May is For the Birds

Regular readers will know that I spend much of my summer at a cottage onLake Muskokain North-Central Ontario. Typically I take summers off from an otherwise busy schedule of shooting trips, conducting workshops, publishing ventures, seminars and other time-consuming commitments.

But I can never resist an opportunity to do photography. This page contains some of my more casual and personal work done during the summer of 2001. I’m happy to share it with you.

Photographed with a Canon EOS D30 and 100~400mm f/5.6 IS lens at ISO 400 

The ice on the lake broke up in mid-April and the season started early, with some great weather late in the month and into early May. While not there full-time yet I was able to spend a couple of weekends. These two frames were shot at sunrise on a morning in early-May atBird Island, a small rookery a few miles by boat from my cottage. 

Photographed with a Canon EOS D30 and 100~400mm f/5.6 IS lens at ISO 400 

Keeping the island between the rising sun and my boat, I used a long zoom to try and isolate silhouettes of the birds and rock face. I set the digitalCanon D30to ISO 400 so that I could use a moderate aperture for best definition and a very high shutter speed to eliminate boat motion and freeze any flying birds. Exposure was typically 1/1500 sec at f/9.5. I shot about 40 frames in 15 minutes and these two were the most interesting.

June Loons & Bugs

Muskoka-Loon Dawn‚ July, 2001

Canon EOS-D30 and Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS lens at ISO 400

No, it’s not a composite. The loon really was there, at the right time and the right place. A couple of photographer friends who were visiting at my summer cottage joined me for a pre-dawn boat ride down Lake Muskoka. The sunrise was nothing special but this one frame captures the serenity of pre-dawn light on a quiet Canadian lake. 

Dragonfly Portrait‚ June 2001

Canon EOS-D30 and Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM.  ISO 200

I was quietly reading on my porch when this dragonfly landed on a chair beside me. Even after several minutes he refused to move. I went into the cottage, got my D30 and Macro lens and preceded to take 20 or 30 frames. Macro insect work isn’t my thing, but this guy was so obliging I couldn’t resist.

Late Summer Doldrums

Poochini‚ August 2001

Photographed with a Canon EOS D30 and 100~400mm f/5.6 IS lens at ISO 100 

My dogPoochiniis a true retriever in spirit. Having treed a chipmunk she patiently sat for close to an hour watching, and waiting. A great opportunity for a portrait.

Labour Day Sunset‚ September 2001

Photographed with a Canon EOS D30 and 14mm Sigma f/2.8 lens lens at ISO 100 

One of every summer’s joys is watching sunset from my deck. This Labour Day weekend produced one of those classic late summer sunsets and I was happy to record it for my memory bank.