Thanks Drobo

I woke up this morning to a coloured light show coming from my **Drobo** (rather than the usual bank of Green lights






For those that have not used (or heard) of a Drobo before, you can check them out here: www.drobo.com/


I personally have 4 500GB drives in my Drobo, which shares my data (Photos, Movies, Music and Personal files in my case) across the 4 drives.


And here is the thing - When one of the drives 'die' (which drives do far more frequently that you may think), you simply pop one out and put a new one in.


I have had the Drobo for about 3 years now (populated with 2 Seagate Barracuda drives and 2 WD Green Power drives) - Today was the first time it has really come into it's own...


One of the Barracuda drives failed - No drama, no lost photos (which is pretty critical for a pro photographer!). The Drobo flashes to tell me which drive to pop out (if you can use a toaster, you can use a Drobo!)


The new drive goes in and all is good again - No shut down, no loss data, just seamless...


Does the £250 I paid for the Drobo seem worth it now?! What do YOU think?


Wonderful piece of mind - *I love technology*.

Latest 12 Days EP

Today, iTunes offers you the free download of an EP with 4 songs 'A Holiday Gift For You' by Michael Bublé

You can get this at the following address

http://itunes.apple.com/fr/album/a-holiday-gift-for-you/id402637733

Think I'll give this one a miss...


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Get Reading

Today's free download from iTunes 12 days app is 'The Life of Pi' book for iBooks.

Looks like I will pick this one up on the iPad rather than the phone, as iBooks is a far better experience on the larger device.


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Fujifilm X100 - Want one!

If you see a better looking Pro Compact in 2011, give me a shout... I would REALLY like one of these.

UPDATED: Let the games begin

Today's free iTunes 12 days of Christmas download is Gameloft's 'Fishing Kings'.

Not something that I would have bought myself, but Gamesloft stuff is usually really well done, so well worth a look.

The 3D graphics look good on the iPhone, and, well it is Free!

Go get it via the 12 days app now.

I have just picked this up on my iPad too, and found that it is the full HD iPad specific version - Nice touch.

December - All Wrapped Up

All Wrapped Up
Originally uploaded by Westy Photography

My final pick for the 12 from 2010 project was taken just 10 minutes walk from home, on the Embankment in Bedford.

The shot was taken with the Canon G11, following a heavy snow shower the previous day.

I was lucky to catch the sun peaking thorough the stormy sky as it reflected on the frozen River Ouse.

I think adding Clare and the Girls at the edge of the frame has added a nice touch of colour to the scene.

The shot is a 3 shot HDR, which was combined in the excellent Nik HDR Efex Pro - This gave me the bright snow and girls' colours in the foreground, whilst also keeping the detail I was after in the sky.

THE DIGITAL STORY OF NATIVITY - ( or Christmas 2.0 )

Think Again

On Reflection - November 2010

November's image was taken at the US Military Cemetery in Cambridge, UK.



The shot was taken with the D300 + 35 1.8 combination - I exposed three shots, and then combined in CS5 to give me the depth of range I was after.


Other than a little tidying of the water (removing some stray autumn leaves), the shot is straight from camera.

Another one down

Yesterday's Wedding went well - The snow held off, and we had blue sky after the ceremony.

It was freezing cold though, so I had to move the group shots inside.

The evening venue was stunning - although candle light made shooting conditions a challenge to say the least:

Nikon's CLS worked a treat though - I set up a software box with an SB800 high-up aiming at the area the speech were taking place, and triggered it from my on camera SB900 with Fong Lightsphere.

This set-up gave me the directional light I was after, whilst also providing some ambient light to the background and keeping the candle light effect in the room.

I love it when a plan comes together!



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V-Shaped Aurora - Northern Lights at Reykjanes, Iceland

V-Shaped Aurora - Northern Lights at Reykjanes, Iceland
Originally uploaded by orvaratli

I think I / We need to add this to our 'Must Visit' list - Simply stunning.

The Aurora was unusually spread this night, appearing in almost every direction in the sky. Usually one can only shoot Aurora in one direction and usually to the north here in Iceland. This night was luxurious as I could shoot into almost any direction.

The Orange glow is the lights from Reykjavík and the neighboring downs just 10 away. Some consider light pollution as unwanted in images but in some cases the add interest. Here I feel like they added interest as it brakes up the otherwise almost monochrome colors from the Aurora.

Marware Issues

Not a happy bunny...




After waiting for two months for delivery in the first place, and then three months of very happy use, my Marware EcoVue has started to peel apart...

I have taken photos and written to the company to see what they have to say about it.

I am not naive enough to think a case should last a lifetime, but more than three months should surely be reasonable...

Watch this space to see how I get on.

So disappointed as I really do love the case.

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Stormy Niagara - October 2010

This month's image in my 12from2010 project was taken during my recent tour of Canada - Specifically Niagara, Tornoto in this shot.

A fall gallery of images from my trip can be found at this link www.westyphotography.com/travel/canada/

 

I arranged my trip for September/October to ensure that I caught Canada in it's 'Fall' colour scheme - I certainly got some lovely Landscape shots of the snow capped Rockies with Yellow, Brown and Green foliage in the foreground (earlier on in my trip in Alberta and B.C.) - The downside was that good weather was not guaranteed...

However, as a Photographer, bright blue skies are not always what you are after. This month's shot of Niagara's two falls (Canadian Horseshoe falls in the foreground, US falls in the distance) was taken 15 minutes or so before the heavens opened.

I set-up my D300 + 11-16 2.8 (thanks Dave!) on a small tripod, balanced on a wall, and took a total of 5 shots at different exposures to ensure that I had recorded all the detail in the dark sky, as well as the bright foreground.

As you can see from 3 of the 5 original shots below, this needed some work to get to the finished article I was after;

Next step was to bring all 5 images into Photomatix Pro to combine the different exposures to produce a single tonemapped image.

I then exported this as a TIFF file, which I opened in Photoshop RAW and added contrast and colour boosts where I saw fit using PhotoTools 2.

It is a fair bit of work, but I think the finished image is worth the effort.

I know that this HDR process is not to everyone's taste, but I think when it isn't overdone the effect can be very striking - I hope you think it works here!

 

Touring Canada

Click the link below to view a short slideshow of my Canada trip

Touring Canada

Looking for Whales

Saturday's tour was a five hour Whale Spotting excursion.

I took the bus to Steveston near Richmond, to board one of two jet powered Whale Explorer boats.

The boat trip took about 1.5 hours or so to get to the spotting area - The crew had microphones in the water to tell when they were close... The sounds coming from them over the boats speakers were amazing.

I must admit to showing my ignorance, as I was expecting (at best) to see a bump or something in the water in the distance - What I wasn't ready for was a group of 15-20 Killer Whales within 100m of the boat.

Thank goodness I had bought my 70-200vr with me - The perfect lens for close quarters shots like these.

Killer Whales

The speed and grace of the animals was brilliant to see - I am sure we have all seen Dolphins (and possibly even Killer Whales) in tanks at Seaworld, but to see these huge creates playing in their natural habitat was very humbling.

Although most of the hour we were there the Whales just swam up and down ,which was impressive enough as they came up for air (as above), I was fortunate enough to capture one of them 'playing' too:

As you can imagine I took loads of photos - I will process the others when I get back home, and post a link.

Sealions

We also had a further treat on the way back to Steveston as the captain stopped at a small island to allow us to see a group of Sealions that were basking there:

 

Quote of the day must surely go to the French couple on the boat: "I told you we should have bought the camera today" - Yes you should!

Yet another terrific day in Canada - Off to Toronto for a couple of days now. I want to get some photos of a certain well-known waterfall...

The Social Network

Tonight was my first experience of an opening night of a movie: and I happened to be in Vancouver!



The cinema was packed out - and, take note UK, when the film has a 19:30 advertised time, that is when it starts!



The film was 'The Social Network', based loosely on the book 'The Accidental Billionaires', which is turn is basically the story of how Facebook got started.



The film was excellent - You neither come away liking or disliking the main Mark Zuckerberg character, but rather see how quickly something can spiral almost to the level of being out of control;

It also shows how far people are prepared to go to get what they want - Strangely money doesn't appear to have been the motivation.



If you have read the book (I had it as a audiobook from Audible) there is little here to surprise you - If, however, you know little of the story and are expecting a film about a geeky kid who made a fortune in his own back bedroom, I think you would be very pleasantly surprised by the the twists and turns.



The acting was excellent, as was the music (by Trent Reznor of NIN fame).



Definitely worth going to see when it opens on the UK - A really well produced and acted film, with a genuinely eye opening (but believable) story line.



I would be more than happy to see it again with Clare when I get home.

I just made a video at Animoto!

I just made a video at Animoto!

Miss Margaret's

Maybe it is just me, but I always find that somewhere that offers 'a vast array of pampering and spa treatments' always sounds a little bit 'dodgy'.

I am sure that this place is very much 'above board', but my suspicions where raised further when I found a voucher for 10% off 'anything you fancy' from 'Miss Margaret' as part of my welcome pack.

Imagine my surprise when I ordered a Cappuccino from the coffee shop this morning, only to be asked if I had my voucher!!

Miss Margaret's is the name of the Starbucks wannabe in the hotel... They still don't know what I am laughing at now!

Brilliant.


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Crazy Fish

I have been eating at a variety of places during my time in Canada - Japanese, Mexican, Canadian (read Alberta PrimeRib) and Italian so far...

Last night in Harrison I decided to have a stroll about to see what I could find - and I stumbled across an absolute gem, Crazy Fish Bistro.

We have a Fish only restaurant at home in Bedford (Eat Fish) which Clare and I promised ourselves we would check out; Unfortunately it was really disappointing when we did, so our search for a really good fish restaurant continued... That search is now over!

The restaurant looks like a shack from outside, but it nicely decorated inside, a bit like a log cabin.





The staff are great, really chatty and helpful: and not at all pretentious or stuffy... It is a 'cool restaurant' rather than a 'posh restaurant'.

And the food? Outstanding!

I had the Blackened Snapper, a 7-8oz. snapper fillet coated in cajun spices, topped with a lime and tequila salsa. It was served with rice and a huge amount of grilled vegetables.

The fish was excellent - The salsa sublime... And everything was grilled (how can food be this tasty AND healthy?!).

Fortunately I have another evening here tonight, so I am going back to have the chef's recommend Sweet and Spicy fresh BC Salmon (a dish they explained they couldn't do last season as they couldn't get fresh Salmon locally, and refused to use frozen!)

I know it is unlikely, but if you are in ever in the BC area, it is well worth the trip.

Oh, and the view over Harrison Lake on the walk back to the hotel is stunning too.



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Best of Both

I left the ski resort of Sun Peaks this morning, heading for Harrison Lake (my stop for the next two nights).

Following advice from some locals, I decided to take the 2 hour (!) detour enroute to visit the city of Kelowna, BC.

...and I am glad I did! Kelowna is a summer holiday location for a lot of British Columbians - Having a great mix of shops, bars, parks and watersports... And a cracking climate!

It is known here at the 'California of the North', which suits it well. This is a really nice laid-back atmosphere to the place.

I left Sun Peaks this morning in jeans and a hoodie - It was chilly!; I should have put shorts and a t-shirt on instead for here:

The weather is gorgeous, as is the view, as I sit here in the City Park overlooking the harbour with my Caramel Pecan waffle cone.





Canada continues to impress - Snow to Sun within a 4 hour drive.

Lovely.

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GyPSy Guide

I know I keep mentioning this GyPSy Guide that is helping me find my way around Canada in my previous posts, but what exactly is it?

First things first, I don't have a 'traveller' in the passenger seat who keeps offering to Tarmac my drive, or look after my 'dag'. - Not that sort of Gypsy at all... The clue is in the way GyPSy is written, emphasising GPS.

So, GyPSy is just another name for a TomTom? Absolutely not, in fact, there is no way of entering a destination into it, so it isn't designed to find hotels for you, for example.

So what is it for then?!

Rent this small device (about the size of a mobile phone) and plug it in to the car stereo (I am using the AUX connection, but it also comes with am FM Transmitter in case your car doesn't have one).

The GyPSy then automatically plays commentary as you arrive at points along your day's travel route.

For example, it tells you about the beautiful scenery, interesting stories of past explorers, gives advice on where to watch for wildlife and tells quirky tales about Canada.

All the information is presented by professional local tour guides in Canada, and really is a very entertaining and informative way to tour around.

Although I said it doesn't replace a traditional 'enter the postcode' Satnav, it works perfectly along side it.

As well as commentary on local communities and attractions, the guide also gives basic direction instructions at major intersections, shows photo viewpoints on it's screen and (best of all in my opinion) suggest short side trips to places you simply wouldn't have found on your own.

When ever we have done a touring style holiday before (California, Yosemite or Florida for example), my excellent tour guide has always been Clare with a Lonely Planet book.... as she isn't here with me in Canada, I needed a substitute: The GyPSy guide has hit the spot.

In summary, the unit is a totally unintrusive, informative, fun way to learn about Canada as you tour around, at your own pace.

It is not banging on then whole time either, if fact sometimes it goes quiet for 10 minutes or so (and tells you it is going to to let you enjoy the scenery), before making you jump a bit as it starts chatting again (but you get used to that!)

I was dubious of the benefit before I booked the unit, but in hindsight it has
proved itself to be invaluable to me - I have seen and photographed so many locations that I simply wouldn't have known about without it.

Excellent product - Highly recommended... Even if you are not travelling alone - I can imagine it prompting discussion in the car when travelling as group.

You can find out more at www.gpstourscanada.com

Now, I have to go as me and my guide are off to Sun Peaks British Columbia, via... Who knows?!




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To finish off...

I ended today's tour with a visit and ride on the Jasper Tramway, for a great view over Jasper (even with the clouds)







They finally as short 30 minute stroll around Pyramid Island, near Pyramid Lake.







A five hour drive into British Columbia in the morning, so won't be a late one tonight.

Another cracking day.

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Maligne Lake

Here we are al Maligne Lake, the longest lake in The Rockies...







You can take a 90 minute boat ride to Spirit Island from here, but I am going to walk the 2pm Mary Scheffer trail instead.


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Maligne Canyon

Now I am heading to Maligne (pronounced Ma-Leen) Lake - One of the most photographed lakes in Canada.

Stopping at the way for a coffee at the Maligne Canyon Inn and if course to look at the view over the Canyon itself.






This is the Canyon's highest falls - The sound here was deafening!

Oh, and I highly recommend the Iced Macadamia Cappuccino at the tea house... Bargain at just $3!






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Around Jasper

This morning I started with a trip to Old Ford, taking in Lac Beauvert on the way... I was concerned about the overcast skies, but they seem to be clearing now (and if anything added to the scenery over the lake:




The west side of the lake is flanked by a Golf course, with the 14th hole using it as a water hazard (would love to play a round here!)





A couple if dozen steps later, and this is the view of the Athabasca River, taken from Old Ford Point.




As usual, other than the flow of the river and calls from wildlife (the Elk's screams as really loud this morning), it is perfectly silent here.


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Peyto Lake

Yet another lake view:

This time it is Peyto Lake along the Icefield Parkway.

The green colour is caused by silt as the glacier grinds the mountains away.

Banff to Jasper

Today was a real 'road trip' day - although Banff to Jasper is only 240km, I managed to take all day to do it.

The 'problem' with The Rockies is that there is simply no boring roads or views - There is always something to see, photograph or do around each bend.

The excellent 'GyPSy Guide' makes it even more difficult as it ensures you don't miss anything either (I promise a full post on this cool bit of kit soon!)

I decided to travel on the Bow Valley road, rather than HW1, via Lake Louise on the first leg of the trip, before moving on to HW93 (The Icefield Parkway).

I had photographed Lake Louise on Friday as part of that day's tour, so decided to look at Morataine Lake instead - I am glad I did, I think it is even more gorgeous than Lake Louise:




The trek up the rocks to get to this view was a little tricky (especially with all my camera gear, and in thin air at 7000ft above sea level), but I think it was worth the effort.

A few more lakes, mountain passes and waterfalls later, I finally arrived at the Columbia Icefield Experience.

The Icefield feeds the Athabasca Glacier, a huge piece of ice 4 miles long covering more than 3 square miles.

The Glacier is impressive enough to see from a distance, even better is to actually go onto it - at more than 1000ft deep (!) I thought it would be pretty safe, but was sure the Chevy Malibu wouldn't be up to the task.... But I did find something that would be:

The Ice Explorer



It was obviously very cold and windy out on the glacier, but an experience I simply won't forget - It really was like being on a different planet.

Brilliant experience.

And just when you think Canada couldn't get any better, I arrive at Athabasca Falls - The water from the melting Glacier bursting through Quartz to produce a huge roaring falls (this is just the top!)


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Grizzly!

As promised, here is proof of my Grizzly Bear encounter yesterday...

Huge animals - I kept my distance.





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Location:Kicking Horse, BC

Sulphur Mountain

A quick clip put together on the iPhone4 to give you a flavour of the top of Sulphur Mountain in Banff.

First time I have linked a video from Blogpost on the iPhone, so hope it works!

Location:Banff National Park

Discovering Grizzly Bears

Today's tour is managed by Discover Banff Tours: specifically by the excellent guide Hugh Johnson (is THAT for real?!) and his bus 'Tom'- each bus has a name!

Seeing as Banff National park is 6640 sq. km (approx. 2500 sq. miles!), and only has around 60 Grizzly Bears - Needle in a haystack springs to mind, but we will see how we get on!

First leg is off on the Trans-Canada HW to Lake Louise for a quick 20 minute stop:






All photos in this post will be taken with the iPhone4. Taking plenty with the D300 and G11, but the current lack of laptop makes posting difficult on the go!

So off west now to Golden, BC, stopping at Takakkaw Falls on the way - The second highest falls in Canada:







And now the 90 minute drive to the Kicking Horse Resort, to look at the Bear refuge (and have some lunch).

Kicking Horse is the home of extreme sport in BC. A ski resort in the winter months which is then transformed into a mental Mountain Bike run during the off season - Basically people take their bikes up to the top via the cable car, and then hurtle down the ski-runs on them.

To make it more 'interesting' ramps and jumps are thrown in for good measure!

Lunch is at the top of the mountain too, via the Cable Car and then Ski Chair lift, at Canada's highest restaurant (7,700 ft).













Now to listen to the experts and search for Bears

Success! Just seen two Grizzlies in the wild - huge animals, even at this distance. Images from D300 later.

Super day with 4 Germans (none of whom mentioned the World Cup!) 2 Spaniards and a family of Australians.

Off to Jasper tomorrow, via the Columbia Icefields

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It was all going so well

Today started really well - I decided to explore some more of 'K-Country' before heading off to my next location, Banff.

Once in Banff I decided to ride the Banff Gondola - the easy way to get to the top of Sulphur Mountain:

Once there, as expected, the view is truly breathtaking.








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Location:Banff Ave,Banff,Canada

Being Adventerous

So time for dinner in Banff; The choice is huge, with most cultures and tastes catered for.

I decided to go Japanese at the Suginoya Restaurant on Banff Avenue...

Clare is not a huge Sushi fan, so not a choice we usually make at home.

I think I have ordered, the question is, what have I ordered?!

The menus were all in Japanese, so order was done by pointing at pictures... They looked pretty, just hope they taste good too!

The Sapporo is cold and tasty, so so far so good.


Wish me luck!




Main course looks great - More luck than judgement on my part I think.

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And then it died

So, I checked into my Hotel in Banff, eagerly looking forward to seeing today's photos on the Macbook Pro.

I turned it on, heard the welcome 'chime' and then... Nothing. A blank black screen - no illuminated Apple logo, nothing.

I tried again, and again...

Removed the battery - nothing.

I am so glad I didn't delete the images from my CF Cards... Always best to keep copies.

I do have the iPad and camera connection kit, so I can back images up to that, but don't think I have enough space to store all of the RAW images I am taking.

It also makes Blogging a little more difficult, but still totally 'do-able' using Blogpost on the iPad... If a lot slower than composing with Mars Edit on the Macbook Pro.

The biggest issue is that I bought the Macbook Pro with me for iChat: Video calling the girls.

Looks like a voice only Skype solution will have to do - Makes being away from them that bit tougher though.

I will take the poorly Macbook Pro to Apple when I get to Vancouver, but that isn't until mid next week; And I am not sure there is much they can do anyway.

Updates may be a little more sporadic than planned!

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What a day!

Today I realised what Landscape photography is all about - A wide angle lens and polarising filter and away you go.



I think the scenery helps though - I think anyone would struggle to take a bad shot when you are presented with a view link this:


I started my day with a walk around the Village Rim Trail, a short(ish!) stroll around Kananaskis Village centre - Within 200 yards I came face to face with a fantastic visa:




Just stunning...



I then moved on to walk the Trolls Falls trail - If one thing has struck me more than anything so far, it is the quiet - I only saw two other people along the whole route, and (bizarrely) they were 'Bow Hunting Elk'. You couldn't make this stuff up.


The Trolls Falls trek was well worth the effort - It is about 1.3KM each way from the road, but you are greeted at the end with a fantastic wall of water: Took loads of shots as expected, a select few are on my Flickr Site


Canada so far is simply breath-taking, the people are friendly, and the roads totally deserted:



Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

That's better

After the damp start in Calgary yesterday, today I woke up to this view from my room at Delta Lodge, Kananaskis:




The sun is steaming through the trees, and the air is lovely and crisp... Batteries charged, time to go and explore the Rockies.

10.6 at the zoo

10.6 at the zoo
Originally uploaded by Westy Photography

Such a shame I can't do anymore to remove the cage in the background, but I am still pretty pleased to capture a Snow Leopard.

Taken at Calgary Zoo, Alberta, CA.

Discovering Calgary

Spent my first full day in Canada today - It started out a little damp, but I was determined not to waste anytime, so jumped on the Tram to Calgary Zoo.


I know it is the end of the season, and it wasn't the best weather, but I was surprised at how empty the park was.


Perfect for me to play around with the camera and see what I could do;


This was handheld, through glass:



And this was through wire bars:



I then moved on to Calgary Tower for a view of the city. I am not a 'heights' person at all, but I do like the view they allow you - Would you believe that I has left my wide angle zoom in the car... Amateur


and I even got a little brave in the name of my art, standing on the glass floor looking down onto Calgary below


My afternoon was spent driving from Calgary to my next location 'Kananaskis' (Cana-Skis to us in the UK!)... Finally getting my first view of the Rockies.



Can't wait to go and explore them over the next few days - But until then, I am happy to make do with the stunning Barrier Lake:



Settled into Delta Lodge for the next two days - Really lovely room in a perfect location.



Off to charge some batteries.