March 28, 2010
This image was taken 20 minutes after sunset, on an unusually calm evening, on the shores of Lake of Two Mountains in L’Ile Bizard, Quebec – just a few kilometers from where I live.
When shooting sunsets, it’s worthwhile to wait a 15-30 minutes after the sun has dipped below the horizon to see what happens. The wind usually dies down, the sky can take on some beautiful & rich colors, and the lower contrast between land and sky is easier to control.
I really love this type of image - the simplified composition, calm water and pastel colors convey a sense of tranquility and calm. I hope you like it too.
The colors are “real”, and obtained by stacking three separate filters: a Singh-Ray 4-stop Neutral Density filter to slow the exposure to 20 seconds, a 3-stop Graduated Neutral Density filter to darken the bright sky, and a polarizer to eliminate the shine off the wet rocks and to help see through the water’s surface.
Image specs:
- Canon EOS 5D Mark II
- Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM at 21mm
- f/13, 20 seconds, ISO 200
- Singh-Ray 3-stop hard GND, Singh-Ray 4-stop ND and B+W polarizer mounted on a Lee Filter System
- Gitzo GT3541LS tripod with RRS BH-55 ballhead, mirror lockup, cable release
- Processed with Adobe Camera Raw 5.x
Please leave a comment, either positive or negative – it’s always appreciated. If you’re interested in purchasing a print of this image, please let me know.
See you in the field,
Rob
Posted by Rob under Filters,Hot Shots,L'Ile Bizard (Quebec),Quebec | Comments (5)
November 27, 2009
The grey, drizzly November weather we’re having is making think back and look at images taken in different seasons. I fell upon this one taken in May 2009, following record-high spring water levels. After many weeks of frustration caused by extremely high water, which robbed me of my usual shoreline compositions, the water finally receded dropping by about 6 feet in 1 month.
Still, the water line was still many feet above normal levels – the “seaweed” see in the foreground is actually grass, and the “aquatic plant” in the middle of the image is a dry-land bush…
In order to tame the very bright sky and properly expose the dark foreground, I used two GND filters, a 2-stop one just below the bush, and a 3-stop one at the horizon line.
Image specs:
- Canon EOS 5D Mark II
- Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM at 31mm
- f/22, 4 seconds, ISO 50
- Singh-Ray 3-stop hard GND, Lee 2-stop hard GND, B+W polarizer
- Gitzo GT3541LS tripod with RRS BH-55 ballhead, cable release
Please leave a comment, either positive or negative – it’s always appreciated. If you’re interested in purchasing a print of this image, please let me know.
See you in the field,
Rob
Posted by Rob under Filters,Hot Shots,L'Ile Bizard (Quebec),Landscapes,Quebec,Spring | Comments (1)
October 22, 2009
There are times when I go out for a shoot with specific expectations, and don’t get the shot I wanted because there’s bad light, wrong weather conditions or something messing up the composition. There are times when I pre-visualize a shot, things line up perfectly and I get exactly the shot I wanted. And then, there are times when I go out, not expecting to get a single good shot, and end up getting a killer image.
This was such a time. And these images are the most surprising and satisfying.
Read more…
Posted by Rob under Filters,Fine Art Prints,Hot Shots,Landscapes,Quebec | Comments (8)
October 18, 2009
Liquid Gold Sunset Over Lake of Two Mountains
Canon EOS 5D MkII
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM lens at 20mm
f/22, 2s, ISO 100
Filters: Singh-Ray 3-stop hard GND, Lee 2-Stop hard GND, B+W 105mm polarizer
Gitzo GT3541LS tripod with RRS BH-55 ballhead, cable release
Hey all,
Rob here. I kind of missed the spontaneity of writing small, quick blog posts… You know, something that highlights a mood, a thought, an event, or a specific image. Gustav and I will keep on writing the longer monthly blog posts, but I also want to write more often to stay in touch. So this is the first post of a new series of “My Hot Shot”. There may a few per week, or only one per month – it’ll depend on my work schedule.
This shot was taken on Labour Day 2009. The beautiful clouds that were hanging around at 17:00 sadly disappeared by 18:15 as I was preparing to head out for this shot.
The bright, cloudless sky made the exposure rather difficult. I ended up using two graduate neutal density filters to hold back the very bright sky. I placed a 2-stop GND just above the rocks (about 2/3rds of the way up), along with a 3-stop GND at the horizon. I also used a polarizer to remove the harsh reflections from the wet rocks in the foreground.
I absolutely love the golded layer of water – this is really what makes this image special. The composotion also works well because of the placement of the horizon, the sun, the tuft of grass in the foreground, and the way the rocks leads your eyes into the sun.
Hope you enjoy it! All the best,
Rob
Posted by Rob under Filters,Hot Shots,L'Ile Bizard (Quebec),Landscapes | Comments (0)
July 6, 2009
G’day Everyone,
For those of us sufficiently aged to remember the music of the seventies, you might recall the tongue-in-cheek song by Dr. Hook, “The Cover Of The Rolling Stone”. Whether you’re a “big rock singer with golden fingers” or a nature photographer with a keen eye, a cover shot, in particular, on a national publication, is about as good as it gets. You’d think, being a professional and all, getting one’s images published loses its allure after a while. Not for this pro. What with the competition these days, it’s more important than ever to stand out and there’s not much that spotlights one’s work better than a national cover. Well, ok, there’s winning the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award and the Pulitzer Prize, but let’s keep it real.
My image, “Sunrise at Otter Rocks” (below), appears on the front cover of the current issue (Summer, 2009) of Nature Photographer magazine. I’m offering a signed 18″ x 24″ print, matted and framed in solid oak of the cover image, along with an autographed copy of the magazine with free shipping to all Sojourns In Nature subscribers for $195.00. Simply email me at gustav@sojournsinnature.com if you’re interested. You might also consider joining me in Maine on the Tom Jordan Memorial Boreal Coast Tour next summer. Who knows, if you stood right next to me….. 
Sunrise at Otter Rocks
Canon EOS 1-D Mark II N
Nikon 24mm f/1.2 with Canon-Nikon Adaptor Ring
f/22 @ 1.5″, +1 exposure compensation, ASA 100
Cokin -3 GND filter
Gitzo 2220 tripod with Manfrotto 3047 head
cable release, mirror lockup
Read more…
Posted by Gustav under Filters,Maine,Publications,Shows & Exhibits,Summer,Technique,Vermont,Workshops & Tours | Comments (5)
June 10, 2009
Hey friends,
For many years now, I’ve been taking a vacation during the first week of June. Not only does this coincide with my birthday, but early June tends to be very nice weather-wise and is great for nature photography. Coincidentally, this is the same week as the Green Mountain Nature Photography Workshop takes places, and for the third year in a row, I headed down to northern Vermont for 5 days to be co-instructor of the workshop.
I know, I know, many of you are scratching your heads about this. Why on earth would I want to “work” during my vacation? Why would I choose to get up at 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning for 5 days? Truth is that for me this is not work, and getting up early is worth it. I love to share my passion for nature photography with others, and I happen to have pretty good technical know-how regarding photography and equipment, so it is a pleasure and a thrill to help others in their photographic journey.
So on Friday May 29th 2009, my first day of vacation, I headed down to Vermont to hook up with my friend and photo partner Gustav. Sadly, my wife Johanne had to stay in Montreal, as our 13+ year Labrador Retriever, Gryphon, no longer travels well and gets too stressed when we are away. Many thanks to my darling wife, who did not make me feel bad about leaving her behind.
I’ll reserve a detailed day-by-day description of the workshop for a future blog post next spring… For now, I simply wanted to share a few of my favorite images with you. I’m deliberately choosing images that are different from my previous 2 trips to the workshop.
Four Corners Falls – Missisquoi River – North Troy, Vermont
Canon EOS 5D MkII
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L lens at 21mm
ISO 100, 0.5s at f/20
Filters: Singh-Ray Gold-n-Blue Polarizer
Gitzo GT3541LS Tripod with Really Right Stuff BH-55 Ballhead
Read more…
Posted by Rob under Filters,Landscapes,Macro,Spring,Vermont,Workshops & Tours | Comments (2)
January 2, 2009
Happy New Year to all!
Before getting to the “meat” of this article on using the Sing-Ray the Gold-N-Blue polarizer, let me give you a quick update on my new Canon EOS 5D MkII camera. I’m mid-way through my 2008 Holiday break – a full two weeks off work, and it feels great! I was supposed to be spending a lot of time outdoors, enjoying my new Canon EOS 5D MkII camera, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing…
Alas, the weather has been most uncooperative, with lots of rain and freezing rain over the beautiful snow, cloudy skies, very high winds (blowing at 100km/h as I’m writing this on December 28th, 2008), slippery and icy conditions, etc… [sigh]… I did go out a whole three times to enjoy my new camera, but 95% of the images I’ve taken with it so far were indoor “test” shots. I am absolutely thrilled with the image quality of this camera. The 5D MkII is everything I was hoping it would be, so let me share a couple of shots:
Snow Covered Trees in Winter
Canon EOS 5D MkII with Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens at 47mm
1/25s at f/14, ISO 100
B+W Polarizer
Gitzo G1340 tripod, Really Right Stuff BH-55 ballhead, cable release, mirror lock-up
Gryphon
Canon EOS 5D MkII with Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM lens at 81mm
1/50s at f/5.6, ISO 1600(!)
Gitzo GT3541LS tripod, Really Right Stuff BH-55 ballhead
Read more…
Posted by Rob under Filters,L'Ile Bizard (Quebec),Technique,Vermont,Winter | Comments (8)
October 19, 2008
Johanne (my wife) and I decided to take our vacation 1 month later than usual, so that I could do some “fall colors” photography. My intention had been to join Gustav for a couple of days on his Fall Foliage Magical Mystery Tour, and I was really looking forward to shooting streams and waterfalls in autumnal colors. However, Gryphon, our 12 1/2 year old Labrador Retriever, no longer travels well and gets stressed when we leave him at my parents house for more than a few hours. Gryphon has given us a lifetime of love, devotion and loyalty, and the very least I can do for him is to make his life as happy and comfortable as possible. Which means staying at home…
I decided to stay in the Montreal area for my photography, and expected to do short “day trips” to various locations. Note to self: there’s no point in driving to a general location unless you really know the area well, or have a specific destination in mind… My first “day trip” to a beautiful area just west of Montreal ended up being nothing more than a pleasant 4 hour drive in the countryside. Not a single picture taken. Additionally, most areas just outside of Montreal peaked about 2 weeks early this year, and the trees were mostly bare by the start of my vacation, limiting my choice of destinations.
So, remembering Dorothy’s famous words: “There’s no place like home…” I decided to stick to nearby areas that I know soooo well. There are no “grand vistas” in the area, so my compositions would need to focus on shapes and patterns, small tree clusters, and colors. The key is to find clean, interesting compositions, simplifying the shot as much as possible to make it appealing.
Maple Trees in Fall Colors
Canon EOS 20D with Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM IS lens at 168mm
1/30s at f/8, ISO 100
Hoya Moose Polarizer
Gitzo G2220 tripod, Really Right Stuff BH-55 ballhead, cable release, mirror lock-up
Read more…
Posted by Rob under Fall Foliage,Filters,L'Ile Bizard (Quebec),Technique | Comments (0)
October 6, 2008
G’day everyone,
A couple of frosty mornings in mid September, with temperatures in the low thirties, ignited the forests up here in northern Vermont about a week early this year. People remarked that the color appeared virtually overnight – like the flash of light from a bulb burning itself out, fall foliage was an explosive event. As I write this, wind and rain are already stripping the leaves off of the trees, wallpapering the roads with wet leaf litter and making them treacherous on the curves. Just down the muddy road from my house, sugar and red maple leaves cascade down Tamarack brook, bunching up in the deep pool below the falls where they swirl in the eddy, forming a vivid galaxy on the tea-colored water. Further south, colors are just beginning to peak. Good thing because the Fall Foliage Magical Mystery Tour begins Sunday. We’ll head toward the central part of the state where the colors aren’t running down the rivers just yet.
Autumn at Tamarack Brook
Canon EOS 1-D Mark II N, Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM lens at 17mm
Moose 81A Polarizer
30 seconds at f/19, ISO 100
evaluative metering, aperture priority
Gitzo G2220 tripod, Bogen 3047 head, cable release
Read more…
Posted by Gustav under Cape Cod,Fall Foliage,Filters,Fine Art Prints,Shows & Exhibits,Technique | Comments (1)
August 24, 2008
Wow… I certainly feel quite stupid right now – what can I say? Here I am, shooting my mouth off in my last blog/newsletter about how insect “hunting” is a photography no-miss during the summer months… Well now, I certainly did not count on record rainfall in July, coupled with many extremely windy days!
July was a complete wash on the photography front, weekends being mostly wet and windy. What a bummer! But August has been great. Frighteningly, we’re now at the end of August, and there are only 4 weeks left until the end of summer, thus, I title this blog entry as “Summer 2008″.
Let’s start with a sunset picture… For a variety of reasons (bad weather, working too late, weekend evening plans, etc.), I’ve not gone to do a sunset picture since the winter. Shame on me, as sunsets (and landscapes) is really what I find most satisfying photography-wise. On Saturday, August 23rd, everything lined up for me to go out for a sunset shot… And I was rewarded! This was the first attempt at using my new Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue polarizer filter on a sunset. I’d love to hear your feedback on this shot:
Late August Sunset over Lake of Two Mountains
Canon EOS 20D with Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM lens at 28mm
2 seconds at f/16, ISO 100
Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue Polarizer (blue polarization), Hitech 3-stop graduated neutral density filter, 2-stop neutral density filter
Gitzo G2220 tripod, Really Right Stuff BH-55 ballhead, cable release, mirror lock-up
Ah…. yes… And suddenly, I remember why I love landscape and sunset photography. And… before anyone asks, the above image is as I saw it in my viewfinder – there is virtually no PhotoShop work on this image: it’s all about understanding how to use filters and properly exposing the image.
The Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue filter transformed somewhat “blah” colors to the stunning colors you see… I love that filter!
Read more…
Posted by Rob under Filters,L'Ile Bizard (Quebec) | Comments (2)
