Banff Aurora Borealis

Behind the Shot: Aurora Insanity in Banff

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Every photographer wants a shot at shooting the Northern Lights at some point, and this was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. It was taken at Vermillion Lakes in Banff, Alberta, Canada. A G3 geomagnetic storm rolled in on a night with a clear sky and a new moon that was setting early. You can’t hope for better conditions than that, for them all to align like that is a real rarity and I heard several comments from locals that this was the best storm they had seen in decades. Talk about being in the right place at …

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Gear Check: New Canon 400mm f/4 DO IS II

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It’s always an exciting day when a big brown box arrives, especially when it says Canon on the side. This year, due to economical situations in Canada (where I live) and Japan, Canon raised their prices on all their lenses and cameras. Whilst this is always a bit of a blow, they were at least kind enough to let people know that the increases was coming, and they even honoured the old pricing for people that placed orders before the April 1st deadline on out-of-stock equipment. Some of the price increases were close to 20% on big ticket items, so …

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My Canon 11-24mm Is Here! Unboxing + First Look

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This year (2016 for those reading later) there were some hefty price increases on Canon lenses here in Canada. Thankfully the increase was known to be on the way, so I thought I’d order a few lenses that I’ve had my eye on, to make sure I got them at the lower price point.  One of the ones I ordered is the crazy looking Canon 11-24mm f/4 L, the world’s widest rectilinear lens at the time of writing this. Canon have really been at the forefront of photographic lens design for some time now, and their innovation never ceases to amaze …

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Gear Check: Travel Friendly USB Charger

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With so many devices charging via USB these days, you’ve got to have a charger with you all the time. I searched a few different options and eventually landed on the Anker 2-Port charger for its great compromise between size, number of ports and price. It’s barely bigger than the Apple USB charger, but it has twice the number of ports. Great for traveling! Check out the video above. You can get it on Amazon for under $20. Can’t say fairer than that!

Best Photography Blogs Feature

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I was thrilled to learn recently about my inclusion in First Site Guide’s list of best photography blogs, even better, they created this awesome illustration of me as well! First Site Guide is a website about creating your first blog, and it seems to be an excellent resource on that subject.  As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts this month, my website is a hugely important part of my business and I’ve lost count of the number of emails and other messages I get which start with “I was just browsing your website and…”. A well thought out and well …

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Behind the Shot: Wise Wildlife Photography Backgrounds

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This photo was taken in Jasper National Park, Alberta. Jasper has an abundance of wildlife and you often come across things while you’re just driving from A to B, as was the case with this bighorn sheep on the side of the highway.  Now, shooting things on the side of the highway is far from ideal, but I’m not one to pass up a good opportunity when I see one coming my way. This guy was still a little ways up the road from me but was making a pretty good pace in my direction. Rather than drive straight up …

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Watch My Interview on the Divi Nation WordPress Podcast

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My website has always played a vital role in my business, and over the years it has developed into something I’m very proud of. The site is built on the WordPress platform, and I use a theme from Elegant Themes, called Extra. I also use a theme called Divi from Elegant Themes over on Shutter Muse. Both of these themes are built around ET’s Divi Builder framework which comes with the Divi and Extra themes, or can be added to any other theme using a plugin. I’m definitely NOT a web designer, but the Divi Builder allows me to create …

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Inside the Canon 200-400 f/4L IS 1.4x

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I was fascinated by this video because I own one of these lenses, but I think it’s worth sharing with you guys as well. This lens is a huge optical achievement from Canon and it puts a smile on my face every time I use it.  The built-in 1.4x extender is still a unique feature in the photo world, and it makes this lens design extremely complex.  Just look how many pieces there are in this thing! Should you wish to buy one (warming, you will get sticker shock), they have them at B&H Photo and Amazon. Here’s my one …

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My Website Featured Again In “Best Of” List

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Once again, my website has been featured in a “best of” list, this time by Wordpress theme makers, Elegant Themes.  Elegant Themes make two WordPress themes, Divi and Extra, that use a framework called the Divi Builder.  It allows you to do some really awesome designs without needing to be a web designer and it’s also available as a plugin so that it can be used with an existing theme. ET recently published a list of 25 Stunning Divi Sites to Feed Your Inspiration, and I’m proud to say that this site was featured on their list. I take my …

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Aerial Photography Timelapse

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A few weeks ago I took an awesome flight with the folks from Sea To Sky Air in Squamish, BC.  The mission was to photography two prominent local mountains: Black Tusk in Whistler, and Sky Pilot in Squamish. I used a GoPro Hero 4 Black strapped to the wing of the plane to record a timelapse of the flight, and then I edited a selection of the final processed images into the timelapse at the relevant points in the video.  I’m calling it a slidelapse (slideshow+timelapse). The whole thing was edited together in Final Cut Pro X, and uploaded in …

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How Do You Protect Cameras Inside a Regular Bag?

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Here’s a question that comes in pretty regularly from readers: What’s the best way to protect camera gear inside a bag that’s not specifically designed for photography?” Whilst it’s usually best to use one of the many excellent camera bags that are available, there are times when it’s not possible or practical. When I get sent this question, it’s very often from someone who is about to undertake a long trek, and they are using a large 60-80 litre trekking pack.  Other times it’s the opposite end of the spectrum, where someone just has a small shoulder bag and they …

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