Snow storm

A major winter storm could bring up to 40cm of snow to southern Quebec by Wednesday. Which  means I will be adding new material to my online stock collection.

Winter flooding

It is usually in the spring that I get to covers floods. But today in mid-January I got a call from my newspaper that there where residents in Rawdon being evacuated because of flooding.

 

Chunks of ice blocking the river cause the river to raise onto residents properties. Water from the river was running across the road, officials worried the road could wash out, so resident where evacuated as a preventive measure.

First snowstorm of the season

First snowstorm of the season arrived today, by late afternoon the was close 40cm of snow on the ground.  Because of the heavy snow  that was falling and  the wind making for poor visibility I chose to shoot in manual focus mode and 200 ISO.   I keep a dry cloth handy to wipe the snow off my camera, even if i'm shooting with a weather resistant  Canon L lens and EOS 1D MkII camera body.  Better safe than sorry.

Homemade flash snoot

My homemade flash snoot for my Canon  Speedlite 430EX. I neede to illumunate the interior of this hole made in the snow by a weasel.  I picked up a can of Pringles chips that where on special at the supermarket.

After eating the chips, I cut the bottom off the can and  wiped the interior of the can with a paper towel. You will need to shoot several shots to properly align the light source in the hole but it does work well at a fraction of the cost of a commercially made model.

Beaver lodge

Wetlands may seem dormant in the winter, but under the snow and ice beavers are present.

Beaver lodge

Beavers used sticks to build their lodge and mud for insulation and waterproofing.   Beavers don't hibernate, but are less active in the winter, lowering their metabolism by spending most of their time resting in their lodge.  They do prepare a cache of sticks to eat all winter.

Photography in winter

My studio is the great outdoors, so I spend as much time shooting outside in the frigid winter months as the more hospitable summer season.

A tripod isn't an expense, it's an investment. You will earn your money back from the quality of the shots done with a good quality tripod., but to do so you will need to bring it along with you, and in the colder weather the metal legs get very cold, so I put some hockey tape on one of my tripod legs to held keep my hands from freezing while carrying my tripod.

Some people prefer extra insolation and use a piece of cooper pipe insulation available at most any hardware store, which is also very effective in preventing your hands from "frostbite".  Either way there is no need to elave your tripod behind because of the cold weather.

spot news in winter

Covering spot news at -20C this afternoon, better than last night when the temperature dipped to -30C. At least the photos have a nice blue sky.

First major snowfall of the season

First major snowfall of the season. Premier mini-tempete de la saison hivernal. 6 Dec. 2010

Quebec, gestion de sel voirie

Stratégie québécoise pour une gestion environnementale des sels de voirie

Chaque année, c’est approximativement 1,5 million de tonnes de sels de voirie qui sont épandues au Québec et qui compromettent, à des degrés divers, la flore, la faune, la qualité de l’eau et des sols ainsi que les infrastructures.

Afin de réduire ces effets négatifs, les partenaires de la Stratégie québécoise pour une gestion environnementale des sels de voirie invitent les administrations publiques et privées à gérer de façon plus efficiente leurs sels de voirie.

Comment? En se dotant d’un plan de gestion environnementale des sels de voirie (PGESV) qui est basé sur les meilleures pratiques reconnues dans ce domaine et qui prend en compte les impacts environnementaux des activités liées aux sels de voirie.

Adoptons de meilleures pratiques de gestion en matière de sels de voirie tout en assurant la sécurité routière et le maintien de la circulation des personnes et des biens

winter is back

Joliette, Quebec. Winter is back for the day, up to 5cm of snow is expected today.

Montreal

Montreal has had less snow than usual this year. That means the city is saving money on snow removal. The city of Montreal has spent nearly $19 million less than expected for snow-removal costs over the course of the winter of 2009-2010.