Signs of spring: Elk Island National Park, The search for buffalos
Hey Steemians!
Living in the most northern metropolis of Canada, winters are long and days are short, when it gets to this point of the year, the winter blues and cabin fever starts to set in. I Don't enjoy the cold much and do my best to avoid it. We don't get much snow over here like the east coast does since we are landlocked but we get a lot of cold. The oceans always gives the coastal lands a gentle warm breeze even in the winter. Here in the prairies, it's flat and it quickly becomes a desert landscape in winter, with no shield from the northern winds.
When I was a child, we learned in school that the more northern you go, you barely get any sun in the winter months and the more sun you get in the summer days. I kind forgot about this until I moved here 12 years ago. We also don't really get to see the beautiful sky as it appears permanently dull and white with no pretty sunset colors. Luckily as we get closer to spring, there is a substantial difference in the daylight time we get now compared to a month ago. I used to look outside at 5 pm and it was completely dark already, now with daylight savings time in affect, we don't see sunset until 7:30 pm...There is hope after all! No need to reminisce on the summer days where everything was bright and buzzing with life because those days are coming to shine bright again.
Shot 1/4000 sec. f/8 200mm, ISO 200
On one fine morning, I woke up and looked outside, the sky was a beautiful blue again, the snow bank appeared to have somewhat melted a little but most importantly, I could hear song birds again whistling their tune, it seemed like forever since I heard them, what a relief! It looked like the perfect day to get out and explore the wilderness for a few hours and get a little vitamin sunshine in my life. We decided it would be a good day to go chase buffalos again (well not chase but look for them) and made our way to the near by sanctuary of Elk Island National Park just outside of the city.
Shot 1/640 sec. f/6.3 300mm, ISO 200
The park was nearly deserted like most winter days but the people are starting to slowly come back. We generally go do a round at Buffalo Loop, the name suggest that's where they hangout but only once we ever seen them there. Once again, nothing but the iconic red Parks Canada chairs overlooking the barren landscape. 😕
Shot 1/320 sec. f/9 22mm, ISO 100
I felt cheated once again, talk about false advertisement! I expect to see Bisons in Buffalo Loop! I swear they do go there just not when I'm here. On our quest to find my elusive beasts, we drove up and down the park looking for them, they didn't want to come out and play. Well we couldn't drive around all day, it's not why we went there! Since the access to Tawayik Lake had been pretty icy all winter we didn't get to go. Today the road was clear it was the perfect time to do a quick lookout. Near Tawayik lake is a park area where everyone gathers with their pets and family for a bbq. There are grills and a shack to shield from the elements while cooking and eating along with a set of trails that overlooks the beautiful lake swarming with various species of ducks in the summer.
Shot 1/640 sec. f/6.3 300mm, ISO 200
It's too early for the ducks to return but I could hear the song birds again, it was time to follow the cheerful music. Making my own trail thru the snow bank, I followed it all the way to the back of the cooking/dinning cabin and found the source...JACKPOT!! I found over a dozen of the tiniest birdies flying all around me, I sat and watched for a while since I had the wrong lens to photograph them and I didn't want to move and scare them. I sat there and let em get used to my presence and when I felt the time was right, I went and got my 300mm lens and @silvergingerman so he could experience the beauty as well.
Shot 1/160 sec. f/5.6 300mm, ISO 800
Anticipating the bird's return, the park keepers sprinkled bird seeds along the rear of the cabin so they would fly from their branches and to our feet to pick seeds. We enjoyed the moment and watched and took pictures for quite some time considering how close to us they would come. Made it easy for @silvergingerman to also take photos with his iphone, he doesn't have the big photo rig like I do so he generally gets cheated out of bird photography. It was no buffalos but still a precious moment that marks the return of life to the park that appears so deserted in the winter months. At last signs of spring! It was a much needed experience after the winter blues.
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Shot 1/2000 sec. f/5.6 300mm, ISO 400
Shot 1/640 sec. f/6.3 300mm, ISO 200
As pleasant as it was, we were still hell bent on finding the coveted bisons so it was time to ditch the tiny birdies and think of a new strategy and get on our way. We still have limited sunlight, if we wanted to get to them before sundown, we knew we would have to hike to them instead.
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Shot 1/640 sec. f/6.3 300mm, ISO 200
Elk Island is 194 sq km, my beasts could be anywhere! To narrow it down faster, we decided to exit the park and drive on the range roads all along the perimeter. We came across a few herds but were too far to get pictures and knowing the park pretty good, we knew there were no trails to take from inside the park that got to them. Finally on the last quarter of the perimeter quest, we finally found a few that were reasonably close, at least for a few pictures. Always the last place you look, right!
Shot 1/800 sec. f/7.1 300mm, ISO 200
There they were, right behind Astotin lake, I don't blame them, looks like there was some good eatins there. We couldn't get any closer because of the fence but I still made a path thru the snowbank and got right to the fence to admire them from a distance. I like to temp fate and get as close as they will allow me to get but not today. My biggest lens is a 300mm , it doesn't do any miracls but it helps. I'm hoping someday I can make enough on Steemit to upgrade my gear and have the $$ for a 600mm for distant wildlife, it has a lofty price near $2000 CAD for a decent one. I have good gear but I'm not an actual photographer and do not earn from my photos , I just enjoy wildlife and nature and want to show the world the beauty I see. I can't really justify a bigger set up and more gear until I actually earn for my work. I could but doesn't mean I should since I already spent a pretty penny on what I already have.
Shot 1/640 sec. f/6.3 300mm, ISO 200
Now that we found the elusive creature, it was time to head back into the park. There is a trail to goes around Astotin lake and gets to their location. We knew we didn't have time to get to get to their location by foot before sundown but we took the trail anyway hoping they would head back on our way there but no such luck. We turned around about half way in order not to miss the first colorful sunset behind the false island we had so dearly missed over the winter months.
Shot 1/2000 sec. f/6.3 200mm, ISO 200
Shot 1/3200 sec. f/7.1 200mm, ISO 200
We reached the bottom of the hill just in time to see the sun disappearing from the sky behind the trees that make up the false island. Little did I know, it wasn't our regular spot...Oops! That was a blessing in disguise, the sun seem to set at a much different angle than it normally does in the summer. Rookie move that worked out for the best. Now we went to the proper location down the second hill and it looked entirely different. Still nice but not quite the same effect.
All and all , I think it was another successful day at our favorite day escape destination from the city. I hope to make one last trip there before I have to bury myself in work for the spring season to reload on mountain traveling funds. Maybe next time The buffaloes will be more cooperative!
Cheers! xox
All images were taken with Nikkon D7000. Wildlife shot with Nikkor 70-300mm lens, all other photos with Sigma 18-200 lens.
Perhaps I'm the first to break it to you, but you already ARE an actual photographer, whether or not you are a professional.
And, since you are earning on those photos you post on Steemit, even a tiny amount in the beginning, in the eyes of many, you are a professional already.
I can totally relate on wanting to upgrade your gear, though. I used to use primarily Nikon gear, which is still my favorite make, and my workhorse lens was a Nikkor 28/200, with which I got some amazingly good photos.
But when I took a birding photography workshop with Arthur Morris, who is one of the best bird photographers out there, I found myself with a serious case of lens envy. With a 28/200 lens, I had to get seriously close to my subjects for the best photos, which, as you know, is not always possible.
With at least two 600mm lenses to choose from, which were very fast lenses, Mr. Morris was under no such constraints. Some of his lenses were the size and heft of a small telescope. ;-)
I did have a 500mm Nikkor lens, too, but that was strictly for macro photography, and not for wildlife. And I later got a Nikkor 70/300, but for some reason I never used it much; probably because that's about the time we moved here to Tennessee, and I packed all my camera gear, and have yet to locate my Nikon gear. Your post is making me want to hunt through my studio and find it all.
I did find, since many of my earliest photographs with that gear were of bald eagles and ospreys nesting close to our home, in Seminole, Florida, that one of my best photographic tools was the sunroof of my car. And yes, I know how strange that sounds.
But I could drive up close to a nest, and whereas if I opened the door to my car, the birds were likely to immediately fly off; if I simply opened my sunroof, popped up and started taking photos, they didn't perceive that as a threat, and stuck around. Some of my best and most detailed photos came from those sessions.
And, personally, since you do want to earn with your photography, I think that is justification enough for saving and purchasing the lens that you need, even before you have "earned" enough to buy it. In business, we call that investment for future earnings, and it is a cost of doing business. You can even take it off your taxes, once you have some earnings, which you WILL, once you have a lens that makes your photography easier and more striking.
Here's hoping that you get the lens and other equipment you want. Because we both know that one lens won't be the end of it. ;-)
I'm pulling for you, and I've upvoted your post toward that end.
Interesting that the eagles were less scared of a car than a person!! you would imagine the opposite! I will have to try that! I don't know of any nests locations but I know we have them and it's a bird I would really like to work with! I don't generally do much bird photography and would like to get more into it, generally do more big game animals (the thrill of the hunt...with the camera only hehe). From the sunroof would probably be a safer method than infiltrating the herd I must say.
My gear is good enough for a starter but I definitely do get lens envy when I see the pro's gear!! that's what i'm dreaming for, a lens that looks like a telescope! every once in a while I treat myself with a lens to get more versatile but generally much smaller than the coveted. My work horse is my 18-200mm which is pretty close to yours! It offers great versatility but like you said , still required to get fairly close to the subject also great for most landscapes (I have a 10mm for my travels to the Rockies, I use a lot as well) I hope you find your lost gear!
You bring up some great points about even earning a small amount might somewhat make me a real photographer to a degree, although I have no formal training but I started with disposable cameras as a teen (I still have some of the pictures framed and hanging on my wall) And since then have practiced a great deal to continue to improve, possibly my retirement career goal even if that is still many, many years away. One of my friends, whom I bought my first Nikon (D40x) and got me more into photography , is starting is photography business and I will be joining his venture as his apprentice/ assistant as he requires it, it will be a great opportunity to learn and further develop my skills and I will use all the earnings from that towards my 600. I suppose you could be right that it would be a wise investment even if I don't earn quite enough to justify it yet since it's my long term goal and photography isn't a phase but something I enjoy very much. I'm just not sure where to draw the line since I already have 6 lenses for various uses already, regardless I always keep an eye and ears open for used lenses to reduce some of the cost of the more pricey gear, I don't know many who use anything beyond an iphone!
Thank you for stopping by with your words of encouragement and story and this AMAZING thoughtful comment ! It is by far the best I have ever gotten in my blog's history! <3
Happy to be of service, particularly because your photography is good, and you clearly have a good eye.
I've been an artist and writer for most of my life, and even though I didn't have professional gear, I did have the one thing all good photographers need; patience.
Because I was willing to take the time required to get the shot I wanted, I was successful more often than not, and as a result, I sold more of my photos than some photographers I knew who had gear costing several times what mine did.
And, as one professional photographer told me, it's never the gear; it's the photographer.
A good photographer can get a great shot in spite of substandard gear, whereas a so-so photographer, even with the best gear, probably won't. It's all in the eye. And I strongly recommend reading a LOT of works by photographers you admire; for me, it was primarily Edward Weston, and others in his circle, including Ansel Adams (not as good a photographer, but a GREAT marketer), and so many more!
You're doing exactly what you need to do - taking the time to practice, and to get the best shots possible with the gear you have, which will stand you in good stead down the road. The bottom line is to learn as much as we can on the way, and you're clearly doing that, so more power to you.
And having the chance to apprentice with an accomplished photographer - kudos! I would have jumped at the chance.
Wishing you the best of luck along the road as you progress!
My name is Cori, by the way - nice to make your acquaintance. ;-)
Well hello Cori, nice to meet you!! I'm Joanne Marielle.
I agree with much of what you say, it's not the gear, it's the patience and the work put in and how much we are willing to admit the skills we have to work on. Many days the conditions are not right and pictures look dull or it's too cloudy on top of a mountain to get the good shot below, it just means return to the location until I get what I want. I have to admit to being in many uncomfortable conditions or do alot of climbing to get the view I want or go for a long hike to access a special location. Contrary to what many say that photos are not art or skillful doesn't fully understand that some pictures require far more work than meets the eye. Sure not all photos are art but to get great shots it takes a little more work and knowledge than point and click.
I do read/have many photo magazines and books that feature various artist with various genres that offer many tips and tricks to get better results and I agree they help a great deal. In my line of work, it's always a temporary workforce every month from people that have various prior background including many photographers. Although they may take spectacular shots, It's hard to make a consistent income so they have flexible career in my field and I have been fortunate to meet about half a dozen photographers to give me tips/help in growing my skill. I used to always show them my work for their critique. It hurts a little when they pick it apart but it's a great learning opportunity because they are harder to impress.
I never tried selling my photos yet I might want to but I don't really know where to start. I'm only 34 so I still have a lot of time. I'm my own worse critic! Steemit is my confidence building exercise to get me out there and start believing in my work while practicing and getting my name/brand out there. Writing is totally new to me but it helps me improve my english skills as a second language. I may never get famous but it's certainly a fun part of my journey and I will never know if I don't try. Now my work is permanently recorded on the blockchain. You never know, I could also end up turning all my journeys and photos into a book someday part of the hard work will already be done. Most artist weren't recognized while they were alive anyway.
Sounds like you've got a good handle on what you need to do going forward, which is huge, as so many get stuck even trying to decide. And yeah, I can totally relate on being your own worst critic, that seems to go with the territory, at least with most of the artists/writers/photographers I have known, which is quite a few.
What is your line of work, if you don't mind my asking? And if English is your second language, you're doing great! What is your first language?
For now, I'm falling asleep at my computer, so I think it's time I slept. But I'll look forward to seeing more of your posts, and have no doubt that you'll do well here over the long haul.
Take care and steem on!
I'm French Canadian and a journeymen welder/ boilermaker apprentice through the international brotherhood of boilermakers. I build and maintain/repair High pressure steam generating units in large industrial plants like power plant, gas refineries, upgraders, chemical plants, fertilizer plants, pulp mills etc...Most things oil and energy related. There is also potential work in nuclear plants, train yard and ship building but I have not worked these areas yet. It's a wide industry and much is short term contracts (a few weeks all the way to a few years depending on the project).
I think the same , most artist are overcritical of their work. it's hard on the brain sometimes lol. I'm doing my best to get over that. I don't like to be in stagnant situations. I think that since I started on steemit and writing, it allowed me to see where I came from to where I am now and recognize my failures and accomplishments thru-out my life ad adapt accordingly helps a great deal to shake off the negative perceptions I may have about my work both in photography and my career. Learning to bloom like a spring flower I suppose!
I should probably go to bed too! Thanks for your encouragement , much success to you too <3
Ugh - I sent you a response to this when you first sent it, but thanks to my crappy Internet connection, it seems to have gone off into space. In any case . . .
Wow - small world. My older sister had a company for years, based in Houston, designing industrial piping systems, primarily for the oil and gas industry. Her ex-husband was an architect, and when her kids were young, they spent two years in South Korea designing the piping systems for a nuclear power plant being built by Hyundai. Who knows? You might even be welding some of her designs.
The funniest part is that her son, Vic, who became a project manager in the same field, was having trouble one day with the numbers working out right on a project they were doing in Belgium, and at one point in frustration,said "Let me call my mom."
Of course, no one there realized that his mom was actually an expert in the same field, so they were looking at one another like he was nuts. And, when he talked to her, she figured out quickly why the numbers weren't working, and he promptly came back to the group with a solution.
The next time they faced a seemingly insurmountable problem, one of the guys turned to Vic, and said, "What do you think, do you want to call your mom?" ;-)
Anyway, welding and boilermaking, excellent skills to have in any economy. We used to work with an arc welder in Florida who was phenomenal, and used to win industry-wide competitions for his welding, because his work was just gorgeous. Whereas my husband's welds were serviceable, but anything but pretty, this guy's welds were slim, smooth and beautiful. Interesting work, metallurgy.
haha , could be steemit too, it's been bugging a lot for me lately, I have been getting troubles commenting and upvoting on many occasions.
Wow it is a small world! I might have worked on her designs, it's all specific to the same codes across North-America as the new technologies come out! We get a great deal of materials and mod parts from Texas, I will definitely be keeping a closer eye on that in the future. We don't do as much of the piping that's mostly a different trade (Pipe fitters) but we do the first connection to our units and help out the PF if they get behind on their work to collectively finish the job on time. We deal more with what it connects to the piping like the tall towers and furnaces and reactors etc and their internal components. We do a lot of boiler wall and internal tubes (Coal or gas fired boiler units) It wouldn't surprise me at all to have encountered her work! I think it's really cool to hear of other females taking on serious roles in non gender traditional work. Going to Korea for some designing work must have been quite an experience! what a great story.
I would like to have seen the look on their faces when he said "let me call my mom" must have been priceless. Sometimes the men forget that some women can be just as skilled as knowledgeable about this sort of work as the men. Good for her and her tenacity, it's not an easy field for women!
I can't say me welds are phenomenal looking yet, that comes with experience (they don't look terrible either) I mainly focus on servicing standards of 70 000 psi to 90 000 psi in strength and much of it is in non favorable environments and in uncomfortable locations, at times we can't even see what we are welding and have to use a mirror or someone else's eyes, much of it in really tight areas and at heights. You are correct, it's a rare and highly sought after skill to be a boilermaker/welder all across Canada and the rest of the world and I sometimes get job offers abroad like the US and Australia based on my training credentials but I never entered any competitions yet. Metallurgy is a really interesting field with many opportunities in various types of industry, I think that was the attractive part for me, as one industry dies off , I can just move on to another easily. I mean welding is welding, doesn't matter what you weld or how it's welded, it's all the same fundamental knowledge/skill requirements that can easily be learned with pre-existing skills and the boilermaker aspect of things is the modern day forgers. As long as there is metal to be shaped or high tons pieces of steel to be moved/assembled there is a demand.
Glad you spotted your buffalo. All of your pictures are great but I really love the little birds. That one where he is all puffed up in the snow would
Make a great Christmas card.
Yes I spotted my buffalo! You are so right, the birdie in the snow is kind of "christmass-y". Thanks for stopping by and your kind words!
Great post about a Alberta site.
I lived in Alberta for over 40 years until returning to my homeland Austria in 2011. I put this together just recently The Artist behind the Art
Try finding buffalo in Wood Buffalo National Park: 44,807 km2 ...... over 3500 head you rarely see, except maybe with an Indian guide. I went to Fort Smith one Christmas in the early nineties - talk about expansive landscape - between Hay River and Fort Smith, at about 35 C below, I met 2 trucks going the other way. I thought if I break down now .......
Your post takes me back. I've been to Edmonton numerous times, but never to Elk Island. Other than this unusual trip way up north, I mostly went to Waterton Lakes National Park in Winter. The place is deserted, no through road, only one motel is open for the cross-country skiers.
Upvoted, resteemed and following
40 years is a long time!! You must have enjoyed the landscape! I would imagine a park as big as Wood Buffalo would be daunting to look!! I go to Elk Island on a regular basis, I have learned some of their "hang outs" and where to look along with their routines by now. Elk Island has 2 parts to the park for 2 separate type of Bison to prevent interbreeding between the Plain Bison and it's cousin the Wood Bison who is still on the endangered species list . The Wood bison are on a secluded and less promoted part of the park across the street from the main park to reduce the stress on the herd from human traffic(they can still be accessed by foot only) The park is actually in Adrossan, about 35km east of Edmonton and mostly locals know about it, I don't think it's advertised much .
I have never been to the other areas yet, they are on my list especially Waterton Lakes. I take many trips to the Rockies both in summer and winter and yes I will agree, many of the roads are deserted in winter and it isn't a place you want to break down, get stuck or drive off the road. Nobody is finding you for a while! We bring extra gear in case any of which happens( kitty litter, shovels, blankets, mini bbq ,food and water etc...) we have a 4x4 truck that ca handle the tough landscape. We go to places sometimes and we can tell nobody has been there for days, it's a little unnerving at times. On one mountain we have been on we could see avalanche debris in the road on the way up and the only vehicle we encountered was the avalanche clearing plow on it's way down the mountain, meaning he had just been there earlier and there was already new debris!!! To be fair, the road was carved out on avalanche debris to begin with, we knew what we were getting ourselves into.
I'm glad you got to enjoy our beautiful province and thank you for stopping by and sharing your travels :)
Nice picture!
You got an upvote, so it would be kind to follow this account for more upvotes in the future :)
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You have an eye for photography. I want to visit Elk Island now.
Thank you!! It's a wonderful place, I do my best to visit as much as I can since this gem is so close to home.
I’m jealous I would be there every day if it was close.
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TrufflePigI really like it! Very good story and picture.. There's always a story with nature
thank you for stopping by! Nature has a lot to show.
It's stunning :o
Thank you!