Marty Mellway Photography

Ive been spending a lot of time this fall filming the fall colours. I've put together a short film of my travels throughout the northern rockies. Enjoy

I recently completed a film about the Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park which is now being used by BC parks on the government website to promote the park. Which can be seen here http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/liard_rv_hs/ This film is was actually slowly worked on for about 3 years while I was working and living in the northern rockies.

This summer has been one of the best summers of my life working and living in northern BC. I had the opportunity to live in an extremely remote place, photograph rare and elusive wild animals, and work as a PFO (Park Facility Operator). Through my job I also got a lot of experience with wildlife management including the management of bears bison and moose within the Park. It was my job on a regular basis to move wild animals out of the park to avoid habituation and attacks. This summer has also allowed me time to really focus on my wildlife photography which is something I have become very passionate about. I'm hope to keep improving my skills and eventually use my images to promote positive change and conservation in Canada. Next is a winter in the Prince Rupert/Port Edward area where I will continue to work on wildlife photography Here are some photos from the summer in the north: Black Bear, Liard River Corridor, BC Bison, Liard River Corridor,The Liard Hotsprings P

Wandering North from Returning To Nomadism on Vimeo . 3 travellers, 3 Packs, 1 Wagon Our journey through the North during the summer and fall of 2013. The north has forever changed my perception of beauty and nature. Thanks to my travel companions for a great adventure. Photos from the trip http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmellway/ Music: The Winter by Balmorhea http://balmorheamusic.com/ Filmed and edited by Marty Mellway

Today is the first day of winter and this winter we are expecting to see many snowy owls in the Ottawa area. They have come down from there usual home in the far north in search of food. I have been out looking a few times now and have seen about 6 Snowy owls in total. They can be found hunting in open fields, watch for them in the tree tops, on fence posts and hydro poles. Also it is important to remember that these birds are under a lot of stress, they have left their natural habitat to avoid starvation and are here to find food for survival. If they are repeatedly scared away from where they are hunting they are using valuable energy that could be used to hunt. If you scare a bird from where it is hunting do not follow it again and again just to take photos or get a closer view. Baiting or feeding should also be avoided because it has been proven to change the behaviour of the owls. After all wildlife photography is about promoting the conservation of nature so don't be a hypocr

The Canon 70-300mm 4-5.6 IS USM is a great lens for anyone getting into wildlife photography but isnt ready to spend over 1000$ on a pro L series lens. I got mine used for 350$ and have had it for two years now. I have learned that with the right settings and some patience you can still get great sharp images. The most important thing to remember is that if you are shooting off the tripod keep the IS (image stabilization) on at all times. This lens is not very sharp wide open (which is f4 at 70mm and f5.6 at 200mm) I find stopping down to f8 greatly increases sharpness. If you find it hard to get enough light and a fast shutter speed at f8 just turn up the ISO a bit. Noise reduction is getting better all the time, on my camera I can go to 1600 without it being noticeable in the final image. I still try not to increase ISO above 800 if I can avoid it. Also I find I almost always have to use faster shutter speeds than my light meter tells me to. Image quality goes way down after 200mm