Introduction - Photo Essay
A few of my favourite photos showing my style of photography with an explanation on each.
Landscapes
I like to travel to different places to capture landscape photos. This is one of my most favourite photos of Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia. Me and several other photographers try to get out as often as possible to capture new photos from around our area plus we sometimes go on photo excursions for 2 or 3 days to take photos.
Waterfalls
Taking waterfalls pictures can be a challenge. To get a clear shot requires descending and/or climbing to get to the best vantage point. High rubber boots also come in handy. To get the creamy water effect use a tripod plus a neutral density filter on your lens to slow down the shutter speed. Set the smallest aperture on your lens, the lowest ISO setting and use Shutter Priority on your camera to set your slowest shutter speed.
The Blue Hour
On this day I headed out with another photographer at 4.30am to catch the blue hour. This photo was taken at 5.00am. The blue hour is when the sun is just starting to rise but still not visible to the naked eye. It causes the sky to be a nice deep blue instead of being black.
Timing Is Crucial
Knowing your camera and how to set the proper settings in different situations is a big help. I shot this photo from about 30 feet away using a telephoto lens and set the camera on continuous shooting to be able to get the timing just right. Using back focus helps to set your focus ahead of time so you don't miss the shot because of slow focusing.
Nature Photography
Me and several other photographers often head out to capture nature. Birds are difficult to photograph because they are always moving. For this shot I used my 400mm lens and quietly approached this Robin while continuously shooting photos. It was a lucky shot because of the fast movement of the Robin.
Memorable Moments
When photographing weddings, portraits or events, it's important to capture memorable moments. Using a telephoto lens as in this photo you are able to stand back well away from your subject. Getting too close to your subject makes people feel uncomfortable.
Wildlife
Photographing wildlife is like hunting. You need to find a spot and wait until the right time to take the photo. For this photo I had to climb up onto a large rock to get a clear shot. This was because there were people and a fence blocking my view at the zoo so I had to get up high to get a clear shot of this white wolf.
Sunrise photos
To get a photo as this getting up early to get to your destination leaving enough time to walk to the location and setup your equipment. Then wait for the right moment to get the best exposure and colours. There is usually a short window of opportunity. This sunrise was taken on Lake Ontario. My camera was set on manual and using a neutral density filter allowed for a 25 second exposure to get the silky water effect.
Action Shots
Using a telephoto lens and the camera set with a fast shutter speed (this photo was set at 1/4000 second) you can freeze the action to get a sharp, clear image as this one. You can see the biker looking at the crowd as he made the jump.
