Already Missing Summer

Well… I’m already missing summer. All it took was our first snowfall of the season that stayed on the ground. Unlike many of my fellow Canadians I’m really not a winter person. I don’t skate, ski or play hockey. There’s precious little that I enjoy about winter, other than being out with my camera… and spending time with family and friends.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge. Photographs have been added to serve as visual breaks.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko PRO 40-150 mm f/2.8 with M.Zuiko MC-14 teleconverter @ 210 mm, efov 420 mm, f/4, 1/80, ISO-2500, handheld in-camera focus stacking, subject distance 1.2 metres

I find this time of year is very reflective for me. I’ve been spending some time culling through the photographs I created over the past 6 months. Memories come flooding back… like finally being able to visit the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory again.

OM-D E-M1X with M.Zuiko 60 mm f/2.8 macro, f/4, 1/40, full frame capture, ISO-200, handheld in-camera focus stacking, subject distance 515 mm

Or doing some experimentation with handheld in-camera focus stacking at the Floral Showhouse in Niagara Falls.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 60 mm f/2.8 macro, f/5, 1/160, ISO-200, In-Camera Focus Stacking, cropped to 4767 pixels on the height, subject distance 295 mm

Finding some interesting blossoms and highlights at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, Ontario.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS with M.Zuiko MC-14 teleconverter @ 560 mm, efov 1120 mm, f/9, 1/5000, ISO-6400, Pro Capture H, cropped to 3931 pixels on the width, subject distance 3 metres

I can still feel the excitement created by capturing some images of a clearwing hummingbird moth in-flight in my backyard. The first one I’ve seen in about 5 years.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko PRO 12-100 mm f/4 IS @ 16 mm, efov 32 mm, f/5.6, 1/80, ISO-200, HDR version

Playing around with the HDR function in my E-M1X was another instructive experience. It will no doubt lead to more experimentation in the future.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS @ 400 mm, efov 800 mm, 1/320, f/6.3, ISO-1000, Bird Detection AI Subject Tracking, cropped to 4764 pixels on the width, subject distance 9.2 metres

Missing summer involves remembering being at the right place at the right time to photograph a cooperative heron.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS with M.Zuiko MC-14 teleconverter @ 280 mm, efov 560 mm, f/8.4, 1/4000, ISO-1250, Pro Capture H, cropped to 3390 pixels on the height, subject distance 5.2 metres

Observing and capturing some of nature’s more intimate moments.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS with M.Zuiko MC-14 teleconverter @ 560 mm, efov 1120 mm, f/9, 1/2500, ISO-640, Bird Detection AI Subject Tracking, Pro Capture L, cropped to 2808 pixels on the width, subject distance 36 metres

And finally having some success photographing elusive subjects like kingfishers.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 with M.Zuiko MC-14 teleconverter @ 308 mm, efov 616 mm, f/8.5, 1/4000, ISO-1250, full frame capture, Pro Capture H, Subject distance 5.6 metres

Using Pro Capture H to photograph an aerobatic swallow.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 60 mm f/2.8 macro, f/4, 1/250, ISO-800, Handheld Hi Resolution, full frame capture, subject distance 275 mm

Noticing an intriguing convergence of blossoms that led to a Handheld Hi Res photograph.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS with M.Zuiko MC-14 teleconverter @ 483 mm, efov 966 mm, f/9, 1/2000, ISO-640, Pro Capture L, Bird Detection AI, cropped to 3335 pixels on the width

Photographing a playful gull was a very special moment. It got me intrigued with using Pro Capture L in combination with Bird Detection AI Subject Tracking.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS with M.Zuiko MC-14 teleconverter @ 560 mm, efov 1120 mm, f/9, 1/5000, ISO-6400, Pro Capture H, cropped to 3946 pixels on the width, subject distance 1.7 metres

Beauty is all around us if we take the time to slow down, open our eyes and absorb it.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS @ 400 mm, efov 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/2500, ISO-2000, Pro Capture H, cropped to 4139 pixels on the width, subject distance 2.3 metres

Mother Nature sometimes allows us to witness the interactions of other living things. Aggression can have a delicate appearance on occasion.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS with M.Zuiko MC-14 teleconverter @ 560 mm, efov 1120 mm, f/9, 1/1600, ISO-6400, Bird Detection AI, full frame capture, subject distance 7.1 metres

At other times she displays her majesty in singular ways.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS with M.Zuiko MC-14 teleconverter @ 560 mm, efov 1120 mm, f/9, 1/2000, ISO-800, cropped to 2658 pixels on the width, Bird Detection AI, Pro Capture L, subject distance 67.8 metres

Missing summer can sometimes have us yearn to relive past successes… like photographing terns doing mid-air shakes.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS with MC-14 teleconverter @ 420 mm, efov 860 mm, f/8.8, 1/2500, ISO-2500, Pro Capture H, cropped to 4099 pixels on the width, subject distance 4.2 metres

But those moments are fleeting and will never be repeated in exactly the same way again.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS @ 150 mm, efov 300 mm, f/6.3, 1/1600, ISO-2000, Bird Detection AI, Pro Capture L, full frame capture, subject distance 27.7 metres

None of us grow by hanging on to the past. For as much as I am already missing summer… I need to let it go from my memory. That will allow me to make room for new memories that have yet to be lived.

Technical Note:

Photographs were captured handheld using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data. Crops are noted as appropriate. This is the 1,096th article published on this website since its original inception.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS with M.Zuiko MC-14 teleconverter @ 521 mm, efov 1042 mm, f/9, -0.7 EV, 1/640, ISO-160, handheld in-camera focus stacking, out-of-camera jpeg with minor adjustments done in the Nik Collection

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2 thoughts on “Already Missing Summer”

  1. Sigh, you nailed it. But your beautiful work soothes the winter depression a lot. The black/orange bird.. what a beauty.
    Take care and stay safe.

    1. Thanks Claudia… I’m glad I could take your mind away from winter a bit. The bird you noted in your comment is a Baltimore Oriole. It had just landed on my DYI bird photo perch after bathing in our backyard pond. Hope you stay safe as well!

      Tom

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