27 Aug

Posted at 18:01h in Photo Tours
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I arrived back from the Marine Mammals trip a few days ago, and came back with an abundance of photos, knowledge about my new camera (Canon 1dx Mark II), and great memories. I can’t wait until I have the opportunity to get there again.

 

Our trip started in Port McNeil where we boarded our accommodations for the week (a 71 foot sailboat), and then we proceeded to the JohnstoneJS Map Strait Area, which is known for its population of Killer Whales during the summer months. From there we travelled in between Vancouver Island and the mainland up to the northern tip of Vancouver Island, and then back to the Johnstone Strait again.

 

The goal of the trip was to photograph the different species of marine mammals that call the BC Coast home, and I don’t think anyone walked away from the trip disappointed. In addition to photographing the Humpback and Killer Whales along the Johnstone Strait, we were also treated to some awesome interactions with Steller Sea Lions, and Sea Otters.

 

Under the Sea

Under the Sea

Some of the most memorable experiences of this years trip was witnessing a serial breaching Humpback Whale. We also saw some transient Killer Whales try to kill a Steller Sea Lion (who then tried to seek refuge in our zodiac – luckily without us in it). And the trip ended with us having a pod of over 30 (some estimated 50) Pacific White-Sided Dolphins ride the bow of the boat (see image to the left).

 

We also had the opportunity to photograph some of the birds of the BC Coast, which provided an excellent opportunity for me to test different AF settings on my new 1dx Mark II. Some of the highlights of the bird photography included Bald Eagles fishing, and Black Oystercatcher in a parcel of at least 13 birds.

 

What I loved about this trip, in addition to capturing some outstanding images, is that it seemed like each of the 7 days had a different highlight, and no one day was the same. Overall this was a very memorable trip, and is quickly becoming one of my favourites. If you would like to visit the BC Coast to photograph marine mammals contact Brad Hill : Natural Art Images

 

Stay tuned to my recent images and marine mammals gallery for photos as I get them processed.

 

And now it’s just under a month until I head back to the BC Coast, and into the Great Bear Rainforest. The images from the last two years can be found here: Great Bear Rainforest Images

I arrived back from the Marine Mammals trip a few days ago, and came back with an abundance of photos, knowledge about my new camera (Canon 1dx Mark II), and great memories. I can’t wait until I have the opportunity to get there again.

 

Our trip started in Port McNeil where we boarded our accommodations for the week (a 71 foot sailboat), and then we proceeded to the JohnstoneJS Map Strait Area, which is known for its population of Killer Whales during the summer months. From there we travelled in between Vancouver Island and the mainland up to the northern tip of Vancouver Island, and then back to the Johnstone Strait again.

 

The goal of the trip was to photograph the different species of marine mammals that call the BC Coast home, and I don’t think anyone walked away from the trip disappointed. In addition to photographing the Humpback and Killer Whales along the Johnstone Strait, we were also treated to some awesome interactions with Steller Sea Lions, and Sea Otters.

 

Under the Sea

Under the Sea

Some of the most memorable experiences of this years trip was witnessing a serial breaching Humpback Whale. We also saw some transient Killer Whales try to kill a Steller Sea Lion (who then tried to seek refuge in our zodiac – luckily without us in it). And the trip ended with us having a pod of over 30 (some estimated 50) Pacific White-Sided Dolphins ride the bow of the boat (see image to the left).

 

We also had the opportunity to photograph some of the birds of the BC Coast, which provided an excellent opportunity for me to test different AF settings on my new 1dx Mark II. Some of the highlights of the bird photography included Bald Eagles fishing, and Black Oystercatcher in a parcel of at least 13 birds.

 

What I loved about this trip, in addition to capturing some outstanding images, is that it seemed like each of the 7 days had a different highlight, and no one day was the same. Overall this was a very memorable trip, and is quickly becoming one of my favourites. If you would like to visit the BC Coast to photograph marine mammals contact Brad Hill : Natural Art Images

 

Stay tuned to my recent images and marine mammals gallery for photos as I get them processed.

 

And now it’s just under a month until I head back to the BC Coast, and into the Great Bear Rainforest. The images from the last two years can be found here: Great Bear Rainforest Images


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10 Aug

Posted at 08:17h in Photo Tours
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My first trip to photograph fishing Grizzly’s in Northern British Columbia started off better than expected. I hand my boarding pass and passport to the boarding agent at the gate and she gets some kind of error on her computer. My first thought is, ah man, I’ve been bumped…but she come back with a new boarding pass, and says “you’ve been upgraded”. Woot woot…I don’t think that there is any better news that could be provided at the airport…unless you brought along a lotto ticket and checked it at the airport and won. So I flew from Calgary to Whitehorse in style. Thank you Air Canada (I can’t believe I just typed that). So far my trip was off to a very good start.

 

From Whitehorse we travelled to British Columbia where we took a helicopter to our remote camp. The helicopter ride was over glaciers, mountains and hillsides and  provided amazing scenery. Once we arrived at our camp, we saw a bear almost right away.

Riverside Rambler

Riverside Rambler

After that first sighting we had a bit of a quiet time before the bear photography really took off, slower than we had hoped.  While you can’t know why for sure, we think it was due to an early berry season, coupled with lower than normal salmon run.  But at the end of the day, it is nature so who really knows for certain.

 

These slower days provided me an excellent opportunity to focus on learning some of the features of my new camera (Canon 1D X Mark II) and to do some testing with my new camera.  Some of the testing I focused on was testing the exposure compensation adjustments, ISO and image noise at different ISO, testing the AF system, and comparing this to the Canon 1dX.  I also worked on setting up the custom settings, and even discovered a new setting that I didn’t realize that the camera had, which is similar to the shooting banks of the Nikons.  I have really learned a lot about the new camera in a short time. Stay tuned to my future blog posts on what I have discovered.

 

Despite being slower than we hoped at the start of the trip, I still walked away with some really great images. This trip was different from other Grizzly Bear trips that I have been on in the past, because you can sit right along the side of the river and have the Grizzly Bears walk right by and fish.  In addition to the Grizzly Bears, this location also provided an opportunity to photograph Bald Eagles, Mergansers, and Dippers.

Sea Lion Snoozing Sleeping British Columbia

Snoozin’ Sea Lion

 

Stay tuned to my recent photos, and journeys album for more photos from the trip.

 

Now I’m off on my next adventure, where I will spend 7 days aboard a sailboat photographing Marine Mammals. Here is a Sea Lion snoozin’ which I photographed during my 2015 trip. Keep an eye on my recent photos and Marine Mammals Gallery for my images from my 2016 trip.

My first trip to photograph fishing Grizzly’s in Northern British Columbia started off better than expected. I hand my boarding pass and passport to the boarding agent at the gate and she gets some kind of error on her computer. My first thought is, ah man, I’ve been bumped…but she come back with a new boarding pass, and says “you’ve been upgraded”. Woot woot…I don’t think that there is any better news that could be provided at the airport…unless you brought along a lotto ticket and checked it at the airport and won. So I flew from Calgary to Whitehorse in style. Thank you Air Canada (I can’t believe I just typed that). So far my trip was off to a very good start.

 

From Whitehorse we travelled to British Columbia where we took a helicopter to our remote camp. The helicopter ride was over glaciers, mountains and hillsides and  provided amazing scenery. Once we arrived at our camp, we saw a bear almost right away.

Riverside Rambler

Riverside Rambler

After that first sighting we had a bit of a quiet time before the bear photography really took off, slower than we had hoped.  While you can’t know why for sure, we think it was due to an early berry season, coupled with lower than normal salmon run.  But at the end of the day, it is nature so who really knows for certain.

 

These slower days provided me an excellent opportunity to focus on learning some of the features of my new camera (Canon 1D X Mark II) and to do some testing with my new camera.  Some of the testing I focused on was testing the exposure compensation adjustments, ISO and image noise at different ISO,  testing the AF system, and comparing this to the Canon 1dX.  I also worked on setting up the custom settings, and even discovered a new setting that I didn’t realize that the camera had, which is similar to the shooting banks of the Nikons.  I have really learned a lot about the new camera in a short time. Stay tuned to my future blog posts on what I have discovered.

 

Despite being slower than we hoped at the start of the trip, I still walked away with some really great images. This trip was different from other Grizzly Bear trips that I have been on in the past, because you can sit right along the side of the river and have the Grizzly Bears walk right by and fish.  In addition to the Grizzly Bears, this location also provided an opportunity to photograph Bald Eagles, Mergansers, and Dippers. Stay tuned to my recent photos, and journeys album for more photos from the trip.

 

Sea Lion Snoozing Sleeping British Columbia

Snoozin’ Sea Lion

Now I’m off on my next adventure, where I will spend 7 days aboard a sailboat photographing Marine Mammals. Here is a Sea Lion snoozin’ which I photographed during my 2015 trip. Keep an eye on my recent photos and Marine Mammals Gallery for my images from my 2016 trip.


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29 Jul

Posted at 19:21h in Photo Tours
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At the end of this week I am heading on a new adventure, up to a remote part of British Columbia, where we will be completely off the grid. The objective of this trip will be to photograph Grizzly Bears while they fish for salmon – and to have fun, of course!

 

What I love about photographing bears while they are fishing, is that the bears are usually very dynamic – you can get bears splashing in the water, you can see bears that will snorkel (put there eyes under water), while others take the easy way…and grab the dead fish along the shore. Bears will switch to fish, when available, and sometimes travel long distances in order to visit fishing grounds. In years when there are a lot of fish, bears will often focus on eating the brains, and fish eggs, instead of the entire fish, as these are the parts that pack the most calories, so they are the most bang for their buck.

 

Caught One

Caught One

This image was captured on a different trip that I went on by myself a few years ago, showing a Grizzly Bear fishing pink salmon in a different part of remote British Columbia, however it shows how having a salmon can really add another element to a photo (and not just the fish, but the interaction with fish trying to escape while bear tries to eat it).

 

I’m also excited to finally get to really put the Canon 1D X Mark II to the test, and reporting on the results. I have only been out shooting with it a few times in and around Calgary, and haven’t really put it through 5 straight days of work. Based on all the images I have captured with it so far, the AF system seems awesome, with it tracking birds in flight very well, and the ISO performance is right up there. I have gotten usable images at ISO’s over 6400 (which is usually where I stop with the Canon 1dx). I will be bringing both the Canon 1D x Mark II and the 1D X along on this trip, and will be putting them head-to-head when I can.

 

I am super excited about this trip, and I am looking forward to see what I come away with! Stay tuned to my blog, and recent images, for what I ended up capturing.

At the end of this week I am heading on a new adventure, up to a remote part of British Columbia, where we will be completely off the grid. The objective of this trip will be to photograph Grizzly Bears while they fish for salmon – and to have fun, of course!

 

What I love about photographing bears while they are fishing, is that the bears are usually very dynamic – you can get bears splashing in the water, you can see bears that will snorkel (put there eyes under water), while others take the easy way…and grab the dead fish along the shore. Bears will switch to fish, when available, and sometimes travel long distances in order to visit fishing grounds. In years when there are a lot of fish, bears will often focus on eating the brains, and fish eggs, instead of the entire fish, as these are the parts that pack the most calories, so they are the most bang for their buck.

 

Caught One

Caught One

This image was captured on a different trip that I went on by myself a few years ago, showing a Grizzly Bear fishing pink salmon in a different part of remote British Columbia, however it shows how having a salmon can really add another element to a photo (and not just the fish, but the interaction with fish trying to escape while bear tries to eat it).

 

I’m also excited to finally get to really put the Canon 1D X Mark II to the test, and reporting on the results. I have only been out shooting with it a few times in and around Calgary, and haven’t really put it through 5 straight days of work. Based on all the images I have captured with it so far, the AF system seems awesome, with it tracking birds in flight very well, and the ISO performance is right up there. I have gotten usable images at ISO’s over 6400 (which is usually where I stop with the Canon 1dx). I will be bringing both the Canon 1D x Mark II and the 1D X along on this trip, and will be putting them head-to-head when I can.

 

I am super excited about this trip, and I am looking forward to see what I come away with! Stay tuned to my blog, and recent images, for what I ended up capturing.


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