Working in the Cold

Last week we went on our annual trip with our friends Olga and Robert. We had an enjoyable time in Algonquin. It was so cold it made working outdoors a bit difficult. But we bundled up and aside from a bit of discomfort it was fun.

Madawaska River, Ontario

There were the usual suspects to photograph: Black-capped Chickadees, Nuthatches and Jays. I had a Boreal Chickadee land in a tree above my head but it did not pose within focus range. We did get a few new Blue Jays and Gray Jays.

Blue Jay

Gray Jay

Working at -25C is hard, especially when you are trying to adjust a camera or work with a very cold tripod. We bundled up with several layers, ski pants, parka and winter boots. I find my hands suffer the most so use hand warmers in my gloves. This allows me to use thinner gloves and adjust the camera quickly.

Winter in Algonquin

Highway 60, Algonquin, ON

On our way home we stopped into Mew Lake where there is always a good chance of seeing a Marten. We waited in the cold for about 30 minutes before one made a brief appearance.

American Marten

It was a good start to the year!

Algonquin

It’s a small world. Lori and I traveled to Algonquin Provincial Park last week to try and catch the fall colours. The park was very busy. I’ve never seen so many photographers! The leaves were still beautiful but a little past their peak. We drove down the Source Lake road and parked. As we were heading to a portage that runs along a stream, there were a group of people taking photos. Two of them were students of mine from the Seneca photography program. It was fun to chat with Echo and Song. We posed for pictures with them and then continued on our way. We hiked down a steep hill and shot the leaves and water.

Maple Leaves and Stream

Leaves, Rocks & Stream

It started to rain Friday afternoon so we headed back to camp for the evening. The next day it was still wet and raining on and off. We packed up camp and drove west to Oxtongue Rapids Park. It was full of cars and photographers. Finally we found a place to park the van and wandered along the river looking for an open location to shoot. It was difficult to find an opening without another photographer in view. The light was low and perfect for moving water. There was still a lot of colour. We worked up and down the river for a couple of hours. As I was shooting a man came up and started talking to Lori. He was a member of the Etobicoke camera club. I had just presented my work to his club September 15th. We chatted at the river for a few minutes and then got back to work.

Oxtongue Rapids Park, ON

Oxtongue Rapids Park, ON

We didn’t see much wildlife. Still, it was good to walk in the fall air and snap a few…

The Summer of the Canoe

Canoe and Lake Superior

We couldn’t bring ourselves to make another epic road trip this year. We needed a break. Not that we didn’t work, we did. The ice storm of December 2013 hit us hard and we needed to do a lot of repairs on our house. This limited our travel time and budget. So we alternated between working on the house and canoeing. We managed to paddle in a few provincial parks: Killarney, Algonquin, French River and Lake Superior. It was nice to take the summer at a different pace.

Paddling in Killarney Provincial Park, ON

Georgian Bay Shores

Bullfrog

We found a few things to photograph. Some were close to home such as this cardinal in our back yard.

Male Northern Cardinal

We read good books, drank good wine and paddled to wonderful places. We also got a lot done around the house. So all in all, it was a great summer. The summer of the canoe.

Lori Paddling on Lake Superior

Lori Paddling in Georgian Bay