Photo of the Day – Page 5 – the life of a nature photographer

Enjoying Winter Again

Abstract, Camping, Photo of the Day, Water, Winter

Wednesday, January 30th, 2013

Last weekend Anna and I finally got a chance to get out to the mountains, and it was a trip for trying new things. For the first time ever we tried snowshoeing together, cross-country skiing together, and winter camping. I was also giving my Olympus OM-D a torture test to see how much it could replace my Canon 5D kit for hiking.

Snowshoeing works great and is my new favorite way of getting around in winter. It lets me get wherever I want in any conditions with my hands free for photography, which is perfect for me. Skiing was a lot more fun as an activity, but I found it quite hard to mix with photography. Winter camping actually worked a lot better than expected and we slept cosily through the whole night!

I’ll post a review of my little OM-D in a bit, for now I’ll just start posting pictures from it. This photo is from Panther Falls — icicles forming against an overcast sky. I’m looking forward to printing this pretty large — the details in the ice are fantastic!

f7.1, 1/1600 of a second, 100mm
(I’ll be stating actual focal length here, not equivalent – more on this in my OM-D review)

Green and Full of Life

Forest, Photo of the Day, Plants

Wednesday, December 19th, 2012

A photo from a long time ago that I completely overlooked. Today it looked sooo good to me — in winter the grass is always greener on the other side. I’ll have to get out to the mountains and remind myself that I really do like winter…

24mm, f5.6, 1/15 of a second

Dragon’s Tongue Falls

Photo of the Day, Water

Friday, October 19th, 2012

Waterfalls are the antithesis of swamps. They’re pretty and everyone knows they’re pretty. There are trails to them, viewing platforms for many of them, and there’s almost always people around. The amount of waterfall pictures taken daily is staggering.

So why add mine to the mix? In short, because I can’t avoid it. I like waterfalls as much as the next guy, and trying to capture them well is fun. I get to walk across rushing streams on slippery logs, clamber up and down rocky cliffs, and relax in the mist beside a natural phenomenon of staggering power. I find myself drawn to waterfalls of a relatable size though. Generally they are a lot more private, you can usually get closer, and I don’t think any of the beauty is lost.

This photo is of a small cascade in the series of falls called the Dragon’s Tongue in Wells Gray Provincial Park. Taken at 19mm, f18, and 2 seconds.

Context

Abstract, Composition, Photo of the Day, Water

Tuesday, October 16th, 2012

I often get wrapped up in a composition. I get so focused on the lines in my subject that the surroundings fade away. Sometimes this focus helps, but sometimes I ignore the fact that including some of the surroundings will give the viewer a context for the main subject. This is still a very tightly cropped image (taken at 300mm), but I’ve included the shore in the background, and I think it makes the photo. It tells the viewer the time of year (fall), the place (rocky river), and the fall colors compliment the blue-green water. The violence of the water is still obviously the main subject and the part that is in focus, but now the eye is often pulled between the water and the shore.

This photo was taken while lying down near the Clearwater River, BC. 300mm, f18, 1/15 of a second.

Mt Butte Natural Area

Forest, Landscape, Photo of the Day

Thursday, September 13th, 2012

Mmmmm, a healthy dose of nature. May be addictive.

Shy Alder Leaf

Macro, Photo of the Day, Plants

Thursday, June 14th, 2012

A honeysuckle vine wrapping around an alder branch, with an alder leaf peaking out from behind.

Taken with a Canon 5d, Sigma 150 macro at f4 and 1/200 of a second.

Little Unnoticed Events

Flowers, Photo of the Day, Water

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

As the Saskatchewan River flooded last week it covered this little Verbena flower. For a bit the flower would stand up tall, and then a little wave would catch it and surface tension would hold it down for a little bit. Then as a larger wave would come along, the trough of the wave would be too low to hold it down, and the little flower would pop back up.

Taken with a Canon 5d, Sigma 150 macro at f2.8, 1/200 of a second.

Spring Going On Summer

Forest, Photo of the Day

Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012

birch-and-green-poplar-trunks-in-the-rain

Today was a beautiful day. The rain was steadily dripping from the leaves with an occasional heavier shower when a gust of wind came along. The loons were laughing and calling and the yellow warblers were busy in the branches overhead. I was out hiking with my camera, getting thoroughly soaked, taking lots of photos, searching for the birds whose calls I didn’t recognize. I went out prepared, with a mug of warm coffee for my morning breaks, and neoprene socks on (for the record – they are amazing. I will never hike in the rain without them again). It was the best morning I’ve had in a long time.

This summer I probably won’t have a lot of time — for hiking or blogging or all my other activities. I’m sad about this, but happy about the trade-offs. I’ll be learning lots and hopefully saving up some money. And I’m hoping to be a bit more free come September. So I’ll post updates as I can, but know that I’m learning things that will hopefully make this blog more interesting and give me a wider range of photo opportunities in the future.

Drawing in Space

Composition, Design, Photo of the Day, Plants

Saturday, April 14th, 2012

In my design studies at university, we had a fascinating sculpture assignment called “Drawing in Space”. We used strips and small blocks of wood to create a sculpture with interesting lines when viewed from any angle. Both the lines and the negative space they defined were equally important. I really enjoyed framing spaces and cutting into volumes of space, and that is something that I don’t get to do quite as much with photography. But when opportunities present themselves, as they did this last week, I get lost in the creating. I’m not sure how long I spent in this particular treasure trove of grass curls. The shallow depth of field I’ve used here really adds to both the ethereal-ness and the depth of the photo, letting you almost feel the space around the grass.

All taken with my 5d, 150mm macro, f6.3, 1/200 – 1/640 of a second.
Taken on the Beaver Pond Trail in Elk Island National Park.

If you’re still reading and interested, I’ll just write a quick note about composition. In the last two photos I’ve done something that is generally disapproved of in standard compositions – there is a strong line running vertically through the frame (even directly in the middle of the frame! the horror). In these cases I think it works as an unusual visual device to emphasize the depth of the photo. If the grass curls did not wrap around the vertical line it would not work.

After a Long and Barren Break

Business, Mountain, Photo of the Day, Winter

Monday, January 16th, 2012

I’m finally back! With pictures! Happy New Year!

December was (as always) too busy, with far too little time for hiking and shooting. Thankfully I’m starting to recover, and last week I was able to go out to Jasper for a couple days, camp in the freezing weather, and completely enjoy it.

I also have some pendants back in stock after almost completely selling out at Christmas. I have many plans of updating websites and galleries, of taking lots of photos, of enabling online stores, and far too many more ideas to list here or ever complete. But I’ll work on stuff, and try to keep everyone updated.

Here’s a photo of a dry and dusty Jasper Lake from last week just after sunrise. I was getting blasted with a super cold wind, and even bundled up I had to run back to the shelter of the van after a few minutes.

Canon 5d with 17-40 lens.
Taken at 24mm, f8, 1/200 of a second

I’m planning to start adding these technical details below my photos. I know people are interested, and I’ve resisted for a long time because I believe they’re not really important. I think people place way too much emphasis on what the right settings are and way too little on getting a good composition. But to do photography well, you do have to at least know what all the settings do, and which are important in any particular instance. So for those learning, I hope this extra information helps, but know that the photo is the important part — the settings just help you get there. For example, I took this photo at f8. Would f5.6 have worked? Pretty well. Would f11 have worked. Yup, even a little better than f8. Did it ruin the photo that the aperture wasn’t as high as ideal to get everything perfectly in focus? Not at all, this will print beautifully at 20×30, and I’m really happy with it. Photography is about creating a feeling, not about an aperture. It would have mattered far more if I had angled my camera up or down a degree or two, or if I’d taken the photo from a foot lower or higher — those things could have easily turned it into something I wouldn’t look at twice.

At this point I think I’m rambling, and I’m impressed if anyone actually read this far. Cheers.