I’m pleased to announce that my photo of two moose calves has been published in the spring/summer 2012 issue of Outdoor Photography Canada! Look for it the next time you’re browsing the magazine rack. This is at least my third full page photo that has been published with OPC.
Outdoor Photography Canada Hot Shot Spring/Summer 2012
From time to time I’ve come across intriguing “skyscapes”, often in the form of cloud formations or other interesting patterns. A long focal length helps to compress details and focuses on a smaller area of detail in the sky, allowing for more drama in the image than a wide angle photo. I find that in winter there are more opportunities for this, often due to low, scudding clouds, frequently with the sun partially visible from behind.
This particular photo was taken at night as a very large full moon began to rise, with an 800mm lens.
Full Moon behind partial cloud- Canon 1DIV - 800/5.6IS
This is the best photo I could find for today…wish I had some avocet photos in my collection, as they would be even more appropriate!
Common Tern courtship flight - Canon 7D - 800/5.6IS
With reports of early migration of tundra swans, I went back to process some of my photos of them. They are a species we typically only see in early spring, as they pass through. Present year round in Southern Ontario are Mute Swans, a non-native bird which is the most common swan. Less common, but still present in large numbers in winter are the trumpeter swans, the largest of the native swans. They can still be found throughout the summer, but mostly in marshes (such as Wye Marsh) in central Ontario where they breed.
I hope to add some more photos this year!
Tundra Swan Portrait - notice the distinctive yellow mark - Canon 1DIV - 800/5.6IS
Tundra Swan (foreground) and Trumpeter Swan (click to enlarge) - Canon 1DIV - 800/5.6IS
Tundra Swan on calm water (click to enlarge) - Canon 1DIV - 800/5.6IS
With 2011 wrapped up, it’s high time I updated my blog again. 2011 was personally a great year for photography, with trips to Algonquin Park, Banff NP, and a month-long road trip that took me to Florida, WV and various other locales. In many ways I felt I improved my technique, shooting productivity, general vision and became a much more effective photographer this year, which I’m really happy about.
I’ve uploaded a new batch of photos over the last few weeks, and I’ve also launched a Facebook page. I expect it will a better way of connecting with the public, and encourage you to check it out and ‘like’ the page! Updates will almost certainly happen more often on that page.
All the best!
I’ve been working on getting more photos processed, and have been busy uploading lately. There is lots more to come, including more photos from a recent trip to Banff NP and area.
View the updates page HERE
Algonquin Provincial Park, in Ontario, Canada is a fantastic destination for moose viewing. This is especially true during the spring, when moose are attracted to the slightly salty water near the highways, caused by runoff from the winter’s salting operations. I was able to photograph this large adult bull last spring, as he munched away beside the highway, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding crowd. So far this is the largest moose I’ve found, and it would be wonderful to meet him again (at a safe distance!) in the fall when he has shed the velvet.
Bull moose chomping down on vegetation (click to enlarge) - Canon 5DII - 800/5.6IS
Side profile view of a bull moose in a beaver pond (click to enlarge) - Canon 1DIV - 300/2.8IS
As technology has advanced, the methods used in modern birding have changed greatly. Primarily, online birding lists or forums give instant access to recent sightings, and result in many more people seeing a one day rarity, or being able to discuss birding topics with a large number of people at once.
Personally, I heavily use weather radar and other maps while in the field. It’s very helpful to know if the clouds on the horizon are simply a small shower, or a storm serious enough to warrant a retreat. Additionally, Google Maps is fabulous for making custom maps with bird locations or markers, and then being able to access it on your smartphone in the field. Satellite view is also very helpful, and as long as you have cell and GPS coverage, makes navigating through areas of forest with no distinct trails much easier and safer than without. With wireless email and internet, there have been times where I’ve seen a report of a rarity nearby, and have abandoned my current plans to go “chase” that bird. This is without even mentioning the bird identification and song playback apps available. I am content with my paper guides for now, since I don’t relish re-paying for something in electronic format, especially since I’m quite comfortable with the eastern birds and have little use for a field guide while birding in my area.
I’m curious to hear how others use technology with respects to birding – please do leave a comment!
For the past few weeks I’ve been on the road, concentrating on nothing but bird photography. The focus of my trip was Florida, and particularly for birds and associated activity that was more specific to this time of year. I traveled nearly 10,000km and came back with over 300GB of photos (after initial evening culling sessions). Generally, most birders visit Florida earlier in the year, but in early May there are many different opportunities for rookery activity, baby chicks of many sorts and several species that are generally only present in summer, including the black-necked stilt and least tern. I made Snowy Plover and their chicks a major target, and am happy to say I more than met my goals for capturing images of both them and Wilson’s Plover with chicks, not to mention baby burrowing owls! You can see a rough video of their antics here.
My only regret is that I couldn’t spend more time in Florida and visit a few other areas. I lost a few sessions to weather, but overall weather was conducive to bird photography, if a bit windy at times, making it difficult to achieve photos on calm water. I managed to visit most of the hotspots in Florida, including St. Augustine rookery, Viera Wetlands, Cruickshank Sanctuary, Blue Cypress Lake, Kissimmee Prairie, Merritt Island, Fort de Soto, Venice Rookery, Bunche Beach, Lido Beach, Tigertail Beach, Little Estero Lagoon and Cape Coral. Whenever I return, I would like to make a point of visiting Joe Overstreet and area (snail kites), the Everglades (earlier in the year is better), and Merritt Island (also better earlier), and Wako/Lox/Green Cay.
On my way home I spent some time in West Virginia photographing warblers with Jacob Spendelow. It was a very fun and rather productive weekend, with several lifers for me. Currently vegetation is quite advanced in southern Ontario and makes deciduous forest shooting more difficult. I plan to work on some targets locally, and perhaps warblers within a few hours of home for the next few weeks. It’s hard to believe that the peak of spring bird activity will be winding down by the end of the month.
I’m happy to share that one of my indigo bunting photos is published in the spring edition of Outdoor Photography Canada. It’s on page 10, and is a full page photo. Check it out!
Lately I have been photographing migrant ducks locally with considerable success, having taken photos of species I previously had less coverage of, including horned grebes, red-breasted merganser, redhead, american wigeon and white-winged scoter. Stay tuned for photos, and in the meantime, I have uploaded some new photos and am slowly making headway with my enormous photo processing backlog.
Indigo Bunting Singing (click to enlarge)