Pacific Northwest Raptor Centre

Cleo the Barn Owl - Such a gorgeous bird!

Yesterday I visited the Raptor Centre in Duncan (http://www.pnwraptors.com/index.html ) to get some cool birds of prey shots. I do not intend to sell these photos (or at least do not expect to!) Photographers intending to use the photos taken at the centre for commercial purposes are charged a $30.00 flat rate. If someone does approach me to purchase one of these shots, I will pay them the fee however!

The centre has a great set up for all visitors. Birds are either tethered in the open or in cages. The wire can be a nuisance, but its still pretty cool to see the birds up close. Flying demonstrations occur twice a day and include a variety of birds of prey species. From turkey vultures to owl and hawks - a great deal of information is given!

I also participated in the "Hawk Walk". An extra $12 will get you a close up encounter with one of the centre's hawks. The price of admission and cost of the Hawk Walk were DEFINITELY worth the expense and I would recommend the experience for anyone!

Hera the Golden Eagle in her outdoor pen - She was no more than a meter and a half away from me!

One of the two kookaburas! I had never seen one before, so this was sweet! Their cage is hard to shoot them in, but I was lucky enough to catch someone flying them in the field - and consequently got some great shots!

Anakin the hawk - This is the cutie that I flew on my hawk walk!

Anakin - I think he needs to wipe his mouth more frequently after eating! haha!

Holding Anakin during the Hawk Walk - They're way lighter than they look!

Shooting Bumblebees

As a child and young photographer I always thought I would be a professional when I could successfully shoot a macro of a bumblebee. They were small, fast moving targets that in my eyes, only pros could capture. Over the past few years I have steadily improved to a point where I am reasonably satisfied with my results. There is always room for improvement, but I know now that there is only minor tweaks needed.

This is one of my first bumblebee shots - good depth of field, reasonably sharp and good colour... but not yet perfect!

For some reason I was extremely proud of this shot... no idea why! haha. Poor composition takes away from the decent sharpness and clarity.

This photo was taken this spring. None of them were as sharp as I would like ( I blame it on the breeze! :p ) so I added a blur to the outer edges of the photo to make the centre sharper in contrast. Good lighting and colour make up for the clarity.

This photo - taken over the summer blew me away when I looked at it on my computer. The depth of field and clarity were both strong as well as the composition. The colour is soft and there is no direct sunlight to give harsh highlights or shadows. One of my favourites!

This one was taken a few weeks after the last one, and here I have gradutated to a flying bee! It is not as clear as the others, which is to be expected, but would have been a nice feature anyways. The depth of field leaves a simple background. This was taken in a greenhouse so there was no direct sunlight here either.

These last two photos were taken the same evening. The sun was already behind the trees and it was approaching the Golden Hour. I sat back and zoomed in, which is how I tend to create my depth of field, and focused on the blooms with bees on them. I cropped down further on the computer in order to create the best composition possible. This one is a bit overexposed ont he yellow parts of the bee, leading to a loss of detail, but still sharp.

This is one of my all-time favourite photos. Not only is it sharp with lots of detail, but it has good soft lighting, deep depth of field and great colours. The clarity is what made this photo for me.. you can see virtually every hair!

Taking photos of bees is difficult, but patience and practice will get you the results you are looking for! Just keep trying. :)

Caving at Horne Lake Caves!

Phew! I went caving yesterday for my first time ever! And I didn't do the easy family tour... no, I did the 6 hour EXTREME tour! haha! well, it certainly was an adventure that was well worth the trip and the cost. I am paying for it in soreness this morning though! Here are some of my favourite photo from the trip. Enjoy!

Calcite Buddha

Calcite crystals

Soda straws and Witches claws!

The formation of a column between a stalactite and a stalagmite!

Amazing calcite formations on the cave ceiling!

Stick bridge and other calcite formations

Myself at the very bottom of the cave!

Remember the Good Old Days...?

These pieces of machinery sure do!

Peeling Paint

Truck Windowsill

Windshield

New Chicks!

Of course I had to take a shot of myself with my favourite of the little chicks!

Below are some photos I took today of our newest chicks (hatched today!). They are super cute and love to cuddle up in my hand! I held all six of them this evening in my lap, and they happily cheeped away - or slept. Super adorable! I love living on a farm as a photographer because you have so many moments available to you that you wouln't be able to see or capture otherwise. Setting up an appointment for the day someones chicks might  hatch doesn't work nearly as well as being able to go check on the critters whenever you have the time. 



This is most definitely my favourite shot of the day, and likely one of my top all time photos!

Wow! Almost at 350 fans on www.facebook.com/mecphotography! Come join the fun!

Kinsol Trestle

Yesterday I was lucky enough to get to go out to the newly restored Kinsol Trestle over the Koksilah River in the Cowichan Valley. The trestle looks amazing! Especially with the setting sun glowing off its fresh timbers. We arrived via Koksilah Road - rather than from the Shawnigan side. It was a decent length drive, with great signage and a short walk along the Trans Canada Trail to reach the historic trestle.

Here are the photos I took - Enjoy!

Looking to the north

New and Old Timbers

The West Side

Looking north again towards oncoming cyclists

Looking north

Straight up! The view from beneath the trestle!

From the ground on the west side

From the ground on the west side.