(Nikon D60, 18-55 VR @ 18mm, f/5.6, 1/25, ISO 400)
Long Thursday Out + Camera = Lots of Photos + Lengthy Post. More after the break.
Began the day... sleeping in. I probably would've gotten up at 3 PM or something again, had my buddy David Gunn not called to ask me where I was. I'm usually on the ball for schedules and the like, but lately I haven't been sleeping well (some of you may be quick to note that perhaps it's when I choose to write these blog posts... keke). I made it down a couple hours later and we started our photo walk.
(Nikon D60, 18-55 VR @ 18mm, f/14, 1, ISO 100)
We had embarked on a similar walk last year, along the Don Valley. At that time, I had a much slimmer inventory of equipment. Just a D60 and an 18-200 with me, stuffed in a backpack I used throughout high school. This time around though, I had a proper photo backpack (Think Tank's Streetwalker Pro), a small tripod (Joby Gorillapod SLR Zoom), and two bodies (D90/D60) with a telephoto (70-200) and midrange lens (18-55). Bulkier? Yes. Heavier? Yes, but I hardly noticed because the straps on the Think Tank bag are so thick and comfy. Better photos? Yes, but aside from the tripod, I think shooting experience was more of a factor than equipment, but I digress.
(Nikon D80, Sigma 70-200 II @ 105mm, f/2.8, 1/60, ISO 400)
For the most part, Dave and I stayed on the trail; moving about if necessary to get a better vantage point but not throwing caution into the wind and just storming into the wilderness. What looked like poison ivy might've been one likely factor... ;-)
(Nikon D80, Sigma 70-200 II @ 200mm, f/2.8, 1/160, ISO 640)
At one point, both of us were crouching/squatting on some rocks about two or three metres away from a pair of ducks, both of us with our telephoto lenses and mini-tripods sitting right in front of us, composed on the duck you see above. Yes, like the Humber trip - more ducks, but no drainage covers this time! Considering the effort we took to set up,we swore not to leave without getting a decent picture even if we had to wait all day for that duck to raise its head.
(Nikon D60, 18-55 VR @ 26mm, f/5.6, 1/20, ISO 200)
Much like the Humber trip, I also came across a wayward chair that was seemingly left there without any clear purpose. It was surrounded by what we thought was poison ivy, so we skipped it. Still awkward though.
(Nikon D60, 18-55 VR @ 18mm, f/4, 1/100, ISO 400)
I've also said it before on this blog, but I love the all the green that's starting to show up now. It's nice to see things alive, rather than dead or covered with snow. Still, it'd look even more awesome in the Fall, with all the colours. We'll have to come back some time. You may have also noticed that a few of the pictures were taken with a D80. Dave and I swapped bodies for most of the walk - he had wanted to try out the video on the D90 under field conditions. You can check out what he compiled here.
(Nikon D80, Sigma 70-200 II @ 160mm, f/2.8, 1/40, ISO 400)
All in all, a pretty good day. We ended after about three hours. On a slightly separate note, I'd like to point out that it was Dave the one responsible for introducing me to the wonders of SLR photography almost two years ago at Frosh week and consequently, responsible for one of the biggest changes of my life. Our respective school programs keep us busy for most of the year, but with him working in Toronto this summer and me without anything to do hopefully there will be more photo hikes like this in the future. We've still got a lot of nature to cover. I headed back north, but not to home.
(Nikon D90, Sigma 70-200 II @ 135mm, f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 200)
I had mentioned previously on this blog that I shot softball last year for a couple of teams within the Chinese Christian Softball Association (CCSA). I caught up with one of the them (ETCBC Ekklesia) during their first regular practice of the season. I quickly discovered how rusty I was at shooting softball. The timing that I relied on to shoot batters was totally off for most of the evening.
(Nikon D90, Sigma 70-200 II @ 135mm f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 250)
Still, I managed a few frames that I liked, such as the shot of Ray above. He was the only left-handed batter present. I couldn't shoot from the first base side because I would've been facing directly towards the sun, to which sohoting into is just all sorts of bad news.
(Nikon D90, Sigma 70-200 II @ 135mm, f/2.8, 1/125, ISO 1600)
Still, like the nature walks there is an entire softball season and at least one other team to shoot for during the summer. Afterwards, we headed out to a small Chinese place at a nearby plaza. Upon entering, the owner apparently recognized us. Go figure, we ate there half the time last year after practice.
Looks to me like there ought to be some good times in store for this summer.
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