You looking at me? (9/52)

More bird/wildlife photography was in order this week as I just got myself a new (to me) lens, a 400 f5.6. I haven't quite been able to tease out its fabled crispness. Practice may be all it takes as its performing well in controlled conditions (on a sandbag with fast exposure times).

So I went to Boundary Bay for some practice and to see if I could find the golden eagle that is supposed to be here this winter. The golden eagle I saw not but a juvenile bald eagle staring at me in curiosity (I think). And a coyote hunting successfully for her/his dinner. Now if I could just get a little closer... or had a bigger lens!

Mt Baker Views (8/52)

View of Mt Baker and a paragliding friend from Elk Mountain in the Chilliwack Valley. Elk mountain is a great destination for fall and winter hike&flys when the sun is not high enough to produce thermals for cross country flying. Especially with the lousy winter this year its good to get some exercise. I didn't have a single day of cross country skiing at Cypress!

But back to photography. I waited until my friend was just about to fly in front of Mount Baker before taking a series of shots and liked this one the best.

Another photography related occurrence during the outing: a hiker/photographer asked if he could take photos of us. He was on mission of his own... to take photos of 100 strangers. Intriguing! Maybe a suitable next project for me?

Aerial Trees (7/52)

This blog is about photography and not paragliding but I just have to post some 'flying' photos.

In winter the sun is low and doesn't create much warmth. So most of our flying adventures are of the 'hike & fly' type. We hike up a mountain with our wings and, well, fly down again. While doing this from one of my favorite sites, Elk Mountain in the Chilliwack Valley, I noticed an intriguing pattern below. Seen from above the deciduous trees looked like a delicate arrangement of ice flowers. On the next flight I took my camera, flew out directly over trees and took lots photos. Most paraglider pilots prefer more active and rising air but for 'hands-off' photography the calm February air was perfect!

Between the Rain Storms (6/52)

Seems we had nothing but rain during January. Its been called 'Jun-uary' but I think there is less rain in June! Despite the wetness there were a few dry and even sunny days. During one of the dry spells I went for a stroll and photo session to Cypress Falls Park in North Vancouver. In the middle of January there isn’t much light which was quite useful for the long exposure shots I had in mind. It always amazes me how green the forest is. It just does not feel like the middle of 'winter' (even with more normal snow levels there would not be much 'white' to be seen at such lower elevations). But lots of water in Cypress Creek! Its brownish tint is due to the tannins washed out of the forest soil by the rains.