Greetings from Namibia! This has been an incredible trip so far, made all the better thanks to a generous early birthday gift from a good friend in the form of a new Canon R5 II. Still a 45 megapixel camera, performance is the name of the game here. I’m loving the pre-shoot burst mode and this feature could be critical when trying to capture wildlife in the moment. Considering the lengths I go to on many trips hoping for that one perfect shot, this feature is invaluable. Coupled with shutter speeds as fast as 1/32,000th freezing action has never been better.
Though I don’t use the video features as much as some, the options and upgrades here are plentiful, including the option to shoot in 8k up to 60 FPS. Unlike the standard 5R there is also no limit on how long you can record. Gone is the 30 minute restriction. Instead, record as long as you have the memory to do so. Across the board, performance is up with this camera and it is noticeable.
Of course, that power and performance comes with a cost. Though the LP-E6P battery that comes with the camera is the same form-factor as previous batteries, and your old batteries will work with the R5 II, video enthusiasts will want to ensure they stock up on the specific battery that comes with the camera and NOT your old LP-E6NH models. While the form factor is the same, the E6P is an upgraded battery to support the increased performance demands. you’ll still be able to shoot and record video with either battery, however some of the higher-end video features will be disabled if you’re using the E6NH model.
All that being said I’m pleased with the camera, and happy with our trip so far. Our support on the ground has been incredible and I hope you’ve been enjoying the content they’ve been posting to my Instagram and Facebook accounts. I’ll be sure to post a full gallery from this trip when I return!
So much of a successful photographic experience is being able to adapt to the conditions the planet hands to you at any given time. That was certainly the case with my first trip back to Iceland since 2021.
Case in point: we saw two puffins. Apparently, they have moved to a more remote location on the north side of Iceland (and puffins were easily photographing in the Faroes). However, we did see some other lovely birds, including barnacle geese and their goslings, territorial red-throated loons, arctic terns, and ringed plovers. I just love the beautiful reflection shots as the terns skimmed over a highland pond.
Redirecting to the Icelandic Highlands definitely paid photographic dividends. The landscapes are ruggedly beautiful with much to take in on both macro and micro scales. We took in the grand landscapes formed by an eruption in the 15th century as well as the smallest details such as the common butterwort–a carnivorous plant that has adapted to growing in nutrient-poor soil by digesting insects that are attracted to its lovely purple blooms.
Check out my upcoming photo tours and treat yourself to a little bit of adventure, fun and good company!
Earlier this month some good friends and myself visited Kyoto, Japan to photograph the culture and spiritual ceremonies for one of my next book projects, “Act of Faith”. Here, we had the opportunity to photograph Shinto priests and priestesses performing rituals at a sacred Shinto Shrine.
This wasn’t the first time I’ve visited Japan to capture photos for Faith. I was here a few years back to capture the Oto Matsuri purification ceremony. This trip was definitely more harmonious, without the fire and drunken shenanigans!
Shinto is Japan’s native faith, and though Buddhism nearly matches it in terms of practitioners, the way these two religions have managed to not only co-exist, but compliment one and other is just one of the many heartening aspects of world faith that will be highlighted in this upcoming project. Prominent Buddhist figures were assigned Shinto identities, while Shinto Kami, or the divine spirits that inhabit the natural world, strove for Buddhist enlightenment.
I’ve made many trips to Japan over the years, primarily to photograph the Snow macaques, cranes, and other wild life. However, the Japanese culture and reverence for nature has always fascinated me as illustrated in the way I’ve styled my West Seattle home environs as a Japanese Garden. I look forward to seeing this all come together in a celebration of world spirituality, and I highly recommend a visit to Kyoto!
Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the month of Ramadan on the Islamic calendar, and is significant in that it also marks the end of sun-up to sun-down fasting. “Ramadan” translates to “burning heat” due to this being the hottest month of the year in India.
It’s been a privilege to spend this week here in India and witness this significant Muslim holiday. I came away with some shots I’m very happy with, some which will surely end up in my upcoming book project, Act of Faith.
In November the first Wild Lives photo journey took us to Kanha and Kaziranga National Parks in India. Set on The Chhota Nagpur Plateau in Madhya Pradesh, Kanha provides breathtaking vistas of grassy plains and sal forests. It is the ideal habitat for both tigers and their prey, and we were able to see and photograph these magnificent cats, chital (axis deer), and langurs. Located to south of the great Brahmaputra River, Kaziranga National Park is home to the largest number of one-horned rhinoceros in the world. The swamps were purple with water hyacinths which made a painterly backdrop for wildlife photography.
I have several Wild Lives photo journeys on the calendar for 2024 and beyond. These immersive, small group tours focus on providing the best opportunities for capturing awe-inspiring moments of untamed beauty.
It’s the final Wild Wednesday before Wild Lives is officially published next Tuesday! Today I’m taking you to Brazil, where I was fortunate enough to photograph a family of Harpy Eagles in their nest. This has been a trip I had anticipated for some time and it didn’t disappoint thanks to a fantastic guide and a blind platform that got us close to the eagles without disrupting their routine.
If you haven’t preordered your copy of the book yet, now is the time! All preorders will be signed and will come with access to five wildlife-focused episodes of my Pathways to Creativity video lecture series.
Happy Wild Wednesday! It’s a safe bet that I’m kicking off most calendar years lately experiencing winter in Japan and photographing the abundant wildlife in the Honshu and Hokkaido regions. This past year was no different as I captured more images for Wild Lives.
This past week has been Polar Bear Week – observed during the fall polar bear migration to Churchill, Manitoba. Here the bears await the winter season and the cold that will freeze-over Hudson Bay, granting the bears access to hunt seals. One of the symptoms of a changing climate has been a shortened ice season. This provides an opportunity to photograph the bears with their stark white fur against darker backgrounds than the ice and snow we are used to seeing.
This was a great trip as several of the bears turned out to be real characters, mugging for the camera and putting on a show for us. Visiting Churchill is always unique experience. This is a town that exist on the fringe where the frozen north pole meets the rest of the earth, that has learned to co-exist with a local bear population that at times rivals the number of people living in the area.
Happy Friday! The Grand Teton workshop is a wrap & it was fantastic, to say the least. Never before have we had such great luck with finding wildlife, bears in particular. We were blessed by the presence of Grizzly 610 and her three second-year cubs. Not only is 610 a hero mother, she is a tough survivor—in early October she was struck by a car, but came out of it OK. Born in 2006, She is a famous bear with her own Instagram and X accounts with thousands of followers (including me). Bison abounded, moose were off foraging in the lakes and willow thickets, and birdlife was all aflutter. Of course, the landscapes were breathtaking, with robust fall color.
All-in-all, a fantastic workshop full of variety and most importantly, great company. Check out what’s coming up this spring and take a trip with us!
A while back I went to Thailand in hopes of capturing the millions of bats that erupt from caves every evening, forming an hour-long stream of the furry fliers. My goal was to capture sharp images of plentiful bats to form patterns, and with the latest camera technology – mission accomplished. I can’t wait to see these printed in WILD LIVES, which releases in just about a month – preorder your copy today!
