5 Reasons on Why I've Been Loving Bird Photography

I’ve been in love, obsessed and curious about wildlife photography. In particular, bird photography. In this video we’re going to chat about bird photography and 5 reasons on why I’ve been in love with it.

1. Birds are Incredibly Beautiful and Diverse

A couple weeks ago I photographed this beautiful European Starling. It had these incredible white speckles on its back, gold stripes lining its feathers, and this iridescent blue, green and purple colouring on its chest. In short, its plumage was spectacular.

Birds are also incredibly diverse! I’m always amazed when I visit different parks the different kinds of birds I see and the different kinds of DUCKS! Yes, they all belong to the “duck” family but they’re all different. The one on the left is a Common Merganser, the one in the middle is a Gadwall Duck, and the last one on the right is a Hooded Merganser.

2. It’s Incredibly Challenging

Birds are extremely challenging to photograph because they are fast and unpredictable. I find big birds like Osprey have been easier to predict their movement and flight pattern, however, small birds are crazy - they fly in every direction and don’t tend to perch for very long time. Thus, you have to be fast, silent and creative.

Big birds fly in a more set pattern.

Small birds like this are a little more unpredictable, unless they perch.

3. Extremely Fun

It’s fun pursuing different kinds of birds, exploring different marshes, wetlands and creeks that I previously wouldn’t have explored under landscape photography. It’s also fun to come home, edit the photos, and identify and learn more about them - what kind of bird they are, their gender, their behaviour, mating rituals, habits, etc.,

4. Birds Helped me Reconnect with Nature

Back in the winter I was feeling extremely uninspired to get outdoors and in nature. I knew I needed to just get outdoors so I went to the beach with my camera. At one moment I heard these Geese flying overhead and because the water was so calm they reflected in the water and something triggered in me to try out more bird photography so I went to a different beach later that week to photograph some more birds that didn’t travel south.

Since then I’ve been able to get outdoors again, birds in that moment helped me re-connect with nature.

5. Birds Introduced Me to the Broader World of Wildlife Photography

I have some pretty strong personal limiting beliefs when it comes to wildlife photography. I would tell myself that I couldn’t ever pursue wildlife photography because I didn’t know anything about them, I didn’t know their behaviours, I didn’t know where to find them, I didn’t know how to photograph them.

It wasn’t until I started going out for bird photography that those limiting beliefs started to crack, every time I go out I chip away at the wall that divides me.

Bird photography has started to give me permission to adventure into the world of wildlife photography.

Final Thoughts

I’ve been obsessed with birds…and other kinds of animals like Beavers. I’ve watched 101 nature documentaries on Netflix and Disney+. I’m in a wildlife, bird, animal photography zone.

If you’ve been loving bird photography leave a comment on the video on your reason why!

Best Places to Photograph the Arrowleaf Balsamroot in the Okanagan

I was excited when Spring started to bloom here in the Okanagan because that meant the Arrowleaf Balsamroot in Kelowna will start to dust the south-facing slopes with their golden blossoms. During a particularly hot and sunny week in the valley I travelled around the area trying to find the best places to photograph the Arrowleaf Balsamroot.

Captured here is what I found in Kelowna and West Kelowna.

To see the full series of Arrowleaf photos visit my collection page!

Kalamoir Regional Park

My favourite place to see, photograph and has the densest Arrowleaf Balsamroot’s have got to be Kalamoir Regional Park which is located on the shores of the Okanagan Lake in West Kelowna. I had visited Kalamoir earlier in the Spring and noticed the bushes that would one day form to create the Arrowleaves. When I came back when it was warmer the Arrowleaves were in fuller bloom… it was magical.

If you’re going to visit this park there is a small parking lot at the entrance, I visited the park for sunrise, however, if you visit at sunset you will get beautiful golden backlight.

Bear Creek Provincial Park

Bear Creek is another wonderful location to hike with the Arrowleaves and photograph them! You can do a nice and easy 45-minute hike to a beautiful viewpoint of the Lake or do the long 1+ hour Canyon Rim Trail.

If you want to do the easier trail take a left at the map of the park, at the fork follow right and continue on the trail. An even shorter hike would be to follow left at the fork.

I found the Arrowleaves here weren’t as dense as Kalamoir Regional Park but denser than Knox Mountain Park.

Knox Mountain Park

Knox Mountain is another excellent location to photograph the Arrowleaf and witness a sunset. At sunset the whole mountains bathes in golden hour glow which makes for backighting the Arrowleaves beautiful.

I found when I hiked from the bottom of Knox Mountain to the top via the Apex Trail that majority of the Arrowleaf were at the bottom or in the middle of the mountain. I saw almost none when I made my way to the top.

The downside with Knox Mountain Park is that it’s extremely busy. Parking can be hard to come by. If you’re looking for less crowds avoid the weekend.

Dilworth Mountain Park

Dilworth Mountain Park is a great location to photograph and visit the Arrowleaf if you’re not looking to do a serious hike. You can drive to the small parking lot they have on the mountain, and you don’t have to walk far to start seeing the Arrowleaf. No intense hiking is required at this location.

Dilworth Mountain Park faces Kelowna and the Okanagan Lake which means it’s a great location if you want to photograph the sunset. However, if you visit in the morning the sun does rise behind the park but if you stick around until it breaks past the houses it will shower parts of the mountain with a golden glow.

When the weather gets sunnier and warmer the Arrowleaf Balsamroot starts to come out and fill the south-facing slopes with their golden beauty. In early Spring you’ll start to see a few early Arrowleaves but this year mid to late April is when the Arrowleaves started to fully bloom.

I thoroughly enjoyed chasing these sunflower looking beauties and I look forward to seeing them again next year!

Exercise I'm Doing to Improve my Photography

If you signed up for my monthly newsletter you will know that I loved and raved about this book that I read in April called The Heart of the Photograph by David Duchemin. It’s an amazing book and I highly recommend if you haven’t read it yet, to!

However, I realized shortly after beginning this book that I knew I wanted to take this slow and really implement what I was learning into my photography. So I started doing this photography exercise that allowed me to reflect what I was learning and improve my photography, bit by bit.

I have read articles, books, watched YouTube videos, listened to podcasts and done online photography courses all around taking more impactful, intentional and meaningful photos but nothing has resonated with me like David’s book.

Overview of The Heart of the Photograph

In order for this exercise to make any sense I’m going to give you a brief overview of what this book is about that I love so much. The premise behind David’s book is to venture away from asking if a photo is good or bad and instead ask better questions. He sets this book up into chapters that delve into different photography elements - subject, colour, contrast, shadows and lines, point of view, etc.,

David does this amazing job of taking you through what your subject is and things to consider in giving it it’s best expression.

The Exercise

The exercise that I started doing shortly after beginning this book and something I continue to do is a reflection and analysis of my own work framed around David’s teachings.

In Milanote (you can use any note taking software or paper and pen) I do the following:

1. Pull my photo onto the board

2. Write a short description about the photoshoot (what I was doing, why, where I was at, etc.,)

3. Reflect on what my subject was?

4. Reflect on what I was trying to say/express?

5. Reflect on what elements of the photograph give it it’s best expression and what I missed?

I keep this reflection and exercise fairly brief in order to keep it sustainable as a practice. I also don’t worry about if it flows, if it’s well written, if it will make sense to others because this is for my own personal development in photography so it doesn’t matter as long as it makes sense to me.

Example #1 - “Yee, I am the one that connects”

To give you a better idea on how this exercise works for me here is two examples. The first one is a landscape photography example.

“Exploration: Ever since we've entered into Spring in the Okanagan I've loved going on hikes. On this day Max and I did an evening hike to Knox Mountain for sunset. He hiked the whole Knox Mountain while I meandered up the hill. At several points throughout the hike we were granted beautiful views of the valley beneath. I of course stopped at every viewpoint to photograph the view. In this scene I noticed the land masses - Kelowna, West Kelowna and the bridge that connects the two. All I could think about when I looked out was the bridge - yee, I am the one that connects.

Subject: The main subject in this photo is actually the bridge that spans over the lake and connects the two lands - Kelowna and West Kelowna.

What was I trying to express? In this photo I was trying to express the meaning of the bridge - yee, I am the one that connects.

What does this photo need to give my subject (the bridge) it's best expression? I think the element that gives the bridge its best expression is the land masses within the image. I had tried different focal lengths and when I took away some of the land mass on either side the bridge, even though became more of the frame lost its power. The bridge connects the land and so the land masses I felt was important here. The light and colour does help contribute to the mood of the photo for the season we are in but I think this photo could operate very well in black and white. The POV of being far away helps as well emphasize the power and importance of the bridge connecting the land. I chose a horizontal orientation because I needed the land masses on either side and the bridge spans horizontal so to the eye horizontal flowed better.”

Exercise #2 - “You shall not pass…”

Example #2 is a wildlife/bird photography example.

“Exploration: On this day I had gone out again for a sunrise morning session. I had visited a different park at sunrise but not much bird activity was happening so I left and came to this park. After about an hour of waiting the park exploded with activity - one of which was I got to see my first set of goslings of the season! They were so yellow, fluffy and cute. I followed them as best as I could as they went up the river and at one point the one started going crazy - flapping its wings, being really loud. I couldn't tell you if it was the male or female. But the parent started flapping its wings, getting really loud and you can see it's wings are stretched out before the other parent with the goslings in the back...I was trying to figure out what was wrong. I then realized that they were being on the defensive from two raccoons that were in the park earlier.

Subject: The subject in this photo was the mystery behind what is the parent goose defending its family against.

What was I trying to express: In this photo I was trying to capture the commotion of what I was seeing and hearing - the one Goose had this aggressive posture and was being really loud and looked like it was defending its family against something.

What does this photo need to give my subject it's best expression: I took a number of photos of this encounter and this one (far right) stood out to me as my favourite and the best expression of what was happening. In the previous photo the set up was off - the goslings were still on the shore, the one parent was starting to take its stance but it just didn't feel right. In the photo after I had taken an horizontal that included the threat to the goslings but the parents had gotten into the water, dividing the threat from the goslings, still being loud and I liked this photo too but the first one just had more of the jigsaw that I was after - the mystery of what the geese were reacting to, the aggressive stance of one of the parent protecting its babies, the goslings in the back separated and as far away from the threat. I would have loved to get a lower POV but I was limited by where I was standing, it would have been better if I had a horizontal orientation but in the moment I hadn't thought to switch my orientation direction.”

Final Thoughts

The purpose of this photography exercise was to really take the lessons and teaching in David’s book and really implement it in my photography to improve my photography. The idea is that through this micro-habit, through this consistent practice of analyzing my own photography, recognizing what expresses a subject well and what I missed will help through time really improve my photography.

If you read David’s book then you know that good and bad is very subjective - what is good to the audience might differ to the photographer. What is good or bad to one person might be completely different to another because so much of photography is subjective.

I have found that being really intentional, impactful and meaningful with my photography is much easier with still subjects like flowers, trees, plants, landscapes where I can take my time to figure out what my subject is, what my camera settings should be, how to frame my subject, what I should do, etc., However, I have found since doing a lot more wildlife/bird photography that this process is much harder because you need to be so quick to capture the fleeting moment.

Hopefully with practice and time I will get better!

I really hope you found this reflection on my photography exercise helpful and maybe give it a try at home!

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Happy Photographing!

Beautifully Wander | Robynne Ikesaka

Monthly Newsletter - May 2021

Hello everyone! The first monthly newsletter is here! This is the first ever newsletter that I am releasing and it’s been a few months in the making.

I love playing around with my photography, experimenting, and having fun so the purpose of this monthly newsletter is to deliver inspiration, joy and value to you!

If you want to join the community and receive the monthly newsletter just fill out the info below! You’ll also receive access to any past monthly newsletters!

Table of Contents

Create with Me

Lightroom Edit Tutorial

Book Review - The Heart of the Photography by David Duchemin

Monthly Favourites

April’s Experiment (Using Reels on Instagram)

What Happened in April

Suggested Resources

What’s Happening in May

Thank You

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"Magic Milk" Photography Experiment | Abstract Photography | Create with Me

In todays photography experiment we are playing with “magic milk” or other times referred to as “marble milk”! It’s basically milk, food dye and dish soap but photographers edition.

While scrolling through TikTok one evening (when I should have been sleeping or trying to sleep) I came across a video by @juzmorgan and it featured creating patterns with milk and food dye. I was intrigued at the idea and searched up “milk and food dye” and ‘magic milk/marble milk’ popped up.

I thought what a fun photography experiment to try if you’re stuck at home, you’re not inspired to go outside, or you just want to try something new and fun!

Supplies

For this ‘magic milk/marble milk’ experiment you will need:

• Container/plate/bowl

• Milk

• Food dye

• Dish soap

• Que tips

• Tripod

• Camera

From what I’ve heard the dish soap reacts to the fat in the milk so I purchased different kinds of milk - 1%, 2% and Heavy Cream (33%). I figured with the different fat content in the milk it might yield different results.

Magic Milk/Marble Milk Process

Step 1: Pour a thin layer of milk onto your container/plate/bowl.

Step 2: Add food dye

Step 3: Grab your que tip, dip it into some dish soap and dap it where you’ve placed your dye.

For this experiment I am using my Olympus EM1 Mark II with the M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO lens. I am also using my Manfrotto tripod and my Neewer Softboxes.

First Attempt - 1% Milk

My first attempt was with 1% milk. I laid my milk down on the plate and dropped a mixture of food dye - red, green and yellow. They swirled together and created this beautiful mosaic of color and pattern.

Second Attempt - 2% Milk

My second attempt was with 2% milk. I started with just the red food dye then added the yellow, then the green. I was able to create some really unique patterns.

Third Attempt - Heavy Cream (33%)

My last attempt was with my Heavy Cream (33%). The heavy cream was quite a bit thicker than the 1% or 2% milk and when I went to dip the soap in the food dye drops it created these snowflake looking patterns. I played around with the food dye snowflakes, then started swirling the mixture, and adding my additional dyes.

Mix of 2% Milk and Heavy Cream

I also thought I’d try doing a mix of 2% milk and heavy cream. The mixture again yielded some different results. I loved the bubbles and the patterns that formed in this one .

Final Thoughts

After cleaning up my mess here are my final thoughts from this Create with Me experiment.

1. Definitely experiment - play with the mixture of food dye, swirling the dye, mixing the milk, letting it sit, etc.,

2. Have paper towel handy - I ended up spilling a plate of milk so have lots of paper towel/cloth ready.

3. Do this in your kitchen/have a bucket handy

4. 2% Milk and Heavy Cream was my favourite

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Happy Photographing!

Beautifully Wander | Robynne Ikesaka

Why We Call This Place Home...

This past week my Fiance and I did a new hike called Johns Family Nature Conservancy. I had heard about this hike and had wanted to do it for a while. Max had commented that there seems to be an endless number of hikes we can do (which is true).

At first I loved this hike because it was different, the land was drier, you were at a higher elevation, it was rockier, and you got a different view of Okanagan Lake - it gave you the impression you were somewhere else than Kelowna.

On our way back we looked out at the valley and it was beautiful. We chatted about how lucky we are to call Kelowna, the Okanagan our home. You have beautiful mountains and a vast and great lake in-between.

It’s moments like this, views like this, that remind me of why we live and explore, why we call this place home.

One Year on YouTube | History, Why I Started this Photography Channel, Benefits, and Challenges I've Had

It’s been one year on YouTube! In this episode I share with you the history of my channel, why I started this photography channel, benefits, and challenges I’ve encountered.

History

I started this channel last April (April 2020) and the first video I published was on April 25th and it was an Unboxing of my Olympus EM1 Mark II.

Why I Started this Photography Channel

I have been an audience member on YouTube for a long time - watching videos since I was in middle school. Back then the videos I mostly watched were makeup tutorials, beauty and fashion hauls, what’s in my bag, etc., As I got older the content I started watching on YouTube changed, I started watching videos orientated around planning and organization, business, travel, photography.

In the last 2-3 years a part of me had wanted to start a YouTube channel but personally there were a few things holding me back:

1. I didn’t think I lived a very interesting life. I worked all the time and my life really revolved around my career and so I had no idea what I would post videos about.

2. I was awkward and uncomfortable with the fact that maybe friends or family would find out or watch my videos (me being self-conscious)

3. I was not comfortable being in front of the camera (why do you think my first video didn’t have my face in it)

What changed, what pushed me to creating this channel and pushed these concerns aside was when I decided to pursue photography.

Now, I build this YouTube channel to provide some sort of value to you, to create and share and connect with all of you!

Benefits to Starting this Channel

In unexpected ways, YouTube has had a huge life impact on me!

1. I am way more confident being in front of the camera. Before YouTube I was self-conscious and uncomfortable being in front of the camera. However, through filming weekly videos I get more and more comfortable. I’m still not comfortable to film in front of other people or in crowds but maybe I’ll get there.

2. It’s a great creative outlet for me every week. Every week I have the challenge of creating on this platform. Out of the three processes - writing the outline, filming the video and editing. The final stage of editing is my favourite (even if I’m not that great at it yet).

3. I mentioned before but I love to travel and even though I’m not travelling right now, I get to virtually meet people from all over the world which is amazing and super cool to me!

Challenges I’ve Had (+ Solutions)

Challenge #1 - Consistency

Along the past year I’ve had challenges with building and creating on this platform. The first challenge I had was consistency. For the first 6-7 months I wasn’t consistent on this platform. I would sometimes post a video on Saturday and sometimes wouldn’t. Sometimes I would get busy, sometimes I wouldn’t have a video idea, and sometimes I would record or edit a video and would scrap it because I didn’t like it. All resulting in no video that week.

It wasn’t until the end of November of last year that I made this commitment to myself to be consistent - to post one video a week (no more excuses). This small internal gesture of making a commitment to myself was a game changer because since then I’ve been able to stay consistent on my channel. However, it hasn’t all been easy, which leads to my second challenge.

Challenge #2 - Finding Balance Between Videos ‘Viewers/Subscribers Want to Watch’, ‘I Want to Create’, and ‘Revolve Around a Specific Niche’

The biggest challenge with remaining consistent on this platform and posting one video a week is finding balance in video topics that my viewers/subscribers want to watch, I want to create and revolve around a specific niche.

I still struggle with this challenge to this day. But what made it slightly easier was when I watched a couple videos by Gary Vee and Sunny Lenarduzzi that talked about and rephrased the concept of ‘niching’ - you are your niche, be as broad as possible but fully you.

So instead of trying to create videos that revolve around a specific niche, I create videos through an inverted pyramid (this concept I watched in one of Sunny’s videos).

At the top of the inverted pyramid is my broad category - photography. At the middle is the medium or more specific content and the bottom is very specific/niched.

I don’t know what my middle or specific is yet, so I have mostly created in the broad category.

This rephrasing and re-working changed a lot for me!

Final Thoughts

Overall my year on YouTube has been great. I’m very excited to see where this channel goes and changes. A huge thank you to all of you that watch and subscribe to the videos, tune in every week and comment!

Cheers, to wherever the future takes this channel!

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Happy Photographing

Beautifully Wander | Robynne Ikesaka

I Hiked Alone...Doing the Uncomfortable

Doing new things by myself can be a stretch sometimes. I’m not always comfortable exploring new places or doing certain things by myself. Hiking is one of those things that scare me to do by myself. Sometimes it’s not always fear but discomfort - driving to an unfamiliar location, finding parking, too many people, too little people, darkness, animals, etc.,

This month I did something that I was uncomfortable with - I hiked alone. Since Spring had entered the Okanagan I’ve been obsessed with wanting to chase Arrowleaf Balsamroot’s across the Valley. They’re these sunflower looking flowers.

I wanted to visit Knox Mountain to photograph these beautiful yellow flowers in full bloom.

What is typically a less than hour hike for most is a two-hour hike for me with all the stopping I do to photograph the flowers.

I wanted to visit at sunset in the hopes to photograph the Arrowleaf during golden hour.

At first this hike was just about photographing the Arrowleafs but about 3/4 of the way up it became something more.

I had never been able to scale the whole Knox Mountain in the past. In all the years I’ve been living here I’ve never been to the top because I’m not that physically fit and in my head I made climbing Knox Mountain like climbing Everest.

On this day I was at the 3/4 mark that I had made it to the last time. I had about 10-15 minutes left of sun before it would set behind the mountain. I debated turning around and going back down the mountain but instead I kept climbing.

I had come so far already and I knew if I could climb the mountain to the top, by myself that it would be a personal accomplishment that I needed.

When I made it to the top I felt courageous, brave, and confident. I reached a new height that I hadn’t reached before.

One Year | My Adventure with the Olympus EM1 Mark II

I can’t believe it’s been a year! Last April I invested $2100 into buying my Olympus EM1 Mark II with the 12-40mm lens. I remember receiving that package slip and running to the post office because I had 15-minutes to pick up the box or else I would have to wait until Monday. I’ve explored a lot with my Olympus and I’m excited to share how the journey has been in this first year.

When I went to outline this video I had this central question “how has my last year been with my Olympus?” and I ended up with a series of additional questions that I’m going to answer in todays post!

Where has my Olympus taken me?

While reading David duChemin’s The Heart of the Photograph he said in one chapter that photography is not only a means of expression but exploration. So I plotted on a map all of the places that I have travelled with my Olympus! I’ve explored Fort McMurray, Kelowna, Banff and Vancouver. I’ve significantly travelled around the Kelowna area and I do believe that I have only explored as much I have because of my camera and photography.

What have I explored with my Olympus?

I don’t believe exploration is refined only to physical exploration but also exploration into different photography genres and techniques. Over the past year I’ve experimented with landscape photography, wildlife, timelapses, stop motion, refraction and more!

Exploring landscape photography!

Exploring wildlife/bird photography, taken at Rotary Beach in winter of a goose.

Exploring wildlife/bird photography, taken at Rotary Beach in winter of a duck.

Exploring refraction photography, taken inside my home using a laptop with my age, some glass and water droplets!

Is there anything I want to explore next?

Reviewing the map that plotted all of the locations I’ve visited I do want to explore more of the North and South Okanagan.

I also want to explore some prism photography, playing with shutter speed (movement) and creative portraits.

Do I have any regrets?

There were times throughout the year that I did regret not purchasing the Mark III when I bought my Mark II. However, at the time the Mark III was more expensive and didn’t align with where I was with my photography. Overall, I love my Mark II and I don’t regret the purchase.

Would I upgrade or do I have plans to upgrade?

At some points throughout the past year I have thought about upgrading to the Mark III or the EM1X. However, I do not have any solid plans to upgrade. I’m in the middle of a mindset shift that focuses more on creative vision/eye. Investing more money and resources into refining my eye as a photographer.

Is there anything I would buy to assist with my photography goals?

There are some items on my shopping list that I would like to one day buy.

1) Olympus MC-20 Converter: This would be for my M.Zuiko 40-150mm. I would buy it to do more wildlife photography!

2) M.Zuiko 30mm or 60mm Macro Lens: I also have an interest in buying a macro lens so I could explore more macro photography.

3) Olympus Pen: I love bringing my camera everywhere with me. However, sometimes whipping out the EM1 Mark II with the M.Zuiko 12-40mm is a bit much for the environment I am in. Which is why I have debated purchasing the Olympus Pen for situations like this.

4) Olympus Film Camera: I haven’t researched this a ton as of yet. But ever since I inherited my grandfather’s old film camera I have had this interest in film camera’s - learning more about them, learning to take film photos, etc.,

5) New Camera Bag & Tripod: I also really want to buy a new camera bag for hiking. The one I have currently does the job but it’s not perfect. As well, a new tripod that is even lighter and compacter than the one I have now.

These are all items on my shopping list but I rarely now ever impulsively buy. I used to have a really bad shopping habit when I was younger and I would buy and buy and buy. Now, I maintain a list on my phone and when there is an item I want to buy I let it sit on the list to understand if its actually a need or just a temporary want.

Would I ever consider switching (camera brands)?

No, at least not right now. I can’t tell you what I might be feeling or the direction of my photography 10 or 20 years from now. However, at the moment I love my Mark II, I love the glass on the Olympus lenses, and I love the Olympus community.

Do I have a favourite lens?

My favourite lens switches from what I am interested in photographing at the time. When I was doing a lot of bird photography I always had the M.Zuiko 40-150 on my camera body and never left the house without it. Now that I am doing more hiking I absolutely love the M.Zuiko 12-40mm because it’s so versatile for me to get landscape photos then switch to get photos of the flowers on the mountain or self-portraits of us hiking.

Has my customization changed?

If you don’t own an Olympus you should know that it’s extremely customizable! Almost every button on this camera can get mapped to serve a specific function for you. I have had the following customizations for the past year:

1) Back dial: Changes my aperture

2) Front dial: Changes my shutter speed

3) FN1 button: Focuses

4) FN2 button: Switches the view from my screen to my EVF

Every other button on my camera I haven’t really touched to change in the last year.

Is there a feature on the Olympus EM1 Mark II that I can’t live without?

There are so many wonderful features on the Mark II that I wouldn’t want to live without:

1) Image Stabilization: The Olympus camera/s have amazing image stabilization. I for the most part don’t need to bring my tripod unless I’m doing timelapse photography because you can capture stunning crisp photos without one.

2) Articulating Screen: If you read my Which Camera for Travel Photography post you’ll know the camera I purchased a year ago needed to have an articulating screen. I love the flexibility of having an articulating screen especially for ground or awkward shots.

3) Interval Shooting: I love the interval shooting feature of the Mark II when I’m doing self-portraits or taking photos of me and Max or my family. I can setup my camera, change the number of frames and how often it will take the photos and it will take a series of photos instead of just one (giving you plenty of time to get into position or change positions).

There are so many other wonderful features of the Mark II - sequential high/pro capture, manual focus assist, internal timelapse, weather sealing, etc., the list could go on!

Olympus EM1 Mark II toughing the rain.

Olympus EM1 Mark II toughing the snow and winter.

Olympus EM1 Mark Ii enjoying spring.

Final Thoughts

I’ve really enjoyed my last year with my Olympus EM1 Mark II and I can’t wait for all the future adventures and explorations I’ll have with it!

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Happy Photographing!

Beautifully Wander | Robynne Ikesaka

Why I Love Photography | Creativity and Instagram | Questions I Have for You

Earlier this week I visited Dilworth Mountain Park for some spring photography. While at home when I was editing the photos two photos specifically spoke to me - one about why I love photography and the other about creativity and Instagram.

Why I Love Photography

When I was walking along the trail I kept coming across these bushes that sometimes when the light hit it, it would make these buds glow golden and green. I stopped to take a photo of the bud and I just loved how it backlit the leaf, how you can see all of the veins and the pattern on the leaf.

This photo and moment was a beautiful reminder of why I love photography.

Photography gave me a whole new world, a whole new outlook on life and my environment. Before photography I didn’t admire the changing of the seasons, I might have noticed or loved the change but I never stood still and admired the change - how the landscape changes colour, how the weather changes, all the details that makeup the transition.

Question: You can answer over on my Instagram post or YouTube video but is there a photo (recent or not) that reminds you of why you love photography or got started?

Instagram and Creativity

This was another favourite image from my trip to Dilworth Mountain Park. My intention was ‘Goodnight Kelowna’ - with the sun setting behind the mountain range and the Kelowna valley underneath. But when I was editing this image I had it in a horizontal format and a vertical. In the past I would have chosen the vertical to edit because, it’s vertical for Instagram. However, about a month ago I watched a video by Chris Hau on how Instagram was killing creativity and how in his Lightroom Catalogue majority of his photos were vertical.

Vertical is suppose to “do best” in Instagram and with the algorithm but I decided to edit and publish the horizontal. Why? It fits better. It conveys and aligns with more of what I am trying to express and capture.

Yes, making these decisions could potentially hinder my growth or favor me less in the algorithm. But for the sake of my creativity and my photography I am choosing differently.

Final Thoughts

Feel free to respond to these questions over on my Instagram post or YouTube video but:

Question: Why do you love photography?

My Answer: I love photography for its world of possibility. For its creativity. For its gift to me that showed me a new perspective of life and my

environment. I love photography for its power to explore and express.

Question: Is there something specific that drives or inspires you?

My Answer: To explore the world. To capture a feeling, moment in time, or idea.

Question: Do you prefer working in a series or collection?

My Answer: I prefer working in a series or collection. For example, Chasing Fall, Characteristics of Kelowna, Hello Spring…I find working in a series gives

my photography focus.

Question: Do you feel social media influences your creative flow?

My Answer: Yes! Instagram, YouTube, social media does influence my creative flow. Sometimes for the better because it fuels me with ideas, inspiration,

value. Sometimes its for the worst because I compare, I get overwhelmed, I lose myself in the algorithm.

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Happy Photographing!

Beautifully Wander | Robynne Ikesaka

Water Droplet Refraction Photography | Fun, Creative, At Home Photography Idea | Create with Me

Welcome back to another Create with Me! Last week I was live with Olympus and three other amazing photographers chatting about what we like to photograph and how we got certain photos and I was inspired by Emilie Talpin to try doing some refraction photography!

Refraction Photography

I have no idea how to define refraction photography. All I have for you is refraction is the “bending of light”… if that even makes sense. The best I have for you is images as an example.

The Concept

The concept I was going for was refracting an image on my laptop screen onto some water droplets that I have made on a sheet of glass. However, after setting up for the shot I ran into two issues:

1. When I sprayed my glass with some water it didn’t actually form water droplets

2. I couldn’t manually focus on a water droplet, hold my camera, and hold the glass at the same time to take the shot

I was tempted to give up…I continued to spray my glass, dot the glass with water, even tried it on my patio door…nothing. I couldn’t create water droplets on my glass.

These are how they were turning out:

I Almost Gave Up…Adjustments I Made

After almost admitting defeat I found an article that suggested I cover my glass with plastic wrap…and…BINGO! After covering my glass with some plastic wrap it actually created water droplets that stayed!

This was the first shot I got!

Final Thoughts

• If you’re having issues using glass and creating water droplets on the glass try placing plastic wrap on the glass and then spraying the water (it will actually form better droplets). The only issue here is getting a nice clean placement of the plastic wrap (without any lines or bubbles).

• Try shooting top-down. Use a larger piece of glass and prop it up, place your photo underneath, spray the glass and shoot top down. This will help your water droplets stay uniformed. I didn’t have a large enough sheet of glass to do this with so I worked with what I had.

Try to place your plastic wrap on your glass as cleanly and tightly as you can.

By spraying water on the plastic vs. straight on the glass it will form better droplets (based on my experience)

If you shoot top-down rather than my vertical shot your droplets will have a better chance of staying uniformed and clean.

• Use manual focus to get clear focus on a water droplet (if you enable Manual Focus Assist (MF Assist) it will help magnify your screen to 3x while adjusting your focus so you can clearly see if you are in focus)

  • To set this up go into your Olympus Menu -> Scroll down to the gear icon -> Head down to A3 -> Scroll over to MF Assist and make sure “Magnify” is on (when Magnify is ON it will automatically magnify the image when the focus rig is rotated in MF mode)

When you turn ‘Manual Focus Assist’ on and you are manually focusing the screen will go to 3x so you can see better if you’re in focus.

• Play around:

  • Play with the size of your glass. I used a 4x6 frame glass but you could play with smaller and larger pieces.

  • Play with your subject (you could try using real photos or different kinds of photos on your screen)

  • Play with your settings (at first I had my aperture setting at F2.8 so the actual photo was pretty blurred out in the background, but when I pushed it to F16 the background photo popped more.

  • Play with colour (I found darker images popped more than bright, light and airy photos).

• Be careful handling the glass. I ended up cutting myself at some point during the experiment. So after it was over I taped some cardboard to the side so I can hold it better without cutting my hand.

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I really hoped you enjoyed todays Create with Me and you try it out at home. Huge thank you to Emilie Talpin for the inspiration!

Timelapse Photography and Editing Workflow using the Olympus EM1 Mark II | Create with Me

I started the ‘Create with Me’ series over on my YouTube channel because I wanted to experiment with other kinds of photography. Instead of just posting the result to Instagram I decided to document the journey, the process, and share it on my YouTube.

Today, I get back to the reason I started this series and bring you along with me as I create another cloud timelapse.

What is a Timelapse?

You can create a photo or video timelapse but essentially your footage/photos are taken over a long period of time but are shown quite quickly. Thus, something that takes a long time like the clouds moving in the sky, the sun setting, etc., are shown as a short clip.

Setting Up for My Timelapse

To setup for my timelapse I have my Olympus EM1 Mark II with the M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO lens setup on my tripod. I set my in-camera settings to an ISO 200, 1/50 and an aperture of F22

To enable the timelapse setting on my camera:

• Select MENU

• Go to CAMERA 1

• Go all the way down to the bottom

• Turn the timelapse setting ON

To change my timelapse setting I went further into the timelapse menu and adjusted my frame count and interval length. I ended up with a frame count of 540 frames, a start waiting time of 2 seconds and an interval length of 5 seconds.

I forgot to mention that I heard if you turn your TIMELAPSE MOVIE to ON instead of OFF your camera will capture both still photos and .AVI. However, I haven’t fully experimented with this or creating a timelapse in camera.

You’ll know your timelapse is ON because on your camera screen a number with your frame count will appear in white at the top of the screen. Once it is going the frame count will go green and start counting down.

Of course, this entire process might differ if you are using a different camera.

What’s Interesting About Timelapses

Up until a few weeks ago I wasn’t interested in doing timelapses, however, I’ve enjoyed the pursuit of creating and experimenting with timelapses. I love the essence of capturing something slow and seeing the magic when it comes together. I think it offers something different to the eye and the mind.

Editing Workflow

To edit my timelapses I have been manually editing them. I pull the photos into Lightroom and do some light post-processing. To make this process easier I edit the first photo to how I like and sync the edits to the rest by selecting them all and hitting sync. The pastings of the edit takes a while but after it is done I go in and check to make sure the edits are how I like.

After the photos are all edited and exported I pull the images into iMovie to do some manual control of stringing the photos together. Similar to how I edit my stop motions in iMovie I shorten each clip to its shortest length - .10 seconds. .This clip length is still too slow for my liking of a cloud timelapse so to get around this limitation I further export the whole thing and re-import it into the timeline. Once it’s re-imported I can adjust the speed of the timelapse. Depending on the timelapse I have played around with a custom speed of 250-400%.

For this timelapse I settled with a custom speed of 400%.

The last step was to add music! I find all my music for my YouTube videos, stop motion and timelapse clips on Epidemic Sound. For this timelapse I selected the song Sun Comes Out.

After the music is added it’s finished!

Manual vs. In-Camera Timelapses

I personally haven’t experimented with in-camera timelapses yet. I’ve manually created the timelapses so far by capturing still photos, editing in Lightroom and stringing together in iMovie. I love the manual control to change the speed of my subject.

Final Thoughts

I love the result of a timelapse! Cloud timelapses have been my favourite with sunset timelapses being a close second. However, sitting around for 45-minutes and waiting for the timelapse to finish is kind of boring. The post-processing of the timelapse manually does take a long time but I have yet to try creating a timelapse in camera.

I hope you enjoyed todays Create with Me! If you have any tips on creating timelapses leave a comment on the video!

Organizing and Planning with Milanote | How I Use Milanote to Plan My YouTube and Projects

Welcome back to Beautifully Wander! I’ve used all kinds of note taking softwares - OneNote, Evernote, Notion, Trello and right now I use Milanote every single day to plan my YouTube content and various projects. In today’s video let me tell you why Milanote is great for photographers and creatives!

This video was not sponsored I just personally love and have used Milanote since last September and I genuinely hope you find this post useful!

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

What is Milanote?

Milanote is an online tool that you can use to organize your tasks, projects, business, travel, life.

The best part of Milanote and why I think it’s great for photographers and creatives is it’s flexibility. I can lay out my content how I want it. I’m not confined to particular boundaries or formatting like I am with other note-taking apps.

I can structure it so it’s text blocks only, I can create a mindmap mood board for a photography shoot, or use it to plan my next adventure.

In my mind Milanote is like a mashup of the other softwares and Pinterest.

Here are a couple of examples of how I use Milanote.

How I Use Milanote

Example #1 - Planning my YouTube Content

I use Milanote every week to plan my YouTube content for the month and coming months. I create a series of columns and label them according to the month. Under each month I have blank template boards that I use as placeholders that correlate to a Saturday of the month. If I have a video idea I’ll change the name of the board but if I don’t I’ll leave it as Template.

Beneath my monthly columns I have more columns, text blocks and boards with video ideas and inspiration.

Within a board I can create note blocks, add links, create to-do lists, create a board within a board, create columns, add images and files.

I can also bold text, italicize text, change text color, highlight text, and change the card color.

As well, I can continue to work vertically or move horizontally if I need more space.

Example #2 - Planning my Gallery Wall

Another example I wanted to show you was how I use Milanote to plan a project. A personal project I have for my home is a huge gallery wall. With Milanote I can add a bunch of images to a board and organize them how I want. For this project board I have inspirational photos for how I want to layout my gallery wall, I have a column with photos that I want to purchase, a to-do list of items that I need to complete the gallery wall, photos that I have taken of what I currently have for the gallery wall and photos of my own that I want to print and add.

You can do a variety with Milanote and depending on the type of project the layout varies - this project board was picture heavy with lots of visuals.

Milanote Save Function

Another great feature of Milanote that I love having is the save button function that you can install and enable on your internet browser. If I find an article, quote, video that I want to save for future reference I can save it to a board on Milanote by selecting the icon on my browser.

It will come up as ‘Unsorted’ on my board and then I can drag it to where I would like.

Cost

At first when I started using Milanote I used the free version but with how heavily I was using it to plan and organize my YouTube content and my photography projects I opted to upgrade to the next version which was $9.99/month billed annually. With how much I use it the cost was worth it for me.

Final Thoughts

I love Milanote because I can layout in a more organized fashion the chaos that is in my head. I’m a very visual person so Milanote is perfect for me! If you need more inspiration on how others use Milanote check out their website and select ‘How People Use Milanote.’

Let me know over on the channel if you use any online tools to help you plan.

Thank you for reading and I hope you found this post useful!

Unboxing & First Impression: Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO

Welcome back! In todays episode I take you through one of my favourite kinds of videos to watch an unboxing of a new lens, as well my first impressions of the lens and what I hope to get out of it.

Full disclaimer, this post/video is not sponsored, this is not a paid promotion, I was not asked to make this video but I did receive this lens as part of collaborations with Olympus.

Basic Details

This is the M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO lens which in full-frame terms is a 14-28mm. This lens’s maximum aperture is F2.8 and its minimum is F22. It sits at 4.17 inches long and 3.11 inches wide and weighs in at 1.18 pounds.

If you want more technical aspects of the lens check out Olympus’s website!

First Impressions

Size

The Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm lens is a very familiar size to the M.Zuiko 12-40mm in length and width. The lens might fit a little longer but but it’s a nice compact size.

Weight

When I first held this lens I was surprised at its weight, in that it felt heavier than what I was expecting. However, given the quality of the lens - it’s made of sturdy material that doesn’t feel “plasticy” which indicates to me that its going to age well and whether the elements well.

Zoom Feature

The M.Zuiko 7-14mm is similar to the 40-150mm in that the length of the lens doesn’t get longer when you go from it’s one focal length to the other. For example, if you zoom from 12mm to 40mm on the M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO lens the mid-section gets longer. On the 40-150mm F2.8 PRO it doesn’t get any longer. However, with the 7-14mm the length doesn’t get longer but the lens part does move up and down.

Lens Cap

I really love the lens cap on the 7-14mm. The lens cap goes over and snuggly fits on the lens which in my opinion makes attaching and detaching the cap much easier.

Tight Zoom

At first I was concerned about the surface area of the 7-14mm and that it was a tight zoom when holding. However, once you get it on the body it was completely fine.

Protecting the Lens

I am also concerned on how I am going to protect this lens. On my other lenses I have a screw-on UV filter, however, with the 7-14mm and the dome-shape to the lens it cannot fit a screw-on filter.

Test Photos

Of course, you have to take it for a spin and test the new lens. My first trip out with it was to Cedar Creek Park in Kelowna, BC.

The second spot I took the new lens out for a spin was Bluebird Beach along Okanagan Lake on a particularly cloudy and stormy day.

I also wanted to test it out around Downtown Kelowna. While we were walking around downtown we came across this little pig and his owner going for a walk!

What I Hope to Get out of this Lens

There is a few things I want to get out of this lens.

Creative Distortion

The first thing I hope to play and experiment with is creative distortion. It’s not new that a wide angle lens can create a sense of distortion in your images but I have been particularly drawn to the distortion it creates so I want to create and experiment with this in my outdoor nature images.

Indoor Locations

The second thing I hope to to play with is photographing indoor places. I love taking my camera to new restaurants with me but I find the 12mm on my 12-40mm F2.8 PRO isn’t enough to really get a sense of a place or environment.

Self-portraits and Filming

The last thing I hope to experiment with is taking self-portraits with a wide angle lens and filming videos with it.

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I’ve only had this lens for about two weeks so I haven’t used it enough to give a full-depth review, but I wanted to give my first impressions of this lens and what I hope to get out of this lens!

Happy photographing!

Develop Your Skills Now | Filming on the Olympus EM1 Mark II | Mill Creek Regional Park

Welcome back! A few months ago I read this article on National Geographic about mastering travel skills now for smarter trips later.

In the coming months and year I have big plans for travel - I want to visit the Yamnuska Wolf Dog Sanctuary in Calgary, Alberta. I want to visit the Bloedel Conservatory in Vancouver, British Columbia. I want to do a winery trip down to Osoyoos and if travel really opens up - visit Japan! In the meantime I am developing my skills now so when we can travel I’m ready!

Wander with Me - Mill Creek Regional Park

Todays video features Mill Creek Regional Park. This wonderful park is located in the Ellison area of Kelowna, just east of the airport. It’s a light and easy hiking trail that is fairly flat and only has one staircase.

If you continue on the hiking trail, following the creek you’ll come across a fork in the path where you can either visit the top of the waterfall or the bottom.

Skills I’m Developing Now

This weeks episode, this mini-trip out was a test, an experiment to practice a couple skills that I’m trying to get better at. One of them is filming and making better videos. I tried in this video to play around with using the Olympus EM1 Mark II, as well including a different intro, b-roll, music and sounds.

The second skill I was practicing on this trip was taking self-portraits. I want to capture us, as much as I want to capture the places so I practice self-portraits now so I can better create them when we’re travelling.

I’m also trying to be a lot more comfortable in front of the camera (specifically filming/taking photos with other people around).

Let me know over on the YouTube channel if you are working on anything right now!

I Attempted to Clone Myself! | Create with Me

Welcome back! I was so intrigued with creating this clone-yourself self-portrait that I attempted one this past week to pair with my re-introduction post on Instagram. In this episode I take your through how I created it!

The Setup

For this clone self-portrait I used my Olympus EM1 Mark II with the M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO lens. I also for this self-portrait used the Olympus OI.Share app to remote control the camera.

To do this on your Olympus camera hit the WiFi button on your camera screen, after pull up the Olympus OI.Share app on your phone and hit ‘Remote Control’.

Taking the Photos & Light Post-Processing

To take the photos I positioned myself using my phone to see and then set the camera to timer so when I clicked the shutter I had 12 seconds to put the phone down and re-compose myself.

I originally wanted to do 5 photos but I did not have enough room in my living room for the 5 so I ended up with 3.

The final photos I got was after my third attempt - I did two wardrobe changes because I wasn’t 100% happy with what I was wearing and how it was turning out.

After I got the photos I lightly post-processed in Lightroom Classic.

Cloning Myself

To actually clone myself I used Snapseed. I created double exposures and changed the opacity to achieve the three clones of myself.

Open up your first image in Snapseed.

Under ‘Tools’ select ‘Double Exposure’

After click the add image button and add your second image.

Select the second last icon from the right and increase the opacity all the way to the right.

Select the icon on the top right of the screen and select ‘View Edits’.

Click on your ‘Double Exposure’.

Select the middle icon with the paint brush.

Brush over where you are on the second image (be careful not to go over where you are in the first image).

Keep repeating the steps above for every clone you want to make.

You can also use Photoshop for this or other apps/softwares but Snapseed was free and easy to use.

I would be interested in learning how to do this in Photoshop for more editing freedom.

Final Thoughts

Tip #1: Try to have an idea of how you want to pose yourself and the props you might need to make the process easier and faster for you!

Tip #2: Depending on your vision for your clone self-portrait try utilizing a larger space or get outdoors.

Tip #3: If you want more creative control over your poses and editing process you might want to consider using Photoshop instead of Snapseed.

Tip #4: Get totally creative with this! If you are a baker you could clone yourself putting the dry ingredients together, preparing the pie crust, filling the inside with your fruit, cutting the finished pie, eating the pie!

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If you try cloning yourself be sure to share on Instagram and tag @beautifullywander so I can see your creation! Happy cloning!

How I Edited this Photo in Lightroom Classic | Edit with Me

Welcome back! In todays episode we do something a little different. I’ve never taken you through my editing workflow before so today I thought I would show you how I edited a recent photo you might have seen on my Instagram of a Canadian Goose on Okanagan Lake fluttering its wings.

The photo on the left you see below is an unedited version of the photo we’re going to edit and the photo on the right is the final version.

Unedited version of the Canadian Goose on the partially frozen Okanagan Lake in Kelowna, BC.

Final edited version of the Goose with some basic and refined edits done in Lightroom Classic to make the details and Goose pop.

Basic Edits

I always start with some basic edits - exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, tone curve, detail, etc.,

Refined Edits - Adjustment Brush

After I’ve finished with my basic edits I go into any refined edits I need to make. Because of the nature of this photo and that it’s a wildlife photo of a Canadian Goose I wanted to make the bird pop by using the adjustment brush.

I brushed over the goose and made some additional edits to exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites, blacks, etc.,

Refined Edits - Spot Removal

Depending on the photo I might also go in with the spot removal tool to get rid of any distractions. In this particular photo the goose was standing on the partially frozen Okanagan Lake with some buoys in the back. To me, it added an element of distraction so I removed it using the spot removal tool.

Refined Edits - Crop

After I am happy with my edits I’ll go in and crop my image. For this particular photo I wanted to place my Goose more on the thirds of the photo (I try to nail this in-camera, however, this proved difficult when trying to catch one of the Geese fluttering its wings).

Export

The last step is exporting the photo. I haven’t found the perfect exporting settings. I’ve watched many videos about exporting in Lightroom and experimented with a few but the one that seems to work the best for me is when the Width and Height is 1080 x 1350 pixels.

Final Thoughts

On certain photos I will use the Graduated Filter function in Lightroom but in this particular photo I opted not to.

For the most part I edit in Lightroom Classic but there is the occasion that I take the photo into Photoshop when I need to remove an element of the photo to clean it up (see below for some examples).

Editing like photography is also very personal - some photographers like to edit on the light and airy side, some photographers prefer dark and moody. I like to keep my edits fairly natural but slightly amplified.

Now you know how I edited my Goose photo! I hope you found a part of this post helpful and happy editing!

Which Camera for Travel Photography? Why I Chose Olympus | UPDATED

In this episode we chat about the hunt for the perfect camera for travel photography and why I personally chose Olympus (OM Digital Solutions). But before we get into it, I was not sponsored by Olympus to make this video I personally love the brand.

Considerations for a Travel Camera

I think it’s important to recognize that investing in a camera is a personal choice and what I find important in a travel camera might not be important to you and vice versa.

Here are some items I found important in a travel camera when I was searching:

1) Compactness and Weight

I prefer when I travel to travel carry-on only because I don’t like lugging around a lot of stuff (both when I’m travelling to a destination and when I’m travelling around that destination).

Thus, the size and weight of the camera was a HUGE factor that I considered in my decision. Which is why I knew I was in the market for a mirrorless camera system because they tend to be on the lighter and more compact side than a DSLR.

2) Lens Selection

I wasn’t just buying a camera and a lens, I was buying into my future so I also knew that whatever camera system I was buying it had to have a good variety of lenses.

I knew beforehand that I didn’t want to be a photographer that accumulates and accumulates gear that uses once and never again so it wasn’t about having this endless quantity of lenses but amazing, versatile, lightweight, lenses.

3) Budget

How much can you afford, what is your budget for your camera and its lenses? For me personally I had a budget of $2000 to buy a body and lens to start with and any subsequent lenses had to be affordable to me.

Something I did consider into my decision making was the capability of buying an older model of body, investing in the lenses and upgrading the body when I need to.

4) Articulating Screen

An important feature the camera needed to have was an articulating screen. It was a deal breaker if the camera system did not have an articulating screen because I knew I would want to use it for making travel videos, taking travel self-portraits, etc.,

It’s also proven to be extremely useful for photography in instances when I need to get close to the ground or position the camera in odd angles to get the shot.

5) WiFi Connection

Lastly, I wanted the ability to control the camera with my phone if I wanted to for those travel self-portraits or wirelessly send photos to my phone without having to connect to my laptop for on-the-go editing and publishing.

With local and domestic travel I typically travel with my laptop. However, for international trips (depending on the length) I don’t always and so the capability of editing and publishing off my phone is important.

Other Items

There are numerous other times you may want to consider - battery life, dual slot memory cards, mirrorless vs. DSLR, Full-Frame vs. Micro-Four-Thirds, etc.,

Therefore, my biggest suggestion on what camera to buy for travel is to make a list of all the things you find important and the camera NEEDS to have to help narrow your search.

Why I Chose Olympus

After quite a bit of time and research I decided to purchase into Olympus (OM Digital Solutions).

More specifically I purchased the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II and the M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO lens.

Why? It had everything that I was looking for in a camera system:

• Compact and lightweight

• Solid lens selection

• Capability to buy into an older model and upgrade later when I was ready

• Within my budget

• Had an articulating screen

• Had WiFi capability

From my experience its had great battery life when travelling, it contains dual slot memory cards, and it’s very customizable.

An added bonus is that it’s got amazing weather proofing - it’s freeze-proof, dust-proof and splash-proof. Which means that I can take the camera out in any weather condition that travel and seasons throw at me.

If I was to boil down the three main reasons why I chose Olympus it’s because of:

1) Their camera design (it’s one of the best adventure/outdoor camera’s out there)

2) Their amazing lens quality and selection

3) Their supportive and encouraging community of photographers

It’s worth mentioning that at the time I purchased my OM-D E-M1 Mark II the Mark III was available, however, my budget for a camera and lens was $2000 and the Mark III with a lens would have pushed me far past that and where I was with my photography so I opted to invest in the Mark II then and upgrade when I was ready.

Final Thoughts

It ultimately comes down to personal choice.

What matters to you, what you need, and what you want. Olympus checks the boxes for me, however, a different camera brand such as Sony, Canon, Fujifilm, etc., might suit you better because like I said earlier what I find important to me might be different than what you find important.

I hope you found this post helpful in your search for your perfect travel camera!

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Posts you Might Enjoy:

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Unboxing

Choosing a Camera

Olympus EM1 Mark II | My Setup + Customization

Favourite Camera Features for Travel Photography | Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II

Olympus 12-40mm F2.8 PRO - Awesome Versatile Lens

Olympus 40-150 F2.8 PRO | Introducing My New Lens

Winter Clothing for Photography & Trying Bird Photography | Getting Back Outdoors

In todays episode we chat quite a bit about my absence from nature photography and some items that have helped me get back outdoors all while I do some bird photography at Gyro Beach and Rotary Beach in Kelowna, BC!

December 16th, 2020

The last time I intentionally went out for outdoor photography was December 16, 2020. On that day I went out to do my festive bokeh but it slushy-rained. By the time I was finished my camera, my clothes, my bag were all soaked. It took me over 3 hours to warm up at home (even after a hot shower and 5 blankets). I remembered telling my fiance that I didn’t like winter photography.

However, six weeks later from that day I finally got back out. The weather in Kelowna, BC can be very dull and grey but I had this itch to photograph at Gyro Beach so I packed up my camera and took a walk.

I ended up falling in love with the details of the landscape again.

Due to the recent snowfall bird tracks could be found all over the beach.

Okanagan lake was very calm so it reflected all the details surrounding the lake.

Every now and then you can hear geese in the distance.

Winter Clothing for Photography

Over the past week I’ve gotten out three times which feels great and there are a few items that have made coming out to do winter photography slightly more okay and enjoyable.

Winter Boots

Prior to the end of December I was wearing a pair of old pink sneakers I had when I would go out to do outdoor photography. In the summer they’re fine shoes to wear but come the Fall and Winter when puddles form, the air is colder and there’s snow on the ground they are not the best.

At Christmas I was personally gifted a pair of TOM boots that were water-proof, had a high-traction outsole and a comfortable insole. The best part is they keep my feet warm, comfortable and dry when I’m outside.

The brand of boot doesn’t matter just make sure you get yourself a pair of boots that will serve your feet well to whether the elements outdoors.

Winter Jacket

Also prior to December I was wearing a thin sports jacket for photography. It’s not the most appropriate piece for winter photography so at Christmas I was also personally gifted a Patagonia Down Sweater Jacket that keeps me warm outside.

Just like the shoes it doesn’t matter what brand you buy just make sure you have something that will keep you warm and dry outside.

Gloves

It seems silly but I didn’t like wearing gloves when out doing photography because I have a hard time using my phone with them on and I have limited mobility over my camera. I would usually withstand having cold hands which added to my discomfort outside.

However, recently I’ve decided even if its a little above 0 right now I will wear gloves for the experience. If my experience outdoors is uncomfortable then the likeliness of wanting to get back out is less.

So I should do whatever small thing to make the experience the best for me.

Getting Back Outdoors

Back in December I didn’t cater to curating a good experience when I went out and I should have. I’m excited to get back outdoors to do photograph and birds like Donald (left photo) have helped me get back outdoors!

Food Dye in Water Photography + Photography Challenge | Create with Me

Come create with me! In this episode we play around with food dye in water photography and we add the extra challenge of photographing one subject 10 different ways.

Storytime

Earlier in the week I was feeling a creative itch to create something so I played around with water and oil photography when I had this moment to add food dye drops and it created such a cool effect that I quickly became obsessed to see what kind of pattern I create.

The Photography Challenge

This time I decided to take it a step further and add the creative challenge of one subject 10 different ways.

I started struggling after the fifth image to figure out other compositions and what to do with the food dye in water.

This is a classic challenge/exercise to develop your eye and stretch your creativity. It’s fair to say it did the job for me.

Final Thoughts

Here are some of my final thoughts from this create with me session:

1) Give your glasses a nice wipe before you photograph them to make sure theres no finger prints on them

2) Experiment with the tools you have! I just used the food dye out of the bottle but if you had a syringe like tool available to inject the food dye at a greater speed and precision into the water it would create a cooler and cleaner aesthetic

3) Use a surface that cleans up nicely. This doesn’t create as much of a mess than the splash photography but the dye can get everywhere so make sure you are using a surface that wipes clean or you’re okay with throwing away after if it gets all messy

4) Don’t be afraid to experiment, use different pain, glasses, tools, and colours!