August 1 newsletter - The Canadian Nature Photographer

Dear Friends and fellow nature photographers: July has been busy and fun month for me as I finished teaching Sports and Wildlife photography at SAIT and my students took some amazing photos. We photographed motocross racing, speed skating and a variety of animals and plants at the Calgary zoo. The Calgary zoo features a new penguin exhibit, an expanded butterfly room, and a couple of baby tigers born in March that are really fun to watch and photograph.

SAIT photography class at the Calgary Zoo for a day of "wildlife" Photography. Note the wagon to pull their gear.

Butterfly photographed in the Butterfly room at the Calgary zoo. This is a great place to try out your macro equipment.

My wife and I visited Alice and Jack Newton's Observatory Bed and Breakfast in Osoyoos, BC and had an amazing time. I am so turned on to astrophotography now that I have upgraded my telescope and purchased some additional astrophotography accessories. For those interested in the night sky, I highly recommend staying a few nights with the Newton's for a tour of the universe and to take pictures. I also came across some amazing photographs of the sun by amateur astrophotographer Alan Friedman who photographs the sun in his backyard in Buffalo, New York. Also check out Chris Ratynskis's HDR panoramas from on top of the Rockies. Jon Huyer also features an article on Polar Bears of Spitsbergen - this is Jon's 4th article.

I am currently preparing for my Fall Arctic Adventure workshop starting in Yellowknife on September 5 and f the good news is the workshop is full this year. We are approaching Solar Max when the sun features the greatest number of sun spots which is correlated with more active Aurora. I have an article on Aurora photography from last years workshop coming out in Canada's Outdoor Photography magazine in the near future so please watch for it on the news stands.

What's Hot and New Click on the photos or links to read the latest photography articles
	Horses of Sable Island by Deb Garside. It is with great pleasure and excitement that I invite you to view my latest exhibit, featuring new images from a 10-day June 2012 Expedition to Sable Island. It was another incredible experience on the island and I have returned with thousands images of new horses and landscapes. See and read more about the horses of Sable Island.
	Astrophotography of the Sun by Alan Friedman by Dr. Robert Berdan The sun is our nearest star and it is the main reason we have life on earth. Most photographers capture images of the sun in landscapes, especially around sunrise and sunset. For most of us all we see is a round bright ball of intense light. If we look at the sun with a telescope, the most discernable feature are sunspots. View images of the sun by astrophotographer Alan Friedman.
	HDR panoramas from the Top of the Rockies by Chris Ratynski. I live in Calgary where photography and hiking are my passions. My goal is not only to discover mountains, but also catch unique and remarkable views. When I reach a peak and photograph from it, I try to recreate it exactly on the computer. I have been using a Manfrotto 303SPH panoramic head. Read more and view his pictures.
	Polar Bears of Spitsbergen by Jon Huyer Spitsbergen is the largest island in the archipelago of Svalbard, which is located well north of Norway between latitudes 74° and 81° north. Getting there involves flying from Oslo to the most northerly commercial airport in the world, at (78° latitude). It is truly a remarkable place, populated with 2,000 people and 3,000 polar bears. Read more and view pictures.
	Osoyoos Observatory Bed & Breakfast offers tours of the Universe by Dr. Robert Berdan About a decade ago I came across an article in a magazine that showed a photograph of a home with an observatory built in and situated on the side of a mountain near Osoyoos, British Columbia. The bed and breakfast was owned by Alice and Jack Newton who promised to take their guests on a tour of the universe - read more about the observatory B&B.

Special presentation by Deb Garside, featuring new images from a 10-day June 2012 Expedition to Sable Island. Deb returned with thousands of new images of horses and landscapes and will be unveiling 16 new images along with 2013 Calendars and signed, limited edition books. All will be on display at Anderson Ranch during the Rocky Mountain Classic horse shows beginning August 8th Wed-Sundays. Please join Deb for the opening reception with wine and cheese at Goby's Grill from 2-5pm on August 11th.

July Photo Contest Winner is David Elliot who wins access to the Online Photoshop Course

In August, I am heading to the Reesor Ranch in Cypress hills park for a few days to try some night sky photography and capture some landscapes. I will post an article and pictures from my trip in August. If you get some great photos over the summer you may want to consider becoming a featured photographer or enter one of your photos in the monthly photo contest. Enjoy the rest of the summer and I hope you get some great photos. Next months newsletter will come out a few days early as I head North on August 27th to Yellowknife and onto the tundra to photograph caribou and the aurora borealis.

Canadian Nature Photographer August 1, 2012 Newsletter