Nov 2007
Made it Home....
November, 13 - 2007
Nov. 13, 2007
In the office
Yorkton SK. Canada
I dragged my butt off the 737 charter at the Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada airport at around 2-am in the morning. My son Scott was there to collect me and I must say he was a sight for sore eyes as it had been almost 24 hours since I last saw a bed and being horizontal was far over-due.
Thinking that getting home would allow me to take some time with my family and get some rest was a little premature. As I had not thought about the several thousand images that needed to be processed and cataloged. Also, I had not consided that I would begin to receive phone calls and emails from different people asking if I would consider delivering a presentation on my recent trip and show a few images.
In all this fury of activity I had forgotten that the CFL site sees several thousand visitors daily and these folks don’t just come to the site because they have nothing better to do. They actually care about what we are doing and want more information.
So with that in mind, I am quickly learning that volunteering my time to take the images for a photo book is just one aspect of this adventure…
But at the end of the day, I would not trade positions with anyone, as I truly believe that what we are doing is a good thing!
Well I’m off to complete my presentation and to get the balance of my images organized so I actually know what I’ve got.
Cheers for now
Doug
In the office
Yorkton SK. Canada
I dragged my butt off the 737 charter at the Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada airport at around 2-am in the morning. My son Scott was there to collect me and I must say he was a sight for sore eyes as it had been almost 24 hours since I last saw a bed and being horizontal was far over-due.
Thinking that getting home would allow me to take some time with my family and get some rest was a little premature. As I had not thought about the several thousand images that needed to be processed and cataloged. Also, I had not consided that I would begin to receive phone calls and emails from different people asking if I would consider delivering a presentation on my recent trip and show a few images.
In all this fury of activity I had forgotten that the CFL site sees several thousand visitors daily and these folks don’t just come to the site because they have nothing better to do. They actually care about what we are doing and want more information.
So with that in mind, I am quickly learning that volunteering my time to take the images for a photo book is just one aspect of this adventure…
But at the end of the day, I would not trade positions with anyone, as I truly believe that what we are doing is a good thing!
Well I’m off to complete my presentation and to get the balance of my images organized so I actually know what I’ve got.
Cheers for now
Doug
|
As the day turns into night…
November, 07 - 2007
Nov. 07, 2007
Aboard the Amudsen
Paulituk Bay N.W.T.
It has been a great month and I’m sure my time in the south will be short. As I recoup and recharge my camera batteries to turn-around and come north again for the COLD SEASON.
While I type this, I cannot help but think of all the folks who have assisted in my journey to become a photographer. The folks at the Nikon Café, the Nikon Talk Forum and the DPR retouching board. The special help I’ve received from people like Jarrell Conley, Gordon Eves, Dave Watts, Gale Bizet, Bob Hoge, Dave Collignon, Gaye Johnson and many more.
Darn, I’m just a guy who loves to take images and now I’m sitting on an icebreaker at the top of the world, taking images for one of the largest Climate Change projects in the world. I’m not sure if things can get much better… “Thank you all”….
So as I say goodbye to the Arctic… I thought this was a fitting image as I fly off into the sunset.
Cheers for now
Doug
Aboard the Amudsen
Paulituk Bay N.W.T.
It has been a great month and I’m sure my time in the south will be short. As I recoup and recharge my camera batteries to turn-around and come north again for the COLD SEASON.
While I type this, I cannot help but think of all the folks who have assisted in my journey to become a photographer. The folks at the Nikon Café, the Nikon Talk Forum and the DPR retouching board. The special help I’ve received from people like Jarrell Conley, Gordon Eves, Dave Watts, Gale Bizet, Bob Hoge, Dave Collignon, Gaye Johnson and many more.
Darn, I’m just a guy who loves to take images and now I’m sitting on an icebreaker at the top of the world, taking images for one of the largest Climate Change projects in the world. I’m not sure if things can get much better… “Thank you all”….
So as I say goodbye to the Arctic… I thought this was a fitting image as I fly off into the sunset.
Cheers for now
Doug
A night of banging and crashing....
November, 06 - 2007
Nov. 06, 2007
Aboard the Amudsen
Slipping into Paulituk Bay N.W.T.
You see, we were steaming to the community of Paulituk to do a community visit. But the ice is getting thicker by the day and the racket that the ship makes as it crunches through the ice is beyond imagination. As you hit harder pieces the ship will actually shake with the force and it can knock you on the floor if you are not careful.
At about 3:30 I awoke and decided it was getting worse so I better get up and take my camera gear off the desk and put it into the pelican case. At least that way, it will not hit the floor as my world begins to rock and roll more than normal.
Now I’ve told the crew that (when I’m sleeping) they cannot be busting ice and waking me up ever 15 minutes…. Surprise…. They just smiled and pretended they don’t speak English.
(Side note…. The crew of the Amundsen is French Canadian and English is normally their second language. It seems that English (only) becomes a problem when Doug is wining about something… :))
As morning came…. the crunching started to subside and one knew that the ice was thinning as we came closer to the mainland.
It would be several hours till the light came into our world and I could actually see what my world looked like around me.
I’m always amazed how this vessel can churn its way through ice….
As we move along, the spider cracks just continue to muscle their way out as they give way to the pressure the ship put on the thin veneer that covers the Arctic Ocean.
And then the ribbon of light shows us the way to our destination….
Now the pace quickens, as we get ready to greet the elders from the Inuit community who we have invited for dinner. As we ready the heli pad and await the arrival of the first passengers….
Finally, as with all good photography sessions….
It’s always a good idea to turn around once and a while as the shot you (really) should be taking it the one “right” behind you….
Cheers for now
Doug
Aboard the Amudsen
Slipping into Paulituk Bay N.W.T.
You see, we were steaming to the community of Paulituk to do a community visit. But the ice is getting thicker by the day and the racket that the ship makes as it crunches through the ice is beyond imagination. As you hit harder pieces the ship will actually shake with the force and it can knock you on the floor if you are not careful.
At about 3:30 I awoke and decided it was getting worse so I better get up and take my camera gear off the desk and put it into the pelican case. At least that way, it will not hit the floor as my world begins to rock and roll more than normal.
Now I’ve told the crew that (when I’m sleeping) they cannot be busting ice and waking me up ever 15 minutes…. Surprise…. They just smiled and pretended they don’t speak English.
(Side note…. The crew of the Amundsen is French Canadian and English is normally their second language. It seems that English (only) becomes a problem when Doug is wining about something… :))
As morning came…. the crunching started to subside and one knew that the ice was thinning as we came closer to the mainland.
It would be several hours till the light came into our world and I could actually see what my world looked like around me.
I’m always amazed how this vessel can churn its way through ice….
As we move along, the spider cracks just continue to muscle their way out as they give way to the pressure the ship put on the thin veneer that covers the Arctic Ocean.
And then the ribbon of light shows us the way to our destination….
Now the pace quickens, as we get ready to greet the elders from the Inuit community who we have invited for dinner. As we ready the heli pad and await the arrival of the first passengers….
Finally, as with all good photography sessions….
It’s always a good idea to turn around once and a while as the shot you (really) should be taking it the one “right” behind you….
Cheers for now
Doug
House Keeping
November, 05 - 2007
Nov. 05, 2007
Aboard the Amudson
Off the coast of Banks Island Canada
It was also a day for a little reflection on the trip and the Arctic as a whole. This is just such an expansive place, that it seems an image just does not do it justice.
As my friend Jarrell Conley told me after his trip to Alaska… “The vistas are so great that one cannot do them justice with a camera”. Well Jarrell, you are so right and as I look over images I’ve created in the past few weeks I cannot but wonder how one can create an image that is as breathtaking as the scene I’m witnessing is real life……..
I’ve also spent the day creating a few more “science dispatches” and "sound slides". For those of you who come to this site and read my rambling, but don’t take the time to check out the dispatch section or the sound slides. You are short changing yourself.
So check them out if you get a minute… There are a few good stories and some not bad images.
DISPATCHES:
http://ipy-cfl.ca/page12/page12.html
SOUND SLIDES:
http://ipy-cfl.ca/page2/page3/page3.html
Cheers for now
Doug
Aboard the Amudson
Off the coast of Banks Island Canada
It was also a day for a little reflection on the trip and the Arctic as a whole. This is just such an expansive place, that it seems an image just does not do it justice.
As my friend Jarrell Conley told me after his trip to Alaska… “The vistas are so great that one cannot do them justice with a camera”. Well Jarrell, you are so right and as I look over images I’ve created in the past few weeks I cannot but wonder how one can create an image that is as breathtaking as the scene I’m witnessing is real life……..
I’ve also spent the day creating a few more “science dispatches” and "sound slides". For those of you who come to this site and read my rambling, but don’t take the time to check out the dispatch section or the sound slides. You are short changing yourself.
So check them out if you get a minute… There are a few good stories and some not bad images.
DISPATCHES:
http://ipy-cfl.ca/page12/page12.html
SOUND SLIDES:
http://ipy-cfl.ca/page2/page3/page3.html
Cheers for now
Doug
Just another day at the office.....
November, 03 - 2007
Nov. 03, 2007
Aboard the Amudson
Latitude – very cold degrees 40.112 minutes north
Longitude - very cold degrees 00.291 minutes west
In the Arctic Ocean of Canada
I will not say much more than that at this point, as I will be creating a full show on these folks in the coming days.
I used this as my lead-in because after shooting in -20 temps before the sun came up... (at noon) I went from the warmth -20 to -39 outside.
I guess if you like HEAT one might think my day went from “bad to worse” but actually it was a great day to be outdoors as long as you did not breath the air….. :))
This is a shot just as the sun was coming up and we already had the “Ice Men” in the cage and lowered over the side of the ship. We use this cage because the ice is still forming and swimming around these parts is not recommended.
The shot was created with a D200 on a 30 Ft. pole with a set of pocket wizards triggering the camera. Beyond that, I used (2) SB800 flashguns to light the subjects. These guns are also on poles and fired remotely. The remote triggering happen because I’m located on the ship deck 30 or 40ft up.
As a little bonus we were treated with a couple “sun dog” as the sun entered our world. Sun Dogs are a result of air that is cold enough to freeze and crystallize. Just like a rainbow if formed with water drops.
After the ice cage and sun dogs, I decided it was a good day to fly my kite as my buddy Bob Hoge has written me a few times commenting on the kite photography.
So with winds of 25 knots and a temp that was a little colder than one might want... I contacted my flying partner to see if she wanted to go flying… The problem was I had to wait till she finished her work before she could come out to “play”…
You see my flying partner is the Captain of our Ice Breaker and I just cannot get her to drop the stuff she does like “keep us alive”….. to play with the kite. Now can you image that!!!!
Anyway, we got out and made the big mistake of putting the big rig in the air first…
(note to Doug… never do that again)
We got it about 50 ft. in the air and decided the wind was too strong and it took both of us and all we had to get the darn thing back in.
So launch #2 was much better with the smaller rig…. We put it up to around 250 Ft. and sailed for about 45 minutes.
Here is one of the shots from today…. Those that care, will note I have not taken out the kite line so you can follow your way back to the fearless team of flyers at the top of the world.
Then as a final display from Mother Nature for the day... she showed us a little “dry fog” as the sun set. Dry fog is again a result of low temperatures and I’m only aware of it happening in the Arctic.
So that’s it for today…. thanks to Lise for staying out even when she could not feel her fingers anymore. And thanks to David for not turning the ship while we are flying. Having me scrabble all over the place trying to catch up to my kite is not a pretty picture! :))
Cheers for now
Doug
Aboard the Amudson
Latitude – very cold degrees 40.112 minutes north
Longitude - very cold degrees 00.291 minutes west
In the Arctic Ocean of Canada
I will not say much more than that at this point, as I will be creating a full show on these folks in the coming days.
I used this as my lead-in because after shooting in -20 temps before the sun came up... (at noon) I went from the warmth -20 to -39 outside.
I guess if you like HEAT one might think my day went from “bad to worse” but actually it was a great day to be outdoors as long as you did not breath the air….. :))
This is a shot just as the sun was coming up and we already had the “Ice Men” in the cage and lowered over the side of the ship. We use this cage because the ice is still forming and swimming around these parts is not recommended.
The shot was created with a D200 on a 30 Ft. pole with a set of pocket wizards triggering the camera. Beyond that, I used (2) SB800 flashguns to light the subjects. These guns are also on poles and fired remotely. The remote triggering happen because I’m located on the ship deck 30 or 40ft up.
As a little bonus we were treated with a couple “sun dog” as the sun entered our world. Sun Dogs are a result of air that is cold enough to freeze and crystallize. Just like a rainbow if formed with water drops.
After the ice cage and sun dogs, I decided it was a good day to fly my kite as my buddy Bob Hoge has written me a few times commenting on the kite photography.
So with winds of 25 knots and a temp that was a little colder than one might want... I contacted my flying partner to see if she wanted to go flying… The problem was I had to wait till she finished her work before she could come out to “play”…
You see my flying partner is the Captain of our Ice Breaker and I just cannot get her to drop the stuff she does like “keep us alive”….. to play with the kite. Now can you image that!!!!
Anyway, we got out and made the big mistake of putting the big rig in the air first…
(note to Doug… never do that again)
We got it about 50 ft. in the air and decided the wind was too strong and it took both of us and all we had to get the darn thing back in.
So launch #2 was much better with the smaller rig…. We put it up to around 250 Ft. and sailed for about 45 minutes.
Here is one of the shots from today…. Those that care, will note I have not taken out the kite line so you can follow your way back to the fearless team of flyers at the top of the world.
Then as a final display from Mother Nature for the day... she showed us a little “dry fog” as the sun set. Dry fog is again a result of low temperatures and I’m only aware of it happening in the Arctic.
So that’s it for today…. thanks to Lise for staying out even when she could not feel her fingers anymore. And thanks to David for not turning the ship while we are flying. Having me scrabble all over the place trying to catch up to my kite is not a pretty picture! :))
Cheers for now
Doug
Early Morning Light...
November, 01 - 2007
Nov. 01, 2007
Aboard the Amudson
Latitude – 71 degrees 40.112 minutes north
Longitude - 128 degrees 00.291 minutes west
Off the coast of Banks Island Canada
I guess the closest neighbor's are a few hundred miles away and swimming would be a little cool.
Oh well I guess I’ll just eat the candy myself as I sit at my computer typing this. (sorry Stacy you cannot have any... :))
Today, I was out on the deck photographing the crew as they fought against the cold trying to still get the last open water sampling done for the year. It was early morning light and the front deck was coated with ice from the spray of the ship from the night before. The temp (as someone pointed out) was not actually that bad… it was the 30 Knot wind blowing from the big ice cube we are parked next to that takes your breath away.
Just to put this into prospective, “early morning light” in my world means around 11-AM. So please don’t think I had to drag my butt out of bed at some early hour to get these images. Really, one can sleep till you cannot sleep anymore, have coffee... ready the morning pager (an early August edition) and then make your way into what is still night.
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Aboard the Amudson
Latitude – 71 degrees 40.112 minutes north
Longitude - 128 degrees 00.291 minutes west
Off the coast of Banks Island Canada
I guess the closest neighbor's are a few hundred miles away and swimming would be a little cool.
Oh well I guess I’ll just eat the candy myself as I sit at my computer typing this. (sorry Stacy you cannot have any... :))
Today, I was out on the deck photographing the crew as they fought against the cold trying to still get the last open water sampling done for the year. It was early morning light and the front deck was coated with ice from the spray of the ship from the night before. The temp (as someone pointed out) was not actually that bad… it was the 30 Knot wind blowing from the big ice cube we are parked next to that takes your breath away.
Just to put this into prospective, “early morning light” in my world means around 11-AM. So please don’t think I had to drag my butt out of bed at some early hour to get these images. Really, one can sleep till you cannot sleep anymore, have coffee... ready the morning pager (an early August edition) and then make your way into what is still night.
Move mouse above image to stop page turn
Cheers for now….
Doug