Canberra has been experiencing a lot of heavy rain and overcast days recently. This has turned Canberra greener than it has been for years but the conditions have not been conducive to taking photographs. Despite the weather I still like to go for a kayak because I dress for getting wet from spray so a bit of rain is no problem. Recently, I have really wanted to improve my confidence of taking a proper camera and lens with me in my kayak so I have a better chance of photographing the wildlife and other things I see when I am paddling. So on this Saturday I packed my Canon EOS 6D Mk II DSLR with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM lens that I placed carefully into a Sea to Summit deck bag on my kayak before I went for my usual paddle on Lake Burley Griffin. I am starting with a lighter camera and lens combination while I get used to using a decent camera from a kayak. I did take this DSLR with the Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM zoom lens when I paddled on the Shoalhaven River but I was not confident using that lens and camera combination from the kayak in the middle of the river so I would head to the shore where I could run the kayak aground while I took photographs, meaning I sometimes missed shots. I think I have the right technique now so after I am feeling more confident I will take my normal camera and lens combination with me. That said, even with the current set up I enjoyed taking shots and I was happy with the photos that I took of the Australasian Darter and the Silver Gulls. I hope that you like the photographs below.
