Sometimes the Answer is Right in Front of You

I’m always driving somewhere. It really is a mind numbing activity. Driving costs a lot and it takes so much of my time. It also adds to my carbon footprint. However, I don’t always need to drive for hours to take great images. Often I don’t need to look much further than my own yard.

This week Lori pointed out the colour of the leaves in our backyard. At this time of year the angle and direction of light is south of our house. It lights up a Norway Maple and much of the backyard is bathed with bright side light. Birds are eating and roosting at the bird feeder. I set up another stand with seed and a branch overhanging the seed. The birds land on the branch first and then drop down to the seed. This set-up lets me have control over the background and direction of light on my subject. I just sit in a chair and wait for something to drop by. The Northern Cardinals were too shy to pose. They flew in and land but would not stay long enough for a photo.

I did manage to get a shot of a Red-breasted Nuthatch with a brilliant yellow background.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Also managed to get a female House Sparrow that dropped by.

House Sparrow

Of course I have shot many things in my backyard over the years including insects, birds and the occasional mammal.

Cicada

Cecropia Moth Caterpillar

Bumblebee on Goldenrod

Raccoon in Tree Cavity

Eastern Cottontail

Northern Cardinals at Nest

You never need to travel very far to get great images. Sometimes the best place is in your own backyard.

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

Spring!

Finally. I know, we are supposed to be tough, rough, eat snow for breakfast Canadians but this winter…

Presqui'ile Provincial Park, ON

it was a real winter.

Muskoka Chairs in Winter

We have kept ourselves busy with photo submissions and a few excursions into the cold dark night.

Sunset in Algonquin, ON in Winter

We also did a bit of writing. I have an article in the current issue of Outdoor Photography Canada. It’s a technical how-to article about processing RAW images.

Outdoor Photography Canada

I can’t count the number of times I whined about this winter. I think maybe I forgot what a real winter was like. It really is very beautiful when you get out and embrace the cold. Here are a few of my favourite images form the past few months:

Red-tailed Hawk

Wild Turkey (Eastern)

Male Northern Cardinal

Snowy Owl

Presqui'ile Provincial Park, ON

I’m looking forward to working without mitts and a parka. Happy Spring!

Pent-up Energy

Lately we have been doing a lot of reorganizing of old images to consolidate our database and spending far too much time indoors for my taste. I felt like I had my creative edge back and yet here I was sitting at a computer. But last week we finally decided to get out of town for a few days. We risked the bugs and the weather and headed to Killarney Provincial Park.

Georgian Bay Islands - Click for larger

Our friend James Toth joined us for a few days of paddling and photography. It's difficult for us to travel with non-photographers. Most people do not want to get up before the sun and risk extreme blood loss from all the biting insects. But James being the fine photographer that he is was up for the adventure.

James Kayaking in Killarney - Click for larger

We did a bit of hiking and paddling. There was a lot to see: orchids in bloom, bears, loons, frogs, and some wonderful scenery.

Pink Lady's Slippers - Click for larger

Female Black Bear - Click for larger

Bullfrog - Click for larger

Cranberry Bog, Killarney - Click for larger

I tried to use my 500mm f4 lens in the canoe. It is so difficult to do. Great when it works but it is so big that using it on a tripod really limits the angle of view. Sometimes it is worth the aggravation and sometimes it is not. I used my 70-200 quite a bit as well.

Common Loon on Nest - Click for larger

Our intention was to get some new loon images. James spotted the one above sitting on a nest on top of a beaver lodge. We saw several and they would swim quite close. We could even watch them swim under the canoe! I didn’t get a photo of the loons underwater but I will never forget the sight.

Common Loon - Click for larger

There was so much going on, it was difficult to leave. Lori and I extended our stay for a few days. We had an event to attend in Toronto on Friday so eventually we had to head back. All in all, we had a great week and have many new images to prep. This was a nice warm up for the summer shoot.

Female Common Merganser - Click for larger

When we arrived home, the cardinal nest in my backyard had 2 hatchlings. The parents were busy feeding the young. I set up my camera in my dining room and spent most of the day photographing their activity out through the back window.

Northern Cardinals at Nest - Click for larger

I have so much pent up energy. I’m really looking forward to getting on the road!