About Photography:

“A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera”, Dorothea Lange

I chose Dorothea Lange’s above quote for a reason. It takes a while but eventually one’s vision becomes conditioned by the frame of the viewfinder. Photography is an art, photography is a passion. The frame of the viewfinder is much more than a perimeter delineating the boundaries of one’s view. In fact, the frame encompasses not just the subject but also a sense for colour, quality of light, perspective, depth of field, and even the finished product.

It also, often times, conveys a sense of false security. I remember “shooting” in certain conditions where had I not had a camera between the real world and I, I might have wished I were somewhere else.

Photography also goes beyond the act of pressing on the shutter release button. Although photographers all want the perfect shot which will require virtually no post processing. Reality is:  post-processing is, in most cases, a must. It is a must because unless the image is taken in an environment where lighting, colour temperature, background and subject matter are all under strict control, reality is that the final product can be much improved by photo editing tweaks. As a matter of fact, most if not all, pros shoot in raw format in order to maximize the post process itself. In the “good old days” one would spend endless nights in the darkroom, dodging, burning, modulating development times etc. in order to achieve an end result approaching the initial vision.

About Birds :

I was never very interested in birds……in fact, unless quite large and colorful and most often in a zoo they would go by unnoticed. Until Spring ’11 when a friend invited me on a fishing trip. Now, fishing is another story. Not only is it something I do not care for, it is also the type of activity I would just as well replace with just about anything else.

On this particular occasion, I was told that the St-Lawrence River in the area of Lac Saint-Pierre had risen to an unusual level and that several areas were now passable by john-boat and that wood ducks and others might be more easily approachable as well as other birds. It was decided that the fishing trip would be reorganized so as to include a sizable photo component.

Needless to say, I was sold and secretly elated to be able to try my new D700/28-300mm combo.

Couldn’t have picked a more perfect day!