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Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo

An Arctic fox, Vulpes lagopus, at the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo in Great Bend, Kansas.

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yohannchaplinwildlife

Looking back at 2019 when I got to photograph this

Looking back at 2019 when I got to photograph this lovely steller Jay.
At the time, I didn't have as much practice with professional photography gear. This was shot handheld at 600mm, 1/250 seconds ISO 7200, which is far from being optimal condition.
I wasn't too pleased with the shot at the time because I slightly missed focus and it wasn't so sharp on the eyeball. I've since learned to be much more chilled about these things. I mean, it's already a miracle that it was sharp at all.

Another thing is the very high ISO. Still today I would try to stay way below 6400 to preserve the quality of the photo, but this is a great lesson about the fact that the signal to noise ratio is much more important than the ISO number itself. Even at such a high ISO it wasn't too noisy, thanks to the slow shutter speed and wide aperture.

I think most importantly is the feel of an image rather than the techniques. I love the bird staring at me and his beautiful feathers appeared glowing with the backlight. When I reviewed those images a little while ago, I knew right away that this was my first pick!

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't posted that many photos lately. As a matter of fact, in the last few years I removed more photos from my wall than I published. The reason was that, at a time, it felt like I knew the direction I wanted my photographs to take, but I was lacking some of the skills, post processing skills and opportunities to achieve what I envision. I think it's a very common thing for photographers, especially early in their career.

When I look at that photograph, I see all the thoughtfulness that I brought to my post processing instead of following recipes. That vision that I had a little while ago has now come to life, almost exactly like I imagined. It's not perfect, but that's the beauty of the process.
I used topaz for noise removal, but no ai sharpening. For that I simply used the good old Photoshop magic to enhance what was already there.

This should become a regular thing this fall, there are so many photos that I can't wait to share with you.

Instagram post 17987896289815213

Instagram post 17987896289815213

Instagram post 18315994336238242

Instagram post 18315994336238242

Instagram post 17955757847754379

Instagram post 17955757847754379

Little morning walk! #yohannchaplin #wildlifephot

Little morning walk!

#yohannchaplin
#wildlifephoto
#owlphotography
#naturewalks
#artsyheaven

Hope at first is always meager A sprout that will

Hope at first is always meager
A sprout that will grow
That can be easily stepped on
Disregarded
Crushed back into the earth
It can feel cruel, disheartening
But hope will always grow back
For billions potential trees were lost
Yet there is still a forest.

#yohannchaplin
#forestflowers

Deep in the forest Where hard felt words are burie

Deep in the forest
Where hard felt words are buried
Till light shines once more

#heartshape
#yohannchaplin

I remember looking at you and your beautiful yello

I remember looking at you and your beautiful yellow hat in this gorgeous little corner of nature. I told myself, as you were bathing in the golden sunset, what a sight for sore eyes. Little did I know going to bed that night that in the morning you would be flying away with the wind.

#dandelion

#natureswonder
#ephemeral
#yohannchaplin

I have been playing around with my macro lens in t

I have been playing around with my macro lens in the garden. Each and every single plant or flower become a potential subject and results can vary greatly depending on the time of the day, so it brings you to look at a familiar environment but with a new perspective... And sometimes you can find a few treasures.

Like this lavender flower! Sitting in a pot, and filled up with sun while the surrounding vegetation was already bathed in the evening shadows. It feel like it was shot in a studio, but this was outdoor, mostly lit by the sun and a little bit of fill flash.

#yohannchaplin

For this shot, I used a very similar process than

For this shot, I used a very similar process than the previous one with the hummingbird. Except that this time I composited two shots that were taken in only a few seconds interval. Looking back at those two photos, I really think I should do more of those :) #yohannchaplin

Can't believe I took that picture more than a year

Can't believe I took that picture more than a year ago. It was for a fine art photography class, we were on a field trip for a ICM assignment. At first, I didn't really expect much would come out of it, but as I was experimenting with different techniques the idea came to me to blend and ICM shoot of some lavender flowers with a one of a hummingbird I took the day before. So, this is a composite. But the idea was to match the colour of the bird with the colours of its environment. The blurred effect coming for the ICM is a great alternative to the usual shallow depth of field obtained from a wide aperture... Plus the zooming in effect act as a leading line. I really like the result :)

#yohannchaplin

Great day in the office 😌 #yohannchaplin #blac

Great day in the office 😌

#yohannchaplin
#blackbear
#canadianbeauty
#cangeo

I should do more panning ☺️ I think it really

I should do more panning ☺️

I think it really helps turning a busy background into something beautiful.

#yohannchaplin

A calling to the stars. When my friend Lauryn su

A calling to the stars.

When my friend Lauryn suggested doing a nude shoot under the stars, I thought it would be amazing, yet very challenging. Posing still for 3 seconds in the cold night wind turned out to be quite a challenge. But we managed to create this photograph in only one shot. I thought it was a beautiful result and the beginning of a new project.

#yohannchaplin

I really like the look of this clock . Even if it

I really like the look of this clock . Even if it a bit cheesy, once in a while going to gas town under the rain and hoping it won't be too busy in the street so I can try and get a picture.
This was my second attempt about a year ago. It is still a work in progress, I should give another go before the end of the year to compare 2018 to 2020 :)

#yohannchaplin
#steamclock

This little fellow was not a all bothered when I g

This little fellow was not a all bothered when I got out of the car to take a closer look at his cute little face. He just kept eating his seeds as I was sitting near by with my camera. Really, judging by the look in his eyes it was clear that I would get bored of this situation before him.

Well I didn't! But once you got the shot you want, there is no reason to overstay your welcoming ☺️

#YohannChaplin

It feels like the autumn colours faded so fast thi

It feels like the autumn colours faded so fast this year. Without a warning, winter came around and covered the top of the mountains.
Hoping to capture the mood of vibrant red yellow and brown, I got a moody foggy day instead. But through the fast changing conditions, what I got to capture is the transition of the seasons.

#yohannchaplin
#capilano

Going to whytecliff park the other with @juansanx

Going to whytecliff park the other with @juansanx I got to remember why I love this place so much.
Marine reserve are a sanctuary for wildlife and us humans are their guest. This blue heron was fishing on the shore line, using the opportunity at low tide to catch the fishes struck in shallow water.
As it was easy for this wonderful bird to pick up dinner, it was easy for me to operate a slow approach to get a great view of the scene without scaring the bird away.

It is important to respect the animal! 90% of the time when a human is approaching they will simply fly away and loose their feeding opportunity. At this time of the year, there is very likely some offsprings depending on that meal. So watching for the animal reaction is important. They will let you know if you are too close, then it is better to back off, and ramain at a distance they are comfortable with.

Once in a while, they accept you much closer than you would imagine. That's an amazing reward for the photographer or the bird enthusiast, but that's on the animal terms, not ours ☺️

#MyWildlifeFeed #YohannChaplin

Sometimes it take a while for a image to come to l

Sometimes it take a while for a image to come to life. From the moment of capture to its final edits, there is a processing time that could take days or months.

When you have your digital negative on one side, your memories of the scene on the other, what lays in between is the field of your imagination.

The resulting image is not just a compromise somewhere in the middle, you added your creative vision, you own interpretation of a moment that meant something to you when you took the picture.

#YohannChaplin

I will always remember the first time I spotted a

I will always remember the first time I spotted a wild owl, it was magical.
I first thought I won the jackpot, sighting the very rare spotted owl. It is only once on my computer that I was able to identify it as a barred owl.

Barred owls have a bad reputation in BC because they took over the territory of the Spotted Owl, slightly bigger than their little cousins they are also more aggressive and will sometimes show humans who is the boss.

Because they thrive in similar territories, the spotted owl suffer greatly from the fierce competition induce by the loss of habitats and only a few specimens remain in the wild in Canada, all in BC.
The barred owls in comparison are 3millions in North America, with about 7% of their population in Canada. So they are not endangered YET.
Nonetheless, I was very pleased with my sighting. Owls are very though to find and are a wonderful subject to photograph. This one tolerated my presence for long enough so I had time to set my camera on a tripod and adjust the settings for a very difficult lighting conditions. Even in the middle of the day it is very dark in the forest, but light that shines through the branches is very strong. It is difficult to keep details in both the shadow and the highlights. I probably took over 200 images but only 3 made it to my short list including that one.
#YohannChaplin
#MyWildlifeFeed
#barredowl

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Yohann Chaplin Photography 2355 Trinity Street Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L 1B9

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