Incoming Osprey... "You first??"

Too bad about the light!!! This pair of Osprey were out for their early morning stroll, and as the 2 of them approached the nest at the same time, neither bird would open the front door!! so they hovered over the ranch for a few flaps and about 8 snaps!! What a site! Thanks to Brian Morin as this image will be published in the
next edition of Ontario Birding News.
(Click on the image for full resolution)

New Portraits and Events web-page!

Portraits and Events Photography

Just recently created, a new web page with some images and details concerning my business., if anyone is interested in hiring me for a photography session, for a book, magazine, family portraits, what ever you wish!! I have also added a link to this page to the column on the right for future reference.

This image (click on it to view the larger size) was taken at my friend George Nagy's home, of his daughter Nicole. she is a wonderful model, and I will do a new blog entry to explain everything we did here at this shoot.

George and his family sure were a great help, we provided some excellent images to a book publishing company, and it was really a lot of fun!! ... and challenging!

Take good care.

Sweet Maria

Some new images of my daughter Maria with a wildflower, taken with a tripod, in overcast evening light.

I aked her to stand on this bridge so I could have a nice background, and shoot at eye level without getting on my knees!

(just click on the pics for a larger view, and use your back button to return to this page)

Grand River re-edit

The cool thing about HDR is we can always go back and mess with older images, as we learn new techniques. This shot is pretty boring as far as landscapes go, but I thought it was worth a re-work, as I didn't like the halo in the sky on the first try. Just click on the images to view the larger size. also wondering if I should remove the tree on the top right side??

maybe next time!! it's almost 2 am!

take good care.

Another shot from Ruthven Park

This is a shot of the staircase, spiraling up 3 stories in this huge mansion. I used a tripod, and it was difficult to frame this image while looking almost straight up! 9 exposures, and some cool editing.

There are 2 pdf files on my website with some more images.... Here! on the bottom right of the main page.

take good care!

HDR Photography

I have been pretty busy working on a project for Ruthven Park, a National Historic Site here in Ontario Canada. I was commissioned by Marilynn Havelka, and Christine Madliger to photograph the site, and produce some images for their next advertising program. ( just click on the image to see a larger size)

I started with working on the local birds, gardens and insects, and worked my way up to the buildings. Then I tried to tackle the interiors!! I was considering shooting the interiors with my flash set up, but after talking to my friend George Nagy, I decided to try HDR.

I set up the camera for 9 exposures, 1/2 stop ev., and used a tripod. After shooting the interior, I decided to try this technique for the outdoors, and the harsh light. I use a program called Photomatix to merge the image, and work on the exposure balance.

This program takes the best of the over exposed sections of the shot, and the also the under exposed portions. With some tweaking of the settings, and some additional work in CS3, I was able to create some interesting images. Have a look at this slide show. You need to left click to advance, and right click to go back... just click here!!


I hope to do a workshop at this location, probably early in September, so if you want email notification, please let me know,... ray@raymondbarlow.com


thanks for reading!!

Birds in Flight... Part 3

Well, the final edition for this series will cover the actual techniques involved in obtaining the shots. The most important thing to keep in mind while out shooting BIF, is light. We need to keep the light at our back, but also remember, back lighting can be interesting too.

Most of the BIF shooting I do is in the winter time. From October until the end of March. the duck and raptors are in abundance around here, with their plumage in prime condition.

You need to get set up in the right place, with the direction of the light and wind in mind. The wind is a big factor. Most birds will lift off and fly into the wind whenever possible, giving them more lift.

With ducks, you need to be at a park, marina, or a pier... wait patiently for a fly-by, and shoot at your highest frame rate. With raptors, you will find them high in trees, or telephone poles. It is best to set up with the light at your back, and hopefully the wind too. Wait until they decide to fly on their own, and try to keep them in the frame while shooting... it is challenging!

The nice images of BIF are taken with some landscape in the background. This concept makes the challenge even greater! We need a higher point of view, proper settings for the auto focus, and a lot of skill to keep the bird in the frame, and in focus.

I wish you good luck, and please contact me if you have any questions. With my business, I do one on one training, and email consulting to help people learn the skills and techniques of wildlife photography.. please email me at ray@raymondbarlow.com

take good care.