SPRING2016
MOUNTAINLIFEBLUEMOUNTAINS
45
“When I receivedahand-me-down camera formy 19
th
birthday, I became immediatelyaddicted tonaturephotography.At that time, I could identify
everybird in easternNorthAmerica just byhearing them,but I hadno ideahow tousemy camera. It took years of trial and error (mostly error) to
learn the craft of photography.”—EthanMeleg
Despitemakinghundredsof trips toAlgonquin
Provincial Parkover theyears, theBarronCanyon
remainedonmybucket list until recently. I settledon
anAugust trip to takeadvantageof shorter summer
daysandwaningmosquitoes. Arrivingat the first
overlook, Iwasawestruck. I spent acouplehours
photographing thecanyonbefore the sundropped
and I hikedbackdown the trail in thedark. Thisphoto
isamergeof sixclicksat different exposures, so I
couldcapture full detail from thecanyon shadows to
the sky.
Thebusinessof outdoorphotographyhas changed
dramatically in thepast fiveyears. Very fewpros
surviveon selling theirphotosanymore, and
most have shifted to leadingphotoworkshopsor
tours.Marketingyourself through socialmedia
is critically important to this. Socialmediahas
alsoplayedabig role in furthering thecraft and
qualityofphotography. Techniques, locationsand
styles spread likewildfireon socialmedia, causing
photography toevolvequickly. Nightphotography
isagreat exampleof agenre that hasexploded in
the socialmediaenvironment.
