Check out "Oceans North Canada"

If you have a few minutes I invite you to browse through the Oceans North Canada website.  Well worth a read.  

Oceans North is a campaign led by The Pew Environment Group. It promotes science and a community-based conservation of North America's Arctic Ocean and the resulting well-being of indigenous Arctic residents who rely upon its natural wealth.  

The Pew Environment Group has become one of my most recent clients.  

Spring Blooms

The arrival of spring brings with it a host of new photographic opportunities.  Last week, while strolling along the steep banks of the Pelly River,  I noticed several patches of purple sprouting up amongst the dead plant debris.  With camera in hand I descended the slopes to discover I had stumbled upon a cluster of flowering prairie crocuses. 

These showy plants belong to the Buttercup family (anemone) and are one of the first signs of Spring in the Yukon.  As soon as the snow melts these furry perennials sprout and bloom long before the actual leaves begin to emerge.  The flower is a favourite food source for ground squirrels and deer.

To capture these flowers I used a Nikor 105mm  f/2.8 macro lens attached to the Nikon D700.  The camera and lens were mounted on a tripod.  I'll be posting more on macro photography in the coming month.

Ok, it's back to the swans this afternoon.

Cheers,

Claus

The Swans of Tagish

Observing and photographing wildlife along the shores of the Tagish River (often referred to as the Tagish Narrows) could not have been any better than it was during last weekend's Easter holiday.  Excellent weather conditions, blue skies and a thousand swans rewarded those who took the time to travel the 100km distance from Whitehorse.

During the holiday weekend biologists had observed well over 1000 trumpeter swans, 400 tundra swans and scores of migratory ducks swimming and feeding along the shores of the Narrows.  Thousands more could be spotted at Swan Haven on Marsh Lake and along the open stretches of Kluane Lake.  From what I understand the bridge over the Teslin River at Johnsons Crossing was also a popular spot to photograph swans.

Joining the swans were wigeons, pintails, goldeneyes, buffleheads, mergansers, green-wing teals and mallards.  Numerous bald eagles and northern harrier hawks patrolled the skies over the waters in search of unsuspecting prey. A pair of river otters also playfully swam alongside the icy shores in search of food and a resting place.

A handful of international photographers had also taken up temporary residence along the Narrows during the weekend.  Photographers of every skill-level stood for hours along the shores of the Narrows or on the bridge hoping to capture their prized shot as the swans flew overhead or swam by.

Overcast skies, a steady breeze and chilly temperatures dominated much of Good Friday.  Weather conditions improved remarkably on Saturday morning when brilliant blue skies and plenty of sun provided ideal conditions to photograph the swans.  The clouds and haze had returned by Sunday afternoon.

My most successful shots from the previous three weekends were those from Saturday morning's photo-shoot.  The crisp blue skies were the perfect backdrop for the snowy-white feathers of the swans as they flew overhead - I could not have wished for a better day.  Sadly, I only had a few hours with the swans that day as I had to return to Pelly Crossing for a few hours.  Wish I had more time as the skies were not as blue on Sunday.

My camera of choice this past weekend was the Nikon D300 (for its digital crop factor).  The Nikor 300mm f/2.8 lens (with a 1.7x teleconverter) was my principal lens for the swan shots.  Aperture priority was used, the continuous high shutter command was set ON as was the VR (vibration reduction).  With the bright skies an ISO of 250 (underexposed by 1 stop) was all that was needed to capture sharp images.  Most of the swan flyover images were handheld.

Well over 600 images were shot during the course of the weekend, of which a dozen or so were 'keepers'.

What a stellar weekend!  Life has finally returned to the Yukon!!

Join me in the coming days as I share my top 10 ten tips to successfully photographing swans.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world,

Cheers
Claus

An Afternoon with the Swans - con't

Greetings once again from Swan Central!

I'm still on a natural high from yesterday's fabulous photo shoot near Tagish Lake, Yukon.  As I sort and process the well over 200+ images I cannot help but think how fortunate I was to have found such a peaceful place to observe and photograph these graceful creatures in relative close proximity. 

As mentioned in yesterday's post I returned to the small river that joins Marsh Lake with Tagish Lake in hopes of photographing the swans in better lighting conditions than those of Saturday afternoon.  As I drove towards my destination the weather had begun to deteriorate with sudden snow squalls creating temporary whiteout conditions on the highway.  The dark ominous clouds appearing over the mountain tops didn't help matters either.  So often that morning I had wanted to return to the warmth of my hotel room in Whitehorse - thankfully I ignored those thoughts. 

By the time I arrived at the Tagish Lake Campground conditions had improved remarkably with blue skies, sun and scattered clouds.  I should not have been surprised by this as the weather here always turns on a dime.   

Within minutes of parking the car on the side of the highway I was deep into the bush with my camera gear and tripod in hand trying to slog my way to the river.  As the snow was still knee-deep in place I decided to follow an old moose trail that snaked through the maze of spruce and pine trees.  It appears as if the moose had similar thoughts as its tracks eventually lead me to the edge of the steep river slope from where I could scour the icy shoreline for my swans.  It wasn't long before the Trumpeter Swans had announced my presence to the rest of the world.  I waited for a few minutes before I continued quietly along the shoreline until I came to a small clearing that afforded an undisturbed view of a pair of swans resting, preening and 'talking' to each other while they were standing on a thick slab of river ice.  The sun was directly in front of the pair so this created some neat lighting conditions.  I spent close to an hour with the pair observing their behaviour and trying to capture those moments with my camera.  Throughout the hour both individuals kept a very close eye on my every move.  Eventually the pair had other plans and swam away to join their buddies.

I continued to explore the shoreline for a few more hours and did manage more swan sightings.  I estimate there must have been at least 100 swans along this tiny river system.  Toward the end of my day three swans flew quietly by me as if to signal I had overstayed my welcome.

What a treat it was to watch and photograph these critters in their undisturbed environment - an environment surrounded in complete silence and snow-capped mountains.  The silence was interrupted on occasion by the French Horn-like calls of the swans as they chatted with each other and by the steady breeze blowing over the tree tops.  The smells of the spruce and pine needles brought me back to my days canoeing through Algonquin Park in Central Ontario.  Ahh, the lure of the wildnerness!!  I'm so thrilled that spring has returned.  

I could have easily spent a few more hours photographing the swans had I not needed to return to Pelly Crossing (a 5hr drive away).

With lighting conditions being so good I decided to set my camera between ISO 250 and 320.  I elected to use the Nikon D300 camera for its digital zoom factor as it would allow me to take closer images than with a full frame camera.  I used my 300mm f/2.8 glass with 1.7x teleconverter.  Both the camera and lens were mounted on a tripod.  HINT - make sure you set your tripod correctly when shooting on a steep slope (you don't want to sacrifice your top-heavy camera to river below).  A cable release was attached to the camera to minimize camera shake when snapping images.  Oh yes, the camera was also set to Continuous High and Aperture Priority.

I cannot wait until next weekend!

Good night, 

Cheers

Claus

An afternoon with the swans!

Hi again - I just pulled into Pelly.  A very long day but a rewarding one.

Late this morning I returned to the river that connects Marsh Lake with Tagish Lake with the hopes of photographing more swans.  The weather was ideal for photography with plenty of sun, soft light and clouds - oh yes, there was the occasional snow squall and whiteout conditions.   More importantly I had very cooperative subjects.

All in all I spent close to four hours with a group of 20 swans while I was crouched under the boughs of a spruce tree.  I felt privileged to have watched and photographed the swans go about their business without a care in the world.  I'm pleased with my efforts.  

It's shortly before midnight and I'm pooped....  more images to come tomorrow.

Good night

Enjoying another Yukon Golden Sunset

Greetings once again from the Yukon!

Sunday night was a gorgeous night to watch the sun set.  Moments before the sun was about to retire for the evening the sky was set ablaze with various shades of orange and yellow.  Once again I quickly searched for my camera, 300mm lens, tripod and cable release and made a mad dash across the street in hopes of capturing the silhouettes of the spruce and alder trees set against the dramatic backdrop.  I managed approximately 30 images - two of my favourites are posted above.

I was hoping for a repeat performance tonight - no luck.  Lets hope for tomorrow evening.  Speaking of which, aurora forecasters are predicting a good chance of spotting the northern lights tomorrow night. 

The days are certainly getting longer - the sun rose at 7:13 and set at 21:02

Good night from the Yukon.

Spring melt is underway

Greetings once again from the Yukon!

At long last the spring melt is underway.  Balmy temperatures (+10 oC), blue skies and plenty of sunshine greeted my return north.  Local radio reports have announced that the first of the swans have arrived.  I also spotted my first sic-sic (ground squirrel) of the year foraging on shrubs in an old fire burn site.  These little critters have just emerged from spending close to six months hibernating under the snow.  Soon the grizzlies, sandhill cranes, eagles and geese will join the cast of characters that make the Yukon their home during the summer months.  Needless to say I cannot wait to join them with my camera in hand.

Todays' picture is of the Yukon River at Five Fingers along the Klondike Hwy.  Notice how the river has already started to melt.

Ottawa at dusk

Good evening from Ottawa!

Tonight a couple photography friends and I gathered on an abandoned railroad bridge over the Ottawa River in hopes of capturing the city skyline and its reflections with our cameras.  

The perfect time to photograph a city and its lights at night is during the minutes before and after sunset.  At that time there is still enough light in the sky to highlight the colours, texture and details of the buildings while the backdrop, the sky, remains a dark blue.  

Here are the specs from todays image:

Gear used:  Nikon D700 camera with Nikkor 24-70mm lens f/2.8.  Tripod and cable release needed.

Image captured at ISO 200, f/10, 8-10sec exposure

Thanks France for the idea - just wished there was a splash of purple in tonights sky.   

This, the first day of spring....

And here I thought spring had arrived!

This shot was taken this afternoon in Westboro, a subdivision in Ottawa.  The forecast calls for 10cm of snow on this the first day of spring.

Happy Equinox!

A day at the sugar bush

A sure sign of spring - the maple sap is running!  

This afternoon I joined my niece and nephew at a local sugar bush near Ottawa, Ontario.  While there we were introduced to the production of maple syrup.  Did you know it takes 40L of sap to produce 1L of maple syrup!  Warm days followed by cool nights are the ideal conditions for producing sap.  By all accounts this year promises to be a banner year for the maple syrup industry. 

My main goal today, besides spending time with my sisters children, was to capture a few images showing the sap dripping from the tap.  In order to accomplish this it was important to set the camera to continuous high so that I could concentrate on focusing and composition while I fired away.  I used a Nikon D700 camera with my new Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 VR macro lens - another fabulous piece of glass.  The aperture was set to f/6.3, speed of 1/640th and an ISO of 250.  I shot at least two-hundred images (handheld) hoping one or two would capture a drop of sap dripping from the end of the tap.  I'm pleased with today's images. 

I hope you enjoyed your Sunday afternoon.

Super Moon

Nikon D700, Nikkor 600mm f/4 at 1/640 f/7.1

Tonight the skies over much of North America were graced with the presence of the perigee moon - a super moon of sorts.   Due to the elliptical nature of its orbit the moon today approached its closest point to the Earth - some 50,000km closer.  As a result our nearest celestial body appeared 30% brighter and 14% larger than a normal full moon.   This natural phenomenon occurs at least once every twenty or so years.  More info can be found by reading super full moon.

As the moon was rising shortly after sunset a neighbouring pack of coyotes welcomed it with a chorus of high pithed howls.  So neat to hear them again in the wilds of Ontario.  

Thanks Shell for loaning me the 600mm lens to snap tonights image.  A fabulous lens!

Hope you had the opportunity to see tonights super moon in your corner of the world.

Good night,  Claus

500 days till London 2012

This morning the official countdown toward next years Olympic Summer Games began in London, England.  Hard to believe the worlds best athletes will once again compete for Olympic Glory in only 500 days.  

Today's milestone brings back memories from my Olympic experience during last year's Winter Games in Vancouver.  I was thrilled to have watched the opening ceremonies, several speed skating events and the women's gold medal hockey and curling matches.  What a memorable experience those 16 days were.

As a photographer I was keen on preserving those memories digitally.  My main goal was to capture the mood of the Games as I knew it would be impossible to take action shots of athletes at close range.  I was impressed at how the Nikon D700 and Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 lens handled the ever changing light conditions the Games presented.  I'll let you in on some of my tips on photographing the Olympics in a future post.  In the mean time I've attached a few of my favourite images from Vancouver.  You can also check my website out for more images from those 16 days of winter glory.

Enjoy!  

PS - Tickets for all events at the London Olympics are now on sale - there goes my bank account once again!

Opening Ceremony - Vancouver 2010

Opening Ceremony - Vancouver 2010

Opening Ceremony - Vancouver 2010

Opening Ceremony - Vancouver 2010

Gold Medal - Vancouver 2010

Olympic Champions - Vancouver 2010

Germany - Speed Skating - Vancouver 2010

Silver Medalists - Curling - Vancouver 2010

I wish I had my camera on hand

When will I ever learn the simple lesson of ensuring that my camera and 300mm lens are close at hand?

Late this afternoon, while driving along the Klondike Hwy en-route to Whitehorse, a lynx suddenly appeared on top of a snowbank a few short meters from the highway.  We stopped the truck in time to watch the critter saunter down the snowbank before it ventured back up where it sat and stared at us for a few seconds.  What a perfect shot that would have been - a lynx with its tufted ears bathed in full sunlight.  Sad thing is, my camera was stored in the back seat under our luggage.  Dam !!

Now that spring is around the corner I'm hoping these chance wildlife encounters will become more frequent.  No worries - my camera gear will be ready to go in order to capture those unexpected and treasured moments.

Good night 

and the lights came back.....

The northern lights returned for a encore performance tonight.  Unfortunately tonights display was not as vibrant or as active as yesterdays show.  Regardless, it was well worth the effort to bundle up and venture outdoors in minus 25 oC temps to photograph the aurora as they danced the night away.  (Nikon D700, Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 lens set at f/3.2, 1000ASA and exposed between 10-15 seconds).

More lights from last night

Here are few more images from last nights celestial wonder!  I can honestly say that last night was the most impressive show I've seen in my 13 years living in the north.  Absolutely stunning!  According to Spaceweather.com tonight promises to be just as good!  Keep your fingers crossed.

Yukon Lights at Night

What a night it has been here in the Yukon.  Shortly before 10pm the northern lights literally exploded overhead.  Endless ribbons of green, blue and pink danced across the sky from one horizon to the other for at least 3 hours.

I could have continued to photograph the aurora all night but by 1am my camera froze thanks to the -30 degree temps!  

Tonights images were taken with a Nikon D700 and Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 lens.  Speed was set at 1000ASA, f/3.2 and between 10-15 secs for each exposure.  Cable release and tripod are essential.

It's 130am and the lights continue to dazzle.  Unfortunately I have to work in the morning so its off to bed.  

What a show!

Latest issue of Above & Beyond

The March/April 2011 issue of Above & Beyond is currently on the market.  This edition includes my regular "Field Notes" section, which this month briefly describes life on the floe edge.  You can find this issue in most major bookstores or onboard all First Air flights.  There is also a digital version available free on-line by clicking on Above & Beyond.  Enjoy!

Now in bookstores

If you have the chance drop by your favourite bookstore and check out some of my latest stories that appear in the 2nd Edition of Make the Most of your Time on Earth (Rough Guides, 2010).  Ten of my stories appear in this 2nd edition (travel tales from the Arctic, Bali, Madagascar, the Caribbean and various locals in Canada).  

While you're there take a few minutes to browse through the 7th Edition of The Rough Guide to Canada.  I rewrote Chapter 11 - The North.    

Hope you enjoy these two publications.

Thin Crescent Moon

Nikon D700, Nikor 300mm f/2.8 lens 

Just a quick note - take a look at tonights moon - a very thin crescent moon seen setting in the western sky just after sunset.  Gorgeous evening.

Yukon Golden Sunsets

Thankfully spring is around the corner here in the Yukon. We're gaining approximately 6 mins of daylight every day.  This morning the sun rose at 07:54 and will set at 18:38.  Two months ago, on January 6th, the sun was up at 10:32 and set by 15:44 - an increase of 5hrs and 26mins.  Despite the increased daylight hours overnight temperatures remain at the -30 degree mark while the daytime temps range from -15 to -5 degrees in the sun - perfect temperatures for outdoor activities.

With the lengthening daylight hours (and milder temperatures) come endless new photo opportunities.  My favourite time is the hour before and the hour after the sun sets.  At this time the evening sky undergoes dramatic changes - the sky is transformed from brilliant blue to various hues of purple and mauves followed by endless shades of yellow, orange and red before eventually giving way to the evening darkness.  Mountain backdrops, spruce and alder branches form magical silhouettes for the evening sky.

Today's image was taken along the Klondike Hwy while en-route to Whitehorse.

Enjoy the sun in your corner of the world.

Cheers,
Claus