Squamish Bald Eagles (Again)
This was my third time in Squamish to shoot Bald Eagles, and it will likely become an annual excursion. Not only do I love Squamish and Brackendale, it is a great opportunity to practice wildlife photography with a photogenic subject. Unlike my previous trip to the area when I visited in January, this time I came when the eagle concentrations were much higher. There were several occasions when I saw up to eight eagles all trying to get one or two dead salmon, unsurprisingly some fights broke out.
As I was heading to a new location to begin my search for eagles, I saw an interesting log pincer thingy (correct name) and had to stop. I managed to get a shot with my wide angle that included the Stawamus Chief in the background.
(As always, click to view larger. You can also just scroll through all of the photos in a slideshow)
Getting to the beach at the south end of Squamish was more fun than expected due to deep snow. Once I arrived, there were no eagles to be seen but I did brave the elements to get this long exposure shot before I packed up and went searching for the elusive birds.
First stop was near the SPCA. Mount Garibaldi was looking majestic as usual so a quick shot was necessary.
I did find a single juvenile bald eagle
Pretty sure he saw me.
Also came across a Great Blue Heron
Plenty of crows, which I used to practice my focus tracking for flying birds.
A gang of seagulls.
A few shy ducks.
This is the reason the eagles are here in high concentrations, plenty of dead or dying salmon to eat. Other bird species also enjoy the annual feast.
Finally, in the most popular spot there were plenty of eagles. These were all found off Government Road near the Watershed Grill restaurant.
This one looking like he has found something interesting.
As I said previously, fights were not uncommon though rarely seemed to result in any real damage.
I shot a LOT of photos to only get a few worth keeping. Not an easy subject to photograph.
The seagulls don't stick around to ask questions when they see the eagles coming in.
Another fight sequence.
This guy wanted to make sure the young eagle knew who the boss was.
And a few more shots. It certainly won't be my last time visiting the area.
Squamish Bald Eagles
I was eager to try out my new Nikon 200-500 f/5.6 VR lens that I received for Christmas from my lovely wife. I knew that Bald Eagles were likely still in Squamish as I had been there previously. I ventured out one very old morning to see what I could capture.
The sun was rising as I pulled into Squamish and I noticed it was illuminating Mount Garibaldi. I decided to see how the lens performs for a long distance landscape shot. Nice detail despite the distance.
The rig
The shot
I then walked around one of my favorite spots in south Squamish and did encounter a few eagles.
One thing I realized is that I have a lot to learn about wildlife photography, especially birds. Learning how to use a telephoto lens has a fairly steep learning curve, and trying to capture birds in flight makes it even harder. I took a lot of shots but only have a few keepers and even those I'm only mildly satisfied with. Having said that, the combination certainly does help in comparison to shooting with my iPhone.
Eagle shot with iPhone
Same eagle with a Nikon D810 and Nikkor 200-500 f/5.6 VR lens. Anyone claiming "gear doesn't matter" hasn't tried to shoot wild eagles.
I relocated several times but had a hard time finding eagles. I found out later that there are much higher concentrations of eagles in early December and by January they have started to depart as most of the salmon that they are feeding on are gone. It was still a beautiful day so I made the most of it by shooting some landscape shots. Even some with my iPhone.
My trusty Tacoma, it never disappoints.
This was actually a hand-held shot with the Nikkor 200-500 lens. Shutter speed was relatively long but the VR system helped me get an acceptably sharp shot.
After more driving around and looking in a few spots I have never visited before I did find a few more eagles. Didn't get the focus or composition right in all of the photos, but I did get a lot of practice in tracking eagles in flight.
Finally, a comparison of iPhone vs Nikon. See that moon in the top right?
Now a little closer with the telephoto.
Slow Road to Squamish: Long Exposures on the Sea to Sky
A couple of weeks ago my friend Eli and I did a photohunting trip from Vancouver to Squamish. The goal was to capture some long exposure shots along the way, below are some of the results. Eli's Gitzo tripod was conveniently lost by WestJet, and a loaner fell through at the last minute. A stop at the Salvation Army saved the day though as he was able to pick up a "pro quality" tripod for $9!
First stop was the Lions Gate Bridge. Not a great day for long exposures as it was mostly clear skies. We gave it a shot though.
A shot with my iPhone 5S first.
The resulting long exposure shot with my D800 and 24-70.
Next we went to a spot that I have never been to, the Cleveland Dam in North Vancouver. I didn't even know this existed but, while waiting for Eli to do whatever it is he was doing, I found it on Google Maps. It's a great spot that is worth visiting again. Eli set up on top, my tripod also ready to shoot the spillway.
A quick way to lose gear when looking over the edge :)
There are a couple of holes in the fence where you can get a shot of the reservoir.
Too bad the clouds are not more interesting, you take what you are given I suppose.
You can also shoot the spillway from below, here Eli stands on the edge shooting his long exposure.
Mine from that spot.
We left Vancouver and stopped in Horseshoe Bay for a few shots. I have a few more to look through, but in general I didn't get anything here that I was that happy with. If I get something worth posting I'll just do an update. However, on our way out I decided to set up my camera in the passenger seat of my truck, then use the remote release to get some shots while I'm driving. I used a 6-stop ND filter and a circular polarizer to take out the glare from the windshield. Looks odd, maybe like photo radar :)
Considering that this was highly experimental, the resulting shots were not too bad. Some were completely unusable, but others show promise. I want to try it again, but play with the settings to see if I can get something better. This shot was a 1-second exposure at 100Km/h, that is Eli in front of me.
We hit Squamish, had lunch at The Watershed Grill, and parted ways. On my way home, I stopped at Shannon Falls.
This is the creek below the falls.
My final stop was at Porteau Cove, where I have been many times to dive but never to take photos. Turned out to be my favourite shot of the day.
Nikon D800 vs iPhone 4S : Round 2
Coming back from hiking the Chief near Squamish, I decided to stop at Shannon Falls for one more quick photo opportunity. Shannon Falls is a beautiful waterfall outside of Squamish (between Vancouver and Whistler). It is the third highest waterfall in BC, and well worth a stop if you are in the area.
I had my Nikon D800 with me and was using the Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 lens with a polarizing filter. I also decided to shoot the same scene with my iPhone 4S. Yes, not a fair test but just presented for fun. The iPhone fared much better this time compared to my previous attempt.
Here is the iPhone shot, edited on the device with Nik Software's (now Google's) awesome Snapseed.
Now the Nikon D800 shot, edited in Adobe Lightroom.
Both files downsampled to the same resolution. The iPhone did ok, though couldn't get the longer exposure time needed to get the softer water effect on the D800.
Hiking Stawamus Chief South Peak - Squamish, BC
Last week, I decided to head up to Squamish to hike the south peak of the Stawamus Chief. As with the Lions hike, I'm not going to go into how to get to the trail, etc. There are plenty of sites that can give you good info about the trail: Vancouver Trails, Club Tread, Trail Peak, Live Trails.
I wish I had got a better shot of the rock face, I'll have to do that next time.
This is a very popular hike in the area, expect to see at least a few people on the trail and on all of the peaks. The south peak is the most popular and the shortest hike as well. Middle and north peaks are less popular but still see their fair share of hikers. The Chief is not only popular with hikers, but is also a huge draw for climbers who come to challenge themselves on the granite face. I found this interesting video while writing this post: Patagonia climbing ambassador Sonnie Trotter climbed the first free ascent of Cobra Crack (5.14). Props, that is something that I'll never do.
You start your hike in the campground, nice and easy.
A map and some info before you start the hike.
Also a warning. The trail isn't long (about 6Km round trip) but it is steep and if you are unprepared you can get into trouble. I saw some yahoo going up in flip flops!
The trail is very well maintained. Kudos to the crew that come out to maintain this for the rest of us, very much appreciated.
Sure beats the stair climber at the gym.
Another sign along the route, very easy to follow as long as you pay attention. There are several of these along the way which will guide you to any of the peaks along with some of the other trails available in the area.
The trail is quite steep for most of the route.
Though well maintained, no cake walk and Mr. FlipFlop likely had a fun time in some sections.
The lower part of the hike is in the forest and the shade makes it easier on a hot day. As you get near the summit, you start to see the sun trickle though.
There are a few ladders on the route, don't see that on most hiking trails.
A large overhang looms over the trail.
Warning on the trail. As I said before, the area is popular with climbers so do not throw anything over the edge.
You know you are reaching the summit when the forest gets thin and the rocky soil yields to solid granite.
A chain and ladder help you navigate the grade.
Soon after, you start to get rewarded with some great views.
Don't get distracted though, one wrong step and you are going over the edge.
Now just a scramble to the top.
Tough life for trees that live on the summit.
Once at the summit, you get a beautiful view of Howe Sound and Squamish.
Just like on the Lions hike, this raven took the easy route to the top.
You can also see the middle peak with a few hikers enjoying the view.
Some hikers coming down from the middle peak.
I ventured to the cliff edge, though didn't spend much time there.
Along with my trusty Nikon I brought up my tripod and f-stop Guru backpack. It's a great pack for a day hike with photo gear.
Soon after I arrived, I was joined by a chipmunk.
We became good buddies after I gave him a couple pumpkin seeds from my trail mix.
Got any more???
A few more views from the top. Can anyone tell me the name of the mountain in the background? Please post in the comments. UPDATE: It is Mount Garibaldi (thanks Jesse).
Me wrecking a perfectly good shot.
A good spot for lunch.
Here is a map of my route to the summit tracked using Runkeeper on the iPhone.
While at the top, I also shot a complete panorama which resulted in a 100 megapixel image. If you want to see the full size image check my previous post.
On my way down, I stopped along the creek to take a few photos. I tried some shots with a polarizing filter and a neutral density filter to get longer exposures.
Finally, on my way home I topped in at Shannon Falls which is only a few minutes from the Chief. First, an HDR image of the falls, I was hoping it would turn out a little different.
And just a regular shot, but taken with a polarizing filter to get a longer exposure.
100 Megapixel Nikon D800 Panorama from the Stawamus Chief
Today, I hiked to the top of the south peak of the Stawamus Chief, a popular hike near Squamish, BC. I took a lot of photos including the panorama below. The full size panorama is 22,383x4378 pixels (ok, not 100 megapixels but 98, close enough). Shot with a Nikon D800 and 24-70 f/2.8 lens. The variation of color in the sky is due to the use of a polarizing filter. It helps with contrast but because so much of the sky is visible the angle to the sun changes substantially in the shot from left to right.
First, a small version of the file, 2048 x 401 (0.82 megapixels, 641Kb)
If you want to see a slightly bigger version, here is a link to a 5000 x 978 (4.89 megapixels, 3.6MB) version of the file. It will open in a new window.
Open the larger file.
Finally, if you really want to download the huge 100 megapixel file (over 80MB) you can do so below. It is a zip file, I didn't want the file to open in the browser. Just download and unzip.
100 megapixel D800 panorama.
The PSD file that created the compressed jpg above is over 1GB in size and that is after I cropped a significant portion of the image from the top and bottom. There will be a lot more photos from this hike posted soon.