paddling with a camera

Tag: forest

  • Paddling Canoe through a Magic Forest

    Paddling Canoe through a Magic Forest

    canoe paddling in fisheye lens perspective
    Fish eye lens perspective when paddling through a submerged forest

    I love to paddle the Lonetree Reservoir southwest of Loveland during springtime. You can always enjoy a nice view of Rocky Mountains Front Range. It is a great spot to shoot sunsets over mountains. When water is high I like to paddle through submerged trees and bushes. Please keep in mind that the heron rookery is a restricted area during the nesting season, but there are other places where you can paddle into a forest.

    Picture featuring Sea Wind canoe in cottonwood forest was shot on May 15m 2014 with Canon 5D Mark II camera and Sigma 15 mm Fisheye lens. I confess … I spent a longer while gliding in a canoe between cottonwood tress and playing with that lens. I was shooting in both landscape and portrait formats.

    Which version do you prefer? Horizontal or vertical?

    canoe paddling in fisheye lens prespective
    Let’s look at this scene in a vertical format.

    Related posts:
    – Canoe paddling in fisheye perspective – royalty free pictures.
    – Paddling through Forest and Irrigation Ditches
    – Fisheye Lens Perspective for Paddling?
    – Horizontal or/and Vertical Format in Kayak Photography

  • Paddling through Forest and Irrigation Ditches

    Paddling through Forest and Irrigation Ditches


    Lonetree Reservoir southwest of Loveland belongs to my favorite paddling waters in northern Colorado. You can always enjoy a nice view of Rocky Mountains Front Range. It is a great spot to shoot sunsets over mountains:
    A Peaceful Sunset after a Heavy Gun Fire on the Lonetree Reservoir
    5 Pictures in 1: HDR Image of Sea Wind Canoe and Colorado Sunset
    Sunset Is Not Always Spectacular over the Front Range of Rocky Mountains
    3 Pictures from Sunset Paddling in Northern Colorado



    However, in springtime when reservoir is full it’s time to explore some hidden treasures – submerged cottonwood forest in different lake corners. Please note that the heron rookery is a restricted area.



    During last few weeks I paddled different boats on the Lonetree Reservoir: Surfrigger (outrigger canoe), Thunderbolt-X kayak, and Sea Wind Canoe. I cannot take Surgrigger into tight passages between cottonwood trees.



    There is a lot of floating debris after recent heavy rains. So, Sea Wind is the best choice for my exploration.


    7 years ago I was training here with Spencer X-treme canoe for my first Texas Water Safari. I couldn’t find any other place in my vicinity to practice portaging over fallen trees and log jams.



    At this high water level you can even escape the lake and explore some irrigation channels.



    You can easily find the inlet of a supporting channel to the lake. It is a little water cascade over headgates when the lake is low, but at this time it was the same water level in the reservoir and channel. However, there is also another entry to that channel hidden in woods which I discovered this year. No portage.

    Paddling away from the lake across farmland. Deep water, big fish, water foul.

    How far can I go? County road 14 bridge.

    About 0.5 mile from the lake – another headgate and my turning point

    All pictures from a boat were shot with Pentax Optio W30 camera. They turned pretty good, especially, during the last paddling with overcast and a drizzle or rain. Paddling selfportraits were shot with Canon EOS D40 DSLR camera on a tripod with aid of the programmable self timer.


    Returning back to the lake.