Fierce Polar Bear, Journey to Churchill

I really got lucky on this day photographing the Polar Bears swimming underwater at The Journey to Churchill.   My wife and I have been members and visited them well over a dozen times and only seen this behaviour once.

Goat on play structure, Pineridge Hollow, Manitoba

Pineridge Hollow near Birdshill Provincial Park, Oakbank, Manitoba is great destination for a short day trip.  The quaint rustic property includes a wonderful store, restaurant, and summer farmers market.  But for me being a photographer and animal-lover, the goat on his/her very own play structure was the highlight.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker on Maple tree

A yellow-bellied Sapsucker on a Maple.  I’ve been a little busy with some spring renovation projects as of late, unfortunately my photography has suffered and haven’t been able to post any new images as of late.   But here is a recent shot of a very cooperative woodpecker at 300MM on a full frame body with very little cropping required.

Fergus portrait, natural light

Fergus our Great Pyrenees at 85mm F/1.4 under natural light, Those aren’t soft boxes in his eyes just 2 large windows I’m fortunate to have in my basement office.  At such a shallow depth of field it took me a few shots to get both eyes in sharp focus, and it’s critical for the eyes to be parallel to the sensor plane.  I did apply a darkening vignette with a layer mask to eliminate a distracting background.

Polar Bear, superman

This Polar Bear at the Journey to Churchill in Assiniboine Park Zoo, Winnipeg had just dove in and continued by in a near perfect position.  I’ve patiently tried for this shot quite a few times, finally everything came together.  He almost looks like he could fly, just requires a photoshopped Superman cape.

Close up Photography

Spring is often the dirty season where sweeping landscapes don’t look that great.   It’s the perfect time to focus on close ups and detail shots, such as melting ice, snow, puddle reflections etc.  Here are a couple of recent shots as I wait for the milder weather.  Fergus in Black and White doing what he does best, and a shot of a wooden pencil using 14 stacked images and the Canon 100 mm macro lens for maximum depth of field.

Percheron Horse, Assiniboine Park Zoo, Winnipeg

A Percheron horse posing nicely in front of his brand new stable/barn at McFeetors Heavy Horse Centre, Assiniboine Park Zoo, Winnipeg.

Arctic Fox with fish

Arctic Fox, captive, at Assiniboine Park Zoo.  Had to photograph this guy with his fish, even though it was through some frosty thick enclosure glass.

Snow Leopard cub, Assiniboine Park Zoo

One of a pair of Snow Leopard cubs at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg.

Steller’s Sea Eagle, portrait

Steller’s Sea Eagle, captive, at Assiniboine Park Zoo, Winnipeg, Canada