Mphoto Travels

Paestum, Greek Ruins in southern Italy

2010-10-07T13:56:00.002-06:00

Positano

2010-10-07T13:42:00.003-06:00

At night from Restaurant

Room Service

Positano from room

Positano from beach

Positano by night

Cinque Terre

2010-10-07T13:39:00.000-06:00

Pompeii, warning, parental discretion is advised

2010-10-04T12:38:00.002-06:00

This is history and is a poignant piece of history. The first image is of a dog that was tied to a chain during the eruption. The other two images were of slaves who were supposed to ensure nothing was stolen while the masters ran away. While these images may be disturbing, it is a part of history. They would not have suffered as the temperatures rose to 800 degrees in mere seconds.

Hello Fellow Insight Tour Folks

2010-10-04T07:45:00.002-06:00

I know many of our new friends from our Insight tour will be back home by now and recovering from our bus ride together. The folks on our tour were great and we hope to continue an exchange with many of the participants. In many respects, the fellow bus riders were the highlight of the tour.

I will post the good pictures from the tour on my www.mphoto.ca site sometime in early November. Ciao!

Monterosso, Lake Como, Assisi and Capri

2010-10-03T14:04:00.003-06:00

Monterosso, cloudy day.....

Assisi

Lake Como

The Island of Capri

more Pompeii

2010-10-03T13:51:00.003-06:00

Yes, I know I should write more but for now, it is all we can do to go through a few images and get some sleep. A full story will be added when I return home :)

It almost looks like I had the run of the place to myself, right? I did not. There were thousands of people milling about. I have had to get good at guerilla photography tactics. In fact, I may write a book….. Patience and timing is everything. Racing ahead or lagging behind the tour groups leaves opportunity to take photos with little or no people.

I also must comment about the new Canon 5D MKII (it is new to me but a year old technology). The full frame sensor is amazing. The low light capability is excellent and I have only taken my 24-105 lens off twice. It has turned out to be a great investment. This ends the Canon ad :)

Yeah, we are on our own! (Pompeii Content)

2010-10-03T13:34:00.003-06:00

Well the tour is over and we have had our first real authentic meal. Yeah Monterosso!! What a beautiful location. The area was cloudy so there were no good photo op’s today but we are hiking the trails on Monday.

The day before, we were in, well, I cannot remember. Wait, we were in Pompeii. Very cool place. The entire are was covered by 20 feet of pumice and the town was obliterated (20,000 inhabitants, some got away, some did not). If you are squeamish, don’t look at the pictures.

We are in Cinque Terre for tonight and Monday night and then we are on the train to Positano where we will spend 5 nights recuperating from the tour food. The food on the tour, while quasi-authentic Italian, was not that great and I expect it was Westernized to cater to the common denominator.

Today, I had fresh salted anchovies with tuna and olive pasta for lunch and clam sauce spaghetti of supper. There were 30 clams in the shell in the spaghetti. It was simply stunning!!! Did I mention the wine? Every area has its own wine and the red wine has been very very good. You know what they say, a bottle a day keeps…….. away.

Enjoy the images from Italy

The Tour Is Over

2010-10-02T15:02:00.002-06:00

Sorrento from hotel

Sorrento from hotel, Vesuvius and Napoli in background

Sienna

Sienna

Sienna

2010-09-29T14:13:00.002-06:00

Wow, Catching Up!!

2010-09-29T13:25:00.010-06:00

So far, we have Roma, Florence, Lake Como, Lake Magorrie, Venice, Pisa, Assisi, San Giacomo, Murano, and some other places I cannot remember right now. The wine in Italy is excellent, inexpensive and I have consumed a lot today.

This is the first day I have really had internet without restrictions. No internet in Venice. There were a few internet cafe's but nothing in the hotel. Internet is a new thing for much of Italy. Swisscom has a monopoly and it costs about $15 Euro for 24 hours. Tonight it is free :)

Is there anybody out there?

Our driver, Francesco, drive like a fighter pilot. He shoots the needle like nothing I have seen. Not aggressive, just precise. He is my hero next to F-1 race drivers.

So, what about a bus tour? Well, you like it or you do not. The pace is not for the faint of heart not for photographers. We have seen so much but we have not had a chance to really experience the culture.

So, what about the food? Well, on the tour, the food has been poor. It is OK to good by North American standards but not anything like the healthy food we read about. The breakfast consists of powdered eggs, bacon that is merely warm (NOT COOKED) and cereal or smoke meat. Can you spell coronary? We will see if it is just an American thing or the real Italian food.

The only night we had a super duper meal was in Tuscany at a restaraunt where the cook made a custom meal. Very very very nice. That was the highlight of the food so far.

The hotels range from OK to stunning. In Venice, the hotel smelled like musty rot (not in the rooms). In Lake Magorie, the hotel was 5 star, phasers on stun, spectacular, wow, wow, wow. Simply the best so far and not likely topped.

The trip so far has been fine. The folks on the bus are great and the activities have been worth the extra cost. The pace, sucks. No other way of putting it I guess. Would I do another bus tour? Let;s leave that for a month after I return to Canada.

The fact that the cities in Italy have been populated for over 3000 years is hard to imagine. In Canada, we have had, what, 300 years of history (modern, non-aboriginal history). Multiply by a factor of 10 and you have Italy. It is hard to absorb in the short time we have been her so far. Very very cool.

I have to mention Venice. There are 60,000 people living in Venice. During the peak times, that number rises to 2,000,000 and that must such if you are a venetian. The city floods regularly and is sinking. It is not as dirty as what I was led to believe. Aside from the musty rot in our hotel, you don't notice the damp and smell. Sooooooo much history.

Well, the only thing left for tonight is to post some images. I hope y0u enjoy :)

Rome (blogs) wan't built in a day

2010-09-23T23:03:00.003-06:00

Whew, we have a whole hour to catch our breath…. The pace of our tour is somewhat brutal but it is the same pace we would have if we planned the trip ourselves.

So, what is Roma like? Well, it is an amazing place. The antiquities are everywhere. 3000 years of continuous habitation and they have the ruins to prove it.

The are mopeds everywhere. They zoom in and out of cars and busses like they are possessed. You can see the carnage from encounters with fixed objects along the motorways. Bent frames a wheels lying on the side of the road. Traffic is chaotic by our standards but that is just a Roman thing.

All the men look like a young man I work with. Nice Italian suits and very fit. The ladies, well, the same without the suits. I suspect that the only people who are not fit are the tourists?

So, how can we do Roma in one day? We woke Wednesday morning, boarded the bus and went to the Vatican. It is hard to describe the place so the pictures will have to do until I get home.

Then it was off to the Coliseum. It was pretty busy but a stunning location. It looks much bigger on TV…..

We raced back to St. Peters and had a walk through the structure. The size and scale is friggin unreal. The Sistine chapel was very cool considering how it was painted and by whom.

We had a one hour break and then it was off to the old section of Rome for an evening stroll. The Pantheon, Spanish Steps, the Tivoli fountain and Piazza Novalo were AMAZING. Again, only pictures can tell the story.

Yesterday, Thursday, we went from Rome to Sienna and then to Florence. Again, only pictures can tell the story for now :)

Sienna was very cool. Typical architecture and centuries of history. Firenze (Florence) is amazing too. We’ve only scratched the surface, saw the Statue of David and will be venturing to the downtown shopping core of Firenze today. We are off to a cooking school where we will cook a portion of our supper and then off to San Gianamo for some Tuscan wine and picture taking!

The weather has been fantastic. 28 degrees!! The folks on our tour have been excellent and the folks from Italia have been friendly (Italian but friendly). Romans have a crankiness about them but I am told it is just the way they are. It is not a bad thing, they just seem to exude indifference.

Can't wait to see it during the day......

2010-09-21T14:42:00.000-06:00

Roma, a very brief update, too tired :)

2010-09-21T14:32:00.006-06:00

≈

I see stars Dave.... (Hal 9000)

As we cruise at 39,000 feet, I peered out the window and saw the anti-collision light on the wing and the clouds below lit by the symphony of stars. It’s so bright that undulations in the clouds below are clearly visible.

Hmm, eight hours on a plane to Roma plus four hours from Edmonton to Montreal….. Just Heather and me, it does not get any better.

As we cross the English Channel, sunrise towards the continent catches our attention.

Our first day was a bit of a blur. We’ve been awake for over 30 hours now (Italy is UTC plus one, Edmonton is UTC -7, a total of 8 hours time difference. We checked in with the tour guide at the hotel and it was now noon in Roma. We wandered out for a short trip and we were struck by the utter chaos of the driving habits. Forget the lanes, mopeds scooting everywhere with no structure. A very different but very cool place.

This evening we ate at the Gladiator Restaurant, across the street from the Coliseum. Very cool.

We are going on almost 40 hours with no sleep so we will cut things short for tonight. Tomorrow, we visit the Vatican, the Coliseum during the day, St. Peters and a day of walking the sights. Stay tuned for more pictures but until then, Ciao!

Italy, Day One

2010-09-19T18:04:00.002-06:00

Well, not quite Italy but it is day one. We like to stay at a hotel near the airport so we can just leisurely wander to the airport. Of note for this entry, it is 3 degrees C in Nisku. THREE degrees.... It will be 26 in Rome.

Ciao for now!

Italia Countdown

2010-09-11T13:25:00.003-06:00

Well, we are almost set for a new adventure. Italia is calling and the posts will start soon!

Remember to check out www.mphoto.ca in the meantime.

Walking on the moon (a morning on Haleakala)

2009-04-19T18:30:00.004-06:00

So, was waking up at 2:30 am for a drive to a dormant volcano worth it? It was about zero degrees C, it took two hours to get there, but it was priceless. Had to get there for the official blessing of the day. Again, these are unprocessed but you get the idea. As with all the images, click on the picture for a larger size.

Cinder cones at sunrise.... Another planet, non?

(Un)earthly apparitions....

They must have filmed 2001, Planet of the Apes and other sci fi movies here!

Surf's Up

2009-04-19T18:16:00.004-06:00

The road to Hana is a cool but tiring road. Hundreds of turns and dozens of bridges. Parts of Jurassic Park were filmed along the road......

From the surfing side of Maui.....

Maui

2009-04-17T22:01:00.007-06:00

Yikes, Maui is a busy place! Bumper to bumper traffic everywhere, well, not quite. We had to drive two hours and up to 10,000 feet to get away from it all. Off to Hana tomorrow.

Click on any image for a larger version

Haleakala, from the 10,000 foot elevation

Observatories on Haleakala

Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa and Kilauea from the top of Haleakala, 127 km's away

Cinder cones on Haleakala

Cloud cover at 6000 foot level

Maui coastline

1790 eruption on Maui, still stark landscape

Kaua'i

2009-04-13T22:42:00.005-06:00

Ah, Whalers Rum. Most impressive. No comparison to Lambs. Complex, sugary, wait... Too much information.

Here are some images from Kaua'i. This is only a sample as we've really only stopped for a half day since we left on April 4th. We've been on the go, exploring and shooting as many scenes as we can. To be honest, to day I ran out of photo mojo. I expect we've taken 6000 images so far. Many of the same scene, different compositions and different settings. Still, how and the hell am I going to sift through all these images?

It has been an amazing experience. Nothing like I imagined. The facilities are excellent. The people are very friendly. I did not have any pre-conceived ideas of Hawai'i. The islands are very different. Hawai'i is rugged and much like Jasper in the sence of the breathtaking scenery. It is more lush but the feel and temperature was the same. Kaua'i on the other hand is so very beautiful. You can drive up the North coast in a couple hours and you can drive up the South East cost in a couple hours.

We are situated in the middle of the island and have easy access to everything. We will have the best of the best uploaded on mphoto.ca in a couple months..... Uploading pictures takes a lot of time even though we don't spend much time editing. We just don't sit for very long so uploading images will be delayed. For example, we sat down, on the beach, for the first time since we left Edmonton. We are not laying on the beach people. Besides, the UV donw here is brutal. Burn in :15 minutes. Wear UV 50!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aloha, and Mahalo for taking the time. More once we arrive on Maui.

The view from our balcony in Kaua'i. Awww, life is a beach...

Kaua'i from a Catermaran...

2009-04-13T22:27:00.005-06:00

Na' Pali coast from 4 hour Catamaran Cruise (just a sample, 600 images taken on boat), 4000 foot cliffs. The island in the sunset is a small eroded island that is no longer inhabitable. A million years ago, it would have been a cool place....

Kaua'i, Wowi

2009-04-13T21:28:00.009-06:00

Fasten your seatbelts, Jack Harter Helicopter charter on a Hughes 500, NO DOORS! Don't look down. Here we go on the Kaua'i Aerial Tour.... Note, the rum prevents me from editing the images so they are right off the camera.....

Na' Pali Coast. Stunning 4000 foot cliffs, the Island of Kaua'i is 4 Million years old. The Island of Hawaii is 1 Million years old. The island of Kaua'i us the second fastest eroding island on the planet , England is the fastest eroding planet. In about 3 million years, this island will be a small dot in the ocean. It is no longer growing whereas Hawai'i is still growing.

Aloha from Hawai'i

2009-04-11T00:48:00.016-06:00

As we sit in the Volcano House lounge, my wife and I are sipping on Mai Tai’s and Lava Flows. The people at the table to the left are speaking Russian and the people at the table to the right are speaking French. The only TV in the whole place is in the lounge. Guess what is on TV? Hawaii Five-O.…. I don’t know about you but I think there is a chunk of irony here.

View from hotel

Outside, Mauna Loa is on the right (12,000 feet), Kilauea Iki (a small crater) is on the left and in front of us, the Kilauea Caldera (more than a mile wide). The misty clouds are rolling in which partially obscure the 1400 ton per day plume at the far end of the caldera.

This is a very special place as there is something primeval about this location. The island is less than a million years old and it is still growing. During that time, many locations have been overtaken by fresh lava flows. You can see evidence everywhere. This is the most active volcano on the planet and has been continually erupting since 1983. Recently, an entire subdivision was buried. The danger is strangely attractive. Parts of the area are closed due to high concentrations of H2S gas. At the ocean entry point, the lava combines with water to form hydrochloric acid and the ocean is near the boiling point. The plume of volcanic gas wraps around the island to the South East and causes VOG (volcanic fog) conditions 100 miles away. The entire island is at the mercy of Pele.

The first three days were spent in Kailua at the King Kahmahamaha. It was a tired looking place whose heyday was back in the 1970’s. It wasn’t bad, just tired but they mix a mean drink. We decided to attend a luau which was not too bad and the drinks were included so that made it more entertaining. The people on the South side are very friendly and say Aloha and Mahalo often. The people on the North side are less traditional and less laid back.

We hopped in our rental and drove to the Volcano National Park, stopping at beaches and lookouts along the way. We were going to be staying in the park the last three nights on Hawaii but I wanted to check out the photo opportunities. It turns out that was a very good plan as we had some “weather” to contend with for the last three days. In the Park, the mist would roll in at two PM and leave at noon the next day. A small window of opportunity. At sea level, the weather was generally clear.

Lava, two shades, one lucky tree

On day three we went over to the Eastern side of the island, on the Saddle Road. Very cool scenery. We drove up to Mauna Loa, to the 6000 foot level. We chickened out on the rest of the road as it was unpaved and 4X4 recommended. We then headed off to Hilo to check out some water falls. The climate and vegetation on the North side is more tropical and the South side is quite stark and lava flows were all over the place. The drive from Kona area to Volcano is amazing. There is a grey mist hanging over the cinder cones. A product of Kilauea.

Rope lava

Life starting to take hold in recent lava flow

Hilo is rather tropical….

Upon arriving to Volcano National Park, we went to the visitor center and overheard a conversation about a guided lava tube tour. The two guys in front hesitated so we jumped in and said we’d take the last two spots. Turns out, it was an amazing stroke of luck as they only run the trips once per week and for twelve people only. More on the caves later.

We drove down to sea level to view the lava flows. The park is at 3000 feet so the terrain changes dramatically. The Chain of Craters Road ends at a flow which blocked the road. The view was surreal and hiking on the flow was quite strenuous. I have a 35 pound backpack filled with gear. I do like a challenge…. Very good footwear is required as it is like walking on glass. If you fell and used your hands to break your fall, you would rip them up! The sun was out and we were treated to lots of photo opportunities. We saw a lava arch and we could see where lava was entering the ocean a few kilometers away.

Plume from the ocean entry point

Smouldering sulphur vents

That evening, we drove out to the viewpoint. It opens at 5 and closes at 8. If you are going (you must go!), get there at 4:30 and get to the front of the line. Wear long pants and very good hiking boots or shoes!! Bring a high quality light. We had Petzel headlamps which used three “AA” batteries which lit up a very wide area. Bring good headlamps as when it is dark, the lava is much harder to navigate. When you get to the view point, secure a spot on the right hand side and stake out your claim. Bring a good tripod and use your backpack and jacket to lean up against the legs of the tripod. 95% of the people are point and shoot folks and there are lots of kids. They have no regard for personal space nor expensive camera gear. I get it, it is a chance in a lifetime and everybody should get a good chance to see it. Just be aware that your gear is at risk if you are not careful. Use a remote release and keep your camera strap in your hand. If somebody does trip over your tripod, you will have your hand on the camera strap. My wife guarded the area much of the time. There are hundreds of people and lots of kids so be careful. One kid was throwing rocks at me and another kept kicking my tripod. I exercised amazing restraint…. Take lots of pictures before dark as the plume is amazing and you can catch rocks being tossed up as the lava hit’s the ocean. You can catch helicopters and boats in the area and if you are luck, you will see water spouts. As it gets dark, switch to manual mode and shoot for a 2 or 3 second exposure. Longer exposures would have been nice but there is a breeze and lots of people. I was shooting at f6.3and between a quarter second and 4 seconds. You get different effects. To really get close, you need at least 300mm. I was using a 24-105 and a 100-400, usually set at 380. What an amazing experience!!! For me, this was a dream come true.

The next day we went on the lava tube tour. Caving at its best, at least for me. Very wet, guard your camera with your hand and watch your step. We used their helmets and lamps and added our own lamp. We could see very well. Lots of water dripping from overhead. Use a UV filter. No tripods or backpacks are allowed so carry what you need. That meant no controlled exposures, unfortunately. It was a five mile round trip and we were in the cave for two hours. The cave had 100% humidity I am guessing as your breath hung in the air as water droplets. You will have to clamber over boulders and on slippery surfaces. Wear good footwear. Being a true camera guy, I protected my camera with one hand and made due with half my balance. If you are not good at walking over uneven surfaces in the dark, while getting rained on, then pick the Thurston Lava Tube. They are cleaned out compared to the untouched cave we walked through with our guide BG, a Ranger from Wisconsin. We were very tired after the trip.

The long climb out!

Ok, so now we sit on Kauai, sipping rum and staring at the beach….. Updates later this week!

Aloha

Photography Tips

2009-03-22T11:04:00.005-06:00

I've put together a list of tips that I bring with me on each shoot. They serve as reminders so I don't make any dumb mistakes. I still do but maybe fewer than before?

If you have comments, please let me know. It is a work in progress and will be updated.

Horizontal of Vertical?
Shoot both and look for distractions such as trees growing out of heads…..

Angle of View: Tall or Crawl?
Evaluate different angles, look for interesting viewpoints. Shoot a variety of angles if not sure. Lower angles let the view participate in the action especially when photographing small animals, objects.

RULE OF THIRDS
Use it, it works.

Take Safety Shots
Take a portrait, then landscape shot. Take one with high sky and then low sky. Vary the depth of field. Ensure you have adequate shutter speed and check you settings (iso etc)

Strategic Placement?
Unless you are taking an animal portrait, try to leave some space. Put the animal off center so it has someplace to “look”.

Horizon?
Decide what’s more interesting, the foreground or the background/sky. If neither is, tighten up to crop out the sky or foreground.

Diagonal Lines
Diagonal lines or asymmetry often presents a stronger image.

Watch your Edges
Don’t get in too tight. Leave some room for the image to “breathe”. Watch for edges being cut off.

What to Focus on?
Aim for the eye of an animal. Ensure the body is parallel to you to ensure that a portion is not out of focus (OOF). Move physically to get a side shot.

Multiple Subjects
Focus on the closest subject if you cannot get a long depth of field (DOF).

Catch lights
Use a flash if the sun is not shining in the eyes.

Backgrounds
Watch for distractions such as poles, trees, and “busy” backgrounds. Use DOF to minimize background focus. Does the image stand out from the background (i.e. black bird against black rocks)?

Water
Use a polarizing filter and wait for the wind to stop.

Front Lighting
Enhances color variety and tones but kills texture

Side Lighting
Gives good texture, 3 dimensional look, and shadows. Really good for highlighting a bumpy terrain.

Backlighting
Direct sun, shows forms and shapes/silhouette

Hard Lights
Shows off vivid color

Soft Light
Overcast days, shows off soft shadows

Light Temperature
Mid-day = neutral
Sunrise = cool to blue side
Sunset = red to warm side
Overcast/shade = cool

NOTE: if you are using digital and want to see the warm or cool colors, set your white balance to daylight

Visualization
Squint your eyes to see the contrast

To add light to shadows
Use fill flash or a reflector or other sources of light (headlights, flashlight…)

To subtract light
Use a towel, backpack, and body to shade the object.

Filters
Polarizing
ND Grad

Light Metering
Spot meter
Palm of hand is +1 from neutral
Bright white snow needs +2
Dark images need –2

NOTE: Pick the highlight, is it darker or lighter than neutral (get a gray card if you are not sure) and adjust the meter for that exposure.

Portraits
100mm is most flattering

Perspective
Short lens: foreground is big and impressive while background is very distant
Long lens: Background is huge and looming

Framing
Use the rule of 3rds. Remember, your eyes will look at the brightest part of the picture first. Try vertical, then horizontal. Look for “dead” spots in the image.

Tripod
Use one, no matter what. No, you can’t hand hold a camera so forget it.

What sells?
New, interesting, tell a story, POV.

Waterfalls
1/4 - 1/15 for smooth silky look
1/60 or faster for natural
1/250 to catch the drops
the lower the volume, the lower the shutter for that silky look, 1 second may be necessary for low volume and slow water
Watch your depth of field
Watch composition

if sky and water are different brightness, you may have to frame out the sky or it will be blown out
meter the water and add a half to one stop to ensure it is exposed properly (meter may want to expose it as neutral grey)
take portrait and landscape shots, isolate waterfall in both, include surrounding elements in both GET SAFETY SHOTS OF ALL POSSIBLE FRAMES
Use ND filter to get enough shutter speed, a polarizer will take out two stops and will due in a pinch
Try keeping foreground in focus and use DOF to blur water flowing in background

Ariel photography
remove hood, the wind will tear it off
fast lens, try IS, it may or may not help
wear long sleeved black shirt (no logos) to minimize reflections
wear jacket, if doors off, it will be windy and cool
17-40/24-70 lens on one body
70-200 on second body
Aim for 1/1000 shutter
f-stop will not matter so much from a height
no polarizer's, you will lose shutter speed and it will interact with the Plexiglas
do not change lens
no loose batteries, lens caps, anything
use strap for camera
aperture priority, all AF points active, -1/3 for digital, iso 200, max aperture, keep above 1/1000
front lit and side lit, don't shoot backlit

Night Sky Photography
Focus on infinity if you cannot get a lock
set iso to lowest to reduce noise, use higher if you can reduce the noise
use max aperture if really dark, use f8 or f11 to reduce noise pollution
set exposure to 10 to 20 seconds, any longer and you will get star trails
use in-camera noise reduction if you have it (shoot RAW, only wieners shoot jpg)
Use a very wide-angle lens -- the wider the better. At 28mm (35mm film equivalent) focal length, you can expose for about 20 seconds without significant trailing. At 50mm, you can only expose for about 10 seconds, which is only long enough to record the very brightest stars. At 14mm, you can shoot for 30 to 40 seconds, which should show more lower magnitude stars.

Fireworks
manual focus, get there early, focus on background id there is one so you have it in sharp focus
• Sturdy support
• Remote release
• Manual settings (f8-16)
• Lowest ISO
• BULB or several second shutter speeds
• Noise reduction
• Loose framing
• Infinity focus
• Something in the frame to add scale/anchor the shot
• Open shutter when mortar first leaves ground
• Close shutter after several bursts (or a few seconds, when the burst if over)
• Don't be afraid to reframe

Volcano
fast lens to catch volcano and stars at night
Lava flow night, f5.6, 2 seconds, watch burn out
Lava flow day 1/60, 5.6
Strombolian, night, f8, up to 15 min
Strombolian day, f8, shutter at max
Explosive, fastest shutter

Panoramas
take horizontal AND vertical shots for panorama
use manual setting so exposure is the same for all shots (do not change after first setting)
use level on tripod and camera
use focal lengths > 35mm to avoid distortion
use 20 - 25% overlap
Do not use polarizer

24-70 or 24-105

2009-02-21T14:31:00.005-07:00

If you google this topic, you will find thousands of hits. The challenge is, what information can be used to make an informed decision.

For those who are not photogeeks, the topic is about lenses. I needed a lens to replace my 28-135 and my 17-40. I found that having a 10-22, 17-40, 28-135, 100-400 and a 50mm was too much to carry and I was always second guessing which one I should mount on the camera. Decisions decisions.

After examining 9000 images (using software, not individually), I found that my most used focal lengths were 10 - 15, 24-60 and 140-240. That means I could get away with three lenses.

The Canon 10-22 is a very very good lens. It rivals Canon lenses at twice the price and it seems the only reason it does not get the coveted "L" designation is because it is an EFS lens and has no weather sealing. No big deal, I am a clean freak anyway.

The 100-400 lens, while not the sharpest lens in the bunch, is a perfect focal length for small critters and far away places. On a Canon 40D, 400mm is 640mm. You need a tripod at 400mm but 200-300mm is manageable with the image stabilization turned on.

Now, on to the dilemma, which lens to replace my 17-40 and 28-135? I spent two weeks reading and concluded that they are both excellent lenses but they each have their place. I won't re-write reviews or share opinions too much. I will say, that after testing both lenses, they are both very very good. It seems that reviewers fall into three categories: the first being those who are for one lens and against another but have not used both and form opinions in the absence of fact, the second being those who have switched from one lens or the other and have a one sided opinion and finally, those who are practical in the approach of forming an opinion. For those reading, I am also merely expressing an opinion so whose to say I am right :)

The best advice I found was in two sites:

http://www.adidap.com/2006/11/09/canon-ef-24-70-f28-l-vs-canon-ef-24-105-l-f4-is-l/

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/lenses/28-105.shtml

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/reviews/Canon-EF-24-70mm-f-2.8-L-USM-
Lens-Review.aspx

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-24-105mm-f-4-L-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

I needed a lens to used while in a helicopter in Hawaii. I have both lenses and expect to use both extensively on this trip. Stay tuned for a report in June 2009 on real world testing of both lenses.

Hawaii, 2009

2009-02-01T11:59:00.004-07:00

Our next adventure will take us to Hawaii. Neither my wife nor I are "beach" people or resort people so we are planning a more rugged adventure. Perhaps we can do the resort eat and drink thing when we are really old :)

Our Hawaii preparations began in December 2008 when we decided to spend three weeks exploring Hawaii.

The Preparation

Aside from the obvious tasks such as booking hotels and flights, we have adopted a fairly prescribed ritual... Photography is a hobby and I take it quite seriously. I have gathered all the gear I could possibly need over the past five years but I have learned that you must get out and continue to exercise the "photography mind" regularly. I learned this the hard way when we went on a cruise in January 2008. I had all the gear but brought home an abundance of lousy pictures. Composition was off. Exposure was questionable. Many of the images were just plain dull. I had a laptop on the trip but it was an old slow beast so I did not spend as much time evaluating images as I should have. Lesson learned. We were in Europe in May 2008 and the results were much better but I still had a large number of poor shots. There is a balance of taking pictures and being on a holiday and I am still trying to find it....

The first apparent problem to solve was carryon luggage. One of the connector flights to Denver was a Canadair CR7. I happened to be on one returning from Winnipeg earlier in 2008 and we had to leave our bags on the sky check cart before boarding the plane. That's OK for clothes but not my precious camera gear! After searching the web and contacting our travel agent at the Alberta Motor Association, I believe I have the answer:

1-Overhead bin on CRJ700 United Express is 9"x15"x11"

2-Real size under the seat-9"X14"X22"

3-The measurements for carry on not to exceed 45" (9"X14"X22")

This led to a realization that we needed to be creative so we could carry on our valuables. Laptop, two camera bodies, six lenses, chargers and odds and ends. The plan is to stuff as much as I can into my Lowepro Slingshot 300 and the remainder in a small backpack that Heather will carry. I will have to check my camera backpack and tripod into a suitcase and hope it gets to Hawaii. I ended up with a Lowepro Vertex 200 which will carry all our camera gear and be comfortable on long hikes. I've become fond of Vistek in Edmonton for most of my camera gear and will also shop at McBain Camera depending on stock and price. The experience of the sales people is sometimes hit and miss so do your homework before you spend the money! So now, we can carry all our camera gear on the plane, yea!

The next part of preparation was to address the physical requirements of this trip. We tend to get up very early and hike for most of the morning. This has two benefits. The first is that you are awake before the tourists and you have the run of the whole place before you are over run with people. The second is that you get the magical early morning light. Photographers know that, along with late day light, this is the best time for most pictures. Anyway, we are hiking each weekend, took up cross country skiing, are using our weight machine and we play badminton twice a week. If you don't think badminton is good exercise then think again. Physical conditioning is crucial to enabling us to hike for hours and not get tired or sore! Besides, we tend to walk upwards of 20 KM's per day and we will be hiking at higher elevations for portions of the trip ( Between 10,000 feet and 14,000 feet). If you have ever been at that altitude, you know that there is less air and there are risks that need to be managed. Altitude sickness, dizziness, disorientation and weakness are all possible side effects of being at this altitude for a period of time. Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and Haleakala (on Maui) are all above 10,000 feet! While in Switzerland last May, we were at 12,000 feet and I certainly felt the effects.

Nothing severe, just that activity was more exhausting. The other side effect was that drinking a beer at this altitude seems to double the effect, maybe triple :). Don't lecture me for being silly, it was in a restaurant AFTER we had explored the area.....

The next task was to get the camera gear ready and focus (no pun intended) on the art of photography. I set a goal of completing one self-assignment per week so I would ensure I was ready for the trip and would not fumble around with the camera gear.

One part of the trip would take us to the 10,000 foot elevation on Haleakala volcano. There are many world class observatories on the volcano as it is above the clouds most of the year and has no light pollution. Maybe I will take some sunset and night pictures so I needed to practice bulb photography! This assignment led me to the realization that my tripod and head were less than suitable. I bought my original head before I bought my 100-400mm lens. The old aluminum tripod was a tad on the heavy side and the head was wobbly with the bigger lens. I replaced both with an Induro CX114 carbon fiber tripod and a Manfrotto 488RC2 head.

As one of the primary goals was to photograph an active volcano during the day and at night, I found good information on the Photovolcanica site and on the Nature Photographers Online Magazine. Both were excellent resources!

Another assignment was to prepare for aerial photography. We've chartered a Hughes 500 on Kauai and will be flying with the doors off. I had flown in a small four seat plane over Mount Logan in the Kluane National Park in the Yukon and managed some pretty good pictures through a window.

That said, and given the cost of chartering a helicopter, I figured I best do some research. There is lots of information out there but here is one link covering the general aspects of aerial photography on NatureScapes.net. I was on a helicopter quite a few years ago, flying over the frozen land near Norman Wells and thought that it was the coolest way to see the country! Planes are cheaper and can provide a good platform but I just like helicopters. We booked a charter at Jack Harter Helicopters. Heather and I get the whole helicopter and can go anywhere we want for a mere $1050 per hour. In reality, that is only $400 more than booking a tour so it is money well spent in our minds.....

There are eight other assignments planned before we go. Flash photography in caves, wet weather photography, macro photography, portrait photography and long exposure photography for waterfalls to name a few. While some of this stuff may be basic, being prepared will help maximize the percentage of "keeper" photographs.

Our primary research tools are:

Google Earth
Trip Advisor
About.com

The Big Island

Our first three days will be spent in Kona at the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel. The basic plan for these three days is to slowly build up to the pace we need to explore all of the areas we have identified as "interesting". Some of these include Hapuna State Park, 'Akaka Falls, Hilo, Kamuman Caves and a host of other Hawaiian landmarks. Ok, we may look at a beach....

The next three days will be spent on top of Kilauea. Yes, on a volcano, next to an active vent. Sweet! I've been fascinated with volcanoes since I was a kid so this was my main reason for heading to Hawaii, to see and photograph active volcanoes. The hotel is aptly named Volcano House http://www.volcanohousehotel.com/. The hotel is in the Volcano National Park so this will afford us easy access to the area 24 hours a day.

Kauai

The next six nights are on Kauai at the Resortquest Islander. We have lots of activities planned including Ha'ena State Park, Waimea Canyon, Limahuli Gardens, Na Pali Coast Wilderness Park and, of course, chartering a helicopter for just the two of us!

Maui

The rest of the trip will take place on Maui where we will be staying at the Resortquest Paki Maui. The Haleakala volcano will be the high point for me, again, no pun intended. You drive up to the 10,000 foot level and hike around the top of a temporarily dormant volcano. Not extinct..... There are many scenic sights available on Maui. We will update the blog as soon as we finalize the plans!

Aloha!

Strasbourg Munster

2008-05-19T12:45:00.004-06:00

Here are a few images from our European vacation from May 2009. You will note that the blogging is pathetic. That is due to the lack of understanding on how this process worked.

The first stones were set in 1211 AD. How in the hell did they build these things? The exterior photos just cannot capture the size but here goes....

Strasbourg

2008-05-19T12:35:00.005-06:00

This is day "I have no idea" but the coffee and crepe's are agreeable.

The weather is very overcast but that is the way it goes. It does not dampen our spirits....

We began in Paris at 06:30 and hopped on the TGV high speed bound for Strasbourg, 2:30 away.

Check out the numbers on the GPS! These trains really move. The small number is the heading. The big number (308 km)is the speed. Nothing in Canada moves this fast....

Paris

2008-05-18T13:13:00.005-06:00

Day one: Edmonton to Paris (sort of)

Ok, so it turns out that airlines book up if you wait too long…. Book early… Why Europe? My brother, Brady The Scholar, is on loan to the Toulouse University. In fact, Jill and Emma are both there (wife/daughter). Jill is the more scholarly one but don’t tell my Brady (my brother). Actually, I admired his scholastic prowess for years. I went jock, he went with winning free schooling as his grades were pretty darn good.

Anyway, back to the story… Brady went to Toulouse for one year so Heather and I thought it was a good excuse for another excellent adventure in Europe. Our flight was set for 7:45 PM on May 15th. I did not really think about the itinerary until we landed in London…..
So, imagine what an hour and a half delay does to the fun factor and the schedule. When we got close to London, I asked the givers of information (actually, the department of Witholding Information) if we had a problem with connections. They replied “were sorry, Heathrow does not tell us these things until we land”. I figured it was bad news so why push it….

The Star Alliance partner was Lufthansa. They promptly rebooked us on a plane two and half hours later. Gee 2.5 hours in London. Spot on. That put us in Munich at 8:00 PM local time. Noon, the day after we left Edmonton time. Yes, I said Munich. Look at the map and tell me the logic….. We raced from our landing gate and hit the security booth at the same time our plane from Munich was to be boarding. I was “packing” a considerable amount of camera gear. Every time I hit security, they want to sniff my camera gear. I feel so violated…This was no exception. They wiped every component and fed the swab to the machine. I must have been clean. We ran through the Munich airport, which is pretty big, only to find there was a delay. We finally board the plan at 9:00 at which point I thought we’d never see our luggage again. We landed in Paris at 11:00 PM. Six hours later than we were supposed to which meant we lost the evening. I’m not being harsh.

So, it is almost midnight and we are bleary eyed as it has taken almost 24 hours to get to Paris. What a dumb schedule. Heathrow was nice, busy though. Munich was like clockwork. Paris was rather old. Much to our delight, our luggage showed up when it should have. Now we had to get to the hotel. We were jumped by what turns out to be the late night cab crew. 80 Euros to get to the hotel and we had little choice at that hour. We hop in and the cabbie does not speak English. No worries, Heather can speak French but the cabbie has absolutely no clue where the hotel is located. NONE. We walk him through the general location and he speeds off through the rain. We race under an overpass and almost bite it after we plow into a puddle the size of Lake Superior. What a wake we must have left! So, here we are, in Paris, racing through the streets, me with my GPS pressed against the window trying to get a lock and Heather trying to tell him where to go. That was special…. We finally did get to the hotel, alive, and checked in.

There are some things that we should have been told about the room. For example, it seems Europe is very power conscious. The lights came on in the room but would not stay on. It was a long day…. In desperation, I stuck my card in a slot in the wall and the lights stayed on. The deal is, take your room key, stick it in a slot, and remove when you leave the room. The lights turn off!

It is now May 17th and we are in Paris. We promptly get up at 06:00 (1:00 AM Edmonton Time) and head out. Wow, Paris is quiet at that time of the day. We had our run of landmarks until about 10:00 when everything gets rocking. We were at the Eiffel Tower at 08:00 but it opens at 09:00 so we walk around. By the time we get back, the line up is hundreds deep. We forego the Eiffel and head to other sites including the Notre Dame. Way cool! Aside from the whole religious thing, this is an architectural marvel. Flying buttresses and all. We took a one hour boat ride up the Seine and saw lots of nice sites. Paris is VERY clean. We walked a total of 20 KM’s packing 30 pounds of camera junk. We were pretty pooped but went back to the tower at 09:00 PM to get night shots and found a short line so we had to take a ride up to the second level. The top was closed. I never really had given the Eiffel tower much thought but that is a pretty interesting place. We took lots of pic’s and got back to our room at midnight.

Just a note… If you ever want to drive in Paris, forget it. Perhaps, after days of careful observation, you could figure out the chaos. It is an elegant chaos though. There are no lines on the roads (most anyway) and three or four cars will perform a choreographed dance down a two or three lane road. No signals. Just drive where somebody isn’t.

Another note…. There are crooks in Paris. Friendly scam artists. One lady was walking towards us and bent over shouting “I found a gold ring”. She explained in French that her upbringing was such that she was a good Christian lady so she wanted us to have the ring. We smelled a rat but what the hell, let’s see what the game is all about. She gave us the ring and walked away. As soon as we turned to leave, she said, oh, could you spare some money in exchange for the ring? Nice try I thought and to show I was just as good as she was, I offered her the ring. She gave us a stern look and grabbed the ring and stormed off. Later we passed a suspicious young lad and 10 feet in front of us, I saw another lady drop a ring and give us the same line. I said “nice try” and she walked off with her spotter. The other odd thing is the number of people selling little Eiffel key chains. Turns out the police just tolerate them but they are not really legal if you know what I mean. All we heard, hundreds of times, was “one Euro, one Euro, one Euro”.

On May 18th, we were kind of sore, well, friggin sore. We walked a bit and then booked a tour of the Palace de Versailles. Simply amazing! Our guide was none other than Inspector Clouseau. Not really but he wore the same trench coat. He was a wealth of information and knew his French history. We walked through the complex with 13000 other tourists (this was the tail end of the low season too). 300 pictures later, we packed up, ate supper and got ready to set out for Strasbourg the next day.

Here are a few images of day one and two.

WEM or the Carnival Freedom

2008-01-22T21:18:00.001-07:00

_MG_0233, originally uploaded by mphoto.ca.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mphoto_travels/

More Stage Show

2008-01-22T21:17:00.002-07:00

_MG_0366, originally uploaded by mphoto.ca.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mphoto_travels/

More Mayan Ruins

2008-01-22T21:14:00.001-07:00

_MG_0769, originally uploaded by mphoto.ca.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mphoto_travels/

more images

Mayan Ruins

2008-01-22T21:13:00.001-07:00

_MG_0813, originally uploaded by mphoto.ca.

Mayan Ruins

2008-01-22T21:12:00.001-07:00

_MG_0822, originally uploaded by mphoto.ca.

Carnival Freedom

2008-01-22T21:09:00.001-07:00

IMG_0674, originally uploaded by mphoto.ca.

Check out most of the images on:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mphoto_travels/

20-01-08 A Day in the Fog/But wait there’s more!

Wicked swells on the ‘ol Caribbean! There was a freighter that passed us and it’s bow was completely out of the water at times. The center of the boat contained the most sick people. The sides were actually not too bad.

The evening entertainment, a tribute to New Orleans, was spectacular. The entertainment is excellent. Live steel drums in front of the big screen tv at the butt-in (used to be drive- ins but times have changed). Suppers are ok but if you don’t like a lot of salt, they will make you drink lots. Perhaps that is the idea…. I expect most of the people are excited about the amount of food one can consume in seven days. The infirmary is occupied by people who overeat. Odd malady?

You could spend the day learning about shopping. The old “mention my name and you get 50% off” bit. You can even get a free charm bracelet if you present a VIP card. Oooo, a VIP card. Turns out that you really only have to say you are with the Carnival Cruise Line to get the freebee. It is a very interesting exercise in studying advertising (if you are into that). I suppose if you are here for the shopping, bravo…. I am here for the scenery. Although, if I found a Breitling watch for a couple hundred, I would be pretty happy.

After the first full day at sea, I have no complaints. Everything is so well rehearsed, the only thing you can do is eat and have fun. If you cannot manage that on a cruise, you may wish to seek professional help. I guess I can see you’d be bored if you were not West Edmonton Mall glitz and glam. I am not per se but the down time today was nice. Next day, 7 hours out to Mayan Ruins and back.

Our traveling companions, the Foothill Phantoms bike gang, er, club, are some of the finest folks I have had the pleasure of meeting. It is nice to get together with the four other couples.

Jan 21, 2008: Senior Frog or a yard of booze

Tolum, the Mayan ruins was very nice. Rained 90% of the time but we still had a lot of fun. Check out the images from 3300 BC!!!!!

Senior Frogs in Cozumel is excellent. Good food, great drinks. Live a little, go to Cozumel. Ok, so I tempted fate and had two and a half yards of Sex on the beach and flying something or other. Wicked drinks. There is a strange custom in this place…. A girl comes around, gives you a shot of some kind of drink, massages your head and then grabs your breasts. Guys get an extra special grab which I won’t discuss. It costs 3 bucks but the pictures are, priceless…..

Jan 22, 2008: The Sun Gods Shine
30 degrees, no clouds, and the only thing you can do is eat drink and lay around in the sun. Wednesday will be spent in Grand Cayman, going on a tour to see sting rays, turtles and hell. Pictures on Thursday…..

_MG_0160

2008-01-20T09:07:00.001-07:00

_MG_0160, originally uploaded by mphoto.ca.

Hey it is an experiment.... Where is Miami?

_MG_0159

2008-01-20T09:05:00.001-07:00

_MG_0159, originally uploaded by mphoto.ca.

Turkey Vulture, Miami

_MG_0184

2008-01-20T09:04:00.001-07:00

_MG_0184, originally uploaded by mphoto.ca.

Day Two: Moo, Milk, begging and WEM
Now I know how cows feel. 3300 travelers and 1100 staff all racing for the same 200 square feet on the gangway. In reality it all went extremely well. We left the hotel at noon and were on the boat at 2:30. A very well choreographed affair. After getting fed up (with food), it was time to wander the decks.

If you have ever been to West Edmonton Mall, you will recognize the décor on the Carnival Freedom (I expect most Carnival ships). There is nothing wrong with that, it is just an observation. In fact, everything, I say are merely observations. If you chose to assume I have an opinion, do so at your own risk.

Maybe it is just me, but I don’t get into the constant begging. I get it. It is all part of the industry. It just feels wrong and demeaning (to the beggars). I am, of course, referring to the service industry. From the moment we met with the first greeter to the infomercials on the ship tv, everybody is going out of their way to ensure you know that tips are welcome. It reminds me of walking down Whyte Avenue in Edmonton. Pan handlers. Ok, so perhaps I am rendering an opinion. I do get it, I just don’t like it. That is the only detractor thus far. Nice ship, nice folks, how can you go wrong.

The evening entertainment consisted of a couple bingo games and a stand up routine by the cruise director. He is really quite good. I was overcome by tears listening to him. He brought six cruisers up to the stage and through a combination of burns and chitchat, he had everybody in stitches. You cannot write this stuff. Real life is much funnier. He had a person named Yu Poo and a guy named Dick Little whose wife was named Anita Little. Have a couple drinks and think about it for a while.

We went for a late night stroll and almost drowned. 95% humidity and it wasn’t raining. If you come from the prairies, anything over 40% is rain….

_MG_0199

2008-01-20T09:02:00.001-07:00

_MG_0199, originally uploaded by mphoto.ca.

Just to set the records straight, I am not a blogger and I am not a cruiser. We happened to get a great deal, needed a break and had good traveling companions (wife and daughter along with our motorcycle gang (goldwings…)). This is an experiment. I am getting ready for a photo safari in Europe. I am an amateur photographer and found that some folks like some of the pictures I take. If you enjoy them, excellent. If not, you know how to navigate away from this page.

This is a continuation of Mark and Heather’s excellent adventures. It started in the Maritimes in Canada and continued to Alaska/Yukon. The Mphoto site is being update and is temporarily unavailable until I return. Check out mphoto.ca in early Feb for images from Canada, the US and Caribbean.

Day one: Two Days Long
Alarm time 04:00, Mountain
Arrive time, Miami, 7:00 PM Eastern

Peggy's-Cove

2008-01-11T19:44:00.001-07:00

Peggy's-Cove, originally uploaded by mphoto.ca.

From Eastern Canada to the Caribbean.....

Alaska-Glacier

2008-01-11T19:36:00.001-07:00

Alaska-Glacier, originally uploaded by mphoto.ca.

Cotton Candy Blue glacier, crawling right into the ocean. Seward Alaska

Caribbean Countdown

2008-01-10T17:56:00.001-07:00

Mphoto & Family are on their way to Jamaica, Cayman Islands and Mexico. Stay tuned for updated photos of the trip.