Photograph of the Month May 2023 Polar Bear Encounter

Posted in UncategorizedLeave a comment

The photograph of the month for May 2023 comes from my recent Svalbard Spring Light expedition (Read the Trip Report) and is of a young male Polar Bear on the sea ice at Yoldiabukta in Svalbard. This was an extraordinary encounter that resulted in some remarkable photographs. The combination of soft light, deep fresh snow on the sea ice and the near-perfect fur of the bear, in combination with the low angle of view afforded by the zodiac, provided the perfect opportunity. This image was shot full-frame with the Canon EOS R3, and Canon RF 600mm f4L IS USM. F7.1 was used to ensure sufficient depth of field from the tip of the bear’s nose to its midriff. Depth of field, then gently bleeds off in the distance. Thirty frames per second was utilised to ensure the perfect gesture of the bear with the curled front paw. The curl of the paw helps gives a strong sense of forward motion.

WNPP Episode #72 The New Big Five Book Review

Posted in UncategorizedLeave a comment

I have just published Episode #72 of my Wild Nature Photography Podcast. In this episode, I review the all-new Big Five project photography conservation book. THE NEW BIG 5 brings together more than 165 of the world’s most outstanding photographers, conservationists, and experts in a mission not only to celebrate the beauty of the animal world but to raise awareness of the urgent issues facing the world’s wildlife. The book is written by New Big 5 project founder Graeme Green and contains 226 incredible wildlife photos of endangered species by 146 globally renowned photographers. Full disclosure; my photography is featured in the book. The New Big Five project is available to purchase from Amazon. Five out of Five stars.

Canon EOS R3 Firmware Update V. 1.4.1 April 2023

Posted in UncategorizedLeave a comment

Canon has released new firmware and corrected a bug in firmware v1.4.0 for the Canon EOS R3 and has released v1.4.1. If you haven’t upgraded to 1.4.0, this new firmware will add the following features and fixes. I have not yet had a chance to test the new panning feature – but it sounds interesting…

Firmware Version 1.4.1 incorporates the following enhancements and fixes:

  1. Adds support for Speedlite EL-5.*
    *The automatic light intensity adjustment of the AF-assist beam is not supported.
  2. Adds [Register people priority] to the camera menu.
    Pre-registered people can now be detected and tracked with priority.**
    ** This feature may not operate if faces are too small to detect, in profile or turned at an angle or partially hidden; for scenes where the subject is moving; or due to certain shooting environments.
  3. Adds [Save/load comm. settings on card] to the camera menu.
    Network settings can now be transferred between cameras of the same model.
  4. Adds [Panning Assist] to the camera menu. When a compatible lens is used for panning shots, image stabilization and subject blur correction are applied during the exposure.
  5. Improves the Auto White Balance (AWB) setting to reduce the time it takes for the AWB result to be reflected in the camera’s viewfinder display when looking through the viewfinder.
  6. Adds Protect Images During [FTP Transfer] to the camera menu. Images transferred via FTP can now be automatically protected. The user can determine if images have already been transferred via FTP.
  7. Fixes an issue in which Error 70 may occur when using the camera with certain EF lenses after having updated the camera firmware to Version 1.4.0.
  8. Fixes an issue in which the original tracking performance of Servo AF cannot be attained depending on shooting conditions when performing high-speed continuous shooting using the electronic shutter after having updated the camera firmware to Version 1.4.0.
  9. Fixes minor issues.

Download firmware v1.4.1 for the Canon EOS R3