Canadian Nature Photographer Newsletter
December 5 , 2017
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Dear Friends - new subscribers welcome, those interested in free online Photoshop workshops can get access to them here: www.canadiannaturephotographer.com/learning.html - password for Photoshop I is rdc1 and for Photoshop II is rdc2.
Photomicrography Award to Robert Berdan
On Friday, November 17 - Robert Berdan's scanning electron micrograph of an isolayted neuron won 1st place in the open category of the Live Cell Imaging facility photomicrography contest. The contest was sponsored by Nikon, Olympus, ThorLabs and Zeiss.
Photo taken by Dr. Sharif Galal, Robert is on the right. Other winners included graduate students and Postdoctoral fellows.
We toured the Live Cell Imaging Facility at the Univeristy of Calgary Health Sciences Centre. The University of Calgary also offers a Microscopy Interest Group which provides news, seminars, workshops on microscopy advances, techniques and access to a large network of microscopy experts.
One of the microscopes at the Live Cell imaging facility at University of Calgary . They also have a classroom for teaching microscopy.
Winning this award was very meaningful to me because I am planning on doing much more photomicrography in the future and sharing the microscopic world with readers of this web site. Anyone can purchase a microscope for a few hundred dollars and with a bit of training can explore miniature universes. I am purchasing a new Zeiss Axioscope for Photomicrography and have ordered this microscope which I hope to have by Christmas. The cost is more than any lens I have ever purchased. In order to pay for the scope I have sold my Kayaks, telescope, several lenses, and one of my saxophones. I still have several items for sale if anyone might be interested - they all are listred on Kijjii Calgary - all my equipment is in pristine shape. I am still planning on photographing nature and wildlife, just thinning down my equipment to help pay for the microscope. .
Lenses I have for Sale include both Nikon and Canon Lenses
1. 300 mm Nikon F2.8 telephoto lens $4750.
2. 1.7X and 2X Nikon Teleconverters $250 each
3. Canon 24 mm F2.8 Lens VRI - $859 (was $1600 new)
4. 8-15 mm F4 Canon Fisheye lens $1250
5. Sigma 8 mm F3.5 Fisheye lens $849
6. Nikon 500 mm F4 lens $9759
I am only going to sell one of my telephotos - which every goes first. If interested you can view or test the lenses at my place in Calgary.
The Zeiss microscope I have ordered will look like this and will feature Nomarksi Differential Interference which offers the baility to create 3D like images of microscopic organisms. You will be seeing a lot more pictures once I have it. My goal is to introduce folks to the incredably beautiful world viewed with a microscope.
Christmas Special $50 off all workshop and Private Training for Subscribers until Dec 31, 2017
Limited Time Special Offer: From now until December 31, 2 017I am offering $50 off any workshop or private training session or gift certificate for Subscribers to this email only. The gift certificates can be used for any workshop or a private training session My one day workshops are normally $299 - mention you received this notice in my newsletter and you will get the workshop or gift certificate for $249. Call me at 402 247-2457 or email me at rberdan@scienceandart.org.
Restored Family Photos Make an Ideal Christmas or Birthday Gift
This Christmas a very special gift you can give to loved ones is a retouched Family Photo. If you are a photoshop guru then you can do it yourself and I have several tutorials on my web site to help you get started, But if you are not - the cost of image repair is less then you might think. I have been doing this as a side business for over 20 years, primarily because I love looking at old photos and and I like fixing them. Below is just one sample, to see more visit my commercial web site Sceince & Art - http://www.scienceandart.org/photorestoration.html
This photo was done for a women who was turning 91 and it was picture of her in her younger days. If you have a lot of photos, I can teach how to repair you own photos as well.
New Articles posted in November
This month we have another article by Dr. Wayne Lynch, arguably the best wildlife photographer in Canada and perhaps North America. Wayne shares his amazing photos of elephant seals from a recent trip to the Falkland islands. Another outstanding photographer that has been shooting professionally in Alaska for over 25 years is Patrick Endres. Patric has create the most complete ebook on Aurora photography and I urge you to visit his article and consider the purchase of his ebook. Finally, I first saw Patrice Grilli's images of insects on Flickr and was very impressed. His images of ants and other small insects resemble 3D images taken with a scanning electron microscope. He uses focus stacking and a Canon MPE-65 macro lens which is capable of 5-15X magnification. His setup is amazing and so are his pictures - if you are interested in macro please have a look.
All of you invited to submit articles to the Canadian Nature Photographer if you might be interested please see my submission guidelines.
Click on the thumbnails or links to read the Latest Photography Articles
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Southern Elephant Seals by Dr. Wayne Lynch The southern elephant (Mirounga leonina) seal will never win a beauty contest. Even so, I’ve always had a soft spot for these floppy-nosed, bellowing heavyweights and last month in the Falkland Islands I had a chance to observe them once again - read more. |
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Photographing the Northern Lights - Ebook by Patrick Endres I grew up in a small town in southern Wisconsin where I developed a passionate interest in nature and the outdoors. In 1981, after high school, I set my sights on Alaska, seeking adventure in a wilderness landscape - read more.
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Macrophotography of Insects by Patrice Grilli My name is Patrice GRILLI, I’m 40, I live in the south of the France. I’m a chess teacher, and semi pro photographer (waterski, pack-shots, landscape) since 20 years (since 2001 with DSLR) and specialize in macro - read more.
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Snowy Owls - Saturday, January 20 or February 17. Max of 3. $299Last we had a very successful time photographing snowy owls west of the city. If for any reason we don't find any - you can attend the second workshop free, though I expect we will encounter several. A telephoto lens is essential. We will stop for lunch. We will be driving down lots of farm roads and visiting various hot spots. Last year we also encountered a Great Horned owl lodging in a barn and were able to get some nice photos. If you can't make one of these dates contact me for a private tour. Only a few spots left. See article and some photos from last year's Owl workshops. |
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NEW - Photomicrography for beginners - Jan 27, 2018 $299 Max of 3Learn how to use a light and stereo microscope for taking pictures using bright field, darkfield, phase contrast and polarization. You will be shown how to create your own crystals, view living pond organisms, and photograph your own cheek cells. No camera or microscope is required - just show up and bring your curiosity and a USB stick to take the photos you take home. I will cover what to look for in buying a microscope, how to attach your camera, and show you where you can get free software to connect your microscope camera to a computer to record images. You may use a gift certificate to attend this workshop. If dates are not good for you please contact me for private training. Workshops go from 9-12 and 1-4 pm.
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To register or view more workshops in 2018 |
Robert's E-book The Art of Canadian Nature Photography - 250 pages is Now on Sale
Celebrating Canada's 150th Birthday - Makes a Great Christmas Gift
Book Cover Jacket
Ebook now available for $19.95 CDN
To learn more about my new book or purchase it Click on the Button
Purchasing an e-Book helps supports this web site so I can deliver more Photography articles.
You can download a free chapter in PDF format - Download FREE Sample Book Chapter PDF. The book is filled with 250 pages of images and text that described some of the most beautiful places to photograph in Canada, includes maps, discussion of the Visual Elements of Design, Composition and How to photograph the Aurora.
Can't make a workshop, call me if you would like private training in any aspect of outdoor photography, microscopy or Photoshop training.
Sorry this newsletter is more commercial then I generally put out, I hope you will foregive me, but the high cost of the new microscope and the fact that I am no longer teaching at SAIT or offering web design means that I have joined the ranks of other artists and nature photographers and making a living doing just photography which can be a challenge.
I want to wish all of you a happy holiday, may your wishes come true - the next newsletter will come out first week in January of 2018.
Robert Berdan
Calgary, AB
E-mail: rberdan@scienceandart.org
403 247-2457