February 2009 - Wild B.C. & Alaska Eco-Cruises |
Summer Greetings from Maple Leaf
Hello from Victoria, B.C.
Kevin and I recently returned to the office after a fantastic series of spring trips on the Maple Leaf. Although the weather was colder than normal this spring, adventures with great wildlife, plus Drew and Steve's wonderful food, kept us all warm. (That and an extra layer of clothing!)
We topped the season off with a week at the Victoria Tall Ships Festival, where Maple Leaf ran ship tours and also two 3-hour day sails each day. We were very honoured to host B.C.'s Lieutenant Governor, his honour Steven Point, and her honour Gwen Point, on board for one of our sails.
Maple Leaf, under Capt. James Warburton, is now sailing in Desolation Sound for the summer with the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets. In September, Kevin will take her north, to the Great Bear Rainforest, as autumn's influx of wildlife to the coast begins along with our fabulous fall natural history cruise season. Thinking of travelling in fall? Check out our schedule to see if there's a trip you'd like to join.
We look forward to welcoming you aboard.
Maureen and Kevin
Maple Leaf Adventures
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You'll encounter many different lighting environments on a Maple Leaf trip - from bright days where the sun beams onto the water and causes shadows on every wavelet, to overcast or raining days in the rainforest. Each type of weather can make for beautiful photographs. Here are some tips on how to make the most of overcast or lightly raining days. We'll share tips on photographing in other conditions in subsequent newsletters.
Overcast or Lightly Raining Days
Contrary to what you might think, these days can produce beautiful photographs. Just look at Ian McAllister's huge body of stunning images of the Great Bear Rainforest if you don't believe us!
Benefits of overcast days
 The clouds diffuse the light, so that there are no harsh shadows on your subject. Ever tried to take a nice portrait in harsh sunlight? Stark shadows distort your subject's face. That's why fashion and beauty photographers diffuse the light when they're working with people. So if you have a cloudy day - consider yourself lucky! You'll be able to get soft, even light on your subject. Photos of people will be beautiful. Photos of complex environments, like river estuaries or wooded glades, will be clear no harsh shadows will confuse the eye.
Benefits of lightly rainy days
On the B.C. coast, a lightly raining day often comes with skeins of mist that drape themselves halfway up a forested hillside or nestle into a valley. These can make dynamite photos that say "rainforest" better than any photo of a tree. Rain also tends to make the waterfalls swell.
Shooting in These Conditions
You will need to know how to set your camera to work in these conditions -- especially if you are trying to photograph wildlife.
Slowing down the shutter speed - One way to let more light into your camera on a cloudy day is to switch to a slower shutter speed: 1/60, 1/30, even slower. This keeps the shutter open longer, thus lets more light into the frame before the photo is finished recording. If you're not sure how to do this, look up your camera's instructions for shutter speed. Practise changing the shutter speed, so that when you are travelling, you can do it without the manual.
Using a monopod or tripod - If you slow down the shutter speed, especially if you are photographing a bear under the forest canopy, you will likely need a tripod to keep your camera still. The movement of your hands as you press the shutter can distort a picture taken with a shutter speed less than 1/60 of a second.
Decreasing the aperture - For single subjects at a specific distance away from you, such as a bear (rather than landscapes whose elements are varying distances away), you can decrease your camera's aperture (how big a hole is letting in light) to let more light in. However, you will then have a much narrower depth of focus on this setting, so you need to practise getting the focus absolutely correct on your subject. This can be challenging with a moving subject. Practise now. If you get it, this technique of slightly blurring the background, can make your subject "pop"!
Increase the film speed - Another way to compensate for low light and to partially avoid the problem of blurring that comes from your inadvertant shaking of the camera is to increase your film speed. Even if you have a digital camera, you can increase "film speed" also known as the ISO setting. Increasing the film speed does mean you have to use a wider aperture (lower depth of field) to let in more light quickly.
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A new 10-panel work (in PDF on our website) shows a musuem-style display of Maple Leaf's history, from 1904 to the present.
It was designed to help the thousands of people who visited the ship at the recent Victoria Tall Ships festival get a quick understanding of the breadth of Maple Leaf's history and experiences on the coast.
It was so effective, we put it online for you, too.
You can check it out here.
(The PDF file is 988 Kb so may take a few seconds to finish loading on your screen.)
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Some guests on Maple Leaf have been getting themselves into print!
More and more newspapers are giving their readers the opportunity to publish travel journals or photos -- which we think is great, since it decentralizes the information available to the public about the adventures to be had in this world.
We hope you enjoy these two.
Melissa Bradley gets her photo (with the newspaper) in the Denver Post: Click here to view
Mark Hambridge writes to Westworld Magazine about the Great Bear Rainforest voyage: Click here to view
To Publish Your Story, Photos or Video
Below we've pasted links to a few other places that take photos and reader stories. Consider submitting yours. (Make sure to read the fine print on any copyright agreements before you submit.)
Or, check out your local daily newspaper to see if they have a reader travel photos/stories section.
Let us know if you get something published!
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The current photo of the month was taken on an Alaska trip on the Maple Leaf. Here, a tufted puffin looks for a good nesting site on a very special island we visit each year. Puffins used to also be known as sea parrots, due to their colourful markings during breeding season. They are a joy to watch. This photo was taken by Kevin.
Visit the Photo of the Month page to view all photos of the month since the last newsletter.
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It's the real thing - a handheld, uncut, spur-of-the-moment video taken on a little digital camera during a trip. There's no inspiring soundtrack or scene transitions. Just neat stuff to watch. Enjoy!
If you have any videos to share, let us know and we may be able to include them in a newsletter.
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Kevin Smith to Speak at Global Ecotourism Conference
The International Ecotourism Society, a global organization founded in 1990 to promote ecotourism, has chosen Maple Leaf's president and captain, Kevin Smith, as a featured speaker at its global ecotourism conference this fall.
Kevin will speak about education being one of the highest-value elements of an ecotourism business, and will use examples from Maple Leaf Adventures and other organizations to illustrate.
The 2008 Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference is an industry development conference that draws delegates and presenters from around the world. Demonstrating the growing interest in environmentally and socially responsible tourism, the 2008 conference drew a record number of speaker nominations, from which the 47 speakers were chosen. The conference takes place in Vancouver, B.C. Oct. 27-29, 2008.
Maple Leaf Adventures is a member of The International Ecotourism Society.
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CBC Radio Interview with Kevin Smith
Canadian Press' Scott Sutherland interviews Kevin about the history of the Maple Leaf for the Canadian Broadcasting Company's All Points West radio show. Listen in (7 minutes)
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Granville Magazine
Writer Masa Takei investigages ecotourism in B.C. and features Maple Leaf Adventures.
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Wilderness Tourism Association's Be Wild in BC
Maple Leaf Adventures' Maureen Gordon guest authors an article about how to tell if a trip is really ecotourism .
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| 2009 Fall Journeys - A few spaces just came available
Sep 9-18
9 nights, 10 days |
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$4900 CDN*
2 places |
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Sep 20-29
9 nights, 10 days |
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$4900 CDN*
1 place |
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Sep 30 - Oct 6
6 nights, 7 days |
Art at Sea, Whales & Totems, Karin Richter |
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Oct 7 - 13
6 nights, 7 days |
Whales and Totems of the Great Bear Rainforest |
$2800 CDN |
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Oct 17 - 22
5 nights, 6 days |
Autumn in the Gulf Islands 1 |
$1950 CDN |
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Oct 23 - 29
6 nights, 7 days |
Tall Sails & Ales, Gulf Islands (Tasting & Culinary Tour) |
$2550 CDN |
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Oct 31 - Nov 5
5 nights, 6 days |
Autumn in the Gulf Islands 2 |
$1950 CDN |
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Ask about a trip.
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| 2009 Schedule Preview
May 14 - 24
May 28 - Jun 7
Nov 5 - 15
10 nights, 11 days |
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$4650 CDN* |
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Ask about a trip.
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All photos in this newsletter were taken by Maple Leaf guests or crew.
Photo credits are:
- Newsletter banner: Brooks Peninsula beach, Vancouver Island, on the "Wild Side" trip, by Kevin Smith
- Newsletter heading: Woodruff Bay, Haida Gwaii, by Kevin Smith
- Kevin Smith and Maureen Gordon, Alaska, by Kim Valentine
- Grizzly bear on estuary, Great Bear Rainforest, by Kevin Smith
- Naturalist Barb Beasley, north Brooks Peninsula beach, Wild Side, by Kevin Smith
- Mist on the estuary, Great Bear Rainforest, by Spence Partlo
- Pacific spiny lumpsucker (cute fish that came up on our anchor), by Kevin Smith
- Tufted puffin, Alaska, by Kevin Smith
- Maple Leaf with the dolphins (video), Great Bear Rainforest, by Paul Smith
- Guests looking at mortuary and memorial poles, SGang Gwaay, Haida Gwaii, by Kevin Smith
- Grizzly bears in magazine article, Great Bear Rainforest, by Michael Wigle
- Guest with camera, by Kevin Smith
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Fair winds and following seas,
- The Maple Leaf Adventures Crew
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