Mill Pond, Richmond Hill, Ontario - First Day Out

One of my first victims; a grooming Canada Goose. 18-200mm



There are a couple of paths through the mostly deciduous woods. Some are paved, some are gravel and this one was bricked. In hindsight I should have framed the photo at the beginning of the brick portion of the path. 18-200mm



The first bugs on Bug Noir! These red ants were having a company picnic. 105mm



One advantage of shooting in an urban park is the wildlife is not afraid of people. In fact, whenever I went to the water, the ducks, Canada Geese and swans would swim to me. This little guy was quite curious. 105mm



Close up of a thistle head. 105mm



This white duck let me stand right on top of it. I originally shot the purple flowers blurred out in the foreground as the subject, and took this shot to explain the blurred white thing in the background. Ironically, this was the better shot. 105mm

So what did I learn today? The opposite of whatever I thought would happen on my outings will happen, and I will be woefully unprepared.

I didn't know what to expect of the Mill Pond, as I hadn't visited before. But I didn't expect brown water and green. I was hoping for more blue and perhaps colorful flowers. It isn't that kind of place, apparently.

My outing started in the harsh light of late afternoon, and next time I will go in the morning. The path around the pond is only on the east side, so in the late afternoon the sun is in the west and all shots toward the water were into the sun. I suppose I could have used filler flash on some, and I will remember for next time.

I was inwardly lamenting the absence of colorful tropical birds (the birds I saw most were Canada Geese - grey, white and black), when I found someone's lost pet poster describing their missing cockatiel. Maybe it'll find a mate and go feral and I will have better luck with birds in a couple of years.

I still have a lot to learn when using this camera. I needed my tripod. I didn't think I'd shoot macro but wound up shooting more with the 105mm than with the 18-200mm. It's a great lens. Also, the wind, although really light, was enough to push flowers around. That didn't help my slow reactions on the camera controls when shooting at 150ish mm.

In time, victory will be mine! I think I need to practice shooting more indoors to get used to manipulating the settings faster. And I need my polarizer... I pick it up later this week.


© Jeremy Buehler and Bug Noir (www.bugnoir.com), 2010.