Canadian fine art landscape and wildlife photography blog featuring the work of New Brunswick photographer, Tracy Munson.
Gear For Road Tripping Photographers
Anyone who knows me knows that I live for a good road trip. I love the flexibility of being able to go where the wind takes me. After many years and many road trips, I've compiled my ultimate list of essential gear for roadtripping photographers. You'll stay safe, backed up and connected just about anywhere with these gear recommendations.
TAKING PHOTOS IN HARSH SUNLIGHT
It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining, there are a few puffy white clouds in the sky...what better time to go out and take some photos, right? Not so fast, those sunny days with clear blue skies look great to our eyes, but the camera doesn't see things the same way. Harsh, unflattering shadows ruin portraits and landscape scenes tend to have blown out, over exposed skies and completely black shadow areas with none of the details your eyes can easily discern. If you've ever come home, disappointed with your bright, sunshiny day photos, then check out this article I wrote for photoblog.com.
LOUSY WEATHER, GREAT PHOTOS
I've just returned from almost a month of fall camping in Quebec and let me tell you, there was plenty of rotten weather. Have you ever returned from a vacation plagued by rain with barely any photos because you hid inside the whole time? Some of my very favourite (and most popular, and lucrative) photos exist only because I got outside despite the miserable weather.
Here's an article I wrote about what to photograph when it rains on your vacation. Coincidentally (not really), I wrote it in a tent in Forillon National Park, Quebec, while the rain was beating down outside.
THE GASPÉ PENINSULA
Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula is one of Canada's best kept secrets. Instead of getting the same photos of Banff and Peggy's Cove that everyone has, try heading to La Belle Province for exceptional scenery and wildlife viewing opportunities.
UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY
This past summer, I developed a taste for underwater photography and now I'm hooked! From super-fun family and pet photos at the cottage to snorkeling shipwrecks in the crystal clear waters of Tobermory, taking your camera into the water opens up a world of possibilities.
Here are two articles I wrote about some useful (and not-so-useful) gear for getting started taking photos and videos underwater.
WIDE ANGLE MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY
Phew, this summer is flying by...so much for frequent, regular blog posts! I've been doing some travelling within Ontario lately and will definitely have some updates in the near future. In the meantime, here's an article that I wrote on a very unusual wide-angle lens, the Laowa 15mm macro.
AT THE 100TH MERIDIAN...OR CLOSE ENOUGH
Have you ever had one of those moments that you wished you could go back in time and tell your 17-year-old self about? That happened to me recently, when I was contacted by the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, for non-Canucks, and kind of a big deal for anyone who grew up before the internet...before even widespread cable). They wanted to use my photo of free roaming bison in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan in their upcoming feature on the Tragically Hip and how could any good Canadian Girl say no to THAT? Even if I haven't really loved anything they've done since Up To Here (ok, ok, maybe Road Apples), you'll still find a few of their tunes on my iPhone and, hey - I don't change the station when they come on the radio, and that's about as high praise as you're likely to get from this music snob. My photo is representing the song 100th Meridian, check out the feature on this truly iconic Canadian band and have a listen through the link below. You could also do worse than to check out Grasslands National Park - Saskatchewan is NOT all flat and boring (that's Manitoba).
SANDHILL CRANES
A few years ago, a coworker posted some photos of Sandhill Cranes at her farm on facebook. I was gobsmacked - I'd had no idea that these huge, striking, scarlet faced birds could be found in Ontario. A year or so later, camping on an island near Killarney in Georgian Bay, we heard the eeriest sound, like dinosaurs flying overhead and then, there they were through the fog: a small flock of Sandhill Cranes, just visible through the mist on the island across from us. I ran to my tent for my camera and quickly changed to a telephoto lens, ran back to the shore, set up my tripod, secured the camera, bent to look through the viewfinder AND....the skies opened and let loose a torrential downpour. By the time it let up, the cranes were gone and did not return during our time there.
Two years later, my photography buddy and birding guru, Natalie Robertson texted me: did I want to go see if we could find the Sandhill Cranes that the birding forums reported near Cambridge, ON? Well, hell yeah. We set out with our long-suffering partners/sherpas in tow and came back very happy with our captures of the day!
