More Panama photos: Tanager, Bat Falcon, Soberania National Park sunrise

I'm still alive and back safely in Ontario after a fantastic trip to Panama! Sorry for the gap in posts, I was en route to home and then buried with photo business upon arrival.

I have so many photos from Panama to share.... here are a few more. Will post more as I catch up on processing of the raw files. Check back soon!

Photo 1: Bat Falcon, Soberania National Park, Gamboa, Panama
Canon EOS 1Ds mark III; 500mm f/4 lens & 2x teleconvertor
A pair of Bat Falcons were roosting in the town of Gamboa and obliged for this photo at sunrise, shortly before taking off to hunt.

Photo 2: Lemon-rumped Tanager at Canopy Lodge, Panama
EOS 1Ds mark III; 500mm f/4 lens & 1.4x teleconvertor
The fruit feeders at Canopy Lodge are one of the best places I've ever photographed birds... it was a constant stream of tanagers and other colorful birds!

















Photo 3: Sunrise over Soberania National Park from the Canopy Tower, Gamboa, Panama
EOS 5D mark II; 70-200mm f/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad

Panama - part 3 (Pacas, Aracaris, Euphonias, Motmots... life is good!)

Having a great time down here... with some outstanding photo opps! First three photos are from the Soberania National Park area in Gamboa. The mammal is a Paca - a rarely photographed jungle animal. It was coming into the grounds of the research station where I was staying at night to feed. I laid down on the ground to get this eye level portrait and had someone shine a flashlight on it so there was enough light to focus.

Fruit Loops is my favorite cereal, so I was determined to get photos of toucan-family birds on this trip. This Chestnut-collared Aracari (below) was an unexpected bonus - it landed on the perch above the fruit feeder!

There's a National Geogrpahic assignment photographer shooting nocturnal mammals in the forest canopy - so he's rigged a tall scaffolding setup with a platform on top. I climbed up there in early morning to photograph canopy birds, but couldn't resist the beautiful sunrise over the forest.

I'm now staying at the beautiful Canopy Lodge (http://www.canopylodge.com/) in El Valle de Anton, and having incredible success with birds coming into the banana feeders. This is one of the best feeder spots I've ever seen and I'm definitely going to bring a bird photography workshop here in the future. Here are a couple from my first afternoon at the lodge yesterday. I'm tweaking the setup this morning and today's results will be even better!

There are abot a dozen male Thick-billed Euphonias (below) coming to the feeder! 

A Rufous Motmot (below) hangs around the lodge and periodically comes into the feeders. It was so close I couldn't fit the whole bird into the frame, so I opted for a head portrait.

All of these photos have been taken with an EOS 1Ds III; 500/4 IS lens [the Paca was shot with a 70-200/2.8 lens], usually with a 1.4x or 2x teleconvertor. A 580EX II flash has been used for fill light on all of the birds.

Gotta run..... many more birds to photograph!

Panama birds - part 2

Here are a couple of photos I shot today..... common birds that are coming into fruit feeders at the lodge where I'm staying. I put the stick over the feeder and the birds started using it almost immediately. 

Both photos were taken with an EOS 1Ds III; 500/4 IS & 2X teleconvertor; 580EX fill flash

Need sleep.... I'm baked from the heat!

Top photo: Red-legged Honeycreeper
Bottom photo: Blue-gray Tanager

Panama jungle birds!

Here's a quick post from the small town of Gamboa in the Soberania National Park area of central Panama. I've been having a great time photographing tropical birds including a mix of common and difficult to shoot species. My body is still adjusting to the persecuting heat and humidity - especially on the long daily walks in the jungle carring 40lbs of camera gear. The "Balboa" beers at lunch are well-earned and an aspirin after dinner helps to dull the pain in my back and shoulders!

I'm being hosted/guided by Advantage Tours Panama  and my guide Rey is finding lots of cool things to point my lens at. Check back for more photos soon... I have tons to share!

Photo 1 (below): Common Potoo, Metropolitan Park, Panama City
EOS 1Ds mark III; 500mm f/4 IS lens; 580 EX II flash (fill at - 1 2/3); Exposure: ISO 500; 1/80s @ f/7.1
A huge thanks to guide Roberto for leading us to this incredible and well-camouflaged bird! 

Photo 2 (below): Red-rumped Cacique in Metropolitan Park, Panama City

EOS 1Ds mark III; 500mm f/4 IS lens with 1.4x TC; 580EX II fill flash at -1 2/3; Exposure: ISO 640; 1/160s @ f/5.6

Photo 3 (below): Spectacled Owl, Gamboa, Panama
EOS 1Ds mark III; 500mm f/4 IS lens & 1.4x TC; 580EX II fill flash at -1 2/3; Exposure: ISO 640; 1/40s @ f/5.6

Countdown to Panama!

I'm packed and ready to catch a few hours sleep before my early morning flight to Panama. It's stressful traveling as a photographer these days.... so much gear to worry about with new security procedures and baggage regulations. Here's what's going with me:

In the first photo....
The large black dufflebag on the left is my checked luggage which contains clothing, tripod & heads, some camera accessories. The bag is durable, light and fully packed I'm able to just squeeze in under the weight restriction! I use clothes and spare shoes as padding to protect the tripod & other gear.

The black camera pack on the right is my carry-on containing all of my lenses, bodies, binoculars, etc. This is a new pack I just bought this past week - a Gura Gear "Kiboko" bag, which is large enough to fit all of my  basic camera gear (including my 500/4 lens)  yet extremely light so the pack doesn't add much weight. I love this bag! See second and third photos below for closeups of how the camera gear is packed in it.

The third bag (blue daypack) contains my laptop and a few basic travel items(chewing gum, magazine, Blackberry). This  my 'personal item' allowed for carry-on.

I'm off to bed for a short sleep. Check back in a couple of days to see some photos of Panama birds, wildlife and landscapes!

Icicles on the Georgian Bay shoreline in Bruce Peninsula National Park

The weather forecast for Saturday said sunny; my girlfriend and I had no other plans for the day...it was obvious what we had to do! Before sunrise, we hiked out to the Georgian Bay shoreline to spend the day photographing the icicles hanging from the cliffs in Bruce Peninsula National Park. Our friends with kids joined us and they had a great time sliding around on the ice!

Photos taken with EOS 5D mark II & 17-40mm lens with a 580EXII used for fill-flash.

Photocrati Fund: $5000 grants for photo projects

Check out this new program that provides $5000 grants to non-professional photographers working on important humanitarian and environmental projects. The grant is intended to identify great up-and-coming photography talent and give them a high profile platform for carrying out a worthwhile project. The distinguished board and panel of judges include some of the most celebrated environmental and cultural photographers in the world: Steve McCurry, Michael "Nick" Nichols, and Art Wolfe. [these are 3 of my favorite photographers]


Here's a link for more information. Note that the deadline for applications is March 15. 
 www.photocrati.com/photocrati-fund

Red-tailed Hawk and Barred Owl photos

Just returned from a short trip to eastern Ontario with my girlfriend. My aspirations were to photograph raptors; she was keen to check out the cross-country ski trails. There wasn't much snow on the trails, but the temperature was certainly 'wintery' at -19C on Saturday morning! The raptors - a Red-tailed Hawk and Barred Owl - co-operated beautifully! It was a fantastic weekend overall and as a bonus I had a chance to  catch up with some photo buddies, as well as meeting some other great bird photographers.

Here's a couple of initial photos:

Photo 1: Red-tailed Hawk
Canon EOS 1Ds mark III; 500mm f/4 IS lens; ISO 800; 1/640s @ f/4

















Photo 2: Barred Owl
Canon EOS 1Ds mark III; 500mm f/4 IS lens; ISO 400; 1/500s at f/5.6

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.

Big Tub Lighthouse (Tobermory) in winter glory!

A -27C windchill made it awefully difficult to find the motivation to get out of bed for a photo shoot this morning. The cold air temperature was causing a heavy mist from the surface of Georgian Bay which froze on the surrounding shoreline trees. It was a magical scene that could not be missed. I drank a big cup of coffee, dressed up in about 5 layers of clothing - including my very unfashionable, but extremely warm "Elmer Fudd" hat - and drove down the street to the Big Tub Lighthouse.

Strong winds were blowing spray all over everthing, including me and my camera gear. I found a spot in the trees that offered a bit of shelter and went to work. To prevent blurring of the moving branches, I clicked the shutter during calm periods between gusts of wind.
  























Photo 1: Canon EOS 1DsIII; TSE-24mm II tilt shift lens; Gitzo tripod & Really Right Stuff ballhead; mirror lock up & cable release. Exposure: ISO 400; 1/20 @ f/18

Photo 2: Canon EOS 1DsIII; TSE-24mm II tilt shift lens; Gitzo tripod & Really Right Stuff ballhead; mirror lock up & cable release. Exposure: ISO 400; 1/30 @ f/16. I was so cold that my brain wasn't working well.... I should have shifted the lens more to correct for the lean of the lighthouse in this photo.

I'm hoping for some sunshine before the frosting is gone from the trees.... that will be the ultimate for the scene!

Happy New Year!

I'm back in Tobermory after a bit of travel over the holidays... first to visit my Mom for Christmas and then to hang out with my friends on eastern Georgian Bay for new years eve. My holidays have been full of food, wine & socializing... and my camera has not been out much.

There were about a thousand Bonaparte's Gulls in Wheatley Harbour, just a short drive from my Mom's place... so I spent a few hours photographing them around Christmas. The light conditions were fairly dull, but it was a perfect chance to shoot them in flight. It pays to practise your technique on common species - this keeps your skills up so you're ready when a great opportunity presents itself.

Photo 1: Bonaparte's Gull (winter plumage) in flight, Wheatley Harbour, Ontario.
Canon EOS 1DsIII; 500/4 IS lens; Wimberley II head and Gitzo tripod.
ISO 400; 1/1250s @ f/4; Vertical image cropped from a horizontal frame.

It was snowing quite hard today while driving home from my friend's place. I could not resist stopping to shoot this snowy scene on the Nottawasaga River.

Photo 2: Nottawasaga River in snow - near Wasaga Beach, Ontario.
Canon EOS 1DsIII; 24-70/2.8 lens; ISO 200; 1/160s @ f/8; handheld. Converted to Black-and-white in Photoshop.

I've been working on the plans for my upcoming Panama trip lately, and the more research I do the more I get excited about it. Panama has an incredibly high diversity of birds and I'll be traveling with some friends who are excellent photographers... so we're going to have a heck of a trip. Will tell you more about it later.

Wishing you all the best in 2010!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!
I'm off to the Pelee area to spend a few days visiting family, but thought I'd sneak in a quick blog post before hitting the road.

I haven't been out shooting much in the past couple of weeks, which explains the lack of blog posts. Here's an update on what I've been up to.

The hard-drive on my main computer failed a couple of weeks ago and getting that problem solved has been a huge pain. I didn't lose any photos..... they're all backed up in triple redundancy (including off-site copies) but the process of getting the problem diagnosed, ordering a new drive and reinstalling all of my programs and files has been very time consuming. It's all the more challenging when you live in a small, remote town and the nearest computer shop is an hour and a half away!

This caused a backlog of photo submissions, which I'm now just about caught up on. For all of those aspiring photographers out there who romanticize about what it's like to be a freelance photographer, the reality is that it's a heck of a lot of time at a computer!

OK, I'll confess that it hasn't been all work lately..... winter is the time of year when I socialize more, catch up on movies and chill out.... all of which I have done plenty of lately! After travelling/living in a van all of last year, I've been catching up on lots of movies. Last week I saw the mega-budget movie "Avatar". I liked the special effect, but it went way overboard in terms of action sequences. Last night I rented "The Cove", a documentary about the slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. This is one of the most remarkable films I've ever seen.... beautifully filmed and produced, with a powerful and provocative message. I highly suggest watching this film.... two thumbs up from me.

On another note, you might wonder what a guy like me gets for Christmas. My Mom bought me a set of Pocket Wizards.... an FM wireless system for triggering cameras and flashes remotely. It's an awesome gift that I'll put to very good use with some creative wildlife photography! And I couldn't pass up a good deal on a pair of Swarovski binoculars for myself.... there's nothing wrong with spoiling yourself sometimes!

The most exciting news I have to share is that I'm heading to Panama next month for a bird photography trip. I've heard only great things about Panama's birdlife, wildlife and scenery, so the trip planning is fun and I can't wait to get down there!

Well that's enough rambling on..... eggnog and holiday food are waiting.

Have a fantastic holiday season and great photo opps in the New Year!

Varied Thrush in Tobermory !!!!

Varied Thrush, Tobermory - December 16, 2009
EOS 1Ds mark III, 500/4 IS lens & 2x teleconvertor; ISO 800; 1/125s @ f/8
Gitzo tripod with Wimberley II gimbal head

My neighbours called me a couple of days ago to report this rare bird visiting their feeder. The bird has continued to hang around for a couple of days and was seen today on the annual Christmas Bird Count. This is just a record shot to confirm the ID.... I'll be going back to get more photos for my collection (I need to use a flash to improve detail on the dark face)! Although only about 100m from my yard, I can't seem to lure the bird over to my feeders!

By the way, sorry for the lack of posts lately. The hard-drive on my main business computer crashed a few days ago, and although I have backups of everything.... it's been a pain having to restore all the files. Aside from this, I've been out socializing lately more than blogging.... tis the season!

Check back soon for some bird photos and winter landscapes!

2010 Great Ontario Outdoor Adventure calendar released

The 2010 Great Ontario Outdoor Adventure calendar has just been released by Ontario Tourism. The calendar features many of my photos, including the cover image of Flowerpot Island, the main July image and a Birds of Ontario feature with each month. Approx 300,000 copies will be distributed through various ways including: with the Jan/Feb issue of Canadian Geographic magazine, at the 2010 Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show (February) and at select MEC and Bass Pro stores. The calendar is complimentary.... to receive your free copy, visit  http://www.ontariotravel.net/outdoor  or call 1-800-ONTARIO.

The cover photo is from Flowerpot Island in Fathom Five National Marine Park near Tobermory, Ontario. The weather was better than I could ever have hoped for... glassy calm with beautiful morning light! I shot this handheld, laying in the back of a boat just above water level with a Canon EOS 5D mark II body, 24-70/2.8 lens and Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer lens. The exposure was: ISO 400; 1/200s @ f/9. The models were extremely cooperative, patiently paddling by for many repeat attempts to get all of the elements lined up perfectly for the image(a huge thanks  Karen and Lauren!). Drop by the Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show in February to see this photo as a huge backdrop for the Ontario Tourism display.

Camera Gear: free to a good home!

I'm cleaning out my gear closet and have a couple items that are free to the first person who emails me to claim them (North America only). All you have to do is cover shipping costs and if you're in the US, any taxes or duty are your responsibility.

1) Pentax manual camera system (I inherited this from my grandmother when she died and have never once used it).
Body: Pentax ME-F
Lenses (2): SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/2, SMC Pentax 28mm f/2.8
Flashes (4): Sunpak MX118, Kako 828, Bauer E16, Black's X-28

2) Epson P-2000 Multimedia Storage Viewer (40GB)
This is a refurbished unit that Epson had sent me on warranty repair. It works perfectly when plugged in, but not on battery. I'm not sure if it just needs a new battery, or if it's something else.

Send me a note with your address if you want either of them.
Cheers!
Ethan

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!

Yes, more sand ripples!

Sand ripples and clouds, Dorcas Bay, Bruce Peninsula National Park


I couldn't resist the dramatic clouds that rolled in a couple nights ago! I shot this from a slightly higher perspective than the photo in the previous post..... and managed to stay dry for a change!

EOS 1Ds mark III, TS-E 24mm II tilt-shift lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad (4x6" size, handheld in front of lens); mirror lock-up and cable release; Exposure: ISO 100; 2.5s at f/18

 

Sand Ripples at Sunset, Bruce Peninsula

Sand ripples at sunset, Dorcas Bay, Bruce Peninsula National Park
EOS 1Ds mark III, TS-E 24mm II tilt-shift lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 3 stop hard edge ND grad (4x6" size, handheld in front of lens); mirror lock-up and cable release; Exposure: ISO 100; 0.6s at f/16

Just a quick post....

About 10 minutes from my place, this beach faces west for unobscured sunsets and has extensive bands of sand ripples along the water's edge. When the skies look promising for a good sunset, I often race down there for a quick shoot. It's been the perfect spot to work with the new tilt-shift lens. To get these kind of photos, I lie in the wet sand with my Gitzo tripod lowered to ground level. The low perspective exaggerates the foreground sand ripples and adds depth to the photo. I end up soaked and covered in sand after shooting here, but that's part of the fun of nature photography!

Sunrise on Georgian Bay with the new 24mm Tilt-Shift lens

I seem to be doing more socializing, exploring and photo work lately than actually getting out shooting. There are many old friends to catch up with now that I'm settling back into life on the Bruce Peninsula. And after being on the road for a year, I'm finally tackling business projects that have been on the back burner for far too long. Top of the priority list is a searchable photo database for my website, which is pretty much essential to run a stock photography business.   

In the overall scheme of pacing, taking regular breaks from shooting keeps my photo mojo fresh!

The weather over the past couple days has been incredible, so I hiked out in darkness this morning to the Georgian Bay shoreline in Bruce Peninsula National Park for a sunrise shoot with my new tilt-shift lens. What a beautiful, crisp morning!

It's going to take me a bit of practice to become comfortable and efficient shooting with the tilt-shift lens. With full depth-of field my goal for landscape photos, getting the tilt adjusted just right and paired with an optimal aperture, requires a bit of fooling around.... I'm sure I'll have the hang of it soon. 

Although I've only shot this lens a couple of times now and am still learning how to use it, I am already amazed by the sharpness! And I'm similarly impressed by the depth of field that can be achieved at middle-of-the road apertures. Sweet!

Above photo: Predawn glow over Georgian Bay in Bruce Peninsula National Park; EOS 1Ds mark III; TS-E 24mm II tilt shift lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 3 stop hard edge ND grad (handheld in front of lens); mirror lock-up and cable release; ISO 200; 4s @ f/16

Above photo: Waves crash at sunrise, Georgian Bay shoreline in Bruce Peninsula National Park; EOS 1Ds mark III; TS-E 24mm II tilt shift lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer & 3 stop hard edge ND grad (handheld in front of lens); mirror lock-up and cable release; ISO 400; 1/15s @ f/11

For this photo, I needed a shutter speed of 1/15s to blur the wave slightly, yet still have defined streaks of water. I also wanted full-depth-of field in the photo. The solution: tilt the lens and set a moderate aperture which allowed for the desired shutter speed.

Check back soon for more tilt-shift photos. And if you want to see some results from Canon's new 17mm tilt-shift, check out this post on Mac Danzig's blog.

Photoshop and Nature Photography: How Far is Too Far?

Here's a link to a brilliant article written by Darwin Wiggett and Samantha Chrysanthou on Naturephotographers.net online magazine/forum:

Photoshop and Nature Photography: How Far is Too Far?

Entertaining and thought-provoking, they tackle the great debate between the "Purists" and "Processors". Their photos are, of course, excellent too. Kudos to Darwin and Samantha for hitting this one bang on!

Trip retrospective on the Singh-Ray filters blog

Check out the latest post on the Singh-Ray Blog - a retrospective look back at my travels over the past year. Their blog is well-worth following.... the photos are inspirational and it's an excellent resource for learning how to use filters in outdoor photography!

First photos - Canon 24mm Tilt-Shift lens (TS-E 24mm II)

Above photo: Sunset over Dorcas Bay, Bruce Peninsula National Park

EOS 5D mark II; TS-E 24mm II tilt shift lens; Singh-Ray 2-stop reverse edge ND grad (handheld in front of lens); mirror lock-up and cable release; ISO 200; 1/6s @ f/11

Above photo: Sunset over Dorcas Bay, Bruce Peninsula National Park

EOS 5D mark II; TS-E 24mm II tilt shift lens; Singh-Ray 3-stop hard edge ND grad (handheld in front of lens); mirror lock-up and cable release; ISO 200; 1s @ f/11

I've been dying to get out with my new 24mm tilt shift lens since buying it last week, but the weather has been so dull... I had resorting to shooting in my kitchen and living room! You can imagine how elated I was to see the skies shaping up for a great sunset this evening. Off I raced to a prime sunset spot along the Lake Huron shoreline.
 
Becoming proficient with a tilt-shift lens takes some practice, and I am far from good at it yet. But the initial results have me extremely excited. This lens is razor sharp from corner to corner, without the soft edges, vigneting and barrel distortion issues that plague Canon's other wide-angle lenses [these problems are most obvious on full-frame sensor bodies]). I expect the tilt-shift is to become my bread-and-butter lens for landscape and outdoor recreation photography... and it's only a matter of time until I get the 17mm version too.
 
For the above photos, I used the tilt feature to increase depth of field so everything was in focus from the foreground (only inches from the lens) to the distant horizon at f/11 - amazing! With other (non tilt-shift lenses), it would have taken a small aperture of f/22  to get the same depth. The tilt-shift lens allows you to shoot at more optimal apertures for lens sharpness and with faster shutter speeds.   
 
By the way, I would normally use a polarizer for these photos (to cut the bluish glare of the water and wet stand) - but I had to order a larger size to fit the new lens (it has an 82mm front end). Once it arrives - look out - this will be a deadly landscape photography setup! More to come.

VW Van Farewell, Canon's new 24 Tilt-Shift lens and Twitter

Much to tell you since the last post!

Above photo: "Turtle" and I on the Texas coast in April.

I've parted ways with "Turtle", my VW Westfalia van/home for the past year. Why the name "Turtle", you ask? It was my shell, providing refuge from intense desert sun, frigid nights and coastal downpours during my travels. And like most VW Westy vans, it was very slow... especially on hills!

Turtle and I had a love/hate relationship, exploring incredible landscapes but also stopping frequently to share my life savings with repair shops. A young couple bought the van yesterday to begin their own journey southwest. Lucky for them, most of the major repairs have been completed!

Above photo: Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II lens

With some extra cash in my pocket from selling the van, I bought the new Canon 24mm Tilt-Shift lens yesterday. There have been some great reports about this lens from other photographers (FYI, I never buy a piece of camera gear as soon as it's released... I wait for several months until its been tested by others). 

There are a couple of huge benefits of Tilt-Shift lenses for landscape and outdoor adventure photography: 
-not distorting objects such as lighthouses, trees or people (which 'bend' with typical wide angle lenses)
-more depth of field... allowing for faster shutter speeds and sharper images because you are able to shoot at optimal apertures such as f/8 or f/11 and still get full depth-of-field.

Expect to see some images with the new lens in coming posts.... I can't wait to get out shooting with it!

Incidentally, I would have preferred the extra wide focal length of  Canon's new 17mm TS lens, but the front lens is convex, so it's not possible to put a polarizer on it. Darn!

Twittering? Yes, it was only a matter of time before I'd get with the times and start twittering. Click this link to stay current with what I'm up to: Follow Ethan on Twitter

Thanks and happy shooting!

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009 Awards

The Wildlife of the Photographer of the Year competition just announced the 2009 winners. Check out some of the finest nature photography in the world... lots of inspiration here:

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/temporary-exhibitions/wpy/onlineGallery.do

My favourite photos from among the winners are:

-Sardine round-up by Paul Nicklen (Canada) in the "Animal Behaviour: All Other Animals" category
-Starling wave by Danny Green (UK) in the "Nature in Black and White" category
-Deer in the grove of giants by Floris Van Brugel (US) in the "Animals in the Environment" category
-Wild, wild wolverine by Sergey Gorshkov (Russia) in the "Animal Portraits" category
-Ice Fox by Henrik Lund (Finland) in the "Animals in the Environment" category
-Wild spring garden by Floris Van Brugel (US) in the "In Praise of Plants" category

A full year on the road!

Today marks a full year of traveling since hitting the road last autumn. What a wild trip it has been.... many miles, incredible places and experiences..... and more photos than I probably know what to do with.  After such a long time living wanderlust, I've decided to settle back down in Ontario for the foreseeable future. Life on the road is grand, but a year is a long time to live in a van (especially by yourself!) ..... so I'm looking forward to being in one place for a while. I've rented a beautiful house near Georgian Bay and will be working on some cool projects,  getting my new photos into circulation and recharging my bank account (van repairs were damn expensive!). I'm particularly going to enjoy regular showers, home-cooked food and an indoor plumbing (versus always having to pee behind trees)!  

Thought you might be interested in a few basic trip stats from the year....
- 78,500 km driven
-  1,020 km waked carrying my camera gear
- 87,000 photos taken
- $16,500 spent on van repairs/maintenance
- 433 bird species seen
- favorite place: giant redwood forests of northern California
- 19,000 different blog visitors

If you've been following the blog, you'll be pleased to know that I did not break my 6 day record of wearing the same t-shirt. And I only ate 3 bags of Oreos during the entire trip!

How about my favorite photos from the past year? Here are a few that stand out in my mind:

Above photo: Star trails over Jumbo Rocks, Joshua Tree National Park, California

Above photo: The Subway canyon in Zion National Park.

Above photo: Salt Creek cracked mud, Death Valley National Park, California

Above photo: American White Pelican landing, Salton Sea, California

Above photo: Painted Bunting, central Texas coast.

So what are my next big trips? Aside from some shorter trips within North America, my top destinations are Madagascar and Australia. Those are fairly expensive destinations, so I'll be saving my cash for a while.... even if it requires surviving on dried cat food and cheap wine.

Wood Ducks in autumn colors

I'm in Cleveland, Ohio for the weekend at the North Chagrin Reservation pond, considered the premier location to photograph Wood Ducks with fall color reflections. I arrived at the pond (next to the Nature Centre) around lunch time and by the time I stopped photographing at dusk, I'd shot 973 images. The pond has many tame wood ducks, beautiful reflections and gets bathed in soft evening light. What more could you ask for?

I've been back in the hotel room all evening editing the photos... my eyes are bugging out from staring at the laptop.

Here's a travel tip: I stay in hotels often and save a pile of cash by booking them through discount sites such as hotwire or priceline. Tonight's room (in a 3.5 star hotel) cost about half the usual price.

Here are a few quick picks. All shot with an EOS 1Ds mark III; 500/4 IS lens (first two with a 1.4x teleconverter). More coming in the next post.

Point Pelee National Park & Holiday Beach Conservation Area

Sorry for the long wait for another post, but I've actually been working this week! My photo collection had outgrown my storage system, so I shifted to an upscalable Drobo storage system (a bank of hard drives). At the same time I've added all of the photos from the past year (hundreds of GBs). I have a well-edited collection, but it's still over a terrabyte of data. All the files are backed up in triple redundancy (you can never be too careful) and it takes a heck of a long time to complete a major backup!

I'm down in the Pelee area (my mom lives here, so I am visiting) and have been doing a bit of photography  when not at my computer. I've been mostly chasing birds and shoreline images.

For the first photo at the tip of Point Pelee National Park, the light was fairly flat and the beach lacked strong foreground elements. To create a more dramatic image I used a 2-stop hard edge ND grad (Singh-Ray) to darken the clouds and a slow shutter speed (1/4 second) to blur the water for a sense of movement in the foreground. In landscape photography, these kind of tricks are akin to pulling a rabbit out of a hat. When conditions are dull, there are always creative techniques to make a stronger photo.  EOS 1Ds mark III; 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo polarizer & 2 stop hard edge ND grad; ISO 200; 1/4s at f/18; mirror lock-up & cable release

For this next photo of a White-throated Sparrow, I had set up a blind in my Mom's backyard (it's an incredible yard for migrating birds) and put out some feeders. Dozens of sparrows came in to ground feed and one would occasionally land on a strategically placed log. EOS 1Ds mark III; 500/4IS lens & 1.4x teleconverter; 580EX II flash (fill set at -1 2/3); ISO 400; 1/200s at f/5.6   

I spent a few mornings trying to photograph migrating hawks from the famous tower at Holiday Beach Conservation Area. It seems that every day I missed, the hawks were low and plentiful. On the days I was there, the birds were flying high... except for this flock of Mute Swans (an exotic species that nest in the marsh at Holiday Beach) which flew by the tower - low - in early morning light. EOS 1Ds mark III; 500/4 IS lens & 1.4x teleconverter. ISO 400; 1/2000s at f/5.6.  

Monarch Butterfly Migration at Point Pelee National Park

I stumbled across good numbers of roosting Monarch Butterflies yesterday morning at the tip of Point Pelee National Park while leading a private photo workshop. There were easily a thousand monarchs, including some groups nearing 100 individuals. It was a sunny morning, the monarchs were low.... what more could we ask for!


Photo 1: Canon EOS 1Ds mark III; 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer; Exposure: ISO 400, 1/80s, f/14


Photo 2: Canon EOS 1Ds mark III; 17-40mm lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer; 580 EXII flash (fill set at -2/3); Exposure: ISO 400, 1/125s, f/11

Photo 1: Canon EOS 1Ds mark III; 70-200/2.8 lens; Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer; Exposure: ISO 400, 1/60s, f/8

Canon EOS 7D camera body

I'm down in southern Ontario visiting my family and waiting for better light to photograph migrating raptors in flight at Point Pelee and Holiday Beach. Peregrine Falcons were moving yesterday but the weather was overcast and drizzly, so no photo opps. Crossing my fingers for some clearer skies!

I've been getting many emails from photographers asking for my thoughts about the just released Canon EOS 7D. I'm not in the market for a new body right now, so I haven't had a 7D in my hands yet. But I have been reading some of the reviews in the online photo forums and it sounds like it could be a great value body for bird & wildlife photography. When looking for information about new cameras, these are the websites where I start my research:

Rob Galbraith - Digital Photography Insights

Canon Rumours

The Luminous Landscape

dpreview

Naturscapes.Net (forum discussion about the 7D)

EOS 1D Mark II N for sale; Aspiring bird photographer

A couple of quick notes here:

1) My friend Bryan Holliday from Phoenix, AZ has a Canon EOS 1D Mark II N for sale in great shape. Interested? Check out Bryan's blog for more information.

2) A couple years ago I met an aspiring young birder named Brendan Toews after he discovered the first nesting Piping Plovers at Sauble Beach, Ontario in decades. Brendan quickly became hooked on bird photographry and has been building a good portfolio of images ever since. Check out some of his work on his website.