Fall Colours and Fire in my Bones

Fallen Maple Leaves - click for larger

We watched the weather for a few weeks with anxious anticipation. It had been a long time since we had worked Algonquin in peak autumn colour. After several weekends' forecasts for rain, we finally decided just to go on Thanksgiving weekend. On Friday Lori came with me to work so we could leave right after my afternoon class. But at the college there were no available outdoor parking spots to park a van with a canoe on the roof. I drove past the underground parking garage. It said 7 feet maximum. Hmmm, we must be close to that, if not a bit over. So I drove slowly. The canoe just touched the big bar suspended over the entrance. I carefully drove into a parking space. We just fit.

A little after 6 p.m we hit the road for the Park. We made only one quick stop in Huntsville and got to the Motel in Whitney around 10:30. It had rained hard the entire trip and had been a long day. So we went to bed and set the alarm for 6 a.m.

When the alarm went off the next day we got right up and headed into the Park. We stopped to get a permit at the East Gate just as it was beginning to get a little brighter. I drove to Brewer’s Lake and waited for first light.

Brewer Lake - click for larger

The colour was at its peak. It was frosty and the light was great. We continued to shoot as we drove or hiked in the Park.

Source Lake Wetlands - click for larger

Smoke Creek - click for larger

Highway 60 - click for larger

Source Lake Road - click for larger

Rock Lake - click for larger

It felt like it used to feel long ago. Shooting just for the joy if it, because I’m compelled, driven to do this. Nice to know those feelings are still there. Nice to know that at 50 I still have fire in my bones. I was starting to wonder if it would ever come back.

The next 2 days went much the same - up early, working in the predawn light. We had some lovely frost on Monday. I saw an image about to happen and pulled the van over. Smiling I set up the tripod and camera and ran to get into position. In 5 minutes it was gone. But it was long enough for me to get a few shots.

Costello Creek - click for larger

After that I worked the frost covered leaves at the side of the road and then moved on to look for more landscapes.

Frosted Leaves - click for larger

Spruce Bog - click for larger

Heading west out of the park we came upon a large number of cars at the side of the road. There were two bull moose cavorting about, even butting heads. We got out and joined the crowd. Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking when they walk up to a large wild animal like a bull moose with small children in tow. They pose the kids dangerously close to the moose and proceed to take photos with point and shoot cameras. Now I understand that it is a big deal to see a moose for most of these people. For some, this was their first time. But these animals are very dangerous. Funny most people don't see it that way. I always cringe when I see this kind of thing.

Moose - click for larger

Moose - click for larger

It felt great to be out shooting images. It felt like it used to when I was younger and free to just shoot. Must see if I can keep that going.

Highway 60 - click for larger

The Waiting Game

You know the old saying, “I have all the patience in the world, I just don’t have time to use it”. Nature photography is often a waiting game. Sometimes it’s worth waiting and sometimes it’s not. Do you have trouble with this? I know I do. If the light is good and nothing is happening in front of my eyes, I often want to cut and run to the next location. But sometimes if you just sit tight and wait, you can get that extra special image. In the first example (above right), I was shooting in Southern Saskatchewan and spotted this Richardson’s ground squirrel at the side of the road. I used a 500 mm lens and shot from the window of the van using a bean bag for support. The light was still good but it was nearing the end of the morning shoot. I had taken what I thought were good images when I noticed another ground squirrel coming out of the same hole. After about 10 minutes I was able to take the next image (left). Now that’s a little more interesting. The voices in my head start to speak a little louder now. “That’s enough, I’m hungry, and the light is getting harsh…..”.



But wait there is a third head poking up, so I keep shooting. Finally the second and third squirrels are up and they form a nice grouping (right). Now I would love to say this always happens when I force myself to sit quietly somewhere and wait but it doesn’t. Nine times out of ten nothing interesting happens at all and I’m left wondering what I missed down the road.

What about that other side of the coin? What if there is something better down the road? It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it. Sometimes you just have to listen to your gut and go with it. For example, I was in Brockville, Ontario during last year's Thanksgiving weekend and got up early to shoot some scenes in this picturesque town on the St. Lawrence River.

I was in the old section of town and was shooting just as the sky and city lights start to blend together. It was okay, some good stock shots but nothing dramatic. I could see the sun was just about to clear the horizon and the voices in my head started to speak. “Look there’s mist. This could be interesting”. I decide to listen to the voices and head down to the river. As the sun came through the mist it was quite dramatic. I shot a few frames and checked the histogram for exposure. (image below)
I could hear a boat coming and got myself ready to shoot as it passed the highlight in the water. (see image below)
But when I heard the rowers coming I really got excited. (see image below) So sometimes you are rewarded by staying put and sometimes you are rewarded by moving on.
How many times have you run into a photographer and they say “you should have been here 5 minutes ago”? I hear it all the time. I guess you can’t get them all. A lot of your decisions will be based on a number of factors such as how long do you have (an hour, week or month?) and how well do you know the area? This is where research and scouting locations ahead of time becomes very important. If you know where to be when the light hits, you know your options and can make more informed decisions. The more informed you are, the more you can trust those nagging voices in your head.