More Parc Omega photography with the Sony RX100 Mark VII

So I took a day off from work last week to go to Parc Omega for the day.  We got our first snow fall of the season and I wanted to photograph some animals in the fresh snow.  I’ve been trying to convince myself that I need a full frame, high megapixel camera and a really fast computer to do landscape and wildlife photography.  That just isn’t true.  I’ve been using my Sony RX100 Mark VII camera and a 2018 Apple iPad Pro with the 12.9” screen and a 512GB hard drive for the past six months to do all my computing and photography work.  If I didn’t say what equipment I was using no one would know unless they asked and I told them what I was using.  It is not the equipment, but rather the photographer.  Photography is pretty easy to learn.  Anyone can shoot decent photos.  You just have to have an eye for it.  You have to see the composition.  You just have to take the camera with you.

The above photo was taken at Parc Omega in Montebello, Quebec.  It was taken with the Sony RX100 Mark VII, edited on a 2018 Apple iPad Pro in Pixelmator Photo.  Literally just one click and voila.  Does not take much.

Some shots from Parc Omega

Just a sample of my day at Parc Omega this past Tuesday.  Wish I could get out there more often but work gets in the way.

So the new year is coming

2019 is here in a couple of days and I cannot wait.  I haven't done much photography this year but that is changing.  I've told the girlfriend every Saturday this year is mine and mine alone to do what I want to do.  So I will be doing photography every Saturday this year.  No matter where it is, it will be photography.  I'm planning on going to Parc Omega every Saturday until the end of March until we leave for Calgary.  Even out west, every Saturday will be mine to do photography.  It will be luckily in the mountains out west.  

I need to do more photography for my sanity.  It's the only thing that brings joy and peace into my life.  I work all week and don't do much on weekends.

I actually have a day...

...to myself.  Girlfriend is gone out with friends so I have the day to myself where I can do what I want and where I want.  I just finished breakfast and I think it's time to go buy a new vehicle.  I've been wanting a Jeep Rubicon for about the past year.  I've been driving a 2015 Hyundai Elantra and I can't stand the car anymore.  I just need a bigger vehicle.  Since I'll be moving out west in early next year, you need a bigger vehicle out west.

I also bought a new laptop.  It's a Windows 10 based laptop.  I'll be using it a backup to my new 2018 iPad Pro whenever I buy that.  I still don't trust that an iPad can be total desktop replacement.  Apple laptops now are way too expensive for what they are.  You cannot even replace or upgrade any parts so bye bye Apple laptops.  I'll be selling my early 2013 Apple MacBook Pro and my late 2015 Apple iMac at some point this year.  Well, whenever I get my new Windows 10 laptop.  I plan on upgrading the hard drives and adding more RAM to the new laptop.

Time to go get a new vehicle.

What is happening????

So more work related news.  The guy who was supposed to start with me today appears to be a huge moron.  He requested he be paid upfront for work he hasn't done yet.  He was supposed to start with me a few weeks back but got "another" job.  I'm assuming he asked the same thing from his other employer who told him a flat out no as well.  We assume he contacted my employer and asked for the same thing.  Who asks for money up front for work that he hasn't completed?  I can see a as a photographer to ask for a deposit to make sure your client and your photographer are set for that date.  Typically I would charge 25% of my fee up front so my client knows that I will not take on another photography gig on said date.  It also pretty much guarantees that my client will not flake out on the date as well if they find a cheaper photographer or something goes wrong in the relationship and the wedding doesn't happen.

For a contract that is multiple months long with possibility of extension, you do not ask for your fees up front.  You get paid every two weeks just like everybody else.  

I'm currently editing photos and videos we shot this past weekend at Parc Omega.  It was pretty much the first snow fall of the year so we wanted to go see the animals in the new snow.  It was really nice out.  High of two degrees celsius and low of minus one degrees celsius.  So it wasn't cold and it wasn't warm.  It was just perfect.  The park was not busy at all with a few moronic drivers who don't obviously know how to drive.  I'd say most were Montreal drivers.

I'm using ON1 Photo Raw 2019.  It just came out today so I bought it and upgraded to the new system.  So far, so good.  It's very easy to use and export the photos.  I have to edit the 4k footage as well at some point.  Maybe do that on my 5k 2015 Apple iMac later in the week.

I really, really enjoy Parc Omega and all the animals.  I'm at peace there.  It's really awesome during the week when it feels like you're the only person there with the animals.  I am really going to miss the park when we move out west.  But out west you have the Rocky Mountains and real wild animals.  I really miss the mountains.  I used to go to the mountains every weekend when I was in Calgary on contract last year.  Hopefully I will get more contracts or permanent work out there when we move at the end of March next year.  I look forward to travelling the west and the Rocky Mountains.

Today at work so far...

I've deployed one computer.  Imaged three computers.  Brought up some Surface Pros to the third floor for the DSS team and I cleaned up my work area which consisted of packing laptop bags into one big pile.  I have one more deployment at two today and I get to image that one computer after I deployed the new one to the client.

I brought my personal MacBook Pro to work so that I can actually, maybe, possibly work on my own stuff.  I'm being interrupted by my boss and a couple of the on site technicians but it's all good.  I enjoy the company.  Us on site/deployment guys are pretty much the same.  We share the same mentality.  I was supposed to get a new coworker today but he bailed out last night.

I am taking a bit of break from photography.  I'm busy with life I guess.  Work and exercise always seem to get in the way of what I want to do.  Like I've previously stated, the next couple of months are going to be life changing.  I really, really do not want to live in Ottawa anymore.

October came in like a lion

October came in like a lion and came out like a kitty cat.   A few video sales at the beginning of the month raised my hopes for a good month of October.  But its been just subs (subscriptions) for the rest of the month.  Nothing but $0.36 sales.  Seems like anything of quality sales is hard to come by now on any stock site.  I haven't sold a video on Pond5 or Storyblocks in months even adding a few hundred to each site this month.

We are moving at the end of the month so for the next couple of days, we'll be packing up all our stuff and we both get to work during the move so it's going to be long days and no opportunity for photography or to shoot footage.  We got our first snow last night so winter is pretty much here in Ottawa.  I still have my all seasonal tires on until November 5th.

I think it's time to go for breakfast.

Parc Omega

It's been a while since I've been to Parc Omega.  Last time the girlfriend and I went was probably in March of this year.  With the heat wave we've had this summer it's just not worth going.  The animals just hide in the forest to get away from the heat.  Today I did photography with maybe a dozen or so footage shots.  I did not take my camcorder with me.  Only shot 4k a few times today.  The next time I go, I will be going during the week and alone so I can concentrate more on composition of my nature shots.  We left the house around 10am and got back around 9pm after visiting the park and going for dinner after.  Let's just say it was a long and exhausting day.  But we had a lot of fun

I think this week I'll be going back to Parc Omega by myself with the Sony RX10 Mark II and the Canon Vixia G40 to do some more photography and more footage shots.  I shouldn't have taken any 4k footage yesterday.  It's just takes too much space and too much time to edit and upload.  That's why I like shooting with my Canon Vixia G40 camcorder.  It's great 1080p/60fps footage.  I also like the colours of all the Canon products.  Much better colour reproduction.  

This heat wave!!!

This heat wave we've had for the past month has to break at some point.  29 degrees Celsius not including the damn humidity.  Haven't slept well for the past 3 days.  I want to get out and do some more photography.  I've been only using my Apple iPhone 8 Plus for some random shots in the past couple of weeks.  Luckily it looks like sales are picking up on Shutterstock.  Pond5 and Videoblocks have been totally dead the last few months.  Hope they both pick up soon.

 

On another note, fall is coming and I'll be heading out to Algonquin Park and Parc Omega more often in the coming weeks.  I love those two places.

I wish fall was here

This summer has been too damn hot.  I can't wait for the fall cooler days and nights.  The trees changing colors.  The smell of cool winds.  And I'm gonna be going back to Parc Omega practically every weekend to get my animal footage and photography.