02/02/10

Our Cameras:

Most of these photos were taken with the Canon S40 4MP Digital camera. It's a simple point-and-shoot camera that gives surprisingly good results. The optics aren't incredibly good, but they're adequate. The auto focus is generally good, but it fails in the macro mode when you want close focus of specific elements. Some of the shots, the older ones, were taken on one of the first Kodak digitals. We have a full Olympus 35mm system consisting of two bodies (OM-1 and OM-2), and a wide variety of lenses and filters. We only use those now for wedding photography.

I'm presently waiting in for delivery of a Nikon D70. We've done our homework on this, and it seems like this camera offers the best combination of features, quality, and price amongst the new generation of consumer digital SLRs.  If you're looking for good reviews of digital cameras, I'd suggest www.dpreview.com or www.steves-digicams.com Both sources offer incredibly detailed reviews of a wide range of digital cameras. 

We'll be selling the Canon S40 to help pay for the new camera. If you're interested, e-mail me for details.

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Our Nikon D70 has arrived. The first two photos on this page were taken with it. My first impressions: It's a little bigger, bulkier and heavier than I anticipated; the optics are as good as I expected; it's powerful, and I'm still getting used to the options; the flash isn't good, I'll have to get an accessory flash, probably the Speedlight 600; its startup time, from power on to ready is VERY good; I haven't used the RAW file setting yet, because the optional Nikon 4 software is over $100.00 and that's the only software that will read Nikon's proprietory NEF format. Bottom line (so far): I'm happy with it; it's not terribly easy to carry on a hike, but the optics are so much better than the little Canon that I'll do it. The Nikon D70 is a 6.1 MP digital SLR. As such it offers tremendous expansion possibilities. My first additional investment will either be the Speedflash or a bigger zoom with macro capabilities.

If anyone can give me some good advice about an additional lens to purchase for the D70, I surely would appreciate it. (Not a Nikkor lens; too expensive.)

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March - 2005 We've added a Sigma flash that's fully compatible with the Nikon. We've also added a Nikon 28-200 zoom that's serving as our walk-around lens, and a 50mm 1.8 that will be our macros lens. We're looking forward to this summer when we can start our hking and get some decent wild flower shots with the macro.

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All of the photography on this site is original and is the property of artandcarol.ca It may not be used/reproduced/copied without permission. Permission is easily obtained. Just ask.

FYI - There are a lot more of our most current photos at http://newfoundlander.smugmug.com

Sunset at Green Point campsite, Gros Morne National Park

Ducks in Quidi Vidi, St. John's, Newfoundland

On the beach at Green Point, Gros Morne National Park

Beach rocks, on the beach, Green Point, Gros Morne National Park

Getting ready for the lobster season, Green Point, Gros Morne National Park

Winterhouse Brook, Gros Morne National Park (with Gros Morne in the background).

The Tablelands, on the road to Trout River, Gros Morne National Park

The lighthouse at Woody Point, looking across at Gros Morne.

The large bald mountain on the left is Gros Morne. This is taken from the road between Rocky Harbour and Norris Point.

The fjord at Western Brook Pond from the beginning of the hiking trail

Mid-March at Norris Point, Bonne Bay, Gros Morne National Park

On the wharf at Norris Point, Bonne Bay, Gros Morne National Park

Reflections (Norris Point, Bonne Bay, Gros Morne National Park)

The Tablelands (from Norris Point, Bonne Bay, Gros Morne National Park with Woody Point in the foreground)

Neddy's Harbour, Gros Morne National Park

Neddy's Harbour, Bonne Bay - Gros Morne National Park (from the North Side of the Park looking across Bonne Bay)

Snowshoe hike to Western Brook Pond, Gros Morne National Park

St. Paul's, Gros Morne National Park

Great Big Sea, Gros Morne National Park

The statue The Spirit of the Beothuk in the Beothuk Interpretation Centre, Boyd's Cove, Newfoundland, Gerry Squires - Artist. This is one of the single most impressive works of art I have ever seen. It's worth a visit. See our "Hikes of the Week" and/or our "Hiking Trails" page for more details. You may also want to visit these sites for more information (click the BACK button on your browser when you're done with those sites):  http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/beo_inst.html http://www.mun.ca/muse/archive/Volume51/Issue18/feature/stories.html Seeing this statue standing there in the woods is a singular experience.

Missus Spruce Grouse, on the hike to Baker's Brook Falls. See our "Hiking Trails" page for more details.

The Good Hiking Seal of Approval

This was taken on our hike to Green Gardens.  It's at the end of the trail when you take the entrance closest to Trout River. This was a windy day. The mist is just being blown off the tops of the waves. 

This is taken from the bottom of the stairs that lead down from the Lighthouse at Lobster Cove Head. It's from this same spot that park rangers begin their ecological tour through the tide pools with children and adults. Our children used to love this experience.

The Tablelands, from Norris Point, Bonne Bay - Gros Morne National Park

I put this picture in just to let you know you can do things in Newfoundland and Labrador besides hiking and camping.  This is the course in Terra Nova National Park in early Fall. During the past several years government has spent a lot of money upgrading golf courses in the province.  This one didn't need much upgrading. There's a wonderful lodge and lots of accommodations close by.

This is taken from Lookout Trail behind the Discovery Centre in Gros Morne National Park. This is looking out over Bonne Bay, specifically over Norris Point and Neddy's Harbour. You can take a boat trip from Norris Point to Woody Point, have your meal, and take the trip back.  It's becoming very popular.

And I put this one in just to let you know there are other ways to get here besides driving and flying. Cruise ships are making more and more appearances in both Corner Brook and St. John's. It wouldn't be my way to see the island; your stay is too short. I'm told some like it though.

These were taken on the drive home from St. John's one lovely evening. I used the flash to bring out the trees in the foreground. That's Sandy Lake you see in the background. Combined Sandy Lake, Grand Lake, and Birchy Lake make up the largest body of fresh water in the province. Of the three Grand Lake (right behind us here in Pasadena - accessible by snowmobile in winter) is the largest. (The middle picture is from the East end of Birchy Lake.)

Just a picture!  Shallow Bay Beach!

The scene is Western Brook Pond in Gros Morne National Park. From here (after about a half hour hike), you take the boat (the big one, not the little one) up the pond into the fjord.  It's an amazing trip, both the hike and the boat trip. Don't be surprised to see a moose on the trail, maybe actually ON the trail in front of you (or a caribou or two).

This is the lighthouse at Lobster Cove Head, just north of Rocky Harbour. There are campfires, interpretive lectures, and walks (for children) through the tidal pools with explanations of the various sea creatures that live there.

This is Woody Point.  It's on the "south" side of the park. You can take a tour boat here from the North Side. It leaves from Norris Point. In the background you can see the Tablelands, a spectacular geographical phenomenon found very few places in the world.  You can take a boat tour up Trout River Pond alongside the Tablelands. There a wonderful explanation of the geography of the area, interesting even to someone like me who is generally bored with such stuff. Children might be bored too.

This is Trout River, at the end of the road on the South Side of the park.  You can take that boat tour I was talking about here.  It's over there >>> about a kilometer up the road, that this river ^ flows from.

This is the view taken from the balcony of the Discovery Centre on the road to Trout River just after you make the turn from the Woody Point route.  The Discovery Centre is an interpretive centre for the geography, flora and fauna, wildlife, history of the area.  It's well worth visiting.  There's a small gift shop and a small coffee shop.  The trail behind the Discovery Centre is perhaps the most scenic trail in the park, but it's a tough one.  It's about an hour up hill. The climb is well worth it as it brings you first (if you take the left turn at the top) to a mountain meadow that overlooks the Tablelands ,the same arm of the bay you see in this picture, and then to the crest of the hill where you can see all of Bonne Bay and the Tablelands. It's spectacular.

This is an outport scene you can see around just about every turn you take in the small roads to and through Newfoundland outports.  ("Outport" is what Newfoundlanders call our small coastal communities. You may want to call them villages, or hamlets, or something else equally quaint.)

Newfoundlanders used to be (and maybe still are), ashamed to eat lobster. They were considered the "poor man's" dinner. The missus would say, "Close the doors and windows," anytime lobster was being served in an outport community. 

And more lobster pots.  On the drive up the Northern Peninsula you will see literally thousands of them stored alongside the road and in the woods along little woods roads. 

This is Raleigh, on the Great Northern Peninsula.  It is around the bay, just before we started our magnificent hike out to the botanical gardens. It's across the bay from Abiel Taylor's craft store (carvings).

This is Gros Morne itself. Carol has taken pictures from this spot during every season of the year.  Every time we pass by it strikes us as so beautiful that we always take new pictures. I must count the number or pictures we've taken from this same location.

This is one of the reasons we've never minded having to drive 20 miles to work every morning (not that we do it any more).  This was taken one sunny cold morning when the cold had frozen the mist off the Humber River. I took this on my way skiing.  Life is tough, huh?

Same day as the picture above. This time taken looking down the valley. Marble Mountain is just about across from the last mountain you can see.

And this is that same day looking UP the Humber River, that's back in the direction I just came from.  The drive through the Humber Valley is spectacular any time of the year, but particularly on days like this and in the fall.

This is the view looking up along the Tablelands from Trout River.  This is where the Trout River boat tour goes.

Here's a better view of Trout River Pond and the route of the boat tour. No boat tours this time of year though.

This was taken on another remarkable hike, this time on the Alexander Murray Trail which leaves from King's Point in Green Bay.  There are a LOT of steps, but what a hike. Beautiful!

The little boats of Newfoundland.

Mr. Moose. In the early spring, driving through Gros Morne, you can see anywhere from twenty to fifty moose. This picture was taken in early fall when they still have their racks. We have a LOT of moose pictures on our computer.  This one wasn't about to stop eating just because there was a tour bus stopped, about 10 cars, and about 50 people taking pictures of him.

This was a beautiful day in April, 2004. We drove to the entrance to the Lomond Camp Ground, parked the car, and walked in to the campground, about an hour and a half walk over crusty snow. We carried in a lunch and had a beautiful picnic on site. Piqa got her treats. Then we hiked out.  Altogether it was about a four hour trip.

Photography of Newfoundland and Labrador

Visit our photo galleries on our photography site:

Leading Tickles, Targa, Glover's Harbour    Great Northern Peninsula     Green Point      Norris Point    Southern Harbour PB      Little Bay Islands    Sally's Cove    Trout River    Quidi Vidi    Trout River March 2005     Neddy's Harbour    Cow Head, Shallow Bay, Rocky Harbour    Westport, Fleur de Lys, Baie Verte Peninsula  Jackson's Arm, Schooners Cove, Sop's Arm, Hampton, The Beaches

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