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Tech Blog - Nikon, You are definitely tempting me.
Nikon was slow to embrace the mirrorless camera evolution and it’s first foray into Z mount was a bit lackluster but they have slowly built up a nice set of lenses especially for nature photography and their latest cameras are very competitive and undercut Canon and Sony on a price for capability perspective.
Winter Photo trip - Stage 3 - The Desert States
Once we moved in land from the California coast into the desert climates the weather was supposed to get much warmer. We it did show some sunlight but as usual we were met with unusual weather but that often made for more interesting pictures. This blog takes us through California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas with stops in many of the national and state parks. This is a bit of a long blog post but there was so much to see I think it is worth the read.
Show Case: Winter Photo Trip
We packed our camper and moved on from the Okanagan Valley to spend winter along the west coast of the US and Canada. First leg of that journey is on Vancouver Island where we have encountered much of what makes this area a rainforest. Cold wet weather but amazing pockets of beauty. We have traveled through Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and then moved back towards the coast and back up to our final destination in the Kootenays of British Columbia. The trip is now over but I’m still processing shots as I go back through them. Below is a collection of what I think are my favourite images from the trip.
Nature Photography on the Road - Part 2: The West (Wet) Coast
We are off on an extended photography trip through the west of Canada and the US. We wander down highway 1 and 101 from Washington through the north of California trying to stay ahead of the cold and rain while taking every opportunity we have to get shots of the amazing coastline.
Gear Wish List - What I would like Sony to do in the next Couple of years.
I have been using Sony camera gear for pretty much as long as Sony has been doing mirrorless cameras. They have been pretty good at bringing out new and innovative technology at a time when other companies were doing 4 year cycles with small incremental improvements. Now that they are right up there with Canon (in some areas ahead and in some still lacking) I thought I would put down on “paper” what I would like to see them do in terms of what we personally would want for our photography and videography. We are getting to the point were our wishlist may not be what many others want, but I have a feeling there are other nature photographers who might want some of the things here. Let me know what you think as I’m sure others have completely different wants and needs.
Meet the neighbours
We have been hiking around the Okanagan valley and the Kootenays for the last year looking for any interesting nature we can find. Pika and bats are two that are new to me in terms of getting shots.
The Sky at Night
After the wildfires settled down around the Okanagan valley, the sky at night has been relatively clear more often that not. This has given me a chance to get out and experiment with some night photography. Using everything from a fisheye out to 1000mm I can get some very different perspectives. Next step is to look deeper into the stars, galaxies and nebulae once I get more used to using the star tracker.
No Fixed Plans - Episode 6
Originally we thought Arizona and New Mexico would be as far as we would travel on this trip. The weather again would be the deciding factor as we were able to spend a couple of weeks in the area before the cold came to find us. In this episode we get to hike through some iconic parks but only see a portion of these beautiful states. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch videos phocused on nature photography, travel locations, photo tools and technology.
No Fixed Plans - Episode 5
Salwa uploaded our latest video, the fifth installment of our west coast trip. Valley of fire in Nevada and Joshua Tree in California are two very different and beautiful desert like landscapes. Fantastic hiking and scrambling up rocks to find amazing photographic landscapes.
Canon 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.
Nature 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.
Chasing the sun. Stage 4 - California coast to Death Valley
Salwa was very busy editing this fourth installment of our winter trip. In this episode I find an owl in some really big trees. Salwa spends quality time with a sea otter and we both get hit by rain and sand on the same dunes.
Meet 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.
Canon EOS R5 - Nature photography first impressions
Focus speed and accuracy with the 500mm and the Commlite adapter is excellent and for the most part the only shots I got out of focus were user error.
Chasing the sun. Stage 3 - Washington and Oregon
Quick video marking the end of our time in southern BC before we take off for the winter on a new Photo/video adventure through the Western US. Can't wait to get out there with the camera on a daily basis again.
Wildlife 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.
Tripods - A Long Journey towards Stability
For the last couple of months I have been doing a lot of research on better tripod solutions for what we do. I don’t tend to use a tripod often when doing nature/bird photography but I have been trying to slow down and concentrate a bit more when I’m doing landscape work. What I have been trying to do is find a good main tripod system that can easily go from video to landscape to wildlife use.
Chasing the sun. Stage 2 - Tofino and Uculet
Quick video marking the end of our time in southern BC before we take off for the winter on a new Photo/video adventure through the Western US. Can't wait to get out there with the camera on a daily basis again.
A 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.
Canon EOS R5 and R6 - Are these cameras for nature photographers too?
For a good 6 months or so we have been spoon fed little niblets of information on Canon’s proper entry into the mirrorless market. Sure we have 2 mirrorless cameras as a stop gap, but for anyone who already had significant investment in the 5D series level cameras the EOS R and RP left many of us wanting.
Chasing the sun. A new beginning
Quick video marking the end of our time in southern BC before we take off for the winter on a new Photo/video adventure through the Western US. Can't wait to get out there with the camera on a daily basis again.
12 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.
Woodpeckers - A nature photographers guide for getting the shots you want
Whenever you go into the woods, at some point you will hear that knocking sound. From the tiny downy woodpeckers that you find almost everywhere, to the beautiful Pileated woodpecker, you will always see something worth taking a shot of and often get an interesting glimpse into their behavior.
Weekend Wanders in Southern BC
Quick video marking the end of our time in southern BC before we take off for the winter on a new Photo/video adventure through the Western US. Can't wait to get out there with the camera on a daily basis again.
Sony A7RIV and FE 200-600…on to the next level
I really have most of what I need for the types of shooting I regularly do. In fact I have most of it in both Canon and Sony. At this point I don’t “need” anything, but that doesn’t mean I still don’t keep an eye on what is coming out that might make it easier to do the photography that I like.
Wayback Wednesday (Take 2) - Australia
I chose our trip to Australia from seven years ago for my look-back. Ever since I was a young kid I remember thinking how great it would be to travel around Australia to see the exotic animals and birds, amazing coastlines and reefs, not to mention those cool accents, right?