rough boat tour this afternoon to see puffins and whales (too tough to photograph), so I won't write much now.


Photo 1: Change Islands, Newfoundland; EOS 1DsIII; 70-200/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray LB Colorcombo polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad


Photo 2: The fog rolls in at Cape Race, Newfoundland; EOS 1DsIII; 24-70/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray LB Colorcombo polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad


Photo 3: Cape Race Lighthouse in fog (converted to black & white in Photoshop); EOS 1DsIII; 24-70/2.8 lens


Photo 4: Northern Gannet landing, Cape St. Mary's, Newfoundland; EOS 1DsIII; 500mm IS lens


Photo 5: Northern Gannet flying past sunset, Cape St. Mary's, Newfoundland; EOS 1DsIII; 500/4 IS lens

Newfoundland - Twillingate & Fogo Island

Photo 1: Sunset at Twillingate, Newfoundland
EOS 1Ds mark III, 17-40 lens; Singh-Ray LB Colorcombo filter; 5-stop hard edge ND grad

Just a quick posting because I'm photographing on Fogo Island in northeastern Newfoundland and the cellular internet connection is slow. I've been in Newfoundland for only a few days, but it has been incredible. The first place I stopped at was Twillingate (photo above). I literally got out of the van and walked out to a scenic overlook as a pod of 3 killer whales swam by a few hundred feet below. Wow!

All superlatives apply here in Newfoundland. Not just a great place for photography, but a fantastic place to travel in general with the friendliest people you'll ever meet.

So far I've:
-camped in two of the most scenic campsites I've ever found
-ate the best ice-cream I've ever had at "Growlers" in the town of Joe Batt's Arm (had to go back twice just to confirm!)
-ate pan-fried cod, fresh off the boat

Life is good. Check back in a couple of days for more photos.


Photo 2: Fishing boat and outbuilding in Tilting, Fogo Island, Newfoundland
EOS 1Ds mark III; 24-70mm lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 2-stop hard edge ND grad

Northern Gannet colony on Bonaventure Island

Northern Gannet sky tilting (shot from ground level)
EOS 1DsIII; 500/4IS lens & 1.4x teleconvertor; 580EXII flash

I spent the other day photographing at the world's largest Northern Gannet colony on Bonaventure Island at the eastern tip of the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec. This was one of the most fun, action-packed days of shooting I've had in a long time. There are tens-of-thousands of gannets and non-stop opportunities to shoot them.

Getting to Bonaventure Island requires taking a tourboat from the adjacent town of Perce. Once on the island, it's a solid 45 minute hike to the colony. Wanting to have a full range of lenses with me, I carried my main camera pack plus another pack with the 500mm lens. Soaked in sweat on the humid morning, I was elated to finally reach the colony!

It was overcast and foggy in the morning, then sunny in the afternoon... which gave me a range of conditions to photograph in. All-in-all, it was a great day of photography!

Northern Gannet flying over colony

EOS 1DsIII; 24-70/2.8 lens & Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer; 580EXII flash

Northern Gannet landing in foggy conditions

EOS 1DsIII; 70-200/2.8 lens & 1.4x teleconvertor; 580EXII flash

Gaspe Peninsula - Quebec

I arrived yesterday on the Gaspe Peninsula in eastern Quebec. It's my first time here and I am blown away by the scenery. The southern coast of the St. Lawrence Seaway reminds me of the Big Sur Coast in California.... vibrant green undulating hills dropping into the sea.

I'm only here for a couple days, so have been busy shooting some of the regional icons. This morning I work up at 3:45 am to hike up a painfully steep 1.8km trail to a lookout tower over Cap-Bon-Ami in Forillon National Park. The pre-dawn light was bright red, but I couldn't shoot it from the trail (no vantage points). I made it to the tower right just in time for sunrise, which was dulled by thin clouds. There were a few breaks in the clouds with decent light for photos.

Sometimes I become so focused on a destination (the tower) that I overlook better - and easier to get to - locations. After hiking back down to my van, I found that the most photogenic spot was right below the parking lot. By that time I got there, the light had become too drab to shoot. There's a good reason to get back there again.... and I look forward to not having to do that brutal hike again!

The following three photos were shot from the lookout tower.


EOS 1DsIII; 24-70/2.8; Singh-Ray Gold'n'Blue Polarizer; 2-stop hard edge ND grad; mirror lock-up & cable release


EOS 1DsIII; 24-70/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad; mirror lock-up & cable release


EOS 1DsIII; 24-70/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad; mirror lock-up & cable release


This evening I made it to the famed Perce Rock and found a beautiful patch of Fireweed, which I used for a foreground.


EOS 1DsIII; 24-70/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 2 stop hard-edge ND grad; mirror lock-up & cable release

How I store/backup my photos.

I'm gearing up to leave this week for a month of shooting in the Atlantic Provinces (PEI, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland). The original plan was to spend August in the Yukon, but the mishap with the van (see earlier post "van vs tree") and subsequent time to have the body work done ended up pushing back my departure date. Facing a 5 day drive (each way) and reduced window of time for the trip, I've decided to go to the much-closer east coast.

This past week I did a marathon of office work (processing raw files) to be caught up before hitting the road in a few days. Over the duration of my travels since last October, I've added a huge number of photos to my collection. The importance of properly storing and backing up the collection is always on my mind. Several people have asked me how I do this, so here's the scoop.
For years, my approach has been to have 4 copies of my collection as follows:

1) Primary drives in my desktop computer that I use as the current working copy of my photo collection.
2) A second set of drives in my desktop computer setup as a "Raid 1" configuration. These automatically mirror the primary drives so there's an up-to-date backup copy in case of a primary drive failure.
3) A backup copy of the entire collection on external hard-drives that I keep offsite at a friend's house in case of fire or flood at my house.
4) Another backup copy of the photo collection on external hard drive that travels with me so I always have access to my photos.

It should go without saying that you need to backup regularly!

My photo collection has grown so large that it has become difficult to manage storing it on individual hard drives. Last week I bought a Drobo storage system and a set of new drives (Western Digital Caviar Green drives which are rated as some of the most reliable drives) which will replace the function of #1 and #2 above. I'm not a technology expert so I won't try to explain how the Drobo works, but you can google it for more info. After I get back from the Atlantic trip, I'll be migrating my files to the Drobo and look forward to the new system.

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

Georgian Bay

Photo 1: A touboat passes a Georgian Bay vista in Bruce Peninsula National Park. EOS 1DsIII; 24-70/2.8; Singh-Ray 2 stop hard edge ND grad (4x6" size)

I'm currently up in the Georgian Bay area shooting a tourism assignment and having fun visiting my favourite photo locations and connecting with old friends. It's been a busy week taking care of all the logistics for the assignment.... coordinating models, locations, support, etc... but the photos are starting to come together.

I just bought a Canon EOS 5D mark II for a secondary/backup body..... my initial impression after a couple days is that it's an amazing camera. More about it later. I also replaced my waterlogged Canon G9 with a new point & shoot. The G10 was high on my mind until a friend at the FotoArt camera store in Owen Sound put a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 in my hands. I became enamoured with it. Why? It's shockproof, waterproof, easy to use, 12MP and bright blue. It should be fairly difficult for me to lose or destroy, at least that's what I'm hoping. Why do I carry a point & shoot? To capture shots of me in the field, and to spare the risk of pulling out an expensive SLR after a couple bottles of wine at a party.


Photo 2: Photographer on Georgian Bay shoreline in Bruce Peninsula National Park. EOS 1DSIII; 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray LB Colorcombo polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad (4x6")


Photo 3: Photographer silhouette at sunset. EOS 1DsIII; 70-200/2.8 lens


Photo 4: Friends admiring a Georgian Bay sunset. EOS 1DSIII; 24-70/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad (4x6")


Photo 5: Using my new point & shoot camera to photograph the best-patch of Showy Lady's Slippers I've ever seen. [don't ask where, I'm sworn to secrecy on these]. EOS 1DSIII; 24-70mm lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer

Cliffs & Caves: Bruce Peninsula Photo Workshop

Photo: Halfway Log Dump in Bruce Peninsula National Park
[image taken during previous workshop]

Photo Workshop Announcement
Cliffs and Caves: The Bruce Peninsula Landscape
September 12-13, 2009

Join Ethan on the Bruce Peninsula for some of the most spectacular scenery in Canada. Learn pro tips and techniques for making dramatic landscape photos.

Click here for more information or to register.

Book now to ensure a spot, this workshop is expected to fill quickly!

SOLD: Canon 50D - like new

SOLD
Canon 50D body with accessory BG-E2N battery grip and spare battery. Price: $1400 Cdn takes all. Will include shipping within Canada. This will save you a few hundred bucks if you were to buy new in Canada now (with taxes).

Details:
The camera is in brand-new condition (purchased in February), in the original box with all the standard items (CDs, cables, strap). Still under Canon warranty.

This is one of my backup bodies and has barely been used Am selling because I just bought other backup bodies and no longer need the 50D.

The 50D is an excellent camera that impressed me with its lightening fast autofocus and fast frame rate.. ideal for bird or wildlife photography. Full details, reviews and photos of the 50D are widely available on the web.

Payment (cheque, money order, cash, e-transfer) necessary before shipping. I'll guarantee the condition of the camera as stated.... full money back if not satisfied.

I've shot some nice photos with this body including the Red-throated Loon in the previous post, and this American White Pelican photo:

Duct Tape, Beaver Ponds & Mosquitoes - Northern Ontario

Photo 1: The peace symbol failed to ward off an aggressive tree, which attacked the back of my van. A sheet of plastic and roll of duct tape salvaged the rest of the photo tour.
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I just did a 10 day loop through northern Ontario, heading west along the north shore of Lake Superior and then cutting back east/south along Hwy 11 through myriad of small northern towns. This was not a great trip, for several reasons:

1) The weather was crappy for much of my time along the north shore of Superior, an area with some of the finest scenery in Canada.

2) Costly mishap with the van (see photo above).

3) The mosquitoes were unbelievably bad, perhaps the worst I've experienced in Ontario (due to the cool, wet spring). I considered drinking bug spray.

3) My Canon G9 point & shoot camera was sacrificed to appease the photo gods [it fell into beaver pond]. It is now a photo "prop".



Photo 2: Red-throated Loon in Cochrane, Ontario.
I was surprised to see and get my first photos of this species.
EOS 50D & 500/4IS



Photo 3: Early morning in the Temagami area (after a night with only 2 hours sleep, due to mosquitoes which found their way into my camper).
EOS 1DsIII, 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad


Photo 4: Beaver swimming in the same pond where my Canon G9 learned to swim.
EOS 1DsIII; 500/4 IS lens & 1.4x teleconvertor


Photo 5: Snapping Turtle laying eggs on roadside.
EOS 1DsIII, 17-40mm lens, Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer

Algonquin Park - fall colours photo workshop

Autumn in Algonquin Photo Workshop
September 25-27, 2009

Please join myself and fellow pro photographer Mike Grandmasion for a fall colour photo workshop we're coleading in Algonquin Park. The workshop is sponsored by Outdoor Photography Canada Magazine and is timed to coincide with the peak season of fall colours.

For more information, or to register, visit:
http://www.outdoorphotographycanada.com/workshop.html

Check out Mike's website: http://www.grandmaison.mb.ca/

Accommodations are at the Algonquin Lakeside Inn, my favourite base for shooting Algonquin Park: http://www.algonquininn.com/

Hope to see you there!

Trek to the Peregrine Falcon nest

Photo 1: That's me on the edge of a high cliff photographing a peregrine nest. Thanks to Christine Vance for getting this shot of me with my Canon G9.

Last night I joined some biologist friends to check the status of a Peregrine Falcon nest on the north shore of Superior. The trek to the nest site was fairly brutal... steep bushwacking with lots of places to clamber over boulders and dropoffs. It wouldn't have been so bad, but of course I was carring camera gear which included a 500/4 lens and tripod. Perhaps I'm just a bit out of shape too!

We found our way to an overlook with a good view of the nest (peregrines nest on cliff-face rock ledges). I used my 500/4 lens with a 2x teleconvertor to get enough magnification for a decent shot. The nest was in shadow, making it very tough to get sharp photos at slow shutter speeds with the high magnification and moving chicks. Although these are by no means great photos, it was an incredible experience to see the nest and enjoy the stunning views of the Lake Superior shoreline.


Photo 2: Three Peregrine Falcon chicks in a nest on Lake Superior.
EOS 1DsIII; 500/4IS & 2X teleconvertor

Lake Superior Provincial Park

Photo 1: Lake Superior Provincial Park at sunset
EOS 1DsIII; 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer & 2 stop soft edge ND grad (4x6" size, handheld in front of lens); mirror lock-up & cable release
Exposure: ISO 200; 1.6s @ f/22


Photo 2: Lake Superior Provincial Park at sunset
EOS 1DsIII; 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray Gold'n'Blue polarizer & 3 stop hard edge Reverse ND Grad (4x6" size, handheld in front of lens); mirror lock-up & cable release
Exposure: ISO 200; 2.5s @ f/18


I'm up on the north shore of Lake Superior - one of my favorite places in Ontario. I arrived yesterday and had a great shoot last night in Lake Superior Provincial Park. The blackflies and mosquitoes are ferocious, but worth enduring for the amazing scenery.

It feels good to be back in the field for some intense shooting and camping out. For the past few weeks I've been tied up with office work & domestic duties which included preparing the van for the next leg of the trip, and getting my camera gear all in order. [that's why blog posts have been scarce]

Will post as often as I'm able to.... though it's difficult to find cellular/internet service up here!

Wildflower Workshop successful

Photo 1: Indian Paintbrush in Bruce Peninsula National Park
EOS 1DsIII; 70-200/2.8 lens; ISO 400; 1/20s @ f/8; mirror lock-up & cable release.

I just finished hosting a wildflower photography workshop this weekend in Tobermory, Ontario. This was the best year for wildflowers I've seen in a decade - the early species were hanging on in pristine condition due to the cool, wet spring... and the expected species popped out with the warm weather in the two days leading up to the workshop. The white variant Calypso Orchid and the dense patches of Indian Paintbrush were highlights for me.

Thanks to the group members - Al & Cathey, Janice, Carolyn, Joseph and Lily... who shared great enthusiasm for the blooms and early mornings. And a huge thanks to my friend and co-leader "111 mile" Ian Brooks (http://www.ianbrooks.net/) , whose knowledge of the Nikon system and penchance for gear is surpassed by few. Thanks Ian!


Photo 2: The workshop gang after a great lunch at "A Mermaid's Secret" cafe in Tobermory.



Photo 3: Co-leader Ian Brooks sports the latest style in black-fly protection.



Photo 4: Yellow Lady's Slippers were prime for photo ops.



Photo 5: Ram's Head Lady's Slippers (the first flower we photographed on the workshop).
EOS 1DsIII; 100/2.8 macro

I am alive in Ontario!

I am still alive and can explain the lack of blog posts:

1) Work - I hate to admit it, but I actually had to sit down at a computer and work over the past couple of weeks. I processed hundreds of photos from the trip and prepared several presentations. You know what I think of work? It's overrated!

2) Van - I spent the better part of 3 days this week sitting in VW mechanic shops trying to fix a mysterious sputtering problem with the van. It seems to be working now, but I fully expect someting else to go wrong with it shortly... that's what they do. If I can offer one key piece of advice to you.... don't buy a VW camper van unless you enjoy spending money on repairs or are a master VW mechanic yourself. They are high maintanence vehicles!

3) Wildflowers - I've been scouting and shooting in the Tobermory area in prep for my wildflower photo workshop this weekend. It's an unusually late year for wildflowers.... lots of early species are still out, and the expected species are just starting to bloom. The mix of species are perfect for the workshop!

Here's a couple photos from this week...

Photo 1: Proof I am still alive... that's me this morning at Halfway Log Dump in Bruce Peninsula National Park. My trek out there was good 'photo-therapy' after dumping far too much money on van repairs this week!

Photo 2: Calypso Orchid (white variant), Tobemory

EOS 1DSIII; 100mm/f2.8 macro lens

Photo 3: Early Coralroot, Tobermory

My first photos of this unusual orchid species.

EOS 1DSIII; 100mm/f2.8 macro lens

Photo 4: Indian Paintbrush

EOS 1DSIII; 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer & 3 stop hard edge ND grad

I've been shooting alot of wildflower scenes this spring, to diversify from my existing collection of closeup flowerp portraits.