We started planning this trip more than 8 months ago so for once I have plenty of time to consider what I need/want to bring with me from a gear perspective.
Read MoreSummertime Bald Eagles - a few pointers for those who want to get some interesting eagle shots.
Summer can be difficult for nature photographers, the spring migration is over and here on the wet coast we are eagerly awaiting the salmon to head up river as autumn arrives. Here in Campbell River we do have a huge number of Bald eagles along the coast in summer and they can be very active fishing off the coast or just grabbing leftovers from the fisher people as they come back from a day on the water.
Read MorePersistence and Patience - Short eared owls
Sometimes there are dry spells, sometimes months between interesting moments when you do nature photography. After the Salmon spawning season last fall I have been experiencing one of those times. Three months of rain nearly every day then a cold spell made it difficult to get out much in a time of the year when there often isn't much to shoot. Even when there may be something out there you still need a good deal of patience.
Read MoreSony A1 II - Seemingly a disappointment, but a fantastic camera
My thoughts on the latest flagship camera from Sony and what it means for the gear I will purchase in the near future.
Read MoreSecond tier Nature photography setups from each brand.
If you are, or want to be, a nature photographer there is a bit of gear that is actually necessary to be able to do so. Most of us are aware of the high-end gear, those huge lenses that cost as much as a small car, and the high speed, high resolution cameras that the companies show off with all the latest tech (or so we are told), and if price was no object, or if it is your full time job and can write the expenses off, then this article isn’t for you!
Read MoreSalmon run on Vancouver Island - How to get Good shots while Watching Black Bears get Fat
As fall approaches we wait for the first rains to help the water flow in the rivers along the coast of Vancouver Island. Here on the Island, the main species I like to photograph that benefit from this abundance are the Black bears….
Read MoreSigma, Please bring it back!
For many years my go to lens for nature photography, especially for lower light conditions, was the Sigma 120-300 f/2.8. This was by far the sharpest lens I had ever owned at least until the Canon 500 f/4 II.
Read MoreMy love/hate relationship with the Canon R5 and what to do with the R5 Mark II.
About 2 months ago I sold my Canon R5 with a couple things in mind. I knew there was a Canon R5II coming soon and the rumours looked like it might be a camera worth keeping my 500 F/4 II lens to use. I also figured that Sony would need to come out with something similar in the near future and it is likely that one of those two options will decide what gear I will be using for the next few years.
Read MoreWinter trip - Final stage - ...and this little piggy went wee wee wee all the way home
Our winter trip took a bit of a turn to the east so that we could go to a boat show in Florida, after some fixes to the trailer in east Texas we made a bee line to Miami spent a week there and then quickly again started to head back west.
Read MoreFujifilm GFX100 II - is this a camera system for people who do both wildlife and landscape photography?
Like many photographers I have looked at medium format cameras as a possible next step up in that search for, well just more. More resolution without making the pixel size smaller, more color depth, more dynamic range possible…mostly just more.
Read MoreNikon - you’re certainly tempting me!
For the most part we are very happy with the gear that we have for photography and video work but….and this is quite a but….Nikon has been turning my head quite often with the gear they have been putting out.
Read MoreWinter trip - Stage 3 - Desert States
When it is time to run from the cold and rain the desert states seem like the perfect place to get back to sunshine and that dry heat. That was the plan and for the most part we found a good amount of sun but for some odd reason the cold was still following us down from the north.
Read MoreWinter trip - Stage 2 - Quickly down the US west coast
Coastal photography, we have spent a great deal of time shooting on the east coast of the US when we lived in South Carolina. The west coast is a different beast altogether. Rocky coastlines, big waves crashing, fantastic tidal pools all make for very different shots and of course the fact that the sun goes down over the ocean instead of rising again makes shooting very different.
Read MorePredictions and hopes for Sony gear in the coming year (or two). ( Updates now that the A7RV is out)
From the start of the mirrorless camera era Sony was quick to come out with both many cameras and many lenses each year. This allowed Sony to quickly make improvements in a way that I never saw Canon or Nikon do during the DSLR era.
Read MoreNature photography on the road - Chasing the sun (blog version) part 1.
I had a plan. This plan was to reduce the amount of time I spend working in my real job (I am a physicist who migrated to the financial world to build computer software and systems for mathematical modeling). If I did this right I would be able to take some long trips to do the types of photography I love in new places for extended periods.
Read MoreCanon EOS R5 vs Sony A7RIV
As a Nature and wildlife photographer there was a “holy grail” camera that I had been looking for. High resolution, great tracking autofocus, and high number of frames per second for that tracking.
Read MoreMeet the new neighbors - a rundown of completely new to me nature in our first months in BC
One of the best things about moving to new locations is that we get a whole new set of sights and sounds when it comes to animal and bird life. After our short stay in the Niagara region to complete an 18 month contract in Buffalo we finally committed to our long term plan to get to the west end of North America.
Read MoreWildlife sampler from the Kootenays
Extending from the last post that focused mostly on landscapes, let’s take a quick look at what we were able to see in the way of wildlife in the Kootenays on our short stay.
Read MoreA month in the Kootenays
As it was just the start of winter, it can be a challenge to get places to shoot nature. Most travel from Nelson requires traversing at least one mountain pass which can and most likely will have some significant snow and ice and can also be rather treacherous to drive.
Read More12 Best Photos of 2020
Last year will go down as one of the oddest years for most. It definitely wasn’t the best year for nature and landscape photography but I still managed to get out and get some shots for the portfolio.
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