Welcome to the Canadian Nature Photographer

The Canadian Nature Photographer is a resource for nature lovers, photographers and artists and includes: articles, tutorials, galleries, videos, workshops, featured artists & photographers. New articles are posted weekly. Your host is Dr. Robert Berdan. All nature photographers and artists are welcome to contribute. Also see our Monthly Photo Contest at the bottom of the page you could win Macrophotography e-book or Photoshop II online course.

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What's Hot and New Click on the photos or links to read the latest photography articles

Photographing Tundra Swans by Dr. Robert Berdan. Tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus) fly through Alberta on their way to the arctic between about mid March to the end of April. They often stop over for a week or two to feed and that is when I try to get out and capture them with my camera. It's usally still pretty cold in Alberta at this time of year, but a good pair of boots and gloves and I head out to one of the many sloughs - read article and view pictures.

Canadian Maple Syrup and How it's Collected by Karl and Robert Berdan. Nothing tastes more Canadian than the sweet taste of Maple syrup on French toast or pancakes. Every spring in eastern Canada maple syrup producers tap maple trees and boil the sap into a sweet brown coloured syrup. No one knows exactly when this process first started..... see pictures and read article.

Dancing with the Sharp-Tailed Grouse by David Lilly. All bird photographers have the Sharp-tailed Grouse on their list of birds to photograph. For several years I have searched for the Sharp-tailed grouse, but with no luck. This year a fellow bird photographer, Ken Cribben made contact with a rancher  who had Sharp-tailed Grouse on his property. We gained permission to look for the Sharp-tailed Grouse. Read article and view pictures.

Horseshoe Lake Reflections by Stirling Clark. It is a crisp and cool fall morning in Jasper as I make my way down the short trail from the parking lot to the cliffs surrounding the lake.  The same lake which myself and our group of high school friends headed to on warm summer days 30 years earlier to jump off the cliffs into the frigid waters. Read article and view pictures.

Ivvavik National Park by Philippe Henry. Located on the north slope of the Yukon Territory, Ivvavik National Park, originally called Northern Yukon national park, was established in 1984 through the settlement of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, also called the Western Arctic Claim. This agreement established the legal rights of the Inuvialuit people to manage their own land. It is considered to be the first modern land claim. Read article and view pictures.

Great Gray Owls - Phantoms of the North by Dr. Robert Berdan. One of my photographic fantasies was to photograph a great gray owl in a snow storm and a few years back it became a reality. I was driving back from Waterton with fellow photographer Hälle Flygare when we drove into a Spring snowstorm just outside of Bragg Creek. Out of the side of my eye I spotted an owl sitting on a fence ... read more and view pictures.

Going After Gators by Dr. Wayne Lynch. When I'm considering the topic for a new book project I always start by asking myself three questions.  First, are there many other books on the same subject.  If there are, it may mean the market is saturated.  If there are none or very few, either I have a fresh new book idea ripe for publication, or the topic is a dud '.. read article on gators and view pictures.

White on White – Finding, Identifying and Photographing Snowy Owls In Winter by Mark Williams. I would hardly call myself a winter aficionado but since we have 5 months of the white stuff I find myself making the most of the photographic opportunities it presents. To the untrained eye there is not a lot to photograph in our bleak winters compared to our other 3 distinct seasons. Read article and view photographs.

Why Are We Photographers? by Stephen DesRoches. Sometimes I will catch myself questioning my efforts, the costs, and the hours involved on that quest to make better images. Some times the true value of what we do can be clouded by all the noise and media constantly fighting for our attention. But if we take all of that away, I believe all categories of photographers are story tellers... Read article and view pictures.

West Coast of Vancouver Island and its Beautiful Beaches by Dr. Robert Berdan. One of the most beautiful places in Canada for nature photographers is the West Coast of Vancouver Island. In the past decade I visited the islands on six different occassions exploring and photographing as much of the island as I could. I even visited the remote Nootka trail - read article and view pictures.

Shooting Stars - Part I & II by Alan Dyer. Nature doesn’t turn in at nightfall. Familiar landscapes take on a new look when illuminated by moonlight and stars. Here are my tips and techniques for shooting nature by night. Today’s digital cameras make it easier than ever to capture both Earth and sky in the same image - read article and view pictures.

Spherical Panoramic Photography - The Basics by Dr. Robert Berdan. Spherical panorama photo--graphy involves stitching a series of images together to create an entire 360 sphere that with the right software can be converted into an interactive movie using QuickTime VR, Flash, or HTML 5 with Javascript, Read more and view movies & pictures.

Free downloadable program that will show you the exact direction of where the sunrise and moonrise will be at any particular location and time using Google maps. Click on the logo to learn more and download this free program. stephentrainor.com/tools