Happy New Year!

2012 was quite a year for us. I don’t think I have had a better year for photography. After weeks of editing and processing, I’ve finally made my way through the summer shoot. 60,000 images boiled down to 2100 worked images. This process is usually demoralizing and sometimes downright depressing but this year seemed different. I really enjoyed the marathon session of editing. Reliving this trip was wonderful. I was surprised with the number of panoramic images I did. If you would like to see more of the most recent images, check out our latest page (click).

Here are some my favourite images of the year:

Blue Jay - Click for larger

Female Black Bear - Click for larger

Common Loon - Click for larger

White-tailed Deer Leaping - Click for larger

Stormy Saskatchewan Dawn - Click for larger

Great Horned Owl - Click for larger

Pika - Click for larger

Upper Kananaskis Lake - Click for larger

Porcupine Caribou - Click for larger

Native Hunter - Click for larger

Tombstone Territorial Park, YT - Click for larger

Kluane Range, Yukon - Click for larger

Salmon Glacier, British Columbia - Click for larger

Maligne Lake Boathouse - Click for larger

Elk Island National Park, AB - Click for larger

The memory cards are cleared. The batteries are charged.

Next!

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!

Off the “Rock” and into the Highlands

We had a good trip down to Burgeo, NL. This is one of the most beautiful places we have visited on Newfoundland. We had a good visit with Lori’s nephew Ben. I had hoped to see lots of Moose and Caribou but I think we were too late in the year. They must head up into the highlands to avoid the bugs. Burgeo is a small somewhat isolated community on the south shore of Newfoundland.

Sandbanks Provincial Park, NL - Click for larger

Cemetary, Sandbanks Provincial Park, NL - Click for larger

We did a few hikes and found orchids and some landscapes. Sandbanks Provincial Park is one of the highlights of this area.

Small Purple Fringed Orchid

We caught the ferry to the mainland at 5 am and slept in the lineup till 3:30. On the ferry we had a berth. This allowed us to get a bit more sleep, do some backups and charge some batteries.

When we landed, it was pouring rain. We headed to Cape Breton Highlands National Park and met up with our friend Adrien Veczan. Adrien is working for a newspaper in Halifax and had a few days off. We camped at Cheticamp and hiked the Skyline Trail.

Skyline Trail, Cape Breton - Click for larger

We saw lots of moose. It really is a lovely trail.

Bull Moose - Click for larger

Bull Moose - Click for larger

Adrien headed home the next day. Lori and I decided to stay a bit longer. We found lots of orchids and wildlife to photograph and the landscape is very dramatic.

Cabot Trail - Click for larger

Black Bear Cub - Click for larger

Coyote - Click for larger

Male Spruce Grouse - Click for larger

White Fringed Orchis - Click for larger

We are heading off tomorrow to the Sackville area of New Brunswick to look for shorebirds and then on to PEI. I think it will be difficult to top this part of our trip.