Cute Owls (5/52)

When I went for a hike in the Chilliwack Valley last week I was surprised to see lots of cars parked in an unusual spot on the logging road. I asked one of the people associated with the cars what this was about. Turns out it was a 'swarm' of bird photographers hoping to get pictures of pygmy owls.

So a few days later I packed my big camera and not-so-big lens wondering if I would get to see the owls as well. But I didn't need to worry. When I arrived photographers marked the spot where the birds were to be seen. For an hour I got to watch two of the tiny owls. Just under 20 cm tall they were hunting, perching just 10m of the road, intently looking at the ground for prey, now and then flying off again to settle down on a different perch. Interestingly they have eyes in the back of their heads. Two streaks of black feather make it seem like the owls look at you, no matter which way they face. Another tidbit of info for the biologists: the pupils of owls adjust independently and can be of different size (almost visible in the photo below - the pupil in the shade is larger than the one in the sun). This looks rather strange in photographs and some bird photographers alleviate the problem in Photoshop.

The gaggle of photographers it was a little more crowded than I like my 'nature experiences', but having people with long lenses and spotting scopes around made it easy to find the owls. Most of the photographers were polite and courteous towards the birds and their human fellows, but as always there are exemptions; this time in form of an individual thinking that loud shouting would help protect the owls from one overly excited paparazzo who ran a ways along the road. Fortunately neither running nor shouting bothered the owls.

Crows! (4/52)

Many Vancouverites have seen the swarms of crows congregating every evening near Still Creek and Willingdon Ave to roost. OK, I know its called a 'murder of crows' but I somehow like 'gaggle' or 'swarm' better. Either way; this was on my list for a photo sessions for a while.

Its quite an impressive spectacle! When it gets dark thousands of crows arrive; landing on trees, power lines, fences. Only to fly off again with lots of croaking to find a better place to spend the night. At times the birds performed rather close fly-bys and I was wondering if there was something about me they didn't like. I took plenty of serial photos until my car next to me was hit and I thought it better to pack up and leave before the crows started to aim at the camera. It would have been a smaller target but with thousands of birds the odds were in definitely their favor.

Using Photoshop I layered several serial images (shot in burst mode on tripod). Count the crows if you want to know how many. This sequence makes it possible to check out the flight path of a single crow. Maybe the crows use swarm tactics to confuse predators? Or maybe they just have some fun with a little acro flying with their buddies before bed time (a paragliding thing!)?

Lighthouse Park and the Big Stopper (3/52)

Stormy weather means it is time to take my Big Stopper filter for a hike to Lighthouse Park. For non-photo-geeks: the Big Stopper is a super dark filter that makes it possible to use long exposure times which are very nice if one wants to create a silky moving water effect.

I set up for the long exposure shots just as the sun came out making the colors really vivid. But it wasn't long before a rain squall hit (see the dark clouds in the back?) and I had to pack up everything. Using long exposure times has an unexpected advantage: I don't have time to take many photos so there are is a limited number to choose from.

Winter Inversion (2/52)

A few times each winter a low-level inversion sets up over Vancouver. Normally temperatures in the atmosphere decreases with increasing elevation. Inversion means that this pattern is 'inversed', the normal vertical movement of air is stopped and cold air becomes trapped at ground level (read more about it on Cliff Mass' blog Inversions 101).

This makes for dreary conditions in town, its dark, cold and wet. But if there are mountains nearby it is easy to escape. One just has to drive a little up to get above the clouds for some sunshine and great photo opportunities!

I have photographed this weather phenomenon several times during daytime so it was time for something new: an evening session. There are always photographers at the viewpoint on Cypress Bowl Road but I was a little surprised to see the shutterbugs standing shoulder to shoulder with nary a place to squeeze in with my tripod. But all of them pointed their long lenses at downtown, so I set up facing more east and got some nice shots of SFU. Later the row of photographers thinned and I found space for the obligatory downtown shots.

When processing the yield of the evening I was in for a second surprise; while taking the photos I had not seen that the Cascades were visible on the horizon.

 

Snowy Trees (1/52)

After a great week skiing pow and a good start to 2015 in the backcountry cabin Blanket Glacier Chalet we had to wait for the next helicopter flight and the rest of our gear to arrive. It was snowing lightly and I was intrigued by the pattern created by the snowy birches (I'm pretty sure these are birches and not aspen). Nothing better to do than getting my camera out and taking a few shots when there is some time to pass.

With Lightroom editing this looks very much like a painting (now if only I could paint something like this!).

New Year New Start

Last year's plan to post more to this blog didn't exactly pan out. I did much better with my original blog; Wetcoast Views.

So for 2015 I have a new plan: Project 52! I will post one photo each week with a short description of how, where and why I took it. Time will tell how this works out, but with the number of photos I have been taking lately it shouldn't be too difficult to sustain. It's making the selection that will be tough.

My first 3 attempts at light painting. When at first you don't succeed, try, try ...