All My Blogs

 I am very angry.  I made it clear to the salesperson that I had two vehicles to trade in for a truck that I was interested in.  I told him clearly that I was willing to deal if I could trade in both vehicles and pay an additional $10,000.  The vehicles included a 2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk (80,000 km) with flat tow braking gear and 8000 lb warn winch and 2008 HD Ford F150 XL with club cab, 8' box, bed liner, canopy, and roof rack.  We talked for an hour, went for a test drive, talked some more, and he had my jeep reviewed for its value. I returned home with the jeep and came back later that afternoon with my half-ton to have it inspected as well.  The salesperson could have talked to me about the value of the jeep, raised some concerns, but instead went on as if there were no issues.  As a result, my hopes got raised and, in my mind,  I was developing future plans for using the truck to go camping this summer.   I was told a 2016 mode...

When photographing wildlife, sports, or anything moving, shutter speed is an important parameter to consider. Low shutter speeds risk blur from both subject and camera motion. Cooperative subjects, panning, and vibration compensation (in-body and lens) may allow for slower shutter speeds. A good strategy is to photograph the subject in the desired manner and play the resulting image on the sensor. Zooming in on the shot will confirm the viability of that choice. Higher shutter speeds are often necessary but are difficult to achieve given the amount of available light and the minimum aperture value of long lenses. Most of us are not in the position to purchase long, fast lenses as their cost can exceed ten thousand dollars. The only alternative then is to adjust the camera's ISO to achieve the required shutter speed. Higher ISO numbers mean faster shutter speeds can be achieved. Although this seems like a simple solution, there are potential repercussions. Altering ISO changes the a...

Spring is my favourite season.  Aside from thawing out and plants showing signs of life once again, it is the appearance of birds that I am most thankful for.  Many of them also are showing up with breeding plumage in full regalia.  A prime example of that is the hooded merganser.   It is mid-February and winter's bite has waned somewhat.  On the west coast, daffodils are blooming and the snow has long disappeared.  Here, in central BC, evidence of change has gone from whispers to mild utterances, the loud din of spring yet to raise its head.  In spite of it still being winter here, certain birds have started to arrive.  A couple of days ago I was out hiking around a small lake.  Although the ice was still covering its surface, a few openings occurred along the shoreline.  That was where I saw the male and his apparent harem. Mergansers are fish-eating ducks.  They are one of the last birds to migrate south in the fall and...

  As I have lived in the Lower Mainland of BC for 30 years, I have had many opportunities to photograph great blue herons.  Over that period of time I have photographed them with negative and slide film and a host of digital sensors.  Although the camera has had some impact on the quality of the image I could attain, I have to say that the real deciding factor has been the lens. My field equipment reflects my passion for wildlife.  I have owned about a dozen different lenses with a focal length of 200 mm or more.  These include a number of prime lenses (2 - 200 mm f/4 lenses, 2 - 300 mm lenses {f/4 and 4.5}, and 2 - 500 mm lenses {an f/8 mirror and f/5.6 PF).  I have also owned a number of zooms including a 100-300, a 28-300, an 80-400, and two 150-600s.  I have also used a 1.7x and a 2x teleconverter. All of them have allowed me to photograph wildlife, but I have to say that, in general, the primes are superiour to zooms.  Longer focal lengths me...

The above photo is of a male splendid fairy-wren, a bird indigenous to Australia.  I photographed it during the height of breeding season; it was vigorously chasing a potential mate.  I followed the antics of the creature during the pursuit.  It paused, only for a moment, but long enough for me to capture this image.  Then it was a streak of black and blue again obeying its nature and the drive to procreate. Nature has a way of balancing the forces of life.  Populations wax and wane over time with many factors at play.  The availability of food, number of predators, weather, and a host of other biotic and abiotic influences are responsible for this endless cycle.  The only species on the planet that does not follow this pattern is mankind.   We are clever and have the dexterous ability to create and manipulate tools.  Our success has been logarithmic with the population exploding to unsustainable values.  Our success in overcoming d...

HDR stands for high dynamic range.  It is a method of capturing details in an image that would otherwise be lost due to there being too much or too little light.  HDR employs bracketed photos of a specific scene.  There are a number of ways to create an HDR image, but so far the best way is to do so manually rather than using a built-in camera function. The above photo resulted from combining 5 images, each separated by a full stop.  The first was shot at 1/500th of a second and the last at 1/8000th of a second.  I altered the shutter speed and not the aperture to keep the depth of field the same.  The photos were done on a tripod to prevent ghosting.  It is possible to shoot such images handheld, but the end result is generally not as good. There are a number of applications that can do this.  I have used Photomatix and Photoshop CC.  There are many sliders that you can adjust to alter the way the image looks.  The image can be processe...

 Feathers are remarkable things.  On a single bird, ducks specifically, there are over 10,000 of them (link here ).  It turns out that birds possess six different types of feathers.  These include contour feathers, semiplumes, down, filoplume feathers, bristles, and powder down.  If you want to read up more on these, click here . Pin feathers are newly formed feathers that are just beginning to grow.  They are also referred to as blood feathers.  These are feathers that have an ongoing blood supply to them to facilitate growth.  Larger pin feathers may have significantly vasculated follicles that may bleed if the new growth is removed.  Heavy bleeding from these areas can result in death. Consider that each feather has a type, size, colour, and purpose.  The feathers are replaced at least once a year, sometimes twice if there are breeding and non-breeding plumages.  If a feather gets damaged it is not replaced.  Replacement hap...

Back in 1978 I was 18 years old, had just graduated high school, and received my first SLR camera (graduation gift - thank you, dad).  It was a Russian Zenit camera, part brick and part 35 mm.  It was the start of an intense learning curve on everything photography.  I went through a Minolta phase and, in 1985, settled on my first of a long line of Nikons.  The FE2 that I acquired was magnificent.  I wish I still had that camera today. Going back to my Minolta phase, I managed to get my hands on a bellows.  I used the 45 mm Rokkor lens with it; the combination gave me an impressive degree of magnification.  I focused manually using the lens' minimum aperture and then set it to its maximum value to increase the depth of field.  With everything being manual I also had to calculate the relative aperture with the bellows fully extended. I had, at the time, a Metz 402 flash.  It had a lead/zinc battery housed in a separate case.  The flash it...

The difference between who am I and who I am is both subtle and massive.  It is, in essence, both a question and an answer.  Together they represent the gestalt of one's being.  We spend a lifetime asking the question and just as long in answering it. It really comes down to self-awareness.  Knowledge of your past and present, understanding your abilities and limitations, and recognizing your place in the world are all part of the equation.  The thing about this is that it is constantly changing; nothing is static.  If I were to form an empirical image of myself, one that could be measured objectively, every five years, and step back to examine them a progression would form.   Physical parameters are easy to do this with; consider a height growth chart.  Even mental acuity can be measured and plotted with some level of success, that is what psychological tests are for.  Really though I am not talking about either of those things, I am ta...

  This is a picture of me in 2018 taken on board the USS Missouri in Hawaii.  It was an emotional moment for me as it really brought the reality of the second world war home.  The ship served in the Pacific campaign in the last year of the war and was the place where Japan formally surrendered. It also served in the Korean war and the Gulf war.  She was decommissioned during the time between those two conflicts.  The great ship was finally decommissioned in 1992 and has been on display as a floating museum at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. It is estimated that the Missouri alone had a construction cost of approximately 1.8 billion dollars back in the 1940s.  In today's dollars that figure balloons to nearly 8 billion dollars.  That's just for the beast itself and not the weaponry, the 2500 servicemen that crewed her, and the cost of fuel to fire its enormous boilers.  Add to that the approximately 1,200 naval vessels made of destroyers, cruisers, battle...

  What does it mean to make a difference?  It turns out there are many answers to that question.  Ultimately though I believe that the answer ends up meaning that others have been helped in some way.  The key here though is that it shouldn't primarily be about your own best interests being served and that harm to others (collateral damage) be kept to a minimum. We routinely think of policemen, firemen, coastguards, and others in the field of saving lives and preventing carnage as being heroes that make a difference every time they go on shift.  I certainly agree with that sentiment but I am thinking of people like you and me, those of us that don't put on a uniform and step into danger to make a difference.  What about us? We have the ability to make a difference in the lives of others every day.  Perhaps not in a manner that would get front-page coverage, but certainly something to improve someone's day.  Whatever it is that makes a difference, y...

You may not be a fan of spiders, but you have to admire their ability to create silk and use it in multiple ways.  The common conception is that spiders only use it to make a web for capturing prey.  However, its strength, flexibility, and ease of production (for the spider) make it an extremely versatile tool.  Below is a list of some spiders and their use of this amazing material. trap door spiders create burrows up to a foot deep and line the burrow with silk; they create a lid over their burrow and hinge it with silk.   funnel web spiders create trip lines that radiate out from their hiding place to alert the owner of nearby prey. jumping spiders create a dragline when they jump down from a surface when escaping danger. spiders wrap eggs in silk to encase and protect the embryos.  Wolf spider females bring the egg case with them wherever they go. baby spiders often disperse by throwing a silken thread (gossamer) into the air and ballooning away with the...

I don't really consider myself a bird-watcher.  Although I find them fascinating, without a camera in my hands they are little more than a mild interest.  It's the same with my passion for photographing other wildlife and all things diminutive; awesome to behold for a moment and then it's back to whatever I was doing when a camera isn't slung around my neck. I suppose the camera allows me to flex my alter-ego.  Mild-mannered naturalist without one and then, as soon as I get a DSLR in my hands, a raving, bonified, enthusiast.  Perhaps I should wear a mask and cape when I venture outdoors in photo-mode.  Or maybe all I need is a good pair of contacts.   Occasionally, I find myself in the situation where I come upon a dramatic scene that begs capturing and I am without my faithful electronic sidekick.  I feel somewhat like Clark Kent when pressed with an emergency and there is no phonebooth handy (I wonder how Superman-of-old would fair today in such...

My wife, a devoted hater of bugs, actually likes butterflies.  The key to this apparent fondness with Lepidoptera is not to look too closely.  I have some great shots that I have taken of them close up and personal; they lose their appeal when any serious magnification is employed.  The above photo is about as close as she likes to get.  She would consider this one pretty.  Go in for a close-up of eyes, tongue, and rostrum - not so much. The above butterfly belongs to a group called "blues" or sometimes "azures."  I have seen a variety of species within this family (Lycaenidae) and they all are medium-small insects with blue wings and striped antennae.  This particular one is the common blue or silvery-blue butterfly. Males and females look quite a bit alike although the female is a darker blue with a broader black border around the outside of the underwings.  The one in the photograph is a male (I believe).  I photographed this fellow in Jun...

 Yes! It's finally here.  The conclusion to the Jurassic Park series will be shown this summer.  You can see the preview here .   As a boy, I was always fascinated by dinosaurs.  I could never get my hands on enough books to satiate my yearning for information.  My favourite book was "The Enormous Egg" by Oliver Butterworth.  I must have read that thing 100 times.  I found a copy of it at a garage sale a few years ago, it brought back so many memories. I am still captivated by the subject; my passion for the prehistoric has not passed (I'm positive!).  Alberta is, of course, one of the premier places in the world for such exhibits, and I had the good fortune to move there when I was 16.  The Tyrell Museum in Drumheller boasts an amazing collection of displays; I took the photograph above there in 2016 with my new (then) Nikon D600 and 20 mm f/2.8 Nikon prime lens.   Another remarkable place to visit for dinosaurs aficionad...

A mother's work is never done.  Looking after youngsters is a full-time job.  They are born helpless and know only that they are cold and hungry all the time.  The exception to this is at night when the little ones thankfully sleep.  That is if the parents are lucky. With birds, there is little time to waste.  There is nest construction, tending to eggs, and raising a brood all before the end of spring.  Summer is a time of fledging and growth before the onset of winter.  All this happens in the short span of a few months with the chicks going from egg to adult.  Next year it happens all over again, without having other little ones in tow. What a difference with humans.  Nine months of pregnancy, often an uncomfortable experience involving morning sickness, weight gain, and an internal commotion caused by kicking feet and frequent churning.  The end of gestation is rewarded with perhaps the most remarkably difficult process for any speci...

  A trio of perfection, the girls in the frame Out for a walk on a nice country lane. The one in the hat, she's my wife you see A lady that's perfect for little ole me. The girl in the middle, with the long hair Our daughter to whom we both deeply care. The first is the last, as the saying goes She's the one in black with the long nose. The trio, my dog, my girl, and my wife I am so thankful that they're in my life. I'm blessed, it's true, yes indeed I am rich That amongst the three, only one's a bitch. (hint - the one with four legs).

I enjoy the outdoors and am always on the lookout for creatures of all varieties.  Imagine my delight to discover such an interesting caterpillar!  I happened to have my macro camera setup with me at the time and photographed the creature as best as I could.  I have found many varieties of caterpillars over time, many of them furry (tussock moth caterpillar), hairless (white-lined sphinx caterpillar), or just plain huge (elephant hawk-moth caterpillar).  I have never found one quite like this one though. At my computer, I have hunted high and low for its species.  I searched numerous websites and looked at hundreds of different photos.  There were some that were close but none with all the features displayed by this one.  It was a wholly unique find on many levels. The caterpillar was found in central Alberta in a wooded area, I don't recall the vegetation it was on when I discovered it.  There was only the one; a solitary individual.   ...

Teals are a type of duck, albeit smaller than more familiar species like mallards.  They are social birds and tend to be in groups; undoubtedly they benefit from having multiple eyes on the environment for potential predators.  In North America there are three species of teal which include cinnamon teals, green-winged teals, and blue-winged teals (shown above).  The sky-blue patch of convert feathers and the white stripe on the face are good indicators of the species.  Secondaries are emerald-green in colour.  The brilliant wing hues are not visible when the duck is at rest. I have seen plenty of green-winged teals along the BC coast but didn't get a good look at a blue-winged teal until I spent time around Edmonton.  These birds are actually present throughout most North America, although they are absent from Canada's west coast area.  They are mostly freshwater species and feed in shallow ponds by upending themselves into a vertical profile to reach ...

  Grebes have always fascinated me.  Whenever I see one I take a moment to watch its behaviour.  There are four species in western Canada that I commonly see; red-necked, western, eared, and pied-billed.  Of these four species, the ones I see most often are the red-necked variety. While hiking around Broadmore Lake Park in mid-June I saw a  red-necked grebe sitting on a nest made out of aquatic vegetation.  They pile up floating plants until a mound is built that is high enough to sustain an adult and brood.  As I watched another grebe approached with something in its beak.  I was surprised at what happened next. Nestled under the wings of the first parent (female I think) was a young chick.  They are quite comical in appearance with their bold black and white striped pattern enhancing their already significant level of cuteness.  As the second grebe (male) slowly moved towards his mate a ball of puff emerged from warmth seclusion and aw...

  The three photos above all came from a single image file.  I was shooting with my D7200 and Nikon 200 mm f/4 macro lens and SB900 flash and took the shot with the flash accidentally turned off.  This caused the image to be massively underexposed, somewhere in the 5 stop range.  This is why photo # 1. above is so dark. I use flash in macro photography to allow fast shutter speeds and small apertures at low ISO values.  In this particular photo, the shutter speed was 1/250th of a second, the ISO 400, and the aperture was at f/32.  I shoot on manual exposure mode so I can control these values.  Since the flash was turned off the manual settings produced a massively underexposed image.   I shoot all my images in RAW file format.  It has a number of advantages; I have written blogs on the subject before (click here ) and won't be going into the many reasons.  I did want to use this image to illustrate one of the greatest assets of RAW ...

 The clay-coloured sparrow is a bit of an oddball for the sparrow family.  The reason has to do with its unusual voice.  I wouldn't call it singing, it's more of a buzzing sound.  To be honest, when I first heard one I thought there were adult cicadas in the area.  These long-lived insects are renowned for their loud, continuous serenade emulating a screaming fire alarm.  That a bird, especially a sparrow, would sound like them, is astonishing. The common names given to many sparrow species reflect some attribute of their biology or discoverer.  The white-throated and black-chinned sparrows are so named due to their physical appearance.  Bell's and Harris's sparrows are named after people.  The song sparrow achieved its moniker from its pleasant twitterings.  So, instead of using the somewhat drab title of "clay-coloured" for this bird I photographed, why couldn't it be named after its song too? The first one that came to mind was the "b...

  I think that many people do not understand what freedom truly is.  There are rights and there are responsibilities, and both fall under the purview of freedom.  Freedom does not mean to be without responsibility or culpability for one's actions.  Within our society, a person has enormous flexibility in achieving one's potential or goals.  However, they must be achieved within the confines of what is in the public's best interests. Being free means that I have the right to go into a liquor store and purchase a bottle of wine.  But I can't if I am underage or if I am morally opposed to the idea.  It also doesn't mean I can go in and take what I want without paying for it or that I can give it to an underage person or that I can consume it in a public venue without proper authorization.  I am not really free, but then, that's the point.  I have rights, but I also have responsibilities.  If I fail to act appropriately then I am culpable to...

  I photographed this image back in 2020 in Wells Gray Provincial Park, which is located about an hour's drive northeast of Kamloops, BC.  The park itself is enormous and boasts over 40 waterfalls and hosts a number of pristine lakes.   I decided to do a circular crop because the corners of the rectangular image held nothing particularly interesting.  The soft edge of the circle was achieved by using a feathering selection tool.  I liked how the tracks start at the bottom of the circular fame and guide your eye upwards into the image, eventually running parallel to the background hills until they disappear altogether.   I find that circular cropping and selection tools allow you to create an image that emphasizes components of a scene in a serene manner, especially when feathering is involved.  I have used this technique successfully when displaying portraits of individuals or groups and it also works well for images of pets.   The ...

 It can be successfully argued that our most precious commodity is time.  It is easily wasted, spent, lost, forgotten, and neglected.  All other resources come and go, but time goes only one way with no return.  It is an endless track with a speeding train that goes only one direction.  Moments and opportunities pass by very quickly. Things like work, school, maintaining a home, and looking after one's self are all important and require some of this precious resource.  Lack of investment in any of these areas typically results in consequences with harmful, if not catastrophic, results.  The need to serve these task-masters inevitably usurps our time to the point of neglecting something even more important.  I am speaking of family and close friends. As a commodity, time can be invested.  Like a budget, it should be parceled out to meet the demands put upon it, but thoughtfully and not according to last-minute urgencies.  Those who do not...