Canadian Wildlife Hotspots?
For Christmas I got a Canon T2i with a 55-85mm lens while I'm hoping to get a 300mm lense for my birthday. Im from Manitoba, Canada. I realize when you think of wildlife photography in Canada you automatically think of the rocky mountains like Banff and Jasper. But I'm only 14 so I can't just pack up and leave for photography trips when I feel like it. So my question is there any good wildlife photography spots in Manitoba, eastern Sakatchewan or Western Ontario? Me and my dad are planning a 2-3 night kayak trip through Whiteshell Provincial Park so also are there any great locations there? Anything helps any books or websites you know of or general tips would be great!
Thanks for the help.
Sean.
Thanks for the help.
Sean.
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Comments
(this is not discounting shots with a lot of environment / small subject, or shots of groups of subjects - eg flocks of birds) *
If your circumstances allow it, maybe consider constructing some sort of (simple) hide in your home envionment, maybe?
If you have access to a garden - and you're not already feeding birds - start doing so and set up a hide in a suitable position (with natural looking perches)... , taking light direction and background into account.
The addition of a set of extension tubes would also give you some degree of macro / closeup capability ... as would a remote shutter release.
This last item would let you place the cam +(pre-focussed) lens close to a suitable location ... eg a windowsill based bird feeder (if you live in a flat).
If you have parks nearby, check these out, as they can be target rich envionments - but (imo) you'll have to work hard to get reasonable pics ... ie something other than standing on the bank, looking down on the subject type of stuff.
A big issue with the lens you have is the v. wide angle of view and thus the amount of backgound you'll have in the frame - if this bg is too busy or uncomplementary, it'll generally be a pic killer. Longer telephoto lenses allow for far better contol of this, because of their much narrower field of view - v.useful in less than perfect environments.
Getting decent pics under the above circumstances will provide excellent practice for later on - so it won't be wasted, imo.
Most important thing (imo) is to 'do it' ...ie take pics - whatever percentage you keep, however low it is ... will always have the potential to be greater than zero - the % you'll have if you don't take any pics.
pp
*some examples of both here...
http://blog.northshots.com/
http://www.dannygreenphotography.com/pages/awards/awards-page-starling-wave.php
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Flickr
1. When you're in the field, watch the animals to see how they behave and what locations they frequent. If you find some place to sit, kneel, or lie down where the animals frequent, and stay there motionless with camera ready, you will be surprised at how much the animals will ignore you as part of the landscape. If you repeatedly return to the same location, always wear the same clothes that the animals have learned to recognize and accept as part of their environment.
2. Never approach the animal straight on. Instead, slowwwwly work your way closer at an angle, a partial step at a time, pausing, and looking in some other direction--watching the animal from the corner of your eye.
3. Watch for agitation in the subject. If the bird or mammal begins to get excited, you should stop moving, or slowly back off.
3. Your face is the most threatening part of your body. Try to keep your face diverted and covered with your camera.
With a little patience and experience, you'll be surprised at how close you can get to the animals for close-up shots with your camera set up. Also, when you are in a kayak or canoe, you will be surprised at how much closer you can get using these techniques.
For your immediate neighborhood, try to find birdwatchers in the local Audubon Society, or similar, to give you up-to-date information. Learn to look for owl pellets and other kinds of scat. As spring approaches, your local woods, fields, and marshes will get many additional breeding birds. If you are careful and don't scare them off, you will be rewarded with courtship displays, foraging photos, and the parents feeding their young ones.
Good luck!
---John
Hi Sean
The Whiteshell is beautiful and there is all kinds of wildlife there. I don't frequent the place a enough, but I have seen bear, deer, etc. Like others have said, wildlife takes a LOT of patience. I stayed at a cabin in The Whiteshell a few years ago and one morning I looked out the window and saw 3 red fox within 10ft of the cabin. one was sitting on the trunk of the car! Riding Mountain National Park is also nice for wildlife. If you're patient, you'll find wildlife in almost any wooded area in manitoba, even Fort Whyte! Don't give up and have fun.
"The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it." - Ansel Adams
pp
Flickr
Talk to hunters, or hunting conservancy organizations (such as Pheasants Forever). They often have blinds set up and waterfowl land available to them, that they may let you 'shoot' on - use that eager kid smile.
Outside of that, you can look up the migratory patterns of birds - I know there is a certain time in the fall that we were absolutely overrun with Snow Geese in Saskatoon. You should observe similar seasonal patterns in the 'peg.
Parks and flower conservatories are often great places to shoot birds and rodents and insects.