Ethan Meleg launches his latest photo "accessory" to explore Canada's eastern Georgian Bay

Ontario-based outdoor photographer and naturalist Ethan Meleg has lived in the heart of the Great Lakes for most of his life. "I've never lived more than a couple of miles from water. Although I've explored many areas by kayak or canoe, there are many places that can be more easily explored with the help of some horsepower. So last summer I bought a 16-foot aluminum runabout with a 50-HP engine that can get me to-and-from shooting locations quickly in the low, magical light of dawn or dusk. The boat is small enough to navigate through narrow, shallow passages and can be pulled up on shore. A side console (steering wheel and throttle) allows me to pilot the boat and photograph at the same time.

"The boat needed a clever name that married boating and photography, so I asked for suggestions from my blog and Facebook followers. Many great names were pitched and a final vote resulted in "ViewFinder" which seems a fitting name for a boat used to get to great photo locations!

"With my newfound nautical freedom, I plotted a photo expedition late last summer to shoot some remarkable geologic formations found on a series of small islands in eastern Georgian Bay. I'd first spied these in a TV documentary about geology and had been wanting to photograph them ever since. Geologist Nick Culshaw from Dalhousie University showed me the best spots and explained how the folded and swirled rock patterns in the granite were created under great pressure and heat over a billion years ago, deep beneath an ancient mountain range called the Grenville Mountains. The mountains have long since eroded and the swirling rock patterns are all that's left of their 'roots.'

"My friend Ian Brooks and I loaded the good ship ViewFinder with camera and camping gear to spend a few days shooting in the remote island chain. The greatest challenge was navigating the boat through the shoal-laden waters, a very stressful endeavor! The combination of Ian's advanced GPS navigating skills and my inability to follow basic instructions, landed us on our first shoal within hours. I hit it hard enough to break the skeg of the bottom of the boat motor, but thankfully there was minimal damage to the prop. Onward, and much slower, we cruised.

"These images were all taken with my EOS 5D Mark II with either a 17-40mm or 24 TSE II lens fitted with Singh-Ray ND Grads and either the LB ColorCombo or LB Warming Polarizer. The grantic rock patterns made ideal foregrounds and were especially dramatic when illuminated by rich, low light. We lucked into one great sunset, but had to travel back to our campsite before it became too dark, and therefore impossible to spot the shoals lurking beneath the water surface. Next year I'll drag a kayak along with me so I can be out for the best pre-dawn and after-dusk light!"

Most recently, Ethan travelled to Africa where he was on Safari in Kenya's world-renown wildlife parks, including Amboseli, Masa Mara Reserve, and Lake Nakuru, He is currently editing thousands of images from the trip. Follow Ethan's adventures by visiting his website and very instructive blog, or add his page on Facebook.