Finally got out to do some photography after taking a break. This summer has been weird for me for photography. I didn't really get out much this summer with the cameras. At least it doesn't feel like it. I've been doing a lot more video work and uploading to other micro stock agencies trying to diversify my portfolio availability.
I think this fall, I'll be heading out more to do some more landscape and wild life photography. I miss shooting my wolves, deer and foxes along with my Algonquin Park landscapes.
The Sony RX100 Mark II is a camera I had before last year. I upgraded it to the Sony RX100 Mark IV. I went back to the Mark II because I had no need for 4k video and other features of the camera were a bit gimmicky. The Mark II is just a great little walk around point and shoot. It has a 20.2 megapixel sensor and shoots raw. It's also mirrorless which has it's disadvantages such as battery life. But you can add an adapter to the front of the camera so you can filters and other devices. I have yet to attach it to my telescopes eyepiece which I'm planning on doing later this summer and this fall to get some shots of the planets Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Also I plan on doing some videos of the moon. I just wish the weather cooperates on the weekends.
So I wanted to do a review of the Canon Vixia HF G40 last week. Life always gets in the way as a friend and fellow photographer lost her life to cancer at the young age of 28. I hadn't gone shooting for a bit with the camcorder as my day job seems to get in the way.
But this past week, I got to shoot the Casino de Lac Leamy fireworks. I had missed the previous show as I totally forgot about it. And yesterdays event, let's just say, whoever went to it got soaked in the torrential downpour.
This was the first time I had used a camcorder at night. Shooting video is a little bit different than shooting photos at night. Especially fireworks.
I had set the camera at ISO 100, f1.8 and exposure of 1/8th of a second. Let's just say that didn't work out as I thought. The exposure was way too low so I increased it to 100th of a second and voila, problem fixed. So setting with ISO 100, f1.8 and the exposure was 100/1000 of a second. Problem fixed. So I thought. My external mic died about halfway thru the show. Hence no sound on the video. For this Wednesday's show, I have a fresh battery in the mic and I know what my settings have to be. I also have a better idea of how to frame the shot as I framed it wit htoo much empty space to the left.
Overall, I think the Canon Vixia HF G40 is an excellent daytime and night time camcorder. You can control pretty much any setting on it as far as exposure, white balance, mic etc. I am really happy with the camcorder.
One of the reasons I bought the camcorder was to do a lot more video work at Parc Omega where I get pretty much all my wildlife shots. I hardly go there in the summer as the animals hide in the shade of the forest because of the heat. I'm planning to go a lot more starting in September as it's mating season and the fall colours start. Also the fur on the animals thickens as they prepare for the colder temperatures of Canada's northern climate.
I was going to do a review of the Canon Vixia HF G40 today after work. That is not going to happen as this morning, I woke up to find out that one of my photography friends passed away at a young age from cancer.
As a cancer survivor myself, this hit me pretty hard. I got cancer at the age of 35 and luckily got my 5 year clearance this past December. My friend got her cancer while in her late 20's and passing away early in her 30's.
You don't know the unimaginable guilt I feel that I'm still here and she is gone. It's a total shock to the system to think that someone so young and full of promise could just pass away so quickly and so quietly. I am still in shock and it's just really upsetting that I'm still here and she's not. This is not the first friend that I've lost in my lifetime and it won't be the last.
I'm just mad that cancer took a young and promising person and not someone who has done evil in this world. Death always takes the good ones too early and leaves us to mourn.
I know she is in a good place now and the pain is gone for her. I will truly miss you my friend.
So today I finally picked up the Canon Vixia HF G40 camcorder. I wanted this prosumer camcorder so bad. I upgraded it from the Canon Vixia HF R62. The G40 provides a few bit more controls when shooting video like Exposure and ISO settings. I can actually physically attach an external mike as well to the G40. It's more of a prosumer camcorder rather than a top of the line consumer camcorder. I will post a better review when I actually start using the camcorder in real life situations.
I had this little pocket camera in the past but upgraded to the Sony RX100 Mark IV which was a good walk around camera as well. I sold both to upgrade to a DSLR body and a camcorder. But I think I will buy the Sony RX100 Mark II again as it was a great all around pocket point and shoot little camera. Plus I could buy some accessories for it as well and attach it to my telescope to do some astro videos of the planets and do some small astrophotography with it.
Plus it's an awesome pocket walk around camera that is light and fits right into my jean pockets. I have 3 Canon DSLR's with various lenses but together the weight of those cameras combined kills my back when I'm walking for long distances. Anther good reason to have a small walk around pocket camera.
I was saving up money to buy the Canon Vixia HF G40. But I do have a great little camcorder in the Canon Vixia HF R62 which does everything that I need from a camcorder.
Lately, I've been doing shooting a lot of video as I have had plenty of photos on the various micro stock agencies. I'm just trying to build up my video portfolio. It's time consuming doing both but I do love doing both. Video clips sell for a much higher price but they are far and between what I typically sell. I do still sell a lot of photography. Not as much during the summer as most people are on vacations. I'm hoping sales of both video and photos pick up again in September.
The summer months are the slowest times for photo sales. At least from my experience. As people take vacations, they purchase less from micro stocks where I do pretty much all of my business. I travel as well to various parks to do my photography. The above shot is from Barron Canyon in Algonquin Park, Ontario. Took it just before I got to the Algonquin Radio Observatory. I'm thinking next weekend going to Algonquin Park again. But this time to the southern Highway 60 corridor. There are a lot of moose sightings. I also want to do some astrophotography imaging. Hopefully the weather will co-operate. If not Algonquin Park, maybe one of the other parks which are located 2-3 hours just west of Ottawa. Weekends in Canada are just amazing with the weather and scenery.
I typically go to Parc Omega in the fall and winter seasons as the landscapes are amazing as the tree leaves turn colours. I hope to make it to Tremblant as well for a day or two. It's a good time to be living and doing photography. The technology is just amazing.
There is just something about Algonquin Park located in Central Ontario. You get a real sense of the wilderness. Even with this 46 metre telescope, you just feel the size of the park and it's natural beauty. Especially on a bright sunny day with large, puffy clouds making their way across the sky.
On my way out of the park, right before exiting the radio telescope location I did encounter a female moose which was a perfect ending to a perfect weekend. Well, almost perfect as I left two or three pints of blood as I was eaten alive by the mosquitoes and black flies.
Photos and videos are finally being accepted on the various micro stock sites listed on the right of this blog such as Bigstockphoto, Fotolia, Pond5 and Shutterstock and my own site. Hopefully I'll make a sale or a dozen off from my fun trip to the Algonquin Radio Observatory at Algonquin Park, Ontario.
Photos and videos are finally being accepted on the various micro stock sites listed on the right of this blog such as Bigstockphoto, Fotolia, Pond5 and Shutterstock and my own site. Hopefully I'll make a sale or a dozen off from my fun trip to the Algonquin Radio Observatory at Algonquin Park, Ontario.
So now that I've uploaded everything to the computer, edited everything in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC or Apple Final Cut Pro X, I uploaded everything to the various websites. Now I have to hurry up and wait for the various websites to curate all my submissions and update their various databases so my images and videos can be sold to everybody. Waiting is the worst part as I'm not in control of anything. Waiting always kills me. But at least now I can go shoot some more photos and video my surroundings.
I've also added some of my other portfolios for more customer options. I hope you enjoy!
I had the privilege of staying the night at the Algonquin Radio Telescope in Algonquin Park, Ontario which is located just a 3 hour drive west of Ottawa, Ontario - Canada. I've been to Algonquin Park on several occasions to camp and do some nature and landscape photography in the past. I've heard of the Algonquin Radio Telescope a few years back. But due to life getting in the way, I never had the chance to go up there to visit.
As it turns out, I finally had the chance on the Canada Day long weekend in 2016. This was the first time visiting the site. I got there at about 14:00 or so and checked into the house where the researchers stay. I roamed the area around the house overlooking Traverse Lake. It started out a beautiful, cool day with white, puffy clouds. It was supposed to clear out for the night and no rain was expected.
I asked one of the resident astro-physicists if I could access the telescope site to take some pictures and at 17:15 I was able to access the telescope site. The 46 metre dish is something to behold on first sight. It is a gigantic dish in the forest.
I first spent about 75 minutes walking and photographing the site from various angles. What a sight to see. I left the sight at about 18:30 to go get ready for a nicely prepared dinner of curried chicken and rice. We were joined by Robbie who flew all the way from Ireland to see various Canadian sites. After dinner, Robbie, a fellow photographer and I decided that we wanted to go photograph the dish at sunset. Again an amazing sight to see. Especially at dusk with no clouds and no moon. It was just an awesome experience to see the site, meet new people and get some education in the process.
If you do decide to go, bring several small children to entertain the large amounts of mosquitos, horse flies and black flies. I mean this in all seriousness. The bugs took 2 pints of blood from me which were quickly refilled with some much needed Irish whiskey.
