Algonquin Park Moose Shoot

I took the long weekend and made an impromtu trip to Algonquin Park for some moose photography! This is my first time going to Algonquin Park to photograph exclusively for moose and I was not disappointed.

The trip started at 1:00AM from my home. I wanted to get to Algonquin before sunrise to stake out a spot and wait for moose to come to me. After stopping at Tim Hortons in Lindsay and Minden (as well as numerous no#1 breaks), I arrive at the park around 4:00AM and quickly paid for my day pass.

The drive through Algonquin in the morning is treacherous and you would be well advised to drive slowly (60km/hr or less) and watch for moose walking the road. After what seemed like hours, I arrive at one of the hiking trails (not telling which one though!) and with my trusty flashlight, set off into the darkness.

About 20 minutes into the hike, I came across a large wetland with lots of lilypads. I set up on the shore and waited. Soon, I saw a large cow moose make its way to the far edge of the wetland and start to chomp on the lilypads. Unfortunately, I couldn't start shooting as it was too dark. Finally, at 6:15AM, I got these beauties out of numerous shots:



After shooting for about an hour, I packed up, trekked out and made my way to Whitney. I checked in at the East Gate motel (very affordable, especially for a photographer on a budget) and promptly went to sleep because I wanted to try my luck in the evening.

No luck!!!! i couldn't leave empty handed, so on the way back to the motel, I tried some velvia-type shots. After all, one can't leave Algonquin, without trying to get artsy with some of the shots!


Woke up at 4:30 next morning and jetted out to another hideaway near the Opeongo River. I spotted a bull moose and set up waiting for the light to arrive. The light came, but the moose was uncooperative so that time came to pack up camp and return to reality.

Emulating Black- and White Film In Photoshop

Emulating Black-and-White Film In Photoshop

During our last two photography meetings, numerous people have expressed an interest in black-and-white photography. I’m not going to go into the specifics here about black-and-white film here as there are numerous sources on the internet that will tell you what each film type (i.e. AgfaPan, Ilford Delta, etc…) were used for and what type of grain they had (see below for links). I’ll concentrate more on the Photoshop options you have for creating quality black-and-white images. If there is enough demand, I will setup a full digital tutorial for a meeting in the future.

Should I Shoot In Colour or in Black-and-White?

This is very simple. ALWAYS SHOOT IN COLOUR. More information is stored in the image and you will be able to filter it MUCH better. Some cameras have the option to shoot in black-and-white; don’t! They are simply desaturating the image and throwing away all sorts of useful information. As for when to convert an image to black-and-white, I’ll leave that to those who have more extensive experience than I.

Desaturation Method:

This method simply takes all the colour out of the image and create a very flat looking photo. Usually, this isn’t a good black-and-white representation; however I see it all the time from wedding photographers when they want soft images.

Using the Channel Mixer:

This is a great method in my opinion as it gives you a lot more control over different colour channels. Usually this method is supplemented with tweaking of the image’s curves or levels. P.J. Morley has an excellent tutorial here as well that also gives channel values to emulate popular film!

Using Lab Color Mode:

Another good method, but your control is limited to two color channels rather than three. Personally, I only delve into Lab Color mode to properly sharpen an image or to enhance colors (i.e. convert image to Fuji Velvia film type).

I recommend following these great tutorials to get started at:

http://www.bythom.com/bandw.htm
http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/digital-black-and-white/
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/color-black-white.htm

Filters

Made famous by Ansel Adams, in my opinion, filters are almost a must for good black-and-white photography. Gone are the days for the need of an actual physical filter on your lens (unless you are still shooting film) as this can emulated by photoshop.

Noise

Don’t be afraid to add noise into the photo as well. This can be done through 3^rd party software or via Photoshop’s “Add Noise” function in the Filter menu. Be careful to what you are adding noise to though as landscapes traditionally should be as noise free as possible.

Other Links:

http://www.thephotoforum.com/node/34
http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/digital_black_white.html
http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Black--white-film *excellent for a description on the general purpose of each film type

Photoshoot with Jesse, Heidi and Stephanie

I recently finished a shoot with Heidi (left), Jesse (center), and Stephanie (right). That great kids! Their enthusiasm really brought the photos to life. Remember what I kept telling you girls... eyes open!!!!
Jesse (above) has just graduated from Heritage Christian school in Lindsay and is looking forward to highschool. This is one of my favourites. The eyes have it...



I just had to make the flower red in this photo. This is one I thought wouldn't turn out because the bouquet of flowers was dominating the frame. I'm glad I kept it now. I hope you had a fun time girls, I know I did!

Now Blogging!

It's official! Will Pridham Photography is now blogging! Yes, something I've been meaning to do for many months now has finally come to fruition. In the future, I will be posting about my work, tutorials, and photos. Please check back soon for more!