my travels in pixels

Why is shooting wildlife different to say landscape? Because they move and there is often not much light as the best times to shoot are just after sunrise and just before sunset. When we came to Yellowstone for the first time we had no idea how to photograph wildlife. I was still photographing in P mode most of the time which works fine if there is plenty of light and your subject isn't moving. I would change to shutter priority to slow the water down for waterfalls and again to freeze anything taken out of a helicopter. I couldn't get enough light and I couldn't get a sharp picture. I tried shutter priority on animals but the pictures were just too dark. There are a number of ways to get a good photograph, you just need to find what works for you. When shooting something that is moving you need to freeze the action, so you would naturally think to use shutter-priority and let the camera work out the aperture, not so. Light is a very important consideration which is...

After two weeks in Waterton we head into Alberta, Canada We head to Calgary to catch up with a few friends Shirley and Frank and Michelle. Testing my new macro in  Shirley's garden A barn just up the road from Shirley's While staying at Shirley's we had a massive storm come through. It had been a fairly warm night and I had the window open to get a breeze, but wind came up and the venetians started rattling, so we shut it and pulled in the awning. Not long after at 3am a thunder clap boomed above our heads and then the stand-by light on the TV went out. The lightening hit the junction box at the end of the street. Phew, that was a close one. Since it's been ages since we went out for dinner Lindsay embarks on a mission to find a good Indian restaurant. Frank and Michelle have never eaten Indian before and don't sound very enthusiastic. Trust me, says Lindsay. We get a tip from one of Frank's customers that Namskar was one the best Indian restauran...

Unless you are in the top of Australia (think estuarine crocodiles as the freshies are harmless!), we normally never have to worry about walking into something that might potentially eat us. Here in North America they have cougar (probably my biggest fear) and bears. We also watch out here for snakes (rattlers in the desert), bison, elk and moose as they can kill you too. This week we really had to watch all around us in case a bear just appeared behind us. Be careful when you come out of the restroom! As you can see we finally got to see the sow and cubs. We had been looking for them ever since we arrived, but no show until this day. These cubs are a lot bigger than the ones we saw last year, it just goes to show that if it is a mild winter they can start eating sooner, and get bigger quicker. Mum sent the cubs up the tree for safety Cathy spotted some movement in the forest up near the Cameron Lake carpark. There was a mating pair in there, a cinnamon sow a...

Waterton Lakes National Park - Week 1 We have returned for our second year to Waterton Lakes NP in Canada, two weeks earlier than last year. It is normally quite cool at this time of year but the weather like everywhere it seems, is different this year. The first few days were in the high 20ºC's, days are sunny, sometimes with a cold wind. The wildflowers are out spread across the green meadows and the smell is divine. Cinnamon black bear - boar This bear had just walked through the carpark. He started to walk towards the trail that leads to Akamina Lake. Wildlife will take the easy route whenever possible, so if there is a trail there they will take it. Sure enough he started walking down the trail, so we followed him. Keeping a healthy distance behind and with a can of bear spray of course! Then he stopped and rubbed himself up against a tree. He never did continue down to the lake, but went into the forest. This black bear is very blonde. Most of the tourists here ...

Waterton Lakes Townsite Campground Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta Canada Why we chose here? It is inside the park close to both the Akamina Parkway and Red Rock Parkway Location: Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta Canada Sites: 237 Facilities: 94 x FHU pull throughs, 46 back in electric & water, 97 unserviced, Hot showers, restrooms. Water is available throughout the campground, dump station Groceries: Waterton grocer Reservations: Yes, $14 fee – you need to book on the weekends Cell Coverage / WiFi:  The campground has free WiFi Price Paid: $27.40 unserviced - there were no others available, $32.30 E&W, $38.50 FHU Date of visit: June 2015 Other: Maximum 2 weeks stay, Parks fee of $20 a day or annual Waterton or National Parks pass. Fill up propane before you come, it is available from Pat’s but is double the normal price. Would we come here again? Yes. I would book different sites for weekdays and weekends if I couldn't get...