Canadian Nature Photographer June 3, 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: Finally we have some nice warm weather for getting out and taking pictures. This month there are 4 new articles. What does the Fox Say, this is Simon Jackson's third article for the Canadian Nature photographer and he shares some of fine fox photos. Dr. Agnes Chan, an immunologist shares some of her images from a trip to Patagonia. Here images include beautiful light and decorative edges. Dave Lilly submitted his seventh article, 6 of them have been on birds and he is establishing himself as premiere bird photographer. I recently purchased a Nikon 500 mm VR II lens, something I have been saving and planning for for about 2 years. I have been testing this lens in my backyard and on Sunday June 1 I finally had a chance to field test it at a marsh on the east side of Calgary/ I share my best images and thoughts about this lens which for anyone interested in bird photography that can afford it - it is an outstanding lens for bird photography. I can't wait to take it up to the arctic with me this September.
I am always looking for new articles and fresh ideas - if you have an idea or article you would like to submit with your photos please contact me. If you are not sure about the quality of your images, send me a few pictures and I will give you an honest assessment. If you don't think you can write - I will do my best to help you. It's a great way to get your photos shown to over 200,000 visitors a year and could be a step to producing work you might later want to publish in a printed magazine. You always own the copyright to your photos and articles. Something to think about.
What's Hot and New Click on the photos or links to read the latest photography articles
Photographing Birds with Nikon's 500 mm VRII Lens by Dr. Robert Berdan I recently purchased a new Nikon 500 mm f/4 VRII lens for $8000. I didn't just waltz in the store and buy it, I have been researching and saving for a bigger lens for almost 2 years now. My biggest lens up to now has been the Nikon 300 mm f/2.8 lens with 1.5X and 2X Teleconverters. Read article and view pictures.
Birds of a Feather Flock Together by David Lilly We have all heard the old saying “Birds of a feather flock together”. The question is why do birds flock together? There are a lot of theories and studies done on this interesting subject. Some are obvious, such as Geese in “V” formations, makes it more energy efficient to follow in the shadow of another bird. Read article and view pictures.
Twelve days in Patagonia by Dr. Agnes Chan Patagonia has always been in my list of places to visit, and I got it checked off in April of 2014. Our trip began in El Chaltén which is about a 3 hour drive from the city of El Calafate. El Chaltén is located within the Los Glaciares National Park – a beautiful village at the base of Cerro Torre and Cerro Fitz Roy mountains. Read article and view pictures.
What Does the Fox Say? by D. Simon Jackson. Jasper National Park in Alberta is a remarkable wilderness and one of our favourite places to spend time searching for animals. And within Jasper, there is one area in particular that has produced some of our best black bear photography anywhere: Maligne Lake Road. Read article and view pictures.
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).
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:
Headed to the East Coast in June
I will be travelling to East Coast later in June with fellow photographer, Kamal Varma to photograph New Bruinswick, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton and Nova Scotia. As soon as I am back I will be posting several articles in July from my journey.
I wish everyone a great summer and hope you get lots of opportunities to take wonder photos. If you would like to see an article on some aspect of photography let me know. If anyone out there is an expert in aerial drone photography would love to show some or you work and get some tips - otherwise you will have to wait till I buy a drone in the future.
Cheers
Robert Berdan
Calgary, AB
E-mail: rberdan@scienceandart.org
403 247-2457Please Visit : www.canadiannaturephotographer.com