Merlin, Falco columbarius, Faucon emerillon Wet Wing Stretch Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick ©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com Canon EOS 1DMKII, 500mm F4 and 2XII tele-converter ISO 500, F10 1/250s Manual Mode with Canon 550EX Flash in manual mode. Captured during a rather wet ten day stay on Grand Manan Island in the Bay of Fundy.
It's raining again
As I write this Blog entry, it's raining cats & dogs outside (to borrow a term from my Mum - where the heck did that one originate?). July in Quebec and Ontario has been wet, very wet. Montreal recorded 117mm (4.606 inches) of rain, while Ottawa took the top spot with an amazing 243mm(9.567 inches) for the month. In Montreal measurable precipitation was recorded on 26 days this month including the first 8 days. 26 out of 31 days with at least a trace of precipitation, and cloud cover as well. It seems the rain followed me wherever I've travelled, I think it rained on six out of seven days while I was at Katmai National Park in Alaska.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. In fact, if you travel outside with your camera gear while it's raining, you can make gorgeous images all day long without the worry of harsh light spoiling your images. Digital does exceedingly well in the cloudy / overcast conditions that accompany rain. While I do strive to capture images in the golden first, or last, rays of sunlight, I'll take cloud, rain and fog any day.
Great Gray Owl, Strix nebulosa, Chouette Lapone SPRING SHOWERS L'ile Bizard (near Montreal), Quebec . Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DMKII, 100-400mm IS @360mm ISO 400, F5.6 1/800s Manual Mode. There was no shortage of images from the great "invasion" of Great Gray Owls during the winter of 2005; not many in adverse weather conditions though. This was the winter I coined the term "snow as fill" - see how the underside is lit-up by light reflected off the snow on the ground. CLICK HERE TO BUY A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.
Rain Covers: The Naked Truth
I seem to find it impossible to work with any one of the camera rain covers that I've tried; opting instead to rely on the manufacturers "weather sealed" professional bodies. I find I miss too many images because the cover has shifted and obscured my view through the viewfinder, or got in between my hands and my camera body when I need to press a button , or turn a dial. I can't say that photographing in harsh conditions has been problem free, in fact it is the source of each and every problem that I've had with my equipment in the past (aside from my dropping a Canon 1Ds Mark II into three feet of water - but that's another story, for another time). I've even seen people selling a fancy clamp to attach an umbrella to your tripod - watch out for wind gusts that could see your expensive camera lying shattered on the ground. I do have to recommend that you use some sort of cover to protect your expensive digital investment; even if it's a plastic bag held into place with electrical tape.
American Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Pygargue à tête blanche) Stuck out in the rain Homer, AK Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DsMKII, 500mm F4 IS ISO 800, F4 1/500s Manual mode. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.
Dress for success
Dress in layers and be sure to allow for the worst – I hope for the worst, as the most unique (and best) images in my collection were captured in heavy rain, heavy fog or with dramatic storm clouds in the background. Even if you won’t be traveling far from your car, you should dress as though you have to survive a night out alone – be prepared in the event that you wander off the beaten path and lock your keys in your car or get lost.
In the rain I wear nylon convertible pants (legs zip-off, with lots of pockets) and Gore-Tex breathable rain pants, a long-sleeved safari style shirt (SPF60) and a Gore-Tex MEC (Mountain Equipment CO-OP www.mec.ca) jacket. Good socks and hiking boots are critical; you can’t stay dry and warm if your feet are cold and wet. If I’m out in the open, like on a Zodiac in the Gulf of the St-Lawrence, then you will probably find me with wool hat and light gloves as well; it can get pretty cold and damp when your standing in the rain waiting for that perfect moment all day. Be sure to bring along a medium sized towel, they are great wrapped around your neck (inside your coat) as a scarf, or simply to dry off any wet camera gear. When I was actively participating in outdoor survival orienteering camps & adventures, we had a very simple mantra; cotton kills. Once wet, cotton sucks heat away from your body and takes forever to dry. Stick with synthetic, fast drying clothing.