Playing with time

How is it August?! When did that happen? Well I guess it happened right after June and July flew by. This summer has gone extraordinarily quickly. And I have a theory as to why it has gone so quickly. I think it has something to do with my new found love. Time lapse photography.

I own a Canon Powershot SX40HS. And it is fantastic. I bought it last summer from a friend and it has been the perfect tool for learning photography. It is a "bridge" camera so it has all the automatic features of a point & shoot but lots of manual features of an DSLR. Through experimentation, online guides (Digital Photography School) and a little help from a lady on YouTube (FatDragon100_SX40 tutorials) I have learnt my way around the camera and have shared (I think) increasingly better photographs with you guys over this last year.

One of the best tips I learnt from FatDragon100 was about CHDK. This is a nifty bit of software called the Canon Developer Hack Kit, which you can load onto your camera and it allows you to override a lot of the settings of your Canon camera to give you more control and more DSLR like settings. I haven't had chance to thoroughly explore all the new possibilities that CHDK has given me, but I have paid particular attention to one of the features. The intervalometer script.

The intervalometer script basically tells your camera to take a photo every x number of seconds. So you find something moving slowly across your frame. Set down your camera in a stable place. Press shoot. Wait for a long period of time. Then you can compile them into a timelapse video. Simple right?! Not necessarily no. As I have found out. Choosing your subject, your shooting interval, dealing with changes in lighting conditions all play an unsurprisingly important role in making a good timelapse. 

And then there is the actual compilation of the photos. I started off using Windows Movie Maker (groan...), which is possibly the most irritating bit of software I've ever used. Turns out it can't really cope with a sequence of 300 photos, appearing at <0.5 seconds a frame. Nor does it really like a simple video made somewhere else with a title and credits added to it. Gahh! My newest method of photo compilation involves a freeware called Panolapse (http://www.panolapse360.com/). Not only will this software put together photos for a timelapse video, it will also help with deflickering (smoothing out any abrupt changes in exposure) and you can add motion to the video, panning and zooming to really make your video come alive with movement.

And in order to make a top notch video, there should always be music. This is something I've only really fully appreciated  recently. No one wants to watch a silent series of photos. Not wanting to breach copyright laws I usually find music from Free Music Archive (http://freemusicarchive.org/), which has all sorts of weird and wonderful beats of all shapes and sizes. Put it together in Movie Maker (when it wants to work) and voilà, you have successfully condensed minutes worth of real life action into a few mere seconds. This is why I think my summer has gone quickly.

Much like how I only seem to use Twitter to give my opinions on sports, YouTube has become my medium for showing the world my timelapse projects. So here is my timeline of timelapses!

A little movie from a fieldtrip to Central Newfoundland.

My first timelapses start at 5:30.

Sunrise timelapse on Canada Day. Changing light conditions at 

sunrise and sunset can be combatted by shooting in Av mode.

Utilising that Av mode during a lovely sunset.

I've discovered that skies are much more interesting with a couple of

 clouds that will spread out the colours across the sky and add texture.

Capturing said moving clouds whilst 

kicking back in the park and reading a book.

Planning is key. This impromptu bonfire meant I missed most of the 

epic sunset that night whilst we drove out to the beach. 

Fun night all the same though!

I dropped a tonne of frames on this one as I 

had to pause and delete files off my memory card...

Also, I need to get a tripod. YouTube managed to remove 

most of the shakiness, but the original showed that 

my rock wasn't actually that stable.

The changing weather is the most obvious thing to do a timelapse of, 

but I could hardly resist the opportunity to capture the incoming thunderstorm.

 I think this is my best one to date :)

I get super excited when I come up with an idea for a timelapse and I love the process of creating the final video. Whether I watch someone else's video and want to recreate their shots, or I hear some music on Songza that would be perfect for sequential photographs, I now find myself constantly dreaming up new projects. I guess this means that I have officially been bitten by the photography bug.

Keep rollin' rollin' rollin' rollin'

If you go down to a Newfoundland beach in June or July you'll probably see more people by the shoreline than at any other time of the year. It's summer yes, but few of them will be taking a dip in the sea (I can assure you the water is still cold!). When you approach the water you'll notice people with nets and buckets, flocks of circling seagulls and if you're lucky, the waves will bring flapping fish onto the beach with every splash of the tide. This is the phenomenon of rolling capelin.

It's been something on my Newfoundland bucket list since I heard about it, and as I didn't manage to see it last year, I was super determined to see it this year. Capelin are small pelagic forage fish that live in the Arctic and sub-Arctic water of the Atlantic. They spend most of their time offshore but every year they come inland to spawn. This is what the rolling is all about. If you go at the right time of day you will sea schools of fish coming onto the beaches to lay their eggs. This makes them easy pickings for humans and birds alike.

A male capelin simply picked up off the beach.

We heard through various social media sources that the capelin had started appearing, so with equal determination a couple of us rushed out to the beach. Our first capelin hunting trip to Middle Cove however proved unsucessful. There were some fish coming in, but they certainly weren't rolling. The trip had was fruitful however; it allowed me to practice my photography 
(See http://northerngeologist.blogspot.ca/2014/06/photography-exercise-textures-of-water.html)

The next time we went out we tried to time it to coincide with low tide, the most logical time for the capelin to be rolling surely? We turned up with great anticipation and sure enough...they weren't rolling. 

A line of dead capelin on the beach from previous rolls.

We hung around for a bit, as it would be a waste to just turn back. We could see some capelin in the water and there were plenty of people out in the water with a variety of different nets and methods of fishing.

Standard nets.

A two person fabric approach.

The more inventive milk crate method.

The milk crate was one of the more novel approaches and we kindly laughed at the idea. All the while I was holding an empty 2kg peanut butter jar to keep my stash in. Then all of a sudden Milk Crate Man caught a bunch of capelin! They weren't quite rolling but they were hanging out very near to the shoreline. It then emerged that we had a milk crate in the back of the car, and minutes later I was in the water fishing! As one of two people in shorts and certainly the most enthusiastic I waded into the icy waters. 

The trick to surviving the temperature was to stay in for
more than 5 minutes until your legs went numb.
Then you could stay in for as long as you wanted.

It worked!!

After working out the timing of the waves and how not to scare the fish away I managed to successfully catch some capelin. A lot of them too. The holes in the crate were just the right size to stop them escaping, although some did manage to get their heads stuck,that unfortunately and more often than not led to a gruesome end.

After deciding that we had a good enough haul and that my body temperature had decreased sufficiently we headed to Ches's for some chips and then home to cook our capelin and watch the World Cup. They're similar to whitebait in the UK, that is you can just fry them up and eat them whole. The skeleton is very thin and the guts do not need to be removed. You can eat the head and tail too, but my preference was to just lop them off.

So, here's my simple steps on how to cook capelin:

These are all male capelin, as they have larger anal fins.

1) Simply chop the head and tail off each capelin. You can often cut one of the smaller fins off with the head too. The other fins you can leave on or off, it's up to you. The guts can stay in but again, it's up to you if you want to simply pull them out.

Decapitated capelin, with a full capelin for comparison.

2) Wash the capelin in a little water to clean them up a bit.

3) In a bowl coat the capelin in flour, seasoned with salt and pepper. Fresh parsley can also be added to make them more scrumptious.

4) Heat up oil in a pan and throw the capelin in. The oil should be hot enough to make the flour crackle and crisp up.

Sizzling away.

5) Cook evenly on both sides until golden brown.

6) Simply serve straight out the pan, with a drizzle of lemon juice! If you don't want to eat the skeleton you can easily get the whole thing out by cutting the fish open in the middle, it should fall right out. Or you can just eat the whole thing!

I was brave and tried one with head and tail.
I prefer them without...

A couple weeks later I had another capelin experience, although this one wasn't planned. We went out on a sea kayaking tour out of Bay Bulls (a thoroughly enjoyable tour from The Outfitters, highly recommend it!). As we went exploring in one of the caves, we saw some dark masses moving around in the water. Upon closer inspection we discovered it was a school of capelin trying not to be eaten in the sheltered cave. Our instructors rued not bringing out a net with them, but at least thanks to an underwater camera we could take away something.

Great shot T!

Despite not seeing the capelin roll I am satisfied that I at least caught some, by whatever unconventional means. I have a stash in the freezer, ready for any time that I fancy stinking out the kitchen. And who knows, while they're still around I might actually get to see them roll. If I do, I will certainly sing Limp Bizkit.

True North strong and free

July 1st marks Canada Day, the national holiday of Canada. It's a statutory holiday (apart from the staff at Tim Horton's) meaning I don't feel guilty taking the day off. This year is Canada's 147th birthday i.e. when Canada ceased to be a British colony (well, when New Brunswick & Nova Scotia joined Ontario and Quebec) and the Dominion of Canada was brought into existence. Newfoundland didn't actually join the Confederation until 1949, but that's by the by. It's still the day when Canada was born.

Being the most easterly province Newfoundland has the honour of being the first place in the country to ring in Canada Day, something the island takes great pride in. Every year there is a sunrise ceremony and this year I decided to attend. This meant waking up at 4am (I've been going to bed at this time the last couple weeks...) and hiking up to Signal Hill. This was a particular risk this year, as the last couple days have seen fog clinging to the coast and ruining the view for intrepid hikers. Nonetheless, armed with a Monster energy drink, I raced across town and up the hill.

I managed to get there just on time as the sun appeared over the horizon. I quickly pulled out my camera and set up for a time lapse of the sunrise, and it was beautiful.

The sun peeking out as I arrived.

Delightful reflections on the water.

Cabot Tower bathed in a red glow.

I had to adjust settings a couple times as I was taking my time lapse, which meant that it didn't show a smooth transition, so I will go back and take another at some point when I can take more time. I'm going a bit time lapse crazy since I learnt how to do it, so hopefully practice makes perfect.

A great crowd had developed by the time 6am rolled round, and our spirits were kept up in the cold by the Sun Parlour Pipes & Drums who were visiting from Ontario. Nothing like bagpipes first thing in the morning to wake you up. The ceremony was led by Parks Canada and various representatives and dignitaries were present, all of whom continually assured us that the sun and clear skies we were experiencing were very much out of the ordinary for Canada Day. I must be a lucky mascot.

As well as July 1st being Canada Day, in Newfoundland & Labrador it is also Memorial Day, the commemoration day for WWI. It is held on this day specifically to recall the losses of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during the first day of the Battle of the Somme. 780 men went bravely forward at Beaumont-Hamel. Only 68 were available for roll call the following day.

Piping away with icebergs floating in the background.

Representative of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Bugler from the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.

One of the WWI reenactors that works at Signal Hill.

Newfoundland flag.

A maple leaf adorns the top of the pipers banner.

Whilst upon Signal Hill I saw one of my friends from school, who asked me "What are you doing up here?" As a Brit it did seem odd that I would put in the effort to celebrate another country's holiday. I'm a tourist and a patriot to whatever country I reside in. This was a way of thanking Canada for letting me into this beautiful country. While my stay may only be temporary there is something about this place that will make me claim to be partly Canadian for the rest of my days. And no, that's not just so I have someone else to cheer on in sports :P 

The rest of day was a typical Canada Day affair. A group of friends, hanging outside (we were by a lake), having a BBQ, having some beers and generally having a good time. Despite my factor 60 sunscreen I managed to go a little more rouge, adding to my English Rose look, but it was totally worth it. A lovely day of fun in the sun. Happy birthday Canada.

I've made a little video of my timelapse attempt to the soundtrack of O Canada as played by the pipe band. My little personal thankyou to Canada. Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/kEVzGin1Gx4

Photography exercise: Textures of water

This post is just an excuse to show off some photos I took the other day. We were down at Middle Cove hunting for capelin (more about this hopefully in an upcoming post) and I took the opportunity to chill on the beach and practice my photography skills. Enjoy.

Searching for capelin.

Santa Claus' summer job.

Playing with long exposures.

Going the other way with fast shutter speeds.

Pockets of the pebbles under the water.

Foamy.

The more photos I take the more and more I enjoy it, and the better I become. Please comment and let me know what you think!

On the wrong side of the road

When I moved to Newfoundland, I had no great hopes of people coming to visit me. It costs a lot of money to get over here and there are far more exotic/sunny places for people to spend their hard earned money on. Imagine my excitement when my best friend told me she wanted to come over.

One of the prerequisites of visiting Newfoundland was a willingness to rent a car and to drive. On the other side of the road. A side effect of me not being able to drive on any side of the road, and the lack of public transport to get you anywhere other than St John's. Man, I miss trains.

I had ordered the weather especially for Emily's arrival, primarily to ensure that she was able to land, but also for aesthetic reasons. Anywhere looks better when the sun is shining. As she emerged from the airport to blue skies we made quick plans with our helpful Latvian chaffeur to go down to Cape Spear to see the arched iceberg that I had heard a lot of hype about. We arrived to a stream of cars parked on either side of the Cape Spear road and an impressive chunk of ice.

A huge iceberg with an ever growing arch. Tour boat for scale.

Partners in crime.

Sunshine, icebergs and fog. Newfoundland in one shot.

A little revision/learning of the road signs of Newfoundland the night before prepared both myself and Emily for our road trip. First stop Bonavista, where I had seen icebergs a few weeks previously. The weather wasn't great (I could only reserve the good weather for a couple of non-consecutive days) but it was dry, which is the most you can ask for. When the icebergs are around, the weather stays grey and cold unfortunately. The 300km drive ended with some awesome icebergs, bracing winds, and a suprisingly precisely timed appearance from a gathering of puffins.

The Dungeon. Small English girl for scale.

An array of different shaped icebergs,
one curiously resembling either a Muppet or a dog.

The wonders of puffins attempting to fly.

The following day after a typically Canadian breakfast of pancakes, maple syrup and bacon for Emily, and a tasting of some of the 42 homemade jams on offer at White's B&B we headed back towards the Avalon with a couple pitstops along Bay de Verde.

The Spirit of Harbour Grace, commemorating Emelia Earheart's maiden
female solo flight across the Atlantic, setting off from Harbour Grace itself.

Day 3 was dedicated to the Irish Loop. I've (been) driven down the eastern coast about as far as Renews, but I've always wanted to explore the southern Avalon. Unfortunately Mistaken Point was a no go. The tours aren't running at the moment and the roads are in really bad condition. I will get there before I leave though! Most of the way down the loop is typical Newfoundland landscape of trees and rocks, but you pass a point down past Cappahayden when the trees disappear and you are in the barrens. Civilisation seems a distant memory. After popping into the Mistaken Point interpretation centre at Portugal Cove South we drive on past Trepassey and stopped for lunch near the St Shott's Rd. The silence was deafening. It was fabulous. We were expectantly hoping to see caribou but the lack of wildlife made the experience all the more great. It wasn't completely devoid of life however. As I was filming a panorama an unidentified bird got spooked, made a funny noise and flew away. No idea what it was.

Nothingness.

Always wanted to take one of these.

Never devoid of human activity.

We also stopped at Cape Spear again to check on the arched iceberg from above.
These were the remains.

Day 4 saw our shortest trip, exploring the northern Avalon as well as popping into The Geocentre (Emily is a geologist at heart). The sun decided to pop out in the afternoon so we got a great view from Signal Hill to finish the day. Overall driving total was ~1100 km. Great job Em, and thanks for doing it again!!

Naturally a Screech In was in order for the Friday night. Bologna was eaten, cod were kissed and rum was drank. Another Newfoundlander was inducted. A night of spending all my Loonies on the jukebox ensued and involved a trip to the poutinerie. Walking home as the sun started to make an appearance ended a typical Newfoundland night out. Definitely wasn't an early one.

The last thing on the list of things to do was the Signal Hill hike, and Sunday was a perfect day for it. Around The Battery, up to Cabot Tower and then over to see the growing eagles, before dropping down into Quidi Vidi village, an impromptu lunch at Mallard Cottage, washed down with a brewery tour, rounded things off nicely, and ensured that Emily hadn't brought her hiking boots out with her for nothing.

Stunning day.

Difficult to understand the scale of these two things floating in the ocean.

Eagles are growing with every visit.

Love these stilted houses in The Gut.

Great beers from this place.

Things we learnt on this trip. Puffins can only fly anti-clockwise. There is no such thing as too much jam. Beach sediments are exciting to both geographers and geologists alike. You can play Ed Sheeran's "Sing" too much. Ivica Olić isn't a scary Croatian to everybody. How to say condominiums. Poutine is only good when there is still cheese. English pubs should always have hunting wallpaper. Iceberg beer tastes of nothing. I love my friends (well I didn't learn this, but the trip did reinforce it). Thanks so much for coming Emily.