Shaped by Light

Tribute to Polar Bears

2011-02-22T16:09:00.001-03:30

I have had the great honour of working as a eco-tour leader introducing people polar bears in the wild. They are utterly dependent on ice as their hunting platform. Global warming is reducing arctic ice cover at an alarming rate. Who knows how much longer they have to exist on this earth? I have put together this show of my images to celebrate them.

Bringing Depth to Your Images

2011-02-13T16:48:00.001-03:30

Chinstrap Penguin Colony, Deception Island, Antarctica

We see a world with depth because our two, forward-looking eyes each perceive a slightly different picture. Our brains merge them together to form a three-dimensional interpretation. It is the amount of overlapping information that each eye perceives that is the secret to our depth perception. It would not work nearly as well if our eyes were placed more on the sides of our head, say, like a horse, which has traded strong depth perception for a much broader, wide-angle view. However, an animal with forward-looking eyes, like an owl, has excellent depth perception.

Close one eye and your depth perception is almost non-existent. Try it. Hold a pencil out in front of you in your left hand with the tip pointing towards your right. Now try to touch the tip of the pencil with the outstretched finger of your right hand. Yes you can do it, but you might miss the first time or two.

What’s the photographic connection? Most cameras only have one eye. (Stereoscopic cameras have two.) They cannot perceive depth. When we look out over an inspiring landscape with our eyes, the sense of distance and perspective is self-evident. When we make an image of it with our cameras, something very important is missing: the sense of depth. That’s why you need to help the camera simulate a sense the depth by using one or more simple techniques.

First, though, it helps to be aware of the effect of light on depth. The more intense the light, the greater the tonal contrast, the stronger is the sense of depth. Soft, diffuse light reduces the sense of depth. Light direction also has a bearing. Frontal light, coming from behind the photographer directly on to the subject, reduces the sense of depth, whereas light from the side enhances depth. Backlight, coming from behind the subject towards the camera also can enhance depth especially when foreground objects are silhouetted. Warm colours act as though they move forward while cool colours recede. This is one reason why the person in a red jacket tends to have prominence in a photo. Now for the techniques.

Foreground, middle ground, background

The strong foreground serves as a stepping stone into the image.

Many shooters will see an inspiring scene, photograph the middle ground and background and then look at the disappointing result that lacks any sense of depth. They missed a key element: the foreground. Compare the creation of this kind of image to writing a story. Any story needs a good beginning, middle and end. So does this kind of image. Whenever I’m in this situation, I look for something to serve as foreground interest, something that can work like that first stepping stone into the scene. When you include all three elements: foreground, middleground and background, you simulate a stronger sense of depth.

Scale

Our dog, Thule, imparts a sense of scale to frame.

Objects look smaller the further they are away, right? But our minds know that they are not actually smaller. So when we place an object of known size in a scene, say a car or a human figure, it immediately helps the camera to simulate depth. We know roughly how large a human figure is, so if it is tiny in the frame, we know it is far away, large and it’s near. Wide-angle lenses exaggerate depth since foreground objects appear so much bigger than background objects. Telephoto lenses, like binoculars, tend to bring the background forward and appear to compress an image from front to back. They reduce the sense of depth in a scene. A strong telephoto lens can make the background appear as though it looms over the foreground almost eliminating depth altogether.

The use of a 400 mm telephoto lens causes the distant mountain to be "pulled forward" reducing the sense of depth.

Repeating shapes

The grasses and the planks in the boardwalk serve as repeating shapes that grow smaller as they recede.

Think of the dashed lines on a highway. Those near you look much longer than those in the distance. Also those in the distance tend to run together while those near you are clearly separated one from the next. There is an illusion that the distance between distant objects appears smaller the further they are away. Apply this idea to photography by using patterns of similar objects, (planks on a wharf, pebbles on a beach) so that the elements of the pattern appear smaller as it recedes into the distance. Our minds interpret this as depth. Once again, a wide angle lens can exaggerate the effect and a telephoto will reduce it.

Converging lines

A strong sense of depth is created by the converging lines.

Photograph a path or a road from the side and it will appear as a horizontal or diagonal line. Do the same from a position in the middle of the path or road and the sides converge imparting a stronger sense of depth that leads you forward into the image. The optical principle here is that parallel lines appear to converge in the distance to a point where they seem to merge: the vanishing point. You can use this principle to impart a sense of depth. Your lens choice matters once again since wide-angle lenses exaggerate convergence. If you include the vanishing point you get a stronger sense of depth; eliminating the vanishing point gives you a weaker sense of depth. So next time you are in a large building, look for converging lines to create a sense of depth. It matters where you stand.

Overlapping shapes

The overlapping shapes as well as the atmospheric perspective imply depth.

We know that near objects are in front of far objects. Therefore overlapping shapes imply depth. So when you are setting yourself up for a shot and want to create a stronger sense of depth, move around looking for overlapping shapes.

Atmospheric perspective

The depth here is created by the warmer more saturated foreground and the bluer less saturated background.

Dust in the atmosphere can affect the sense of depth in a scene. The further away an object is, the more dust there is between it and you. Hence it will appear lighter, less contrasty and less saturated. This is more noticeable as you look closer towards the sun because all the fine dust is backlit and looks brighter. Telephoto lenses seem to exaggerate the phenomenon. So look for these image planes, overlapping layers in a landscape where the nearest part of the scene appears darker, more saturated and has stronger contrast than the most distant. Also, with increasing distance, objects appear bluer because warm colours like red, orange and yellow are absorbed by the atmosphere. So placing warm hues in the foreground and bluer hues in the background implies depth.

Add them together

The boats serve as objects of known size as well as repeated patterns decreasing in size as they recede. The distant human figure adds another indication of scale.

So even though the camera cannot see in three dimensions like we can, there are tricks to imply depth when creating images. If you use one or more of these techniques together you will create an even stronger sense of depth.

Photography in Winter

2011-01-24T20:10:00.006-03:30

Winter Opportunities and Challenges

In photography, winter is the great simplifier. Details, like grass and leaves, are hidden, contours and edges are rounded, and the landscape is rendered to its most fundamental elements: line, shape, texture and colour. Even colour is more subdued and reduced in range from the vibrant green of summer, or the red, yellow and orange of fall, to the subdued blue of snow, sky and ice, or the browns of bark and dried leaf.

On overcast days in winter, the sky tends to be rendered as a large patch of bright, featureless nothingness. Landscapes are flattened because the diffuse light from the sky is reflected also from the snow reducing the overall contrast that we need in order to discern shape and line.

On sunny days the opposite is true. With the sun lower in the sky than in the summer, shadows are long and discernable all day long. In summer you may not consider shooting at high noon, but it's grand in the winter. The shadows help create line, shape and depth and impart visual interest to any object projecting above the snow.

Falling snow is beautiful to watch but difficult to capture well. The camera will likely focus on the background or some distinctive feature, rather than the falling snow itself. The movement of the snow also presents a challenge.

Other challenges for the winter photographer are keeping your own body warm and keeping your gear protected from the cold. On the coldest days, the electronics of modern cameras can fail completely unless precautions are taken.

The soft light of overcast days can cause the camera's autofocus system to struggle because it usually relies on some kind of contrasting feature to find a point of focus. So don't be surprised to hear your camera struggling to find something on which to focus.

Our cameras don't see the same as we do. Winter scenes illustrate this well. We think of snow and ice as white or colourless, and our eye-brain combination usually interprets it this way. But snow is rarely colourless. Only in flat, neutral light, is it white, or some shade of gray. Otherwise it is the colour of the light falling upon it, and this is how the camera sees it. Under a blue sky, snow is also blue. Warm evening light will impart a yellow, orange or pink hue. The shadowed side of a snow bank is the reverse or negative colour of the light source perhaps an intense blue, when the light source is yellowish, or even purple when the light source is orange.

Exposure is tricky in a winter-white scene. Our in-camera light-metres want to interpret the snow-covered landscape as darker than it is. This is why your snowy shots can look rather muddy rather than fresh.

Tips

Considering these characteristics and challenges of winter shooting, here are some ideas that might help deal with them:

With the simplifying effects of snow-cover, "go with the flow" and make your compositions stark and simple based on line, shape and the contrast between light and shadow. Look for opportunities to bring out the mood of profound quiet and solitude.

Look for lines including

relaxing s-curves like those made by a winding road or path, a brook, snow drift or snow-shoe tracks that you can make yourself;

diagonal lines that impart energy and depth to a photo or divide the frame into triangles;

merging parallel lines that create strong perspective.

Embrace negative space. Negative space is the area around your subject that is empty of eye-grabbing visual features. When the sky is overcast, the lack of colour and tonal contrast can make the earth and sky appear to merge. Use this to create an ethereal, abstract look that lacks perspective, perhaps with one subject - a tree, rock, or person in a sea of negative space.

If the sky is bland and without any tonal character, minimize it in the frame or eliminate it all together.

When the sky is beautiful or moody, let it dominate the frame.

Notice how a frosting of snow can bring out the features and striations of a rock face or any other rough surface.

Try to capture the lace-like quality of snow-covered branches.

Look for interesting contrast between snowless tree trunks and snow-laden branches.

When shooting a large landscape where you want both a sharp foreground and background, use a small aperture (e.g. F16, f22).

Move around a subject noticing the changing effects of light direction and the background changes.

Shoot at all hours of the day although the magic hours just before sunset and just after sunrise are still the best.

Look for singular trees in the landscape, especially those with stark, graphic forms and make compositions with them small and near the edge of the frame.

In a forest, use a wide-angle lens and point towards the light source to create radiating shadows from the trees.

Look for some interesting detail such as a single icicle hanging from a berry or a few flakes of fresh snow on a fallen leaf and isolate it (with an aperture or f 5.6 or so to create a shallow depth of field).

Look for backlighting opportunities with ice clinging to objects.

If snow dominates the frame, over-expose by one to two stops, especially in soft light, to make snow look whiter rather than muddy gray as your meter will want to render it. Bracket to be sure. Watch your histogram and don't clip the highlights. If there is only a small amount of snow in the frame shoot it as metered.

In hard light (bright sun), it might be better to shoot it as the meter suggests or even underexpose a bit. Hard light will emphasize texture and contrast. Also consider backlighting or sidelighting when the light is hard.

Use a low view point at sunrise and sunset to bring out the texture of snow.

With falling snow, turn off your in-camera flash. It will overexpose the flakes closest to the camera. Instead, use no flash or an off-camera flash over to one side or even pointed at an angle back towards the camera.

Also with falling snow, you might want to manually focus on whatever you want sharp, either the falling flakes or some other subject.

Find a position where falling snow stands out against a dark background.

Use fast shutter speed to freeze falling snow. Or, use a slow shutter speed to allow falling flakes to blur in soft streaks. This will emphasize the falling motion. Either fast or slow shutter speeds can be effective. Try both.

Use a telephoto lens to capture the feeling of falling snow. It will create an impression of more concentrated snow because of its tendency to reduce perspective.

In very cold weather, wear a large parka and keep your camera inside it to keep the batteries warm.

Do not blow on your camera to remove snow or other particles.

Carry spare batteries and keep them in a pocket close to your body until you need them.

When its especially cold and you want to walk around with your camera attached to a tripod (as I do), consider taping hand-warmers directly to the bottom of your camera. Also you can attach moleskin to the fixed parts of your camera that you will handle.

Put foam pipe insulation around the upper part of your tripod legs to reduce the heat loss from your hands.

Hold your breath when you are looking through your viewfinder to avoid condensation.

If your shutter freezes up, return to the warmth until its function is restored.

When you go into the warmth, prevent condensation by keeping your gear covered until it can warm up slowly.

Use a lens hood to create some protection around the lens especially when it is snowing.

Use well-fitting gloves that are not so thick that they prevent you from using your camera controls. Mitts with flaps the cover your fingers when you are not actually shooting are also beneficial.

Check the forecast but don't be ruled by it.

Loose the attitude that you would rather be indoors by the fire. Just get out there with a smile on your face.

One last very important point: do not disturb wild animals, especially in winter. It is a critical time for them when food is scarce and energy conservation is imperative.

Enjoy your winter shooting.

2011 Photo Tours/Workshops

2011-01-17T17:26:00.000-03:30

Port Rexton, one of our destinations on the Eastern Newfoundland tour

This year we are leading two Newfoundland tours and I will be along on two Adventure Canada expeditions in the north as well. You will find the detailed info here.

This is the first year that we have offered a western Newfoundland tour and it has been gobbled up by past travelers who had been wait-listed. It's fully booked! However, there is still space remaining on the eastern Newfoundland tour.

By the way, the Avalon Peninsula, which is included in the eastern Newfoundland tour, was recently ranked by the National Geographic Traveler Magazine as the world's #1 coastal destination!

These are small group (6 people plus two guides) tours for people interested in photography. As we say on our website:

We specialize in select tours designed to enhance our connection with the natural world. We explore places rich in wildlife and natural beauty that broaden the traveler's horizons and inspire creativity. Our trips usually feature strong photography components but they are designed for all who love nature and have an appetite for discovery.

Are You Ready for a DSLR?

2011-01-15T15:42:00.007-03:30

Dennis shooting in New Zealand. Photo: Antje Springmann

I was asked yesterday by one of my tour participants for some advice on switching from a compact digital camera to a digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera. Even though, there are many websites and blogs that offer advice on this topic, I thought I'd add my perspective here so others could share my answer.

When moving from one camera type to the other, you will be trading-off the small size, light weight and convenience of a compact camera for the bulkier, heavier and more demanding DSLR. There is also some new, middle-ground: the mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras represented by Samsung NX11 and the Sony NEX cameras and their ilk. I haven't handled one of these fascinating new cameras so I can't say much about them, but if were I upgrading from a compact digital camera, I would certainly consider one of these.

Now let's consider your existing compact. Ask yourself if you have run up against any limitations with it? Has it frustrated you because it wouldn't perform well? Have you tried to shoot something and could not get the result you would like? If so, do you think the main cause was your ability or the camera? Consider an upgrade when the camera, not your ability, is the main barrier to getting the shots you want. (Of course the situation can also be a factor, such as a moving subject or low light. However, a better camera can reduce the limitations imposed by these situations.) With good photo practices, attention to composition and understanding of your existing camera, excellent photos are possible. However, the truth is: better photos are more likely with a better camera.

Bear in mind that the name "compact camera" covers a broad range of capabilities and qualities. At the high end, many of compacts emulate the control that you can have with a DSLR. However, generally speaking, here are what I think are factors to consider when contemplating an upgrade:

The Sensor. The sensors of DSRLs will give you a better quality picture with respect to sharpness, colour, noise and range of light. By range of light, I'm referring to the ability of the camera to capture a wide range from black to white (aka "dynamic range"). Put another way, a lower quality, smaller sensor, such as that in a compact camera, will not allow you to see as much detail in either the shadow or the highlight areas as the larger sensors of the DSLRs. There may be exceptions, but photo quality is simply better with a DSLR. In my view having a better sensor is the primary reason to switch.
Shutter lag. This is the time it takes from when you squeeze the shutter until the camera captures the image on its sensor. Some compacts are notoriously slow while DSLRs are much faster. This matters when trying to capture a moving object or a fleeting expression. My daughter, who has a compact camera, finds this a serious limitation when trying to capture the expressions of her kids.
Auto focus. Most DSLRs will autofocus better and faster than compacts. As well, their continuous focusing ability for moving objects, aka tracking, is much better. This matters to me quite a bit, but it may not matter so much to you.
Burst or Continuous Shooting Mode. DSLRs generally have faster burst modes. In other words, they can take more photos per second when you hold the shutter down continuously. This matters in situations such as with sports or action, moving animals or objects, or even un-posed people. Expressions are fleeting. When you shoot a rapid sequence in these situations, you will find that the appeal of each photo can vary widely. Compact cameras are not much good at rapid sequences.
RAW File Format. Most compact cameras only shoot JPEGs, which are fine for many common uses, but they are poorer quality than RAW. RAW files capture the maximum visual information available so you have more editing latitude later. This matters most with respect to the range of light that I mentioned earlier. JPEG files will have a narrower range than RAW files. The downside of RAW is that you need a program like Adobe Lightroom to process the files and get the most out of them.
Flash Hot Shoe. DSLRs generally have a hot shoe that allows you to attach an external flash. If you do much indoor shooting, or use a fill-flash for outdoor shooting, this matters because the built-in flashes of compacts are not very good. Having a hot shoe also allows you to attach the flash by a cord, thereby permitting the light source to be off-centre or bounced from a wall or ceiling. The results can be much more appealing than the flat, shadowless look of shots taken with in-camera flashes.
Viewfinder. DSLR viewfinders are simply better. They are optical and allow you to see right out through the lens. If you change lenses or extend the zoom, you see the actual result of the change. They are also bigger and brighter and show you more of what's in the frame. The viewfinders of compact cameras usually crop what the camera is actually going to capture. Some viewfinders in compact cameras are also electronic. What you are looking at is a miniature TV screen. I really dislike these viewfinders.

I think these are the main factors that differentiate DSLRs from compacts. The importance of any one of them for you depends on the type of photographs you like to make, how you might want to use them and how much gear you are prepared to carry. Certainly light weight and convenience may outweigh all of these factors for you.

If you a want to upgrade to a DSLR, but want to keep your kit as light as possible, consider a super-zoom or ultra-zoom lens instead of the standard ones that often come with the camera bodies. Something with a range of 18 to 250 mm covers a vast range of shooting situations. Personally I use a Nikon 18-200 mm lens for a great deal of my shooting.

Good luck with your choice.

My New Book - Enchanted Light, The Galapagos and Ecuador

2011-01-10T14:31:00.001-03:30

I hope you enjoy this preview of my latest book on the Galapagos and Ecuador.

Enchanted Light by Dennis Minty | Make Your Own Book

What Malcolm Gladwell Taught Me About Photography

2011-01-06T11:20:00.003-03:30

Baobab Tree, Tanzania, shot from the back of a moving pickup truck.

A couple of years ago I read Malcolm Gladwell's wonderful book "Blink". It makes the case that we should put greater faith in our instincts, especially our initial, intuitive responses to a person, object, or event. Even though these assessments might happen in a few milliseconds, they can be, and often are, better than those based on more protracted deliberation. According to Gladwell's research, this ability is based on the way the human brain has evolved to assess stimuli (largely visual) subconsciously and render trustworthy judgments very quickly. Of course, this is not always true, and Gladwell also talks about certain factors, like biases and prejudices, that can impede our subconscious ability. Nonetheless, he makes a very strong case for the power of quick, intuitive assessments that can happen in a "blink".

So what does this have to do with photography? Just this: your first visual impressions are important and reliable. The photographs you make based on them may not be your best shots in any given circumstance, but they might be. So, I say, "shoot first and ask questions later". Rather than thinking very much about why you like something, just dive in. We have all heard or said "I know what I like, but I don't necessarily know why". That's OK. To record your first impressions, you don't necessarily have to know why something attracts you, but you do have to recognize that it does. You have to feel it.

Brown Pelican and Surf, Espanola Island, Galapagos

I believe our visual instincts can be very strong and quite trustworthy. When we analyse, especially with words (even if they are just in our heads), we can loose sight of our first impressions, what it is that attracted us in the first place. Seeing and feeling come first. Words can even impair our vision because they are part of our conscious minds, whereas visual recognition is much more closely associated with the subconscious.

Does this mean that you shouldn't bother to study a subject more closely, to "work it" and try to find the best position or manner of shooting it? Absolutely not. Applying good camera skills, strong composition and use of light will help you create stronger images. The more you practice, the more automatic these skills become, the more subconscious they become. If the tennis player is thinking about how to hit the ball, it's almost certain that the shot will fail. The process needs to become mindless, subconscious, automatic. How do you do this: practice. See, feel, shoot, evaluate and do it all over again...and again and again. So trust your first impressions and hone your visual instincts by practicing your craft. Then trust your first impressions. The best shot, might be the first one.

Minty Nature Photography

Two Kinds of Shooters (at least)

2011-01-02T15:22:00.006-03:30

Perry's Cove, Conception Bay, Newfoundland, Canada, Dec. 28, 2010

In your reading about photography have you come across the idea of pre-visioning or imagining your shot in advance and then going after it? Sometimes it is treated as a prerequisite for good image-making. Certainly it is a valid method and one practiced by many excellent photographers, but rarely do I practice it, and I certainly don't see it as a "essential secret" to making strong images.

I think its closely connected to your ability to imagine visually. Some are very good at it, others less so. For example, my wife might suggest that we move the couch from here to there, or to paint the walls a particular shade of whatever. She can actually see the change in her mind's eye. She can make a disturbingly (to me) accurate guess at how it will work out. It's a gift, but one that is not as strong in me. I have to move the damn couch to its new location and then assess whether it works or not. She can do the whole thing in her head, which is a whole lot easier on the back.

So some photographers have this gift and others lack it, or have a weaker capacity for it. My point is that there are two kinds of photographers: one that pre-visions the image and then proceeds to create it, and the other (like me) that is more reactive to the world around us. In my (perhaps self-serving) opinion, one is not necessarily any better than the other.

While "pre-visioning" is totally valid, I think we need to guard against it over-ruling your spontaneous reactions to our ever-changing world. Also I think we can all work at "active seeing". Active seeing is letting your imagination and the environment interact freely; it is letting go of preconceptions and embracing discovery; it is seeing with all of your being and total engagement.

When I go out shooting, very rarely am I thinking about a particular subject. I'm mostly responding to, and interacting with, what I encounter, especially the light. Once I find something that merits shooting, I work with it to find the best composition, lighting and so on, but it is not as though I imagined it all beforehand. It is reactive photography.

This said, I am not diminishing the importance of preparation and anticipation, two key ingredients for any kind of successful image-making. Preparation involves having the right gear, being in the right place at the right time, having the batteries charged and much more. Anticipation involves pointing your camera in the right direction, framing the shot in readiness for some action, choosing the best exposure settings, foreseeing the behaviour or movement of an animal or person, being ready for the "decisive moment". These are requirements for all of us whether you are a skilled pre-visioning photographer or a more reactive one.

Also one way of shooting can be more important than the other depending on the situation. For example, when I'm on assignment, I will prepare a shot list to ensure that I comply with the needs of the client. I might then imagine how to shoot a particular subject - time of day, soft light, hard light, key elements of the composition and so on. But even then, I leave a lot to my spontaneous reaction to the location.

So this is not about good or bad, strong or weak. It is about recognizing your own capabilities and using them to create images that reflect your individual view of the world, your style, your passion, and not getting bent out of shape about your ability to envisage the perfect shot in your mind's eye beforehand.

By the way, my wife is a good photographer too.

Minty Nature Photography

My Grandson Peter

2011-01-01T11:09:00.000-03:30

I'm very proud today. Peter created a touching tribute to his friend Zach and posted it on youtube. Zach died tragically last Christmas in a car accident. His favourite song was Wagon Wheel so Peter and a gang of his friends collaborated to make their own version of the song and present it to Zach's family this year. Peter sang, played all the instruments, except the drums, recorded all the tracks separately and mixed the final audio. There was never more than Peter and one other singer in the studio at one time. The project certainly shows off some of Peter's talent but more than that...it shows his big, caring heart. Well done Peter.

Canada and Global Warming

2009-12-14T11:05:00.005-03:30

I am an arctic addict or, as my friend Matthew Swan describes it, I have "arcticus feverus". I try to get there annually, mostly with Adventure Canada, and when I'm there it touches me deeply. Three years ago we went further north than ever we had before to a place in west Greenland called Etah. We managed to get there because it was so ice free. All over the arctic there are clear signs of incredibly fast changes brought on by global warming: glaciers receding at rates faster than anyone previously predicited (checkout this link: Extreme Ice Survey), methane escaping in freshwater arctic pools as permafrost melts, thining ice, shrinking of the permanent ice pack, robins on Baffin island, and more. Regardless of anything we do now to reduce greenhouse emissions, major ecological changes have started in the arctic and will continue. Yet in the face of this, my country, Canada, seems to see no good reason to act decisively to help curb emmissions. The Conservative government says that they intend to lower Canada's greenhouse gases 20 per cent from 2006 levels by 2020 and to further lower emissions 60 to 70 per cent below 2006 levels by 2050. These targets are far lower than Canada committed to in 1997 since which our emissions increased by 30%!! They are also out-of-step with most other developed countries that are actually trying to reduce global warming.

I expect better of Canada.

Spring Sea Ice

2009-04-07T13:15:00.011-02:30

It’s beautiful, glowing stuff. The light bends around its edges and in places appears to be coming from within. On the underside it is a gorgeous aquamarine. Many people curse it because it makes a long winter feel even longer. But if you choose your moment when the light is soft, or low in the sky, it is nature at its most radiant.

This is sea ice (also known as pack ice or drift ice) that forms in arctic waters and drifts south on the cold Labrador current each spring. It envelopes the coast of Labrador and the northeast coast of Newfoundland extending as much as 200 miles offshore. It is frozen sea water in contrast to icebergs which are frozen freshwater from the land. Newly formed sea ice is indeed salty but over time the salt leaches out and what remains is fresh enough to put in a rum and coke, my preferred winter libation.

Although many people have the impression that salt water doesn’t freeze, clearly it does but at a lower temperature than freshwater - about -2C or 29F. So sea ice develops in the winter months and melts in the summer months. Some of it in the high arctic may not completely melt before the onset of winter again. This is known as multi-year ice and it can grow to considerable thickness.

Sea ice is most prevalent in areas with cold ocean currents. Therefore, the east side of the Atlantic, which is influenced by the warm Gulf Stream, has almost no sea ice at latitudes that are much further north than those on the west side where sea ice is an annual event. Therefore shipping along the coast of Norway remains open throughout the winter whereas that along the coast of Labrador and the eastern Canadian arctic must shut down.
Ecologically sea ice is very important because it is the hunting platform for polar bears and the whelping surface for millions of harp seals. It also has a tremendous influence on the world’s climate. Because it has a bright, light surface, it reflects most solar radiation back into space thus keeping northern latitudes cold. Global warming trends are significantly reducing arctic ice cover exposing areas of darker water that absorb solar radiation. Hence the warming escalates. This is one of the reasons why the polar regions are the most sensitive to the global warming phenomenon.

For me as a photographer sea ice is a delight. I look forward to this time of year when the ice pushes into our inshore waters near my home. I like to walk slowly around its edges frequently changing my angle of view to see the effect of light. Exposure can be tricky since the mostly white surfaces will cause light meters, which want to render tones to a medium gray, to under-expose. If I’m trying to get a single image with an acceptable exposure, I’ll over-expose between 0.5 and 1.0 stops. But when I’m looking for good exposures in both dark and light areas (the background and water areas as well as the ice) I will bracket and then blend images together in a treatment called high dynamic range (HDR) processing. Sea ice and HDR make a very good marriage of subject and technique. Another great marriage is sea ice and rum...but I already said that.

Finding the Essence

2009-01-14T15:43:00.003-03:30

The art of nature photography can be a daunting task. You are surrounded by a world of exciting visual material - animals, plants, objects, land, water, sky as well as their abstract components of colour, shape, line and texture. In addition there are the non-visual elements such as sounds, smells, wind, warmth, cold, damp, dry - all of which contribute to your total experience when you are immersed in nature. Then there is the internal environment of our beings, our feelings and thoughts from one moment to the next. When you place your eye to the viewfinder all this is rendered down into a strictly-bounded, two-dimensional frame in which you try to depict what you see and, more importantly, what you feel in that moment. For those who have truly tried to do this, you know it is not easy.

It's also inescapably subjective. It has been said that you are in every image you make. Each one is autobiographical. This is because the way you choose to frame an image, select its content and set its boundaries, is such a personal thing. During our tours and workshops I am often with other photographers, both professional and amateur, at the same place, in the same light, at the same time, each of us with high quality gear and perhaps similar skill. But when we share our images afterwards, it's surprising how different they are. Each eye chose a different way to frame the scene or subject.

It takes discipline and work to select the essence of an image and eliminate the distractions. You can do this as you shoot the original image of course, but you have a second crack at it when you are editing. Then you can crop away the parts of the image that do not contribute to your vision. Sometimes when you are shooting it's simply impossible to position the camera to get rid that unwanted branch on the top left or the highlight near the bottom edge. Or perhaps you discover a different version of the image, an image within an image, later when you are examining it on you computer or light-table. That's where cropping and editing come in. These processes allow you to ask the question, "What is the very best way of rendering this image?" You want it to be both true to the subject and true to your emotional response to it. You hope it will stimulate the viewer to appreciate your view and have a sense of your feeling about it.

So go ahead and capture your first impressions of a scene. Sometimes these end up being the best images. But don't give up there. Keep working it. Move around. Seek out different angles and notice how the light changes with each camera position. Change lenses and see how that affects your perspective. Ask questions like, "What do I feel right now?", "What might the surface of the petals feel like?", "How would a small insect see this scene?" Then try to answer those questions with an image. Be a child. Enjoy the discovery.

Return from the Arctic

2008-09-13T15:54:00.001-02:30

I'm flying home from another of my arctic sojourns. Yesterday started a little before daylight as we left the ship anchored in snow-covered and breezy Resolute, and zodiaced to the nearby shore to catch our ride to the airport. We were met by a grizzled and burly man in a thick, faded, plaid shirt that looked like it was rarely removed, and then, only when absolutely required. I said, "Good morning." and he grunted something not unpleasant, but not entirely intelligible either, clearly not a morning person. This was the only sound he made until he departed again in his battered and rattly van with a simple, but reasonably clear, "See you." How such a brief exchange could endear you to someone I don't know, but I felt a fondness for his thrifty style. He looked and acted like the iconic working man of the north.

The little airport terminal was still dark and empty but the doors were eerily open. I looked around for a light switch. Finding it behind one of the airline counters, I switched it on. "You can't do that at JFK," said one of my co-travellers, a journalist from London. We smiled together at how the north was so different in so many ways from our more southern lives.

After more than ten hours of flying, the September green of Ottawa became evident as we descended through the thin cloud. Lush tree tops, farmers fields at season's end, networks of busy roads. Normal felt topsy-turvy. These were the conditions in which we lived our day-to-day lives but they felt strange. We had just spent 11 days in the arctic that was packed with so much adventure that you couldn't possibly imagine cramming it into such a short time. But the wide-open landscapes, the simple austere beauty, the richness of small when you paid attention to the ground cover, the eye-watering clip of a glacial wind, the unlit dark of night - all this had come to feel normal, in contrast to the movement, the green, the warmth, the neon of the south. Two worlds.

As a traveler, this is one of the things I love about the arctic. It takes you out of yourself and your day-to-day life. You greet each day with new wonder. You suspend your expectations and accept that the coming day will be different from any other of your past. But how, you don't know. You feel close to the elements. You feel humble in a huge land that lacks all sense of scale. A cliff face that at first looks to be 300 feet high looms higher and higher as you inch toward it becoming 3000 feet when you reach it's base. Without trees, or people, or cars, or dwellings, you find it impossible to judge height and distance. You are a mere speck in this immense and indifferent land. You matter not in the flow of time and the vastness of this great, silent and beautiful space. But somehow this is good - simple humility in the face of something so grand.

We had travelled from Kuujjuack in Ungava Bay, along the east side of Baffin Island, across Lancaster Sound to the bleakly beautiful and uninhabited Devon Island, touched onshore at Beechey Island where Franklin's lost men lay "frozen in time", and ended at Resolute. I little over a hundred of us were aboard the expedition ship that brings travellers to the Arctic waters from June to September or so, and to Antarctic waters from November to April.

I was working again with Adventure Canada as the photographer/naturalist on board. It's a job I love. I've been doing it since 2002 - three or four trips per year. I've covered a lot of ground and water in this role and the joy of it doesn't seem to fade. I get a chance to practice my craft of making photographs and helping others do the same in some of the earth's most dramatic landscapes. I work with a team of others who, at the top of their game, bring their own expertise in archaeology, marine biology, local culture, geology, music, literature and the visual arts. It's a wonderful mix of personalities all of whom share a passion for the north.

A typical day goes like this. The ship travels through the night so you wake up in a new destination. After breakfast on-board we off-load into zodiacs and go to our landing site. It might be a totally wild place that is very rarely visited by people, or it might be a small Inuit community. We then spend a few hours onshore exploring or mixing with the local people. Then it's back on board for lunch as the ship moves again to a new destination. If the next landing is more than a couple hours away, there are presentations made by the bevy of experts to fill the time until we arrive for our next landing. During the night the ship moves to yet another location. That is the rough pattern for each day. It is punctuated with exclamation points when we see a polar bear on an iceberg or scores of bowhead whales like we did this past trip in Isabella Bay in south-eastern Baffin Island.

For photographers these trips afford priceless opportunities. The light is always good in the arctic because its acute angle to the earth casts nice long shadows. As well, it starts early and ends late. The air is crisp and clean. The landscape is stark, empty, and immense. Almost every day there is a heart-stopping sight. Icebergs are common and the glaciers that spawn them wind between the mountain tops and the icecap further inland. Northern fulmars are our constant companions at sea as they float on the wind currents. On land you end up staring at the tiny details of the immense landscape like the ground-hugging plants or the lichen-covered granite.

All in all, these trips have become an essential part of my annual routine. We talk about THE DISEASE. It's highly infectious. That's when you have this arctic itch that just has to be scratched. Hey, why not see if you can catch it too and join me on one of these trips? I list them under the Human Nature Adventures part of this website.

The Photographer's Attitude

2008-08-25T16:06:00.002-02:30

We have many tools to work with when we go out to make pictures. There is the light that gives colour and shape to everything we see. There's the gear we take with us: the camera, lenses, filters and multitude of lesser items. There's the knowledge and skill that we build up over the years. And there's our attitude - the inner feelings we carry around with us, that, like the light, will shape our ability to see. A positive attitude towards your craft sits lightly on your shoulders urging you along to discover and find the best way of seeing your subject. A negative attitude, perhaps arising from some other aspect of your life, or from your lack of confidence in what you are doing, will impair your sight and ability to capture strong images that are technically good and emotionally compelling.

So here are some ideas to help create a positive attitude towards your photography.

Be curious about the world around you. Ask yourself questions: How does that work? What is that bird doing? What might that dog do next? What is the relationship between that bug and the plant that it's on? Why is the light so appealing right now? What does that feel like? Each question pulls you deeper into the subject and the pictures you make will show it.

Be observant. It goes hand-in-hand with curiosity. Don't be satisfied with the first impressions of things. Dig deeper. Stay with your subject for a while. Change positions and see how that affects your subject or your feelings about it. Take notice of things that normally may escape your view. Look at details as well as the whole.

Be enthusiastic about what you are doing, and life in general for that matter. Embrace them like dear, old friends. Show your passion, be it for motorcycles or moose, soccer or sailing. If you don't care about what you are shooting, how can anyone else? If you are enthusiastic about you shooting, it will show in your images.

Be there. Be truly present both in body and, more importantly, in spirit. If your mind is somewhere else - on a conversation that upset you, on what to make for supper, on tasks that you face tomorrow, on the bills that await your attention, even on the movie you saw last night, it will affect you photography. It might take some mental discipline, but cast aside these distractions and "focus" on where you are and what you are doing. Be truly mindful of the place that you find yourself in at any particular moment. No matter if it is your backyard, or the most exotic location you have ever been in, it is, at this time, in this light, in your state of mind, unique. Don't waste it.

Be patient and persistent. All those great shots you see in photo magazines are rarely the result of quick, cursory experiences. Most are the result of returning to a place again and again, of waiting for the light to be just right, of slogging up-hill for most of the day, of taking the time to know your subject, of not being satisfied with first impressions. Be patient not only with your subject, but with yourself as well. If you don't get it right the first, or even the tenth time, do it again. If it looks good shoot it. If something changes and it still looks good, shoot it again.

Be respectful – of culture, of place, of wildlife. If you are in a foreign place and amongst people of a culture different from yours, be aware that you are the one that should conform, not them. Learn a few simple words in the language. Smile and acknowledge the presence of others. Ask permission to take a picture with a simple gesture with the camera and a questioning look. Leave things where they are. Don't pick the flowers or break the stems of plants. Don't trample the ground cover unnecessarily. A small amount of harm might be inevitable but try to minimize it. With wildlife, try to minimize the disturbance you might cause. Don't move towards the animal until it inevitably flees. Stop as soon as it begins to look uncomfortable. Wild animals are usually doing things with purpose, whether it be resting, feeding or interacting with others of its kind. So it is important not to cause a behaviour change that to you might be minor, but for the animal could be critical.

These are the attitudes I try to bring to my shooting exercises. They work for me. I hope they do for you too.

Polar Bears

2008-08-20T16:13:00.000-02:30

Polar bears are the icons of the Arctic. Each year I'm usually lucky enough to encounter a few. For a couple of years I was working as a polar bear guide in Churchill, Manitoba where each day we would go out in large vehicles custom-built to traverse the tundra with little impact. The operators have been doing this for years so the bears have become very accustomed to the presence of the bulky, but safe machines. They are high enough to keep people well above the bears while providing great access and visibility. Usually the bears ignore the vehicles entirely or take a curious interest in them and even approach. So that's how I got many of the images in the polar bear portfolio, but not all of them.

I also work as a photographer and naturalist on small ship expeditions in the Arctic. I've been doing this every year since 2002. On most of these trips we encounter polar bears. Most times they are on the ice floes in very remote locations. I've even seen them swimming in the open sea more than 50 km from any coast or ice pack.

The bear in this photo was just waking up on a crisp morning in November. It went through quite a few contortions before finally standing and ambling away. You can tell he is totally unfazed by our presence.

Note the sweet morning light that creates a lovely halo in the furry fringe outlining the contours of bear. That, combined with the antics of the bear itself, make for an unforgetable moment in Arctic life.

I'm very worried about the future of these amazing animals. Global warming is already having an impact on them. It's likely that ours is the last generation to be graced by their presence. I hope I'm wrong about this, but fear that I'm right.

I'll write more about these masters of the north in future blogs.