Canadian Nature Photographer May 1, 2014 Newsletter
WELCOME NEW SUBSCRIBERS - the password to take the Free Photoshop I online course is rdc1 - and Photoshop II course is rdc2. You can access the Photoshop tutorials by clicking here: onlinetraining.html. Any questions please let me know.
Dear friends and fellow photographers: Spring has finally arrived in Calgary and on April 14 I saw the first prairie crocus flowers growing along the Bow river. During April I posted three new articles. 1) Fine Art photography by Chris Collacott from Vancouver. 2) Jon Huyer submitted his 6th article and his images just keep getting better. He shares some of his stunning photos of a polar bear emerging from its den with a young cub. 3) Finally, I was asked how to clean a digital camera sensor so I posted an in depth article on different methods to do this with additional links and several Youtube videos. Cleaning dust off the sensor isn't the problem it was a few years ago as camera manufacturers have added various in camera cleaning mechanisms that do a pretty good job. See articles below.
NEW ARTICLES POSTED IN April on THE CANADIAN NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER
What's Hot and New Click on the photos or links to read the latest photography articles
Fine Art Panoramic Photography by Chris Collacott. Chris started a career in Information Technology, so his travels in the backcountry were limited to the weekends and holidays. He would bring a simple point and shoot and take three or four photos side by side to make “panoramic” photos and he enjoyed that as a form of documenting his adventures. Read article and view pictures.
Newborn Polar Bear Cubs of Wapusk National Park by by Jon Huyer I’m as fascinated and enthralled by the arctic as I am of bears, so getting the chance to see newborn polar bear cubs in northern Manitoba was an absolute dream come true. A last-minute cancellation opened up a spot for me, on a trip that is normally booked solid 1-2 years in advance. View pictures and read article.
Tips on Cleaning Your DSLR Camera Sensor by Dr. Robert Berdan At some point all digital photographers have to clean their camera sensor. There are lots of articles and videos on how to clean a digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera sensor and in this article I will try to bring many of these resources together and also add my thoughts - read article.
Upcoming Photography workshops
Macrophotography & Wildflower Photography workshop with Robert Berdan includes evenings of June 4 and 11 (7:30-9:30 pm) and full day in the field Saturday, June 7. Still places available.
We will be travelling to Bow Valley Provincial park, Banff National Park and Yoho National Park during the day long workshop in order to photograph a wide variety of Spring wildflowers and mushrooms. Transportation will be via car pooling. Participants will receive free Wildflower of the Rockies photo-guide by Halle Flygare and my macrophotography e-book. Also visit Hälle Flygare's web site Nature in Wildplaces to see more of his wildflower photography.
Workshop Cost $249 + GST limited to 10. (If you have gift certificate, please be sure to register).
Calypso orchids are common in early Jun . We will also photograph Lady's slippers and many other wild flowers. Also this year we will also be looking for mushrooms to photograph.
Arctic Adventure Photography Workshop Sept 3-10, 2014 in Yellowknife, NT. Cost $5, 379.00 - limited to 10.
This will be my 6th trip to Yellowknife in order to photograph the Aurora borealis and wildlife. The solar cycle is still near aurora max, the time when the aurora tends to be most active during its eleven year sunspot cycle. We have also added an extra day on the tour to spend on the tundra and we will be visiting Aurora village as part of the tour (see below).
Cost includes accommodation in Yellowknife, flight,n from Yellowknife to a remote lodge on the tundra. We will photograph the Aurora borealis, multicoloured tundra and caribou. We may encounter wolves, grizzly bears and a variety of birds. To see pictures from the 2013 adventure please click here.
Click here to watch live video of the Aurora Borealis by Kwon Chul from Japan - this video was taken at Aurora village in January, 2014 - the video is not time-lapse but real time photographed with Nikon D4, 24 mm f.1.4 lens at ISO 6400.
To register for this workshop please contact Margaret Peterson at : http://www.petersonspointlake.com/contactus.html or call 867-920-4654. Also see the Peterson's Point lake lodge web site for more pictures and information.
Yellowknife has been declared the Aurora capital of the world because it offers unparallelled viewing chances, unsurpassed aurora viewing infrastructure, is perfectly positioned under the Aurora oval, offers unobstructed views, has semi-arid subarctic climate (clear skies) and some of the best dark skies in the world. For more information and to download a visitor guide visit Spectacular Northwest Territories web site HERE.
Summer Photography Certificate at SAIT
In July I will be teaching Photoshop, Wildlife and Sports photography as Part of SAIT's Photography certificate of Achievement between July 7 and August 8. The program cost is $2400. For more information please visit their web site:
Other News
One of my Aurora borealis photographs taken last September at Aurora village, as part of our photo-tour with Petersons Point lake Lodge, won first place in the Oasis International Photocontest held in Italy this spring. The winning photo is shown above on their web site and below.
Aurora borealis over lake taken at Aurora village with 14-24 mm f/2.8 lens outside of Yellowknife, NT September 2013.
COVER of PRISM International Magazine
My Aurora and Tent at Pontoon lake shown below will be featured on the cover of Prism International magazine from Vancouver in upcoming months.
Tent and aurora, Pontoon Lake, near Yellowknife. This photo was taken as part of the Arctic Adventure Workshop September 5, 2014. 24 mm f/1.4 lens, ISO 800, 6 sec , Canon 5D Mark II.
Upcoming Special Presentation by Dr. Wayne Lynch
If you will be in Calgary this May 17, Canada's top Wildlife photographer and writer, Dr. Wayne Lynch and the Calgary Camera Club are offering a full day photo presentation. View Dr. Wayne Lynch's Web site: www.waynlelynch.ca and to register or get more information about the presentation please contact the Calgary Camera club: www.calgarycameraclub.org. Cost is $25 for members and $50 for non-members.
Try the New Google Search Engine on the Web site
You will also notice that I have added a Google Search engine to the home page to help you find articles on various photography topics on the Canadian Nature photographer. The site now hosts several hundred articles, if you are interested in a topic just type in a key word for the topic e.g. f-stop or a photographers name and you will be presented with a list of links. The previous search engine I had stopped working as the provider appears to have gone off line.
If you have any photography questions or would like to see articles about a specific topic please let me know and I will do my best to try and post an article on the topic. I am always looking for new material, if you some interesting nature images or would like to write a short article, please contact me I will help you put something together if you like.
Cheers
Robert Berdan
Calgary, AB
E-mail: rberdan@scienceandart.org
403 247-2457Please Visit : www.canadiannaturephotographer.com