All My Blogs

How many sleeps until Santa comes?  This is a common question for children.  They go to bed, get a good night's rest, and wake in the morning to begin another day.  One sleep. That model no longer works for me.  I go to bed, wake a few hours later, and navigate blindly to the washroom.  Returning to my slumber sanctuary, I attempt to reengage REM but only manage to drift off in what might be called a fitful rest.  It takes only a slight bump from my partner or dog to rouse my brain into consciousness.  A noise, perhaps a falling leaf, is often enough to stop slumber. After doing some reading or playing a game on my smartphone, a third attempt at meeting the Sandman is engaged.  If I am lucky, that may be the last time I wake in the middle of the night, that is unless nature calls once again.  Three or four sleeps in one night. Of course, it doesn't end there.  I nod off sometimes at work, not intentionally, but sitting with a pen in my hand when all is quiet will sometimes elic

  Yesterday I had an opportunity to photograph western meadowlarks (see my blog on it here ).  So, camera in hand, I ventured up the Okanagan Valley slope and found what I was after.  As I was heading home, a flash of blue caught my eye.   Western bluebirds!  And a pile of them too.  The area was obviously popular with the species; the numerous nest boxes donning the fence posts (see image below) must be attracting them.  I photographed them from the comfort of my truck.  I had walked along the roadway for a stretch, but I found that both species of birds were more comfortable with me ensconced inside my chariot of steel.  And so I drove along a bit with open windows, stopped, and took a few photos.  I did this several times as there was little traffic on the road. Female western bluebird by a nest box west of Kelowna I witnessed some territorial behaviour as some of the birds were clashing with each other.  It was an exciting spectacle.  Mostly they were content with sitting on a fenc

Am I going to disturb a species I am photographing enough to negatively affect its relationship with the ecosystem?  This is an important ethical question that needs to be asked when looking to photograph a particular species.  And it's one that I don't think we do nearly often enough. I recognize the desire to capture remarkable images; I have been in search of premium photos the bulk of my adult life.  There is the personal connection - just the joy associated with doing something well and the praise we seek when others recognize it.  There is the professional connection - doing something as part of a job, assignment, or class.  Then there is the financial connection - the hope to win a contest, publish an image, or sell prints.   These are all worthy goals in their own right, but none of them should be the reason behind disturbing a species, especially ones that are endangered or are at a critical period in their life cycle.  Essentially it boils down to doing harm.  If I ne

Song sparrows range over much of Canada and the US, but not all year.  Many in the lower east and midsouth migrate to northern locations when spring is near.  Central US and western birds may reside the entire year.  For a range map, click here . I don't usually hear their familiar call during the winter months, either because they are absent altogether or because breeding season has not yet started.  However, their voices were loud and clear yesterday when I visited Munson Pond here in Kelowna, BC. Although song sparrows have quite a varied plumage over their range, their song during breeding often starts with three notes followed by a series of twittering and warbling.  You can hear their song by clicking here . Although their song is not particularly melodious or pretty, it is distinctive enough to be readily identifiable.  I have not developed a good ear for being able to identify many birds by their song, but I am familiar enough with song sparrows.  They do, however, possess

American coot and Western painted turtle Depth of field is affected by numerous factors.  These include in-camera parameters such as focal length, aperture, and distance from camera (focal plane).  More esoteric aspects include the size of the circles of confusion, viewing distance, and magnification of the image. I was out shooting yesterday and came across two interesting subjects offset from each other by a modest distance.  Focusing on one left the other blurry.  The problem could have been fixed by reducing aperture size, using a less powerful telephoto lens, or focus stacking (a software solution).  Each of these has its drawbacks. A smaller aperture would increase depth of field, but a lower shutter speed or higher ISO would be required to maintain the same exposure.  In doing so, the risk of definition loss would be increased by camera/subject blur or increased noise.  Besides, I quite like the narrow depth of field as the image emphasizes a particular subject while eluding to

Hooded mergansers in Maple Ridge, BC today (Mar 20, 2024) For the uninitiated, FX refers to cameras that use a full-frame sensor (36 mm x 24 mm - the same size as a 35 mm negative).  DX refers to cameras that use the smaller sensor usually referred to as APS-C sized (about 25 mm x 17 mm) and has a 1.5 crop factor (1.6 for Canon).  APS, by the way, stands for Advanced Photo System and was a new film size first produced in 1996.  The film itself is discontinued but the size remains the same.  Today we use the terms FX and DX to denote if a camera is full-frame or cropped sensor.  A DX camera has a smaller image sensor that can only be used in DX mode.  An FX camera has a full-frame sensor but it may be able to operate in either FX or DX mode.  If you put a DX lens on an FX body, the camera will automatically crop the sensor and produce a smaller image.  An FX lens will normally allow you to shoot in FX mode.  But you can choose to use an FX lens on an FX body but shoot it in DX mode.  Th