Feature Photo
The Story Behind the Photo
Niagara Escarpment cliffs from the air
Bruce Peninsula National Park, Summer 2003I've never had a stomach for small planes. This of course is not a good thing if you like to shoot aerial photos, which do. So when I got the chance to spend some quality time this season in the air over the Bruce Peninsula (where I live), I approached it with cautious optimism.
Shooting from the air is exhilarating and rewarding. There's the obvious excitement of just being up in a plane and moving at high speeds. But it's the unique 'big picture' perspective that very much appeals to me. It's a completely different world from up there, where you get a sense of the grandeur of the landscape and also of our human footprint on it.
The Bruce Peninsula is particularly impressive from the air. Home to the largest remaining chunk of natural habitat in southern Ontario, the Bruce is blanketed with a mosaic of forests, wetlands, lakes and rugged shorelines - all interwoven. The cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment, which plunge into the azure waters of Georgian Bay on the east shore of the peninsula, are simply awesome. Although a sizeable portion of the Bruce Peninsula is protected, cottage development is an imminent threat to all unprotected shorelines. The undeveloped tracks are critically valuable.
During my flights over the Bruce, I concentrated on photographing two main concepts: 1) human fragmentation of the natural ecosystems and 2) the spectacular plots of unbroken natural landscapes. These are seemingly easy subjects to photograph, but shooting from a plane has its challenges. The vibrations from the engine require fast shutter speeds and it's tough to work around the wing struts. It's also hard to get level horizons when the plane is banking. So for aerials, I burn through a lot of film - easily 5 to 10 rolls per hour. By shooting like a maniac, I know that a few will work out. Of course, all this occurs while trying desperately not to be sick!
This photo of Georgian Bay and Bruce Peninsula National Park is one of my favorite shots from this past summer. I hope the image evokes the magnitude and beauty of this rare, undeveloped stretch of shoreline, as I experienced it from the air.
Technicals:
Canon EOS 1N; EF 100/2.8 macro USM
Kodak E100G rated at 200 and pushed one stop
Handheld, exposure details unrecorded.
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