Solstice, 2011

Posted by Gustav on Dec 21, 2011 in Workshops & Tours | 6 comments

G’day Everyone,

For the time being, a book deadline, home improvements, my part-time gig at the local college, and my HO trains provide ample reason for getting out of bed every day during the winter.  Going outside, apart from snowshoeing with the boys and bringing in more firewood, least of all to take photos, is not part of my daily routine between December and March.  I was never cold-hardy and am becoming even less so as, well, my father pointed out to me during my last visit with him, my hair takes on a more distinguished look.   Though, there are those occasional photo opportunities when I simply have to bundle up and brave the frostbite, say, when there’s a brilliant display of northern lights or the rare ice fog creates the enigmatic Truhin’s Pillars or there’s an eruption of great gray owls or pine grosbeaks.  About every other week, Jeff Parson’s and I trudge out on our snowshoes to check our game cameras.  An article on how to use game cameras for wildlife photography which highlights our adventures over the last several winters as we attempted and finally succeeded in capturing a magazine-quality image of a bobcat appears in the current (Winter, 2011) issue of Northern Woodlands magazine.  You can see an online version of the article on the Northern Woodlands website here:
http://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/camera-trapping-how-to-get-the-shot/

 

Caribou Bull, Newfoundland
Gustav W. Verderber
Canon EOS3
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens with 1.4x
1/90″ @ f4, Kodak E100G
light meter, manual exposure
handheld
special effects by Rob

Last spring, I planted a hawthorn tree right outside of our bathroom window.  Once it bears its bright orange berries which remain on the tree well into winter, I look forward to picking the birds off from inside the bathroom as they land on the snow-covered branches before helping themselves to our bird feeder just below the tree. Otherwise, you can find me right here, snuggled into my recliner with my laptop in front of the wood stove, the boys lounging on their respective rugs either side of me.

 

Immature Male Pine Grosbeak
 Canon EOS3
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens with 1.4x
1/30″ @ f4, Fuji Velvia
 Gitzo Studex tripod with Manfrotto 3047 head
light meter, manual exposure
Canon 550EX Speedlight at – 1 2/3

Morning Doves
Canon EOS 1-D Mark II N
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens with 1.4x
1/400″ @ f8, ISO 200
evaluative metering, aperture priority
Gitzo GT3541LS carbon fiber with Wimberley Head

 

Truhin’s Pillars on Christmas Night
Canon EOS 1-D Mark II N
Canon 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM at 70mm
f/4 @ 30″, ISO 1000, manual exposure
Gitzo GT3541LS tripod with Manfrotto 3047 head
cable release, mirror lockup

(I realize that I featured this image a few days after I took it last December, but this is such a rare event I thought it worthwhile to exhibit it again here.  If you want to read the story behind the photo and an explanation of this incredible meteorological phenomenon, visit this blog: http://www.sojournsinnature.com/blog/parting-shot-of-2010-gustavs-hot-shot-truhins-pillars-on-christmas-night#.TvCkpNRtZ8E)

Most of the stunning winter landscapes on our website are Rob’s.  He enjoys defying arctic conditions to capture remarkable, austere scenes of his frozen home ground that, if they came with a soundtrack, you would expect to hear the cacophony of emperor penguins or the grumble of a polar bear coming from just off the frame, not the drone of Montreal traffic.  For some winter photography tips, see Rob’s blog, “The Joys of Winter Photography”:
http://www.sojournsinnature.com/blog/the-joys-of-winter-photography#.TvCogtRtZ8E

Winter Sunset Over Lake of Two Mountains
Canon EOS 20D
1/10″ @ f16, ISO 100
manual exposure
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM lens
Hoya Moose polarizer and 3-stop GND
5 exposure HDR shot, each 1 stop apart
Gitzo G2220 with Really Right Stuff BH-55 ballhead

Meanwhile, back in my den, I’m already dreaming about next year’s tours and workshops.

In May, we’ll be headed back to the American Southwest to explore the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and several other iconic western landscapes.  Join Ed Taube, Eliot Scher, me, and a small gaggle of high plains drifters on this tour of these classic western locations.  View the itinerary by clicking on the display ad for the tour along the right column and email me soon to join us!

In June, I’ll be joining Roger Hill, the noted storm chaser, to photograph tornadoes in the midwest.  That’s right, I’m a wimp when it comes to snowflakes but I’m willing to stare down a twister to get the shot!!  Are you?  This is a tour that’s sure to blow your mind!!  (Sorry, I just had to use that line.)  Click on the display ad to see the entire itinerary.

For those of you who are still struggling with your cameras or climbing the digital photography learning curve, there’s always the Green Mountain Nature Photography Workshop in spring.  For four days, we’ll take you through the entire toolbox of field technique and the nuts and bolts of digital processing so you can capture and process images like the pros.  All this, and a generous helping of Vermont hospitality, down home cooking, wine, cheese, luscious scenery, carnivorous plants, spring wildflowers, and, if we’re lucky, even a moose.  Come on and immerse yourself in your passion among kindred spirits.  The display ad on the left side of the blog with will take you to the itinerary.

The popular “Tom Jordan Memorial Boreal Tour” is on hold until we hear from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department who are withholding permits to the puffin rookery on Machias Seal Island while they consider “commercializing” the operation.  This is not about minimizing environmental impacts on the island.  This is all about money.  Traditionally, there have been only two private charters permitted to land on the island, one of which I’ve been using for fourteen years – Bold Coast Charters out of Cutler, ME, led by Capt. Andy Patterson.  There are no landing facilities on the island and Capt. Patterson has earned a reputation of safely ferrying people to the rookery and bringing them back without injury for nearly two decades.  Now, the F&W department wants to open up the bid to anyone with a boat to bring people to the island.  More boats, more permits, more money for the F&W department.  Of course, this would also increase the impact on the rookery and decrease the quality of this unique experience.  What’s next?  Cruise ships!!

If you would like to add your voice to help keep the Machia Seal Island rookery safe from destructive commercial exploitation and to preserve the exclusive, intimate quality of visiting this exceptional seabird rookery, I encourage you to contact either or both of the following Fish & Wildlife officials.

Beth Goettel, Refuge Manager, Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex
Beth_Goettel@fws.gov

Janet Kennedy, Refuges Program Supervisor/North U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region
Janet_Kennedy@fws.gov

Until we meet in the field, may the light be with you!

Gustav