Back to Bear
A truly fantastic encounter with a wolf pack before the weather closed in. Shot at 560mm @ f/4, 1/1250s, ISO 2500
I am just back from another tour of The Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia. The gallery of a selection of images from this and last year’s trips can be found here: The Great Bear Rainforest gallery.
The Sea Lions didn't seem to mind the endless rain. Shot at 200mm @ f/5.6, 1/2000s, ISO 900
For more information about this utterly beautiful Canadian wilderness see last year’s blog post here.
I have also posted an update of last year’s Birds of the Bear Rainforest blog post with a few new bird names and images.
It didn't rain, it poured cats and dogs, resulting in a featureless mushy grey landscape. Shot at 400mm @ f/2.8, 1/3200s, ISO 360
So, I won’t repeat here how fantastic this part of the world is – it is just such a stunning and vast nature wilderness, hence my repeat trip this year. If I didn’t know what ‘rain’ in The Great Bear Rainforest meant I certainly do now. To say we were blessed with good weather would be a blatant lie. I have never seen so much consistent heavy rain over so many days before, and I spend a lot of time on Dartmoor, England, which is known for its rain!
The rain turned mountain sides into wall-to-wall waterfalls. Shot at 400mm @ f/5.6, 1/500s, ISO 450
It was so much rain the rivers were ferocious in their force and the mountain sides seemed like one endless waterfall. So much water that the bears had no hope fishing for salmon before their winter hibernation and were probably deep in the woods looking for berries instead. I say ‘probably’ as we didn’t see one bear the entire trip bar a 5-second glimpse of one at half a mile’s distance. So much for the ‘bear’ in The Great Bear Rainforest. However, we had a wonderful encounter with a pack of wolves as well as encountering humpback whales bubble-net fishing, sea lions and otters, plus many birds, so it was still a memorable expedition.
Humpback Whales bubble-net fishing - a group of whales create a net of bubbles trapping a shoal of fish which are then gobbled up - intelligent team work at play. Shot at 400mm @ f/5.6, 1/3200s, ISO 2800
As for image ‘keepers’ … well … the weather conditions made photography a challenge. The light was dull and the visibility poor. The rain made everything seem washed out (no pun intended!) and the lack of clarity or light to play with was somewhat frustrating. On top of that everything was constantly wet – camera gear and clothing. We photographed entirely from our rib (zodiac) and the main boat. Venturing inland was impossible due to the conditions.
Sea Lion in action. Shot at 560mm @ f/5, 1/3200s, ISO 9000
So what to do? Well, we cannot control the weather, so the only option is to play with what you got:
Capture Action – to make up for the poor light create interest through animal action or behaviour. Action demands high shutter speeds and with poor light that often means very high ISO settings. However, don’t be afraid of high ISOs as modern cameras and careful post processing help here (I can recommend DXO PhotoLab or DXO PureRaw for the outstanding noise reduction algorithms. In my view nothing beats it today).
Capture the Mood – try to convey the conditions through the images. Capture the rain drops and the wet shine off trees, rocks and drenched wildlife. A slow shutter speed (e.g. 1/60 to 1/160s) works well. Against a dark background this can create a strong sense of the conditions with driving rain as streaks across the frame. Clearly this only works on static subjects, and with a telephoto lens stability is key. Shoot short bursts at a high frame rate to increase the chance of at least one sharp image.
Play with Greys – A background in shades of gloomy grey or heavy skies can provide an interesting contrast to the main subject. Near monochrome or even black and white images can be effective in conditions where there is a lack of colour vibrance, and where the endless rain creates a mushy background washing out the sky, the woods and the water.
A curious Harbour Seal ... a slow shutter speed captures the movement of falling rain. Shot at 560mm @ f/5.6, 1/60s, ISO 360
The conditions made it a challenge preventing the rain affecting cameras, lenses and gear. Here are a few lessons for wildlife photography in heavy rain:
Good weather sealed cameras and lenses clearly help, such as the Nikon Z9 which had no problems with the conditions. Less robust cameras need extra care. In any case, in heavy rain a rain cover is a must, and nothing beats good quality rain covers. Last year my covers (which were cheap) were totally inadequate. Thankfully we had much less rain last year and this year I had invested in Think Tank’s Hydrophobia …. A superb solution even in the most persistent heaviest downpours. It covers the camera completely with dedicated eye sockets to wrap the cover tightly around the viewfinder. (see www.thinktankphoto.com)
Avoid using adapters. Any new connection between camera and lens will introduce the risk of dampness getting into the lens and fog it up. The Nikon FTZ adapter was prone to suffer this fate in heavy downpour. I had this problem on last year’s trip with the 500mm PF and the FTZ adapter on the Z9. And, if you get fogging on the rear internal lens element you’re stuffed till it clears. If you do need an adapter then put insulating tape around the joint to provide extra protection – that will significantly reduce the risk of moisture seeping in.
Neither the Bald Eagle nor the Common Raven fancies taking off in the conditions ... note the raindrop hanging from the eagle's beak. A slow shutter speed accentuates the falling rain. Shot at 560mm @ f/4, 1/160s, ISO 560
Avoid changing lenses or adding/removing teleconverters on the shoot. For example, sitting in the wet zodiac in torrential downpour and changing lenses is best avoided if possible. Decide your camera/lens combination before you head out and stick to it. Two cameras with two different telephoto lenses give you options when out in the rain.
Take a small dry bag for a lens cleaning cloth and even a change of gloves or cap. It will get damp (everything will get damp!) as you’ll need to use the lens cloth occasionally to wipe rain off your lens (particularly if the action is up into the wind!).
Consider third party lens caps such as those from Zemlin Photo. A longer lens cap than the one originally provided with the lens will reduce the risk of rain splashing up inside the hood. (see www.zemlinphoto.com)
Play with greys - the lines and simplicity work well here .... and this is not a black and white conversion! It was a truly grey day. Shot at 150mm @ f/5.6, 1/2500s, ISO 2000
Keep spare batteries in pockets as far away from the rain as possible. Swapping batteries in heavy rain needs to be done carefully too. Best option is to ensure batteries are fully charged to reduce the risk of having to change.
Ensure your waterproof jacket and trousers really are waterproof. Many modern breathable outdoor jackets claim to be waterproof, and they often suffice in medium rain or during intermittent or short showers, but in sustained heavy rain hour after hour, you truly find out which gear works. Needless to say, the more sophisticated quality waterproofs that are breathable can be quite expensive. However, as you often are not moving much when photographing wildlife – often sitting in the same position for a long time – cheaper pvc coated waterproofs is an option. Granted, it doesn’t breathe much, but it will never leak unlike some other membranes. I have just invested in a pvc solution from Helly Hansen used by fishermen at sea, guaranteed never to let the water through the fabric.
Bring spare outdoor clothing and gear. With endless driving rain, things get really wet, and depending on the facilities, stuff may not dry up for the next day’s outing into the stormy wilderness. Having spare clothing helps, ditto camera gear if, for example, one camera body stops working. This happened on our tour. A few days in an enclosed warm area wrapped in silica gel sachets sorted it out … but you don’t want that to be your only camera on the trip. The same goes for lenses if one fogs up, which also happened on our tour. Having an alternative, even if not the ideal focal length option, is better than no lens.
A wolf appearing down a river outlet. Shot at 784mm @ f/5.6, 1/1250s, ISO 7200
Lastly, in weather that can only be described as miserably and endlessly wet, don’t forget to pack good humour and a smile. Yes, better light and drier conditions would be ideal, but you cannot control the weather, so play along with the situation. Think differently about the photography and just enjoy being in a beautiful nature setting. There will always be a few image keepers regardless of conditions, and you’ll soon enough be dry again. 😉
A brief respite from the rain tempted this Belted Kingfisher to a spot of crab fishing, Shot at 784mm @ f/5.6, 1/2500s, ISO 5000
King of the hill! An apex predator in its element. Shot at 784mm @ f/5.6, 1/1000s, ISO 6400
Immature Bald Eagle: Another type of action! Shot at 560mm @ f/4, 1/800s, ISO 2800