Category: Photography

My Camera and Lenses

Canon 5d (this one was a Mark 3 but I have a Mark 4 now)

This is my most asked question online. If you only want the answer, it’s currently a Canon 5D mark 4 but if you really want to know how to take great photos, the answer is much more complex and buying the same camera may not be your answer.

My current arsenal of lenses include the 17-40mm f4, 24-70mm mark 2 f2.8, 70-200mm f4, 50mm f1.2, 85mm f1.8, 135mm f2. When I hike, my current favorite is normally the 24-70mm. With the camera body, this is serious weight (2lbs for the body and 2lbs for the 24-70mm). It’s also pretty darn big hanging off your body as you scramble up rocks and it’s almost too big to hide under a spacious rain jacket if the rain starts pouring down unexpectedly. I have this camera for several reasons- I would like the option to print large and to seriously crop my images. For me, the full frame camera is great but I don’t think most pet owners want to carry such a large weight for those reasons. I’m also working in photography so have an “excuse” for a camera in this price range, and the willingness to carry the kit up and down the mountains. If you already own a dslr and the size/weight becomes an excuse to leave it behind, then I would not suggest anything larger.

135mm f2 gives a really creamy bokeh

I really believe the picture you take is always better than the picture you don’t take and a wonderful option are the mirrorless options that are out there now. I just LOVED the Fuji XT1 that we had. It was tiny, pretty tough in the rain, light, perfect for female hands, and the lenses were amazing quality. I much prefered the Fuji body but technically it didn’t stand up to the 5D. I’m also considering moving to the Sony A7 III, and may do soon enough, just for the potential of a better autofocus system (they have dog specific focusing that I’ve not yet tested). Mirrorless cameras include the Canon M100, Canon RP, Nikon Z6, the Sonys (thinking about moving to) and Fujis (I really love the Fuji body).

50mm f1.2 at it’s widest

Another option is a cropped frame DSLR sporty camera that has great auto-focusing abilities but is smaller and cheaper than the full frame options. We used to own two cropped-frame Nikon D-90s that were wonderful and lasted 5+ years of photos. Cropped frame cameras include the Nikon D3500, D7200, D500, Canon 80D, Canon 760D, Canon Rebel (my first!), and so many others.

Lenses

24-70mm f2.4 that I carry on most of my trips

70-200mm f4 at the longest, you need two people for this one for dogs

Lens choices are personal. They depend on the type of photos you like to take, your ability to carry them, and the environment and situation you shoot in. I prefer zoom lenses in most places because as Whiskey moves, I can quickly adapt and get shots that are not just her posing in a certain location. I’m also usually in very restricted spaces where backing up is not an option (like a cliff) so zoom lenses really help with flexibility. In so many cases something amazing is happening and I wouldn’t have much time to switch lenses and I don’t want to be stuck on a prime without knowing what type of photo I’m taking before I start a hike. Also, Whiskey is trained to stay really close to me on trails, and unless my husband is with me, she’s not usually far away enough for me to control (pose) from a great length, so I don’t usually bring a long lens. Overall my go-to is the 24-70mm f2.8 mark 2 which is a big lens but covers most of the range and just captures wonderfully sharp images in difficult situations (ie flares, backlighting, little distortion). Of course, my ability to carry lenses up mountains and hikes severely restrict my options.

50mm f1.2 I struggle for the lens to pick her eye

Primes are better if you are not hiking for hours with a pack on, or if you are aiming for a particular look with short depth of field. If we are going out for a photoshoot, I do love my 135mm. It’s a very specialized lens but has the creamiest bokeh and makes anything look great.

135mm f2 is beautiful but I was backing up in snowshoes in hip deep snow!

Remember, I shoot dogs which are shorter and smaller than humans so the same lens might not look the same for humans. I’m constantly trying to learn how to use and work with my lenses, and sometimes will just go out with one I haven’t tried in ages. The 50mm 1.2 is the hardest for Whiskey, the short depth of field with a camouflage dog seems like an autofocus challenge, especially in the forest or busy environment. I don’t have as much trouble with a person, but once I start adding foreground elements, it seems like everything including the ground, the trees, and the leaves have more contrast and interest for the autofocus to grab onto than Whiskey’s soft monochrome fur.

17-40mm f4 for super wide images

May 10, 2019

Ovary Sparing Spay

Whiskey hours before her spay

We’ve just gotten back from a trip to Kelowna for Whiskey’s spay. When we first got a dog, I didn’t realize there were several different options for spays (and for neuters), each with pros and cons. As I’m typing this, Whiskey is next to me sleeping and recovering.

fetching and swimming in Kelowna

Just looking at a health perspective (let’s assume you aren’t leaving your dog in heat running around with intact males), there is up to a 25% chance of uterine infection with older intact females (pyometra) so if you aren’t breeding, getting a spay in North America is probably going to be considered. Here are the types of spay I was looking at:

Ovariohysterectomy
-traditional spay removing both the uterus and the ovaries
-removes chance of pyometra
-available anywhere
–increase chance of joint disease and cancers since hormones are absent

Ovariectomy
-removing only the ovaries
-removes chance of pyometra
-typically a key hole surgery requiring a smaller incision
-quicker surgery and potentially safer
-less painful with a smaller cut
-quicker recovery time
-less vets can do this
–increase chance of joint disease and cancers since hormones are absent

Ovary sparing spay
-removing only the uterus and cervix, leaving at least one ovary
-removes chance of pyometra
-still small chance of ovarian cancer
-increased chance of mammary tumors over other spays
-keeps heats but no bleeding
-keeps all the hormones
-difficult to find an experienced vet that does this

one last sunset picture

For larger breeds, because it’s healthier to keep the hormones, spays are usually delayed until the dog is “fully grown” although with an OSS, you could even do it earlier. I only really researched about spaying later because of this, and honestly I wanted to delay any kind of optional surgery as late as possible. Once I did look into it, I found the only vets near where we lived that offer this special spay were at least a 4-5 hour drive away. Poor Whiskey had no idea where we were going when we headed out on a roadtrip to Kelowna. She was so happy, hiking, exploring, and modelling the whole day before her spay.

she’s old enough to understand the vet is no fun place!

Whiskey’s suspicious face

a small pre-surgery checkup

waiting for her surgery time

Freaking out a bit once we got her on the surgery table

Because Whiskey had such little fat, she was more difficult to put under and struggled more than usual. Outside of that her spay went normal and we were there when she went to sleep and woke up. It was so heart-breaking to watch her struggling against the anesthesia as well as flailing around when she woke up (apparently certain breeds flail more than others). We didn’t leave her side until we drove home that evening.

right after she finished with heating pads

we made sure she could smell us before opening her eyes

forcing her to lay down and not run out!

stubbornly not laying down to recover at the office

That evening Whiskey was feeling so poorly it was very difficult to get her to pee and poop and she was walking like a very very elderly dog with her head hanging low. It was so sad to see! The next day however she was still walking slow but she had perked up and was already giving kisses. By lunch time she would let me spoon feed her (yes, she’s a princess when she feels sad) and by the evening she was 80% back to normal. Currently I walk her on leash only with a long line and work on new tricks, training, and lots of patience!

2 days after and healing

May 6, 2016

Feb 2016 Vizsla Meetup

I’m so late in posting this but I’ve been working like crazy. Here are some photos and video of our latest Vizsla meetup in Vancouver. We met at Cypress Falls this time, and we were about 29 Vizslas!

February 22, 2016
Wanatchee Lake Snowshoe

Did I mention that we ended up in Washington during a crazy snowstorm? We almost lost Whiskey except for her day-glo jacket in the snow (chillydogs.ca). She can barely surface to breathe…joking!

So I’ve seen so many beautiful photos online of this park and I was really excited to visit. Unfortunately, the worst part about this beautiful snowshoe is the parking price!! You must get a confusing number of two passes (sno-park pass and discovery pass) the total of $30 USD, for just one day of parking which becomes a very expensive hike (and we did see rangers who were checking).

Otherwise, the park was lovely and empty besides a couple cross country skiers, and a couple visitors just taking pictures at the entrance of the lake. I suppose no one brought their own snowshoes to explore for we explored a very easy snowshoe trail with interpretive signs and met no one. The trail would normally be very easy to follow had we not had 50cms of fresh snow, but even then we had no problems at all once we found the “start”.

From the amount of photos online of this lake, I would suspect this park is normally very popular and busy. Here’s to getting outside when everyone else is sleeping in after a snowstorm!

In fact it was so beautiful we went a second time while waiting for the highway to open up again on our way out (there are alot of closures with the snow storms). Here are some photos the day later.

January 9, 2016

Widgeon Falls

Paddling on Pitt Lake

Now this was an adventure! To get to Widgeon Falls, one must drive to Pitt Lake, canoe or kayak across, make your way up a creek, and then hike a couple kilometers to a beautiful waterfall. This was my first time and I really enjoyed this day trip. The previous day Whiskey had cut her back paw so we were happy for a short walk (and a bootie to protect her).

The sunrise light on blueberry fields

Arriving at Pitt Lake

Whiskey and Millie, her half sister

We woke up really early on Sunday to drive to the canoe rental shop since we had heard it can get really busy and we had a big group that didn’t want to miss out on canoes (11 people and 4 dogs). Well the shop was supposed to open at 8am but we didn’t realize we needed to knock next door in order to get the shopkeeper (presumably living next door) to open up so we waited around for a good half hour before figuring it out.

Tugging on a found sock, yucky!

What mom? can we go yet?

Millie checking out the view

You got the canoe? Lets go!

The canoe was wonderful and all dogs behaved themselves, even the boat with 4 people and 2 dogs (we were on a 3 person 1 dog canoe). Canoeing to the hike point can be harder than you expect if you aren’t used to paddling and steering but we had enough Canadians to work it out.

a 4 person 2 dog canoe

Little Ginger was also keeping watch in her canoe

It was hard to keep Whiskey fully inside

Amazing mist on the creek

Really beautiful scenery

She kept sniffing the water

We reached the hike point (also the camping grounds) in an hour and the hike itself is very pretty and quite short. The falls were fantastic (my best friend even trucked in a cake to celebrate my birthday early) and it was just wonderful to sit in the sun.

Beautiful light on the trail

Millie takes a dip in the cold water

Widgeon Falls

Part of our group

A little birthday on the rocks

My family

Millie inspects a hole

Shira is our gorgeous 4th dog today

We had paddled out in the early morning on high tide (Pitt lake is large enough to be tidal) but coming back was reaching low tide so there were moments the heavier canoes had to be pushed to get through some very shallow parts (it’s a good idea that someone has water shoes). Also, on the way back Whiskey decided she had enough with canoeing and jumped out into the marsh. We were really happy we could convince her to get back in without jumping out ourselves! I do believe my Vizsla is not the biggest fan of canoes and would rather walk.

Whiskey jumps out for a run

October 5, 2015

Salt Spring Island

Salt Spring Island is beautiful

Last weekend we took off on a little mini vacation to a place I kept hearing about, but had never visited: Salt Spring Island

the beautiful clouds at the ferry terminal

Stuck in the lower deck with Whiskey

Yey! We’re here

We spent a total of 5 days on this small but packed island with the whole family including our cat, Moo! While we started driving to the ferry as soon as we got off work, we had to endure a 3 hour ferry ride getting shuttled from one island to the next to finally reach Salt Spring late in the evening. When we finally reached our super quaint airBnb cottage and herded everyone in, we were so tired we fell asleep super fast and couldn’t wait for our next adventure.

Moo explores and dreams of escaping

The dock at our vacation home

breakfast with posers

I’m not sure why, but our normally mellow Vizsla was very very excited to be on vacation and wasn’t happy to let us sleep in. While my partner slept until noon, I took Whiskey out for a little tour of the farm we were staying at. She was so excited about meeting the sheep, I was afraid she would sneak under the fence!

Vizslas are the best!

She kept trying to “touch” the other dog

omg sheep!! hello sheep!

We choose Mt Erskine as our first hike of the island as it promised great views and hidden fairy doors. The start of the hike was a little hard to find, but once we got started we really loved the trail. A relatively short hike, we soon reached the top for extensive views of Vancouver Island. Along the way we only found 2 fairy doors but we heard there are many more we missed and along the other trails. At the top was a beautiful stone dog bowl dedicated to someone’s loved one.

On our way up Mt Erksine

No better place to explore

A fairy door! Who lives inside?

I love banana slugs!

At the top much faster than expected

really nice views

I love these fairy doors

knocking to see who’s inside

The next day we headed over to Ruckle park on the other side of the island. It has a much longer trail up to Yeo point and we met few people. We passed by a couple tiny beaches and overall loved how quiet it was on a long weekend.

Ruckle park’s scenic walk

It’s chilly but there are some dive sites here

loving the moss covered rocks

racing to the camera

Taking a moment

Loving the fresh air

more sheep! why cant’ we be friends?

After the hike we checked out a local cheese farm, brewery, and hopped out a couple times on the road to check the farm stalls. There are unsupervised stalls along the roads with fruit, veges, eggs (and one time bacon!!) that you can pay for on the honor system leaving cash in the cash boxes provided. We just loved the trust here. Afterwards we drove around the main town which was full of cute little local stores. The Saturday market was in full swing and I really loved wondering the stalls (but dogs are not allowed) and buying up all the local produce, even local dog treats!

Saturday market

cooking with all local ingredients (Moo approved)

This is how Moo hangs out

Farmer’s stalls everywhere

On our last full day it looked pretty cloudy but we hit Mt Maxwell anyways hoping the clouds would clear when we got to the top for a little view. We didn’t really get our view but what we saw was much better: fog. I love fog and the pictures usually look so much more beautiful than under blue skies. It’s also easier taking photos with someone else to direct the dog and being able to take your time. The hiking here was super well mapped out and signed and I suppose the clouds had scared away most people because we didn’t meet anyone except at the top (which you can drive to). I’m so happy we didn’t drive!

We started here and walked 1,5,4,6,6a,2 and back

Just starting out and it’s pretty

This is the life! 4 days off

not much of a view, just a hint

I am in love with fog

Playing with silhouettes

running around the trails

My shot of the day!

I’m not sure how much Moo enjoyed the trip but she wasn’t stressed out at the change whatsoever (great appetite and went straight to exploring). Her escape plans are getting better though, and we had a couple scares but we caught her quickly. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have such a confident genius cat…

Last day’s beach visit

until next time Salt Spring

A much nicer ferry ride for us

Whiskey wonders when we’ll be done with ferries

The last day we had found out the ferry was full so we ended up taking a ferry to Vancouver Island, then another one back to the mainland. We were so happy and tired when we got home!

September 12, 2015

A Rainy Camp Trip

A rainy camp trip was still beautiful

Last weekend we went back to the same place as last year for a camp trip: Fountain Lake

Last year she was still a puppy

This year fully grown

We had a different group, and different luck (or lack of) with the weather. This time, as we drove past Pemberton to the site, we enjoyed a thunder and lighting show as we safely avoided the remnants of small rockslides on the windy roads. By the time we arrived, it was pitch dark and rainy but thanks to an awesome tent, we got set up in minutes and could help everyone else. It’s quite a different experience from last year when we were wearing t-shirts to this year with several layers and a rain jacket.

a very rainy drive

halfway through setting up a group shelter

A cloudy and chilly lake

Someone is not happy in the rain!

Still beautiful

Fountain Lake

It rained consistently until late afternoon the next day. Rain can be miserable but it’s all about the right gear to enjoy even the worst weather. It’s also about distracting your rain-shy Vizsla with games to keep her from complaining with lots of stick throwing and sniff games. This is where I’ll go on to advertise merino wool as the best camping clothing. I was the only one toasty that morning clothed toe to head (socks, undies, shirt, hoodie and beanie) in merino. Whiskey had her new chillydog jacket and I was testing my new rain jacket (both worked great). A couple thermoses of hot tea and a well-rigged tarp ensured that we could happily play board games and nap until the sky cleared in the mid-afternoon.

Sleeping in the same bag

A couple strolls around the lake

Some low and high clouds

Working on balance

Lots to do even in bad weather

As we chowed down in the evening under a sky full of stars, we felt pretty lucky! Whiskey probably had the best sleep out of all of us. She absolutely loves sharing my sleeping bag and feels no guilt in waking me up in the middle of the night with a “punch” when she gets too hot. Somehow she is able to wiggle up and down my mummy sleeping bag and curl into a ball on my side (I don’t let her crawl down to my toes). We’ve tried bringing blankets, even a dog bed before, but she’s always ended up inside my sleeping bag. I’ve given into her now…

Really unsure about horses

Daddy…Is this safe?

Hold me!

Baby frog season

Getting sunnier!

Ariel view of Fountain Lake

The next day was beautiful, warm, and sunny. What a change! We took a walk around the lake where we met some little frogs. Whiskey “checked” them out with her mouth (all survived) but wasn’t interested in making friends. When we came across a couple friendly horses, I found Whiskey was more concerned for our own safety than curious about the gigantic creatures. She was clearly not comfortable with us petting them but I do want her to get used to horses in the future. Soon after, we had to pack up soon after lunch for a long drive home. The road back is fantastic and we made a couple stops for photos and drone pictures.

Outside Lillooet

Town of Lillooet

Roadtrip!

Fantastic views

Duffey Lake

Green Lake

August 24, 2015

Seymour Peak- going solo

Seymour Peak 4-6 hours, 9km, 450m gain

On top of the world (Mt Seymour)

It’s been such a busy summer that this weekend I found my usual hiking buddies were already booked. No problem! I’ve got my most dependable canine buddy to go with. This day ended up being scorching hot and I finished my 3L hydration pack with Whiskey. It’s probably the fastest we’ve done this hike since I skipped 1st and 2nd pump and took very little rest on the peak.

just starting the hike

mom! take a picture!

a resting space with a view before going on

very hot today!

Around first pump it becomes very rocky

fantastic views all around

With just me and Whiskey, we didn’t have any distractions and finished in under 4 hours (taking our time) despite not having been hiking this incline in quite awhile. Whiskey never wanders far, usually in my eye line and a little shout brings her right back to me if she runs to far ahead. She also poses like a professional model and several times froze in a position begging me to take several photos. I’ve always treated her for posing so it seems now that she knows what to do without asking. Over time I’m realizing I’m not the great dog photographer I was hoping to be- Whiskey is just an amazing model I’m lucky to have (because no other dog I’ve photographed does what she does).

2nd pump just beyond

looking back at first pump

it becomes steep to the peak

great views of the north shore mountains

the scariest section

my hiking partner

As we were on the way to the first pump we passed several groups that had been waiting 15mins for a mama bear and her 2 cubs to pass. I put Whiskey on leash for a bit after that, made lots of noise, and took out my pepper spray. We saw no sign of the bears but it’s good to remember that the wildlife is moving more than normal because of the drought so watch out!

view back on the city

so many mountain ranges here

Coliseum Mountain behind Whiskey

Since Whiskey doesn’t like to drink water along the route, I’ve found mixing dehydrated food in a container with water worked great. We’re experiencing a unusual drought in Vancouver so many of the ponds along the route have dried up into greenish algae infested puddles. Make sure your dog doesn’t drink from these (I make sure Whiskey is well hydrated before we pass by) but dipping hot paws into the water/mud may not be a bad idea.

what a view!!

these roots were a challenge for Whiskey

Posing like a model

I just love it here!

There are some passes on this hike (mainly between 2 pump and peak) with steep falls, so watch your step, though we also passed adventurous pre-teens on the peak, and toddlers on 2nd pump. Vancouver is truly a hiking city!

on the way back home

The shadows get longer

Until next time

July 26, 2015

31 Vizslas, One Happy Meetup

31 Vizslas in Vancouver from Adele Ng and Thierry Muller on Vimeo.

It’s the time again! Meetup time in Vancouver for loads of springy red dogs. This time we took over Bridgman Park in North Vancouver for a little walk with alot of pep. There were several new dogs and lots of butt sniffing, playing, and chatting with other ‘parents’.

I really huge group this time!

my little girl stops to pose

long-haired Vizsla

dogs everywhere! where is mine?

everyone is meeting little Moose

The dogs acted like a giant pack walking through the park, although one or two inevitably went off chasing scents. I even got to meet my first long-haired Vizsla and we also have a black Vizsla-mix in the group! It’s so great to have a good community that gets together like this. Vizslas are relatively rare but the show-ups to these meetups is so much higher than other popular breeds. Suffice to say we had one tired and happy puppy on the way home.

I love these dogs!

four way conversation

treat? you must bring an entire bag of treats today

by the riverside, these are not water dogs

everywhere you see, vislas!

All good news and happy pups aside, we did have a sad incident where one of our newest puppies, 3 month old Pana was attacked and bitten by a bull terrier before meeting the group, and had to go straight to emergency. It’s really terrible news, especially since that dog had attacked 3 other dogs that day. It’s always a really good reminder to keep a close eye on interactions with other dogs, especially new ones, and ensure your own dog doesn’t go charging up to meet new dogs.

May 14, 2015

Sunset Walk on the Beach

Vancouver is beautiful in the spring

Whiskey’s been feeling so much better lately after the vet visits. She’s actually been more energetic than ever and I’ve increased her daily ration to over 1kg a day, I have no idea what she does with it! With the longer hours we’ve been having, our sunsets are now at around 830 and we love walking on the beach after work. This day we headed over to Spanish Banks which has a fantastic dog beach and wanted to see how far the beach went. Well guess what? It keeps going until Wreck beach and the walk was really nice full of little beaches, and nice secluded picnic area, and no one around (how we like it!).

Spanish banks was rough today!

how lucky to be living here

the start of a really nice walk

Between Spanish Banks is a very beautiful connection with lots of smaller beaches. Perfect if you want to chill or just have a quiet walk. There’s also a small picnic area with garbage bins and bathrooms. At some point we ended up at the University of British Columbia’s grounds and headed back to our car.