A step in the right direction: endangered Greater Sage Grouse to be protected by an emergency order
After many months of inaction and a few lost court cases, (see also news item about a court order requiring the government to designate critical habitat under the Species at Risk Act), the federal Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced today that an emergency order to protect an endangered species Greater Sage Grouse will be issued in the coming months. The order will impose restrictions on development and industrial activities to protect the Sage Grouse and its habitat on provincial and federal Crown lands in Alberta and Saskatchewan....
read moreCommentary: Another assault on Facebook user data
Facebook is conducting another assault on its members privacy and uploaded content. In late August of 2013, Facebook announced that it is planning to change two important “fine print” documents – the Data Use Policy and Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. This resulted in another round of negative responses from users and content providers whose data are posted and distributed through Facebook. The American Society of Media Photographers has warned its’ members to become more familiar with the proposed changes to...
read moreNews: City of Saskatoon seeks community input on wetlands policy
Hot off the press, this community announcement arrived this morning. It is for a good (and important) cause so I am posting it here for your information. The City of Saskatoon (City) is seeking input on a new planning initiative that will establish a framework for the identification, preservation, and management of wetlands in the City’s future growth areas. The Wetland Policy will ensure that impacts to wetlands are an important consideration in any future development decisions within Saskatoon. Saskatoon is growing and with that comes...
read moreLabour Day fireworks light up the Saskatoon sky
Fireworks display lit up the night sky during the 6th annual PotashCorp Fireworks Festival in Saskatoon last Friday and Saturday. The fireworks were launched from the Broadway Bridge in downtown Saskatoon. Royal Pyrotechnie lit up the skies on Friday, and ProFX Inc. were in charge on Saturday. ProFX Inc. has delivered the fireworks show for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games as well as four Grey Cups. I was lucky enough to get access to one of the tall buildings right next to the Delta Bessborough hotel and had a great view of the show. Here are a...
read moreCraft & Vision’s 4th Birthday Bash
Good folks over at the Craft & Vision are celebrating 4 years of serving the photographic community. If you have not read any of their inspirational eBooks, heard the podcasts or subscribed to the marvellously designed magazine Photograph, head over right away and check them out. The C&V motto is to provide “exceptional photography education at irresistible prices”. And indeed, they do provide both. To celebrate the special occasion, everything on offer through C&V is on sale for 50% off (except for the annual...
read moreNew photography workshop: “Picture It – Digital Photography Course”
New offering for the Fall – I will be teaching a digital photography course in October and November of this year. The course will provide participants with a foundation of digital image capture and processing. It is aimed at novice and photographers with intermediate skill levels. The course participants will gain necessary knowledge and skills to understand how digital cameras see and record light, how to visualize and compose their images, and to better understand the use of natural and artificial light sources. We will cover the...
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Dr. Branimir Gjetvaj is a biologist and internationally published environmental photographer specializing in western Canadian landscapes. He leads photography workshops and photo tours, and gives public presentations on photography, natural history and conservation biology topics.