* Technically, this story could be called a “Walkabout” as it was exactly that. However, I set out to sort-of properly test the camera and film I brought into “the wild”, so that warranted a longer article. Rant over, enjoy the read.
The Scene
Not quite a bayou, Mer Bleue Bog (officially called the Mer Bleue Conservation Area) is located in Gloucester, Ontario, near Ottawa. Funny how as much as I preach not to care much for Ottawa, I end up shooting a ton of pictures here. Maybe I’m kidding myself? The bog’s main claim to fame is being a sphagnum bog, situated in an ancient channel of the Ottawa River. It is a boreal-like ecosystem not usually found this far ‘south’.
The area formed around 12,000 years ago when the Champlain Sea invaded the Ottawa Valley, in the southern melt water channel of the post-glacial Ottawa River. Phew. In other words, it is a really old boreal peatland with black spruce, trembling white aspen and white birch (yours truly’s favourite tree) and a wealth of wildlife.
As it happened, sometime in fall of 2025 I found myself heeding a call from Uncle Dennis to go for a hike through this area. I was in Ottawa anyway, and he’s the local and therefor the expert. So, I drove the two of us into a quiet, well-kept and accessible park with open marshes, woody woodlands and many, many birds.
And so it came to pass that on this day I encountered a Blue Jay as close as 4 feet. Those screechy little fuckers (Blue Jays are beautiful blue birds as well as my defacto baseball team, but once they start ‘talking’, you want to reach for your ear buds) usually are skittish as hell and like to skedaddle out of sight. I also had some variety of Finch sitting on my hand; that was a Sneakerzoom first and unfortunately not on (film) camera. There’s a cellphone video clip on Instagram, if you know me there. I’d call this a successful day.
Funnish fact; these wetlands were not always considered to be of any kind of significance. During WW2 this area was used by the RCAF for bombing practice. Thankfully, it is now designated as a “Ramsar Site” and as such protected.
The Camera
As I hadn’t particularly planned for any photo walks or shoots during this visit to Ottawa, the only thing I packed was my trusted Minolta Maxxum 7000, and this time with a zoom lens (shiver). Just in case.
I can already hear you saying “that’s nice and all but what about your credo of ‘SNEAKERzoom’? Yah, I know, but remember: it’s a preference, not a mandate. I prefer prime lenses, but I do appreciate the flexibility of a zoom lens, especially when in a pinch. This hike was the pinch.
The lens is…fine. It’s an f/4 across-the-board kit lens and it does its job. The zoom range is 35mm-70mm and for his walk it pretty much all I could ask for. Versatile and sharp(ish). Its also period to the camera so I’m quite ay-okay with that.
The Film
After having messed around a few times with ‘cinema film’, I had a roll or two of Kodak (or whatever it’s called nowadays) Vision3 250D on me, which I loaded. And boy did it not disappoint. This film is glorious, imho. I may even start buying up giant reels just to cut them up for personal use, if almighty Kodak decides its product is not intended for meagre photographers like me but should only be handled by cinema gods like Nolan and the likes.
If I had a choice and didn’t care about my ever-slimming wallet this is the only colour film I’d buy. Versatile like Portra, tonal-pleasing, forgiving…it’s surely a favourite for me. To be truthful, this particular picture above was not taken at Mer Bleue Bog, but rather at Silver Lake -if I’m correct-, on the way back from Ottawa to Toronto. But it fits in the series, I think anyways.
The Verdict
So, did I finally find that killer hike in Ottawa? Nope. This was a boardwalk. Would I do this again? Maaaaybe, as it certainly was enjoyable. Was that due to it being the fall season? Most likely, and I don’t mind that at all. Fall in Ontario is a spectacle to behold. Tree canopies can vary from dark and light green to auburn, yellow, orange, red, purple and fuchsia, and if you’re lucky you see all of those colours in one go. This walk only caught a bit of that spectrum but it was great, all in all.
My photographs are, as par usual, snapshots at best. I never seem to be able to turn whatever I think I see with my eyes into something captivating. Then again, maybe I worry too much about what YOU would like to see, as to what I am enjoying at that moment. So…it is what it is and that’s good enough. I will surely be shooting this Kodak film a LOT more, if I can find and/or afford it.
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