As I watched the grizzly, its nose was never still, twisting from side to side, distorting its massive face with comic affect. Periodically, it pointed its snout upwards into the moist autumn air, teasing out my scent from the background odours of pine, damp earth, and decaying leaves. Soon it […]
There are road trips, and then there are road trips that make you forget where you’re going because you’re too busy staring out the window. Alberta’s Yellowhead Highway and Icefields Parkway belong firmly in the second category. For photographers, nature lovers and anyone who enjoys the freedom of the open […]
There are places we visit simply to see, and then there are places that invite us to slow down, look more closely, and discover the beauty in things that might otherwise go unnoticed. The Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario is one of those special places. I’ve been fortunate to enjoy […]
Last summer, I led two photo tours to Iceland. Tourism in that country changed significantly in 2010. Between March and June of that year, a series of powerful volcanic eruptions generated dangerous ash clouds which dramatically disrupted air travel between North America and Europe, ushering in a wave of “volcano […]
This month, I want to feature two of my wife Aubrey’s favourite prairie birds, the American avocet and the black-necked stilt. Both of these handsome shorebirds are widespread and common on shallow sloughs and marshes throughout the prairies. The avocet (top) and stilt belong to a small family of elegant, […]
(Chasing Light Along the Atlantic) There are some places that seem made for photography. Places where every winding road, fishing village, and rugged coastline feels like a painting waiting to happen. Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island are exactly that kind of place that we visited a couple of years […]
In March, I featured the first of three postings I want to make from my recent trips to the Pantanal wetlands in central Brazil. This month I will focus on the birds, hopefully illustrating some of the fascinating biodiversity of this remarkable ecosystem. The pink blossoms are a colourful backdrop […]
With spring now in full force, there is a renewed sense of life and movement across Ontario—making it the perfect time to turn attention closer to home. Rather than looking far afield, I felt drawn to explore my own backyard, to rediscover the beauty that often goes unnoticed in familiar […]
By Espen Helland On 2nd of June 2025, my partner Naomi and I set off on our gravel bikes from Armona, west of Turin in Northern Italy, with a goal of reaching northern Norway by the end of July for our flight back to Scotland. Though time was of the […]
For the last couple of years, I have spent the month of August in the Pantanal wetlands of central Brazil. I first went to this remote area in South America in 1997 when I was on a scouting trip to determine if this little-known wilderness had any merit as a […]
