Last Days at Hudson Bay (Adventure Concludes Day 8-9)

It's our last full day at the Seal River Heritage Lodge. I think we all sense how special this trip has been. There are lots of bears around and we continue to photograph them.

Polar Bear - click for larger

It's difficult to work like I normally do. I see amazing things like the way the light hits the landscape. But I can’t just pick up my gear and react to it like I usually would. To head out of the compound, I need guys with shotguns and must go as part of a big group. It's a difficult way to work but very necessary!

Hudson Bay - click for larger

A bear has been lying down just outside the compound. It's so close! We all take turns photographing it through the fence. I start with a 16-35mm wide angle lens and then switch to a 24-105mm. I have never imagined being this close to a wild Polar Bear. Andy warns me that they can move very fast. So I show him the back of my camera. He smiles. I'm sure he gets it. We can't help but shoot!

Polar Bear - click for larger

Everyone was very accommodating of each other. It was so nice to see people working so well together.

Photographers - click for larger

Photographing Bears - click for larger

Polar Bear - click for larger

Polar Bear - click for larger

I can't tell you how it feels to take these images. It feels privileged. Privileged to be in a place like this and to be so close to such a wonderful species. We spend the rest of the day much the same way we have since we got here - shooting. In the evening, Dennis puts together a selection of our favourite images for a slide show. Later we have dinner and head outside to enjoy a bonfire.

The next morning, I go outside and just kind of soak the place up. There are bears around and I shoot a few frames but the ship is pointed towards home. It's over. Or is it? I'm scheduled to fly out on the first plane. But currently, Churchill is fogged in and the plane can't take off. I hear the cook's father died 2 days ago and she is anxious to get home. I give up my seat to her so she can be on the first plane out if it comes. We sit and wait. I email home and let Lori know that I may not make it out today. I have a flight booked home tomorrow around noon from Winnipeg. It will be complicated if I don't make it out but what a place to be stuck!

The Lodge - click for larger

The plane finally makes it out of Churchill. The first group heads out to the airstrip to meet it. We watch as two polar bears stalk them. Terry and Andy drive the bears off with snowballs and rocks. But the plane just sits there. We head into the dining room for lunch and hear that Churchill is fogged in again. That's why they didn't take off. They come back in for lunch. Riley has to stay and guard the plane with a shotgun because the bears are so curious they could damage it. Everyone wonders if we will make it out today. After lunch, a call comes in that the fog has cleared so off they go. After a quick trip the plane comes back for the next group. We walk out and are on our way. The plane flies low out over Hudson Bay. It's the most direct route and we make it to there without any trouble. We meet up with the rest of the gang, and have dinner in Churchill. Then we get on a plane back to Winnipeg. In Winnipeg John rents a car while I sit and listen to Scott and Robert banter like they've been married for 40 years. I'm laughing so hard I'm crying listening to them. Man we had fun!

The Gang - click for larger

Till next trip…

A Dream Come True: (Adventure Continues Day 5 –7)

We get up at 6:30am even though sunrise isn't until after 9. So we have a leisurely pace in the morning. Breakfast is at 7am. The food is so good! The staff here are all friendly and very good at what they do. They are always smiling! We chat it up over the great food and thoughts of what will come of the day. A polar bear sits just outside the dining room window. After breakfast, Mike informs us that our bags will leave Churchill at first light. That's a relief. It will be nice to have a change of clothes, ski pants, and of course my tripod!

We put on our parkas and go outside. An Arctic fox walks by. Unfortunately, it’s too dark for a good photo.

Arctic Fox in dim light

The light comes up a bit more and I get a good shot of a Ptarmigan.

Willow Ptarmigan - click for larger

Bears are walking by and the light is starting to get nice.

Polar Bear Sitting in Sea Lyme Grass - click for larger

Polar Bear at Hudson Bay

So much is happening so fast and all at once. I'm taking pictures constantly. It's surreal to be this close to polar bears. So far we have been working within the fenced compound. The bears come close. Really close. It feels like we are zoo animals and they are coming up to look at us. They are so beautiful but you know they are deadly. The compound is large and has 2 platforms to shoot images from.

Seal River Heritage Lodge - click for larger

Most of the fence is "Buffalo" fence with large enough openings to line up our camera lenses and shoot through. But we need to be very aware of where the bears are. They can move very fast and the fence openings are large enough for them to get their head or paws through.

Polar Bear with Head through Fence - click for larger

George Duck from Thompson, Manitoba is the night watchman.

George - click for larger

In addition to guarding us at night, George hauls water for lodge use during the day. One time when George headed out for water I heard shotgun fire. I asked Terry what was up. He said that George is out alone. When you are alone out there the bears will stalk you. George was firing his shotgun in the air to scare off the bears. I tried to use a lot less water after that.

George on ATV - click for larger

Our bags finally arrived with my tripod and the rest of my clothes!

Airplane click for larger

After putting on my ski pants and getting my tripod, we venture outside the compound beyond any safety of the fence for the first of many hikes.

Hiking at Seal River - click for larger

We have our constant companions with us - the guides Andy and Terry. They both carry shotguns, pepper spray, bear bangers and even a rock or two.

Guides - click each image for larger

There is a bear out on the ice sleeping, another one to the right on land.

Sleeping Polar Bear - click for larger

One of the guides sees a large bear raise its head from the willows. We are surrounded. It's an eerie feeling! The bears can appear and disappear at will. The land is so flat, and they are so big. How can they disappear like that? Scary!

Hidden Bear - click for larger

In the afternoon, we went back out for another hike. We hike for a while and get a few images but not much is happening so we start heading back to the lodge. As we approach, we spot a bear. The light is sweet but the bear is in shadow. We all line up hoping it will move out of the shadows. And suddenly there it was, in perfect light and coming toward us.

Polar Bear - click for larger

I'm smiling all over as I press the shutter. The bear wanders off toward the ice. But then he turns and I get my shot. It's THE SHOT I have dreamed about. Great light, great scene. You couldn't beat the smile off my face with a stick.

Polar Bear - click for larger

We get a few more images as the bear starts to walk back toward us.

Polar Bear - click for larger

He gets closer and closer, too close to photograph with a 500mm lens. Just when I start to feel really uncomfortable, the guides start to talk to the bear. Then they yell, throw snowballs, and finally launch a bear banger. The bear moves away. I'm grateful the guides are there. I'm also glad that the bear is not harmed. I want photos but not at the expense of the bear.

After that we go back to the compound and finish up the day inside the enclosure.

Polar Bear - click for larger

Rolling Polar Bear - click for larger

Back inside the lodge after a great day of photos, I feel like I can relax a bit now. Any images I get after this will be gravy.

The next day brings more bears. I just love this place. I'm with a great group of people and everyone seems to hit it off. Hard to be unhappy when you’re a photographer in a place like this!

Polar Bear - click for larger

Polar Bear - click for larger

We are shooting from a platform when a Gyrfalcon flies over. I react as quickly as possible and get one shot that's sharp. It's the first time I have ever seen this bird species.

Gyrfalcon - click for larger

As the light starts to get that late afternoon sweetness, I want to walk outside the compound. The landscape is so beautiful here. The ice and boulders, the Sea Lyme Grass and bear prints are so beautiful. We get the guides to take us out for a hike and photograph some bears lying about. We walk right to the shore of Hudson Bay. The group is just interested in bears. But I can’t take it anymore; I have to shoot the landscape. So I stay back from the crowd.

Photographers - click for larger

Thankfully Terry stays back with me and watches my back for approaching bears.

I see images everywhere.

Hudson Bay - click for larger

Tracks - click for larger

Hudson Bay Coastline - click for larger

Ice on Hudson Bay - click for larger

Seal River Heritage Lodge - click for larger

After sunset, we have to walk in near darkness past several bears to get back to the lodge. We stay close to the guides.

Inside the lodge we start our backups. Another great day! We have a glass of wine and chat about our images. After we have had a couple of glasses of wine and some nibbles, a young woman comes into the main lounge and announces that dinner is ready.

She says, "By the way, as you pass the window in the hallway please be careful, there is a bear up at the window with his head and paws hanging through."

Thankfully, there are bars on the window.

Polar Bear looking in Window - click for larger

After another wonderful meal, we head back to the lounge. Dennis Fast gives a wonderful presentation and slide show of his Polar Bear images. Dennis is a good speaker. He must be as tired as we are. But still after many years of doing this, he is just as happy to be here as we are. He has so many images that are so beautiful. If you get a chance, check out his book, Wapusk: White Bear of the North

Wapusk - click to view Publisher's site

I’m off to bed. More to come...

An Adventure

A few years ago, I was sitting around with a group of nature photographers after a great photo session at Point Pelee National Park. Dennis Fast was filling our heads with visions of "The North". Dennis is a fabulous photographer, very knowledgeable birder, and one of the nicest people I have ever met. His specialty is polar bears (see http://www.dennisfast.com). Earlier that day Dennis had been standing shoulder to shoulder with several photographers when he looked over at me and waved me to his spot. He stepped aside and let me have the best view of a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher sitting on a nest. Not many people would do that.

Blue-gray Gnatchacher - click for larger

Later as we listened to his stories about Northern Manitoba with its Polar Bears, Arctic Fox and Northern lights, we all wanted to go. I think it was Scott who suggested it first. "Hey, why not get a bunch of us fellow photographers together and we head to Churchill and beyond?" This was a few years ago but it has always stayed in the back of our minds - even Dennis continued to think about it. Last January I received an email from him about an opportunity to travel to the mouth of the Seal River in mid-November. Unfortunately this landed right smack in the middle of my teaching schedule. But thanks to a very understanding boss, I was allowed to find someone to cover my classes and go. (Thanks Jed!)

Once we were committed to this, I started to gather all the stuff I would need for such an adventure. Here is my list of the gear I will be packing:

Canon 1Ds Mark III camera
Canon 5D Mark II camera
Four: Extreme III 16 Gig CF Cards
Canon 500mm f4 lens
Canon 16-35mm f2.8 L lens
Canon 24-105mm f4 IS L lens
Canon 70-200mm f4 L lens
Extension tubes
1.4X Multiplier
Various Lee Filters
Gitzo GT3541Tripod with Really Right Stuff Ball Head
Spare batteries
Chargers for both cameras
MacBook Pro
500 Gig Lacie Rugged Hard Drive with Firewire cable and power cord
250 Gig Hyper Drive with power cord, Mini USB cable and charger
Nikon binoculars
Kiboko Backpack by Gura Gear
Snow Goose Down Parka
Ski Pants
Columbia Winter boots rated for -55C
Long Underwear
Gore-Tex Mitts
Fingerless Gloves with liners
All of this needs to be stuffed into one camera bag, a laptop backpack and a duffel bag along with my clothes and toiletries. Stuffed it shall be! I fly out on Saturday to Winnipeg. A few of us plan to work in Riding Mountain National Park for a couple of days before heading to Churchill and the Seal River on Tuesday. I can't wait!

More to come…

HDR Images - Pushing the Limits

An HDR image makes me feel like I did when I first shot Fuji Velvia, a very saturated slide film. So I’m not sure what to think about HDR. I know I was wrong about Velvia. I didn’t really like the film's exaggerated colour and saturation. Of course I did change from Kodachrome 25 to Velvia 50 and shot it for years. My images from those days continue to sell. It must be a fatal flaw of my character to be cautious. I felt the same way when landscape photographers started to use lots of filters. Of course I adopted that habit too!

I have been seeing HDR images published for some time now. HDR (High Dynamic Range) images are the combination of several images shot at different exposures and then combined with the help of a computer program.

The effects can be very dramatic. Here is an example of an image I shot this summer:
Here is the same image prepped as an HDR image:
Some people love the look some people hate it. I’m somewhere in-between.

Here is another example. This is a photo of my former neighbour and family friend, Herb. I wanted to take a simple portrait of Herb and got this image about halfway though the session.
Here is the same image as a colour HDR:
I always have the feeling I have gone way too far with these images. Maybe I have but it’s always fun to push things a bit. I love to experiment and play. What do you think?
I didn’t like some of my best friends when I first met them. When you first see something new, do you automatically reject it? I love to just stare at a Jackson Pollock painting. I can just imagine what he thought the first time he “threw” paint on a canvas. The Group of Seven went through a lot of criticism when they were painting because it was a departure from the norm of the day. They pushed the limits of what was acceptable and what was “art”.

I think most people resist change in most areas of their lives. This inertia can be very good and healthy if you have a tendency to try new things that are harmful. But I wonder, what are we missing? What great creative ideas am I suppressing because of fear of what others will think? “Play it safe” I hear the little voices in my head say.

A high school teacher once said to me, “Think of an artist as someone who pushes the norm, someone we expect to reach further and further out on a limb. Yes, they will eventually fall. But only they will know how far you can go.”

The Mosquito

Usually I wait a few weeks before selecting my best images from a photographic shoot. I know some of my photographer friends select and work their images daily. But I prefer to let them sit awhile. I think I’m more objective and ruthless at editing after a few weeks have past. When I was going through images from our trip east this summer I came across a sequence of images I took using a Canon 5D with a 180 macro on a tripod. A mosquito was on my hand and I shot it while it filled with my blood. I remembered shooting as it pulled out but I didn’t remember shooting after it had lifted off. Here is the entire sequence put together as an animated gif in Photoshop.

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.