Mount Robson with an iPhone 7+

I left my cameras at home and relied solely on my iPhone 7+.

I recently took a 3 day camping trip into Mount Robson’s provincial park with my family. As my kids are still young they can only carry so much. We, the parents, have to carry the rest. So, I decided to leave my cameras at home in lieu of food, and clothing for chilly (and rainy,) September days.

Did I make the right decision? My back says yes. Would I have liked my big, heavy, cumbersome Nikon DSLR or even my smaller Fuji XT-2? Of course, but the ease of whipping out my iPhone from my pocket and not having to carry heavy gear in an already heavy backpack full of camping equipment was really, really nice.

I’m amazed at what cell phones can do these days and I really wanted to push myself and the phone to what it could do. I learned how to make the phone work for my style of photography. I like to take energetic photos but cell phones don’t typically do well freezing motion so you have to work around that. Example, I usually have my subject ride, or walk towards (or away) from me. Or, if they ride parallel to me I pan with them before I release the shutter. I also love the pano(rama) mode. But, it’s easy to over do the length of the shot and you have to constrain yourself.

I don’t have the latest phone out there and the photos are standard JPEGS. But, the photos are pretty good, IMO. It’s not until I zoom in close do I really see a difference in quality and detail. In other words, if you plan on keeping the photos for memories and sharing through various social media platforms than by all means – cell phone pics are great. If, however, I wanted to sell a photo, or print larger than a 4×6 than no. It all depends on the photo’s end use.

 

Documenting the back country with 4 young kids

 

I woke up to temperatures cold enough to freeze the melting ‘snow rivers’ underneath our tent pad. With the kids locked in a deep sleep I enjoyed a moment of silence and soaked in the cool, fresh mountain air. Bliss. How lucky we are to be here.

Just a few weeks prior my friends Nicolas and Natalie had a crazy idea and proposed a 28 km backcountry camping trip into Garibaldi Provincial Park, BC spread over three nights and four days, and one mountain pass with four boys aged 7, 8, 9 and 10.

Wooohooo! I’m in.

No need to ask the kids…they’ll love this!! Backcountry camping, big heavy backpacks, long arduous hikes, steep uphills, and sore feet…what’s not to like?

Six hours before we left my biggest concern was how to get all this gear into my 60 litre bag, and into my boys two 30 litre backpacks. Wool socks, Moon Cheese, camp fuel, bear spray, tent, sleeping bags, Thermarests, clothing, and lots of food among other gear.

This trip quickly established itself as both a mental and a physical test of strength and will for each child as they struggled on the first ascent with loaded backpacks, and a steep, rooty up hill path.  While I carried the heaviest gear theirs were busting at the seams and weighed in between 10-15 lbs. I am sure this added to the many stops and drops along the forest floor as little bodies screamed in distaste at the sheer steepness of the trail.

But with lots of coaxing, breaks, a few needed temper-tantrums, and snacks we prevailed and reached Helms Creek campground 9 hours later. Annnnd luckily my husband had already found and dug out the tent pad from under 2 feet of snow. Thanks David…love ya!!

The next day we saw Black Tusk standing stoically in front of us. We looked up with jaws open mesmerised by the sheer beauty and vastness of the landscape. No one complained. No one talked. The fatigue melted with the snow.

With blue bird skies and a hot mid-day sun we couldn’t have asked for better weather. Stopping occasionally for water breaks, and lunch we trekked on for 9 km ocassionally breaking through the snow. Progress was slow but only because of the soft snow. No more complaints. In fact, I truly believe that this day was a game changer for the boys as they realised the benefits of hard work.

Our final campsite was Garibaldi. Our feet were cold and wet, and our stomachs empty. But our spirits remained as high as the mountains surrounding us. Once more we had to pitch our tent in close to 3 feet of snow but the experience was worth it as I saw all the boys grow and accomplish tasks they never thought they could. Whereas, I always knew they could they now believed it!

 

2013 Family Christmas Photo

© Cecile Gambin PhotographyFinally had a bit of time this past weekend to take the annual Christmas photo. Unlike other years, we had time working against us as the late afternoon light was quickly fading.

Luck was on my side though as a sliver of sun poked through the low hanging clouds. I had set up my flash, put the family beside a big, moss covered cedar tree (or was it a Douglas Fir?) looked over my shoulder and saw a shaft of light hitting another tree. I must have had a look of panic as my husband understood to grab the kids and shuffle them over – which is easier said than done as our youngest decided he wanted to run…away. While David was busy wrangling in the kids and tying the dog back up I changed my camera settings to allow as much ambient as possible.

I really like this photo of us as it completely represents us. Luc had me in a choke hold and was yanking backwards almost choking me, while David my husband was trying to hold him from doing so. Sebastien in his typical self was being a ham. By the time the timer counted down we were all laughing and ‘click’. Perfect shot with amazing side lighting. I had one flash on camera used as a fill in.

© Cecile Gambin PhotographyAfter the shoot, we walked around a bit. The sun had gone back behind the low lying clouds and darkness was quick to come. On our way back to the car I came across an incredibly textured wall and just told the kids to go stand there. I didn’t think there were just going to stand there and pause which is fine by me because these are the best photos IMO.

Merry Christmas everybody and safe stay during the holiday season!!!