Sandford Photography

Photo: Dave Sandford Following in mom’s footsteps. With all the time in my life I’ve spent in the field, this was actually the very first time I had ever laid eyes on a fawn. One summer morning this year while under the cover of my photo hide, out from the edge of the creek a doe appeared. Seconds later, emerging from behind her was this little fawn. They moved up & down the creek feeding on the leaves along the shoreline all the while completely unaware of my presence. This particular moment was the end of about 30 min of observing them as mom crossed back in the direction they originally came from. The little fawn was distracted as mom crossed the creek and when it turned it noticed mom had a good head start.. so it took one big bounding leap to catch up and they disappeared into the bush.

Photo: Dave Sandford How cute is this little baby raccoon..!? One morning on my pre dawn walk down to the ravine I came across two little raccoons. I didn’t see mom anywhere in sight, although I’m sure she had an eye on me. These two were frolicking about under a tree at the edge of the ravine. It didn’t take them long to scramble up the trunk & into the safety of the trees branches. This particular image was captured with a 400mm telephoto lens from a decent distance back.... . I literally grabbed 1 sequence of images of each face, a burst of 14 frames per second, one burst of each & I let them be. Although these little fellas are somewhat used to people living on the edge of an urban environment it is never good to put unnecessary pressure on them or any animals. It was obvious that without mom around & this strange dude holding a giant eye staring back at them they were doing what their instincts have taught them to do. . Run away from danger. So, should you find yourself in a similar situation, put yourself in their shoes for a moment. It’s nice to have a photo but if it comes at the cost of putting unnecessary pressure on the animal it’s best to step away & let them be. Every animal, just like you & I are different. They all have different personalities, good days, bad days & each has different survival instincts. So always best to read the room so to speak. Let me know if you enjoyed seeing this little fella in my feed. See more

Photo: Dave Sandford One of the things I love so much about heading out into the field each day is the element of the unknown. In the morning I leave the house with nothing other than visions, hopes & dreams.. I leave home with a blank canvas, & there is no way of telling what I will return home with at days end. That in itself makes every single day with a camera in my hand an exciting adventure of the unknown. An opportunity to create something brand new that no other perso...n can or will ever replicate. No two single frames are ever the same. Working in nature, you have no control over what you might see or not see. Some days are a let down, other days are full of surprises & amazing moments. No matter what, every day has the potential for a special, rare or amazing moments. Sometimes it’s something simple, other days it’s the light, perhaps it’s a rarely seen moment or species. The more time you spend in the wild the great your chances are of seeing rare & wonderful moments. All of these things are elements of why I love what I do. The element of the unknown & the potential to witness & create something special. Other days you head out with the hope & anticipation of seeing & capturing a specific species. . Such as I did last last week when I set out to hopefully capture beautiful fall imagery of a buck in rutting season. However, what I came home with instead were images of owls (see previous post) & this great blue heron pictured here. A moment in time that had I not been there no human being would have ever seen. But through the magic of photography here I am, able to share the special moments I get to witness with all of you. Hidden away in my blind, I watched this heron land, wade around, catch some lunch & as seen here, take off to its next location. . All the while, hidden away, allowing it to peacefully go about its business none the wiser to my presence. Special memories for myself & a new ‘canvas’ which at the start of my day didn’t exist. . And all just steps away from home. There is so much to explore and experience if you just put yourself out there.. Get out & create, you never know what you might see! See more

Photo: Dave Sandford Question for those of you having a look at this post. Do you ever wonder what goes into a photograph like this? Do think of the time & effort or perhaps along the lines of.. oh they are always so lucky & see these things all the time. Is it a piece of art or simply a snapshot? Owls have been one of those subjects that have often eluded me. I’ve spent thousands of hours in the field over the years with little to no owning success until more recent years.... This particular image of a great horned owl I photographed less than a km from home just last evening. It was my 7th owl sighting in as many days. 7 owls in a week is lots, but most were a fleeting glimpse, super late when it is too dark or they were in a position to difficult to capture well. Yesterday time & patience paid off. I spent 8 hrs in the field, I stumbled across 2 in close proximity under a thick canopy. The first I saw fly off from a distance. This one was settled in to roost for the day. Fast forward 6 hrs & into the last hour of light for the day. . & my subject finally cooperated! (I’d asked him in that first hour to fly on over to a more photogenic tree/backdrop) he finally made that move & I was ready & waiting to capitalize on the moment. As many encounters are it was fleeting. Just a few minutes & I thanked him for the time and whisked him happy hunting. I started the trek home excited to sit down at the computer & make my owl come to life. My editing process is slow & tedious. I take my time, I like to step away from it frequently & keep a fresh set of eyes on it. I typically spend a lot more time on images than most I know. 3 hrs later I wrapped up my processing. What you see here is the end result. On the day 11 hours of work went into producing 1 single image. And how many thousands of hours in the years prior spent in the bush, learning & evolving, trying & failing.. can we count all those hours too? Don’t get me wrong, no complains here,I love every sec I get to spend in the wild.I’m sharing these details so when u see images like this (not just mine but so many hard working photogs) to help u understand a little better what it takes & passion that goes into it. This is the same image, crop one for better detail, landscape crop the way I envision it printed. As well for those who’ve read this far and left comments on previous posts this past week.. thank you! I will get to responses soon! I Always appreciate them! See more

Photo: Dave Sandford A little back story on my foxy friend here. This spring this little fella was on the verge of death. He contracted a common disease in foxes called sarcoptic mange. It can however be treated & that is just what my close friend Melissa Hall did. She contacted a local vet & took the necessary steps to help nurse this wild fox back from the brink of death. I’ve known Melissa since I was in single digits, I’ve been cottaging at Buckhorn Lake since I was 4. S...he has a compassionate soul for wildlife & the environment & has continued to inspire me & support me in my career as a shooter. This image taken in July is basically on Melissa’s front ‘lawn’ (she literally lives in a forest). Foxy & his family are often seen in & around her property & they are a very curious bunch. On this particular evening he sat staring at me in this position & this was the first of 3 gaping yawns before he hopped to all fours & trotted towards me & my camera. (More imagery of him & his family to come) Foxes have been somewhat of a challenge for me, I haven’t had much success in the past. However, this is a portrait I’m particularly proud to show off. Captured in the place on the planet that means the most to me & for the fact he was cared for & virtually Saved from the brink of death by a good friend who has a compassionate soul for Mother Nature. Thank you for making this moment possible Melissa. See more

Photo: Dave Sandford Hello, hello.. it’s good to be back, it’s good to be back. This is an image that holds a great deal of meaning for me. Not sure where to start. With the pandemic keeping me grounded I focused my efforts on the ‘The Ravine’. A forested area down the street from home, behind my elementary school. It played a large part in my life & photographic journey. Growing up, I spent hours at a time in the ravine. I knew it like the back of my hand. Not much has chang...ed over the last 20+ years (rare & nice to see) In spring I hiked for days through the Bush reacquainting myself & tracking deer & their habits. When the lush colours of spring arrived I spent the better part of 2 months waking before dawn & making my way to some prime locations I’d scouted out & spent hours in my blind. The buck pictured her I got nicely acquainted with over a 6 week period. He had some distinct markings which made him easy to id. ‘Bucky’ (original I know) crossed this creek almost daily between about 6:30-8:30a.m & more often than not within 20’ of this particular spot. He could hear me, smell me but I remained hidden to him except for the giant ‘eye’ protruding from my hide. A handful of times he approached to investigate & get a better handle on my scent. I truly believe he got used to it, to me & the sound of the shutter. To the point where I eventually stepped outside the hide & Bucky had no issues with my presence. I think he associated the sounds & smells of the last 6 weeks with something harmless. Patience & perseverance paid off when an image I had envisioned & crafted (this one) all came to fruition when he crossed at the perfect point in the creek on this special morning. Ironically, after 6 weeks of trial & error, poor reflections, close crossings, no shows on Buckys part & bad weather.. this was sadly the last time I got to lay eyes on Bucky. I haven’t seen him since this moment occurred. Wherever you may be Bucky, thank you for providing me with some pretty special moments in what has been a really rough year. Bucky, his mates & my time in the Ravine have been hugely motivating & therapeutic. Nothing feeds the mind, souls & body like Mother Nature can. See more

When real life feels like the twilight zone #BubbleHockey moment #137 - sitting down to dinner under one roof.. dining out with players & GM’s from multiple #nhl teams, refs, linesman, league & club staff.. all on the eve of the #StanleyCupPlayoffs #ilovemyjob

A fresh edit of an image I originally created back in 2016. Who doesn’t love a pile of polar bears!? This brings new meaning to a PB sandwich wouldn’t you say.. We came across this polar bear family on an ice pan located in Wellington Channel, up in the high arctic. (See in thr comments to see where on the map) There was a seal carcass just out of frame here. You can still see some of the evidence of lunch on the snout of mum & the head of the cub laying in back. No doubt a very memorable encounter which I won’t soon forget.

Last week a humpback whale made its way down the St. Lawrence River, all the way to Montreal, Quebec. We’ll never know why it charted this course so far from its ocean salt water home.. and sadly it was found floating belly up in the shallows yesterday. It was a welcome distraction from our current events for the Montrealer’s who got to witness it’s magical displays of breaching over the course of a few days before it died. In honour of this beautiful animal who dazzled so ma...ny, I dedicate this post to its memory. I’ve also titled this image ‘Youppi’ & will be available soon for you to add to your collection. Youppi for those who are unaware is a Montreal staple. The always fun & energetic mascot for the Montreal Canadiens & formerly of the Montreal Expos. I figured an appropriate title in honour of the playful whale. Photo by / Dave Sandford See more

Photo by: Dave Sandford The Walrus - perhaps the saying ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ originated from whomever first laid eyes upon walruses. For as ugly as they can be, there is something about them I find beautiful. They often remind me of bulldogs, the way they lift their heads to sniff the air or look around.. that puss & big eyes they have are full of expression & character. This particular day was a dreary rainy day, temperatures were hovering just above the ...freezing mark, you could see the steam coming off herd from a long distance off. As we approached slowly in our zodiacs curious walruses in the water were swimming up to us to have a closer look & satisfy their curiosity. We remained just off shore as members of the herd came & went amid the icy cold rain. Prior to this experience my walrus encounters were with individuals & pairs, this was my first encounter with a herd. As a photographer coming across something so grand can often be overwhelming & if you aren’t careful, you can come away with heaps of unusable imagery. Often what happens is you become overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. Often 1 of 2 things happen, people either don’t know where to point the camera & don’t take enough. Or the opposite, spraying & praying- overshooting & trying to cover anything & everything without really stopping to think & compose your images. A good piece of advice, should you find yourself among a herd of walrus or any other overwhelming situation. Take the time to think of what you want to come away with. Envision your shot. Pick a subject (in this case a single among hundreds) & simply focus on that subject, take your time to compose your image. Stick with it until you are satisfied you have what you want. Then move on, pick another & so on. This is just one of a handful of ideas in a situation like this to help keep you focused on the task at hand to help you come away with more images you’ll be happy with. (And please.. if you are going to make a reference to The Beatles song.. one small favour, stop right there.. please..! I’ve heard them all)! See more

Photo by: Dave Sandford The Wolverine! Yes, a freakin wolverine! Something I honestly hoped I would one day see, but never thought I would actually get to lay eyes on one, let alone get a photo of one. (All be it a crappy one, but hey.. Documented)! There is actually a pretty good story behind this image. Our story takes us to the start of Nov. while up in Churchill to photograph polar bears. The day started out with another fairly rare sighting, a Pine Marten to jump start ...our day & get us amped up for the day ahead. A little later that morning driving along with my trusty guide Drew Hamilton & fellow photog from Italy Matteo Mussino we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a couple grey wolves running across the tundra. We were fortunate to catch back up with them a short while later & bang out a few ‘Animal in its environment’ kind of images. Not a bad day, a pine marten, grey wolves & of course polar bears! It was a little later in the day when all hell broke loose over the little fella pictured here. How I recall it: We were driving along (I in the back seat) when Drew exclaimed Holy Shit, a wolverine! Or was it Matteo who blurted it out? I can’t recall now, one of the two did anyhow! Someone said Where!? That may have been me? The next thing I knew was we were in a ditch on about a 45 degree angle in snow half way up the truck & I couldn’t get out the one back door. As I frantically tried to get out on the road side, all I can remember is Drew yelling ‘Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! So. . I shot, shot shot About 2 1/2 stops under exposed. I was so excited just to see one, the camera was secondary. I didn’t even think for a moment to check my settings. I just aimed & shot. Good thing I did, because this slightly out of focus frame was all I got aside from one 3/4 heading away from me in focus image after the frame you see here. Shooting RAW I was able to salvage it & come away with an image usable enough to show you all here. The flurry of activity unfolded over a whole 30 odd seconds. We lingered around taking images of its pristine prints in the snow before digging out. See more

Photo by: Dave Sandford -Under the Big Blue Marble- During the course of this pandemic, I often have found myself being drawn to my whale imagery on a regular basis. I think perhaps it’s because it takes me back to a place where I feel a sense of calm & joy. It has allowed me to relive some of my most prized & precious lifetime experiences. There isn’t anything I’ve done in my life that compares to swimming in the ocean with some of the largest & friendliest beings to grace ...our planet. These gentle giants allow us to have a small glimpse of what life under the sea is like for them. No different from us, they think for themselves & feel emotion. . And the emotions they stir within me are strong. I have such great love & respect for these creatures & feel beyond blessed to have had the breathtaking I’ve opportunities afforded me with one of the most beloved beings in our deep blue sea. Although humpbacks have bounced back in their numbers overall, there are still certain populations where they are considered extremely vulnerable, today is #EndangeredSpeciesDay a day we celebrate these amazing animals that I am doing my best to help keep around for a long time to come. See more