Interview with Super Moderator Daniel Cadieux

[Julie Kenward]

Daniel Cadieux is an avian forum moderator here at BPN and is also a native of Canada’s beautiful National Capital, Ottawa, Ontario. He recently became engaged to his fiancé, Chantal, and plans to marry in 2012. He has two sons from a previous marriage, Jeremy (11), and Alexandre (9). He’s been serious about photography for the past six years but, as a young boy, he’d regularly borrow his father’s Minolta SLR with its 80-200mm lens to photograph birds and finish off the roll of film that his father had started. He was very proud of those photos then but, looking back now, has to chuckle. The seed for his future obsession was definitely planted back then!

To see more of Daniel’s beautiful photographs you can visit him at his website, DanCadPhotography, check out his albums here at BPN, or look him up on Facebook where he frequently shows off his latest images.

Now let’s get to know a little more about Daniel, BPN’s “Super Moderator”!


Do you consider yourself to be a professional, semi-pro, or student?

I like to think that my images are of professional caliber but I only do this a couple of hours per week due to time constraints (job, kids, etc). I suppose the odd sale from prints, calendars, and publications would technically make me a semi-pro, but I’d say I’m more of an avid amateur.


Then what’s your day job?
I work for the Canadian Federal Government, currently at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

What do you do when you’re not out with a camera in hand?
Post processing images, of course! Summertime means organized soccer for the boys. I’m also a big music fan - a rocker at heart. I don’t play any instruments but there is always music on in the house from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to bed and my music collection is always expanding. Post-processing while listening to my favorite bands is like medicine for me. I also enjoy sports and, now that my boys are a little older, it’s a lot of fun playing soccer and hockey with them. I enjoy taking nature walks with them, too (yes, sometimes without a camera in hand).

What make/model of equipment do you use on a regular basis?
I use a Canon 7D body and my main lens is the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM. I have a couple of other lenses for various other subjects. I like my Tamron 28-75mmf/2.8 XR Di for general use, and also still find use for my 18-55 “kit lens”. I just recently got my hands on a 100mm f/2.8 macro lens that I really enjoy using. I handhold my gear most of the time, and only have a basic generic tripod for night photos or long exposures with the smaller lenses.

What editing software do you use?
I rely on Lightroom 3 for basic adjustments to my raw files and conversion to tiff, then Photoshop CS2 for the rest of the post-processing.

Do you shoot only digital or do you also shoot film/slides?
I’m 100% digital. I did experiment with slides for about a year at the beginning but digital is so much more convenient; I don’t think I’ll ever dabble with film or slides again.

What classifications (or genres) of photography are you primarily known for or interested in?
Avian by far - but I’m a closet macro guy. While looking for birds to photograph, I always keep my eyes peeled for interesting flowers, mushrooms, insects, or patterns nature has to offer. I also enjoy photographing landscapes from time to time.

When you’re not out photographing one of your primary interests, what else do you enjoy photographing?
I love photographing my kids and their teammates during soccer games. The expressions on the kids’ faces as they are giving it their all are priceless! I also like to photograph the city, especially at night. I love architecture, particularly the older historic buildings. We’re lucky here in Ottawa that we have easy access to the majestic Parliament Buildings. Other local heritage sites, such as the Rideau Canal and the Chateau Laurier, make for great subjects day or night.

Would you say your biggest strength lies in your technical skills with the camera, your artistic expression/interpretation, or your post-processing skills?
I’d say my biggest strength is my artistic expression/interpretation, although my technical skills with the camera are pretty good, too. There is always room for improvement in all aspects of photography, though, and I love to learn new things. I’m not very patient with post-processing so it’s always great to find a new way to do things that takes less time but yields the same result.

Do you conduct any classes, seminars, or workshops?
I’ve done some slide shows and the odd local workshop here and there. I’d love to do more regular workshops - perhaps in a couple of years when the kids are older and I have more time.

Have you ever been published? Won any awards?
I’ve been published in a variety of magazines/publications. I won first place in Canadian Geographic’s photo contest “Landscapes” category, and was either winner or runner-up a few times in “Reflections of Nature” photo contests. Ironically enough, although birds are my main love and subjects, most of my contest wins have been with landscapes or other animals!

What was it about photography that first drew you in?
I’ve been a birder since childhood (not a checklist-type birder, but more of a bird observer/admirer) so, at first, it was simply to record what I had seen on nature walks. When I stumbled upon nature photography forums on the Internet I was stunned at the level of photography presented out there and I wanted to do the same.

What keeps you coming back for more?
Never knowing what I’ll find next, be it species-wise or behavior-wise. As much as I love “birds of interest” or to add a new species to my portfolio, I could also photograph gulls for days if that is all there was. I have enough chickadee pictures to last ten lifetimes but my favorite chickadee image is always the newest one I’ve taken. The rush of getting a satisfying image, where everything just came together perfectly, never goes away - no matter what the subject is. The anticipation of inserting the memory card into the computer and viewing a morning’s outing never gets old. Bird photography really is addictive!

Whose work do you most admire and why?
The first person’s work that I admired was from a Canadian painter by the name of Robert Bateman. I’d browse his books and was in awe of his artistic talents. His most frequent works were of nature and wildlife, including many depictions of birds. The first photo book I purchased was “Wild Birds of Canada” by Tim Fitzharris. I was 14 or 15 years old and I remember thinking to myself that this guy must be the best nature photographer in the world! Wow, I dreamed of taking pictures like that and I still admire that book today. Nowadays, there are so many people whose work I admire. A quick peek in BPN’s forums shows that there is a great amount of talent out there and there are so many more excellent photographers that we don’t know of yet, waiting to be discovered.

Do you have any current mentors or muses? Anyone who’s rocked your world with their knowledge of photography?
Arthur Morris…his style of bird photography is the one I most relate to. Attending one of his workshops you quickly realize how much bird photography runs in his veins. He lives and breathes it and it shows. Its mind boggling how much information he has to give. I had the pleasure of co-leading his workshops on a couple of occasions and the amount of stuff I learned during those was amazing.

James Shadle is another photographer I look up to. OK, he may be on the dark side (i.e. he’s a “Nikon guy”) but he is a leader and a good man by example, very knowledgeable and quite creative. There is always something to learn with him. Denise Ippolito has got me thinking outside the box more - especially with pan-blurs which I enjoy doing. There is a lot of Alan Murphy’s influence when I create setups. The list could go on and on!

How have you personally grown and/or changed because of your love of photography?
My love of photography has certainly added to who I am. I’ve met lots of wonderful people and new friends that share my passion for photography - many of them I’ve spent many hours with in the field sharing laughs and stories so, in that sense, I guess you could say it has indirectly contributed to my development as a person.

Has your photographic style changed over time? If so, how?
I’m not sure that my style itself has changed much but my photography has grown and improved by leaps and bounds. I still like to photograph the same subjects in the same way, but the results are much better now; I’ve much improved at presenting what I saw.

How has holding a camera to your eye changed the way you interact with the world around you?
Not much in a visible way from others’ point of view but, mentally, I look for photo opportunities everywhere I go, regardless if I have a camera with me or not. I often look at the world as if I were looking at it through a viewfinder, judging light angle and quality, estimating camera settings I would need, composing as if I was about to take a photograph. I look for good head angles, good perches, great backgrounds, and mentally remove unwanted or distracting elements. It’s like a disease!

How long have you been involved with BPN?
On January 1^st, 2008 a friend sent me an email about a new bird photography forum. I browsed for about two minutes and registered right away on that very date. I believe that was the first day BPN was open to the public.

How has being involved in our forums changed your photography?
It has opened up a whole lot of opportunities from new online friends (many of which I’ve since met), to a whole world of information and educational resources that I could only before dream of finding in one place. Being a mostly self-taught photographer, I wish BPN was around when I first started; the learning curve would have been reduced tremendously! BPN has prevented me from becoming a lazy photographer just being happy with the status quo. It keeps me on my toes and forces me to keep pushing my own personal limits.

What’s been the best piece of advice you’ve received here at BPN?
It’s not as much a particular piece of advice I’ve had but, rather, the many bits and pieces collectively that I got - and still get - out of BPN. Thinking more outside the box is probably one of the bigger pieces of advice I’ve taken to heart.

What forum do you spend most of your time in? Why?
Avian - birds and bird photography - are my passion so I naturally gravitate there. As “Avian Moderator” I guess that is another reason I should spend a good bit of my time there! I do enjoy all the forums and I browse around quite a bit. I post images and offer critiques in those other forums, too, once in a while. It is interesting to note the similarities AND the differences every specialty has to offer.

Got any advice for future photographers?
Strive to be the best photographer you can no matter what the gear you have (or can afford) and learn how to use your gear inside and out. Learn about your subjects - how they move, how they react, and where you can find them. We all have our personal level of ethics, but no matter what, be respectful of nature and your subjects. There is a huge learning curve for new photographers so soak it up by reading and participating in forums such as BPN. Read books and practice, practice, practice. Most important of all…have FUN!

What’s currently at the top of your photography dream list?
I always love going to Florida. My parents had a place down there when I was younger and I used to go quite often so, now that I do bird photography, I find myself wanting to go back again and again. It certainly helps, too, with the “tame” birds! Canada is a huge country and there is a lot to explore here; I’d love to go up north for breeding arctic birds. The west coast would be great, too. Internationally, the trip of a lifetime for me would definitely be Australia.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “You can’t take it with you” but if you COULD take it with you, what one camera body and lens would you strap around your neck for all of eternity and why?
I’m not much of a gear fanatic, but if I could choose it would be the Canon 1d MKIV and the 500mm f/4 (plus I’d try to sneak a 1.4 TC in my pocket). Of course, it would be quite heavy around my neck for eternity, but to me that seems like currently the ultimate birding camera/lens combo.

Anything else you want to add?
I want to say a big thank you to all who’ve inspired, encouraged, helped, and taught me along the way…and especially to BPN and all its participants, members, moderators, and owners/publishers. See you online!

[Tom Rambaut]

Daniel is a big asset to BPN - his comment rate is very high and I have learnt a lot from his critiques. Very good photographer to boot. Interesting artical. Thanks.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Nice to see the story behind the man! I have had the pleasure of meeting Daniel and not only is he a great photographer and huge asset to BPN but he is alos one heck of a fun guy!

[Roman Kurywczak]

Way to go with the interview too Jules!!! Looks like your formula is a winner!!!

[Melissa Groo]

Wonderful interview, great job, Daniel and Julie. Great to get to know the man behind the camera. He is a wonderfully talented teacher, artist, and photographer! Thanks for this.

[Randy Stout]

Daniel:

Nice interview. I particularly liked the Robert Bateman comment, as I loved his work long before I began photographing nature.

Your passion for photography comes through very strongly!

Cheers

Randy

[Wayne Wood]

I've known Dan for years and have logged hundreds of hours in the field with him. I am proud to call him friend and have learned so much from this incredible talent. I enjoyed this interview very much, thank you for taking the time to put Dan in the spotlight so to speak.

All the best

Wayne

[Harshad Barve]

Nice to see the story behind the man! Dan is my super fav mod too
TFS

[Steve Kaluski]

Thanks Daniel, great interview and this is a really good insight as I said before.

A great idea Julie to really open up the Forum, with an almost 'behind the scenes' interview, offering a greater in-depth to the people & personalities we see/hear on BPN.

[denise ippolito]

Great interview Jules! Daniel you are an extremely talented photographer and all around nice guy. Glad that you are our Super Mod-well deserved!

[James Shadle]

Dan the man. Thanks for your efforts on BPN!

And for the record, Dan believes Rush is the worlds best band with April Wine a close second.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Thanks Wayne for the kind words...they mean alot!

Hmmm...Rush and April Wine, not my ultimate faves but I could live with those, especially compared to our most famous musical export that shall remain nameless (can you say Titanic end credits!!!). Neil Peart does rule the drumkit though!!

[Stu Bowie]

Dan, great interview. Its great to get to know more about you.

Julie, fantastic work on both interviews so far.

[Jay Gould]

Wonderful story and presentation.

Hope we have these for all of the Mods.

Thanks,

[Julie Kenward]

Actually, Jay, we're going to be featuring some of BPN's members as well! Stay tuned!

[Sid Garige]

Great interview Dan. Brilliant collection of images.

[Doug Brown]

Another excellent interview! It's fun getting to know a little bit more about the people behind the avatars! Thanks Daniel for all of the excellent work you do for BPN!

[dankearl]

Great interview.
Daniel, besides your excellent critiques and obvious passion, to me, you are the best PP photographer on this site.
I learn a ton, just looking at what you do with your images.
I have remarked before, you should give a class on post processing.

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Jules, very well done. Everything, the questions, the length, the content, images....feels just right.

Dan, as you know, I am big fan of your work and find it quite inspirational. I have said this many times before...I believe you are one of best out there when it comes to photographing small birds with a 400mm lens. Nice to know more about you. Hope we can meet and hang out some day.

[Dave Leroy]

What a good idea to do these interviews. Really nice to get to know a bit about the person behind the name.

Daniel that was an interesting comment about artistic interpretation. Your ability to take an everyday, common bird on the side of your driveway and turn it into a lovely subject is very impressive.

[Chris Martinez]

Another great interview!!

Much respect to Daniel. One of the many wonderful crew members on BPN.

[Hazel Grant]

Thanks for the interview. Good information. Nice forum to get to know people better and to learn from them. Daniel is a good choice for this.

[Brendan Dozier]

You are a huge help here at BPN, Daniel, and very generous with your time. I always learn from your comments & suggestions whether for an image of mine or someone else. (well sometimes, I don't always learn the first time ) I also love to put on the tunes while doing post production! Do you still enter contests now, and if so, which ones?

[Daniel Cadieux]

Hey Brendan (and all), thanks for the kind words! I haven't entered a contest in a long time, but I am often tempted though!! Perhaps I'll enter a couple this year ot next

[Paul GREENGRASS]

A frank and honest interview from a down to earth guy.
Nice one Dan I enjoyed reading your words and viewing your pictures both tell a story.
Regards
Paul.

[Kerry Perkins]

Dan, great to get to know you better. Thanks for your work here and a great interview! Wonderful images! Thanks for sharing them and sharing your time with us, much appreciated.

Great job Jules, thanks again!

[Dan Brown]

Daniel...you, me, and the small zoom 400mm lenses! Love it! Your bird photography is top notch! Julie, thanks for another fine interview.