Songbirds
Birds of Prey
Grouse & Kin
Water Lovers
In Flight
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Availability: Limited Edition Print; RM Stock (??)
In the Field
About to Alight. Mussel Inlet (Great Bear Rainforest), BC, Canada. September 11, 2005.
I captured this image while waiting for grizzlies to appear along a stream in BC's Great Bear Rainforest. I was with 4 or 5 other photographers and, interestingly, none of the other shooters appeared to notice the birds, let alone photograph them. I mention this because I believe that a lot of photographers suffer from tunnel-vision - once they get an idea/vision in their head of what they want to capture they can see nothing else! Because wildlife photography is characterized by LONG hours of waiting, you risk the chance of missing a LOT of good images if you refuse to to look around and observe your surroundings at all times while in the field. But it is a balancing act - you usually don't want to miss that once-in-a-lifetime shot of sparring bears because you were musing on the curls of a snail's shell...
Behind the Camera
About to Alight. Mussel Inlet (Great Bear Rainforest), BC, Canada. September 11, 2005.
Digital Capture; Compressed RAW (NEF) format; ISO 100.
Nikon D2X with Nikon 200-400 mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR lens @ 400 mm (600 mm equivalent with digital conversion factor) supported on Gitzo 1348 carbon fibre tripod with Wimberley head. VR turned to "On" and in "Normal" mode.
1/1250s @ f4; -2.0 stop exposure compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting.
At the Computer
About to Alight. Mussel Inlet (Great Bear Rainforest), BC, Canada. September 11, 2005.
RAW Conversion, including first-pass sharpening, exposure compensation, and tone curve adjustment, using Phase One's C1 Pro. Multiple RAW conversions (2 at different exposure settings) to extend dynamic range of captured image, in this case primarily to restore shadow detail behind the gull's feet and on the dark sections of the wing tips.
All further digital correction on 16-bit TIFF file using Adobe's Photoshop CS2, including compositing and masking of various exposure versions, selective saturation enhancement, and selective sharpening for web output.
Conservation
About to Alight. Mussel Inlet (Great Bear Rainforest), BC, Canada. September 11, 2005.
Ten percent of the revenue generated by this image will be donated to Raincoast.
Species Status in Canada*: This species is not designated as at risk.
This Bonaparte's Gull (Larus philadelphia) is shown in its winter plumage - during the breeding season they have a black hood/head. The Bonaparte's Gull is the smallest native gull found in North America. While Bonaparte's Gulls are not considered endangered, this one was photographed in the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia. This globally unique habitat is under threat of development, particularly from logging.
The Raincoast Conservation Society (and Foundation) is an effective and efficient organization that has been fighting for protection of this unique habitat. If you are looking for a meaningful way to contribute to the conservation of this amazing ecosystem, Raincoast will provide maximal "bang" for your conservation dollars.
*as determined by COSEWIC: The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada