Month: May 2018

Gear Check: Best PFD for Photographing from a Kayak

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Long term blog or social media followers of mine will know that I love to photograph wildlife from a kayak because it gives you such a wonderful low perspective. One of the challenges with photography from a kayak, or any small boat for that matter, is keeping gear safe, but also readily available. All of my larger photographic gear goes into a set of SealLine Bulkhead View dry bags, but there’s a few smaller items that are just nice to have on you at all times. Until very recently I wasn’t that sure how to accomplish this, but then I …

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Battery Grips: Canon Has Been Getting This Wrong for Years!

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A battery grip serves a few purposes: Firstly it allows you to more comfortably and solidly hold a camera in portrait orientation. Secondly it replicates the main camera control when held in this position. Finally, it also allows you to go longer without having to swap batteries, because it allows you to have two in the camera simultaneously. That third function, the battery one, isn’t exactly life changing. I’ve often seen it written that battery grips are great “because they allow you to shoot for longer” but really, how long does it take you to swap a battery?  I can …

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Gear Check: Canon Drop-In Polarizer

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Circular polarizing filters are used for cutting down reflected light from water, wet surfaces, foliage and the sky. Most avid photographers are at least aware of their regular usage in landscape photography, and smart ones have one in their bag because it can totally transform an image when used correctly. Polarizer usage doesn’t have to stop at landscape images though! On a recent wildlife photography trip I was reminded just how useful they can be in wet environments when the light is harsh and high in the sky. If your long lens has a regular filter thread on the front …

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Sigma’s New 105mm f/1.4 Price Revealed…Wow!

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I’m just getting caught up on all the latest photo news after a few weeks on the road. One of the things that jumped out at me right away is the price of Sigma’s new 105mm f/1.4 lens. The lens is available for order now at only $1599. Now don’t get me wrong, that’s not a cheap lens by any means, but for a lens of that size and aperture it’s a pretty killer deal and Sigma has been knocking it out of the park with lens design recently. Canon users didn’t have a 105mm f/1.4 until now, and whilst …

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I’m Back! Rainforests, boats, bears, whales…

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I must apologize that things went a little quiet for a few weeks around here while I’ve been busy on the road in a couple of locations around British Columbia. The first trip was to photograph the temperate rainforests of the Sunshine Coast, and a second longer trip saw me based in Tofino for a few weeks while I tracked down the incredible wildlife that lives in that areas. Just to give you an idea, in a single day I photographed black bears, killer whales (mother and son, transients), grey whales and a grey whale calf, eagles, harbour seals, stellar …

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