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by OntPhoto on Wed Mar 31, 2021 8:52 pm
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I am always very surprised to see how many local photographers that do not wear a mask while standing close to other people usually other photographers.  This is consistent.  I'm not sure what people are thinking when they do that.  Occasionally we have photography 'hotspots' especially when a rare owl shows up.  This past winter we had a red morph screech owl show up for what turned out to be only the one day.  

The whole day there were large groups (30+) of photographers all standing close to each other, some almost shoulder to shoulder for long periods of time.   Very few were wearing a mask.  OK, the majority did not wear a mask.  I was thinking super spreader event.  Amazing to see.  I don't think this is just a photographer thing and is very commonplace probably everywhere.  

Me, if I need to get close to another photographer or birder to see or photograph a bird, I am putting  a mask on.  When I have enough space and can keep a good distance, I take off the mask.  Not so much for myself but moreso for the older people I visit from time to time.  Just want to minimize the odds of passing anything along. 

What has been your experience?


Last edited by OntPhoto on Wed Mar 31, 2021 10:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

by OntPhoto on Wed Mar 31, 2021 9:02 pm
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CTV News Channel.  Breaking News for Ontario.  Month long shut-down expected to be announced on Thursday.  It says "at lesat a month" which means it can extend up to 2 months.  How long does it normally take to get the numbers down?  I personally don't think 4 weeks will do it. 

April to May is heavy bird migration season (since many of us are into bird photography and also wildlife photography), I am wondering if places like Point Pelee will be open or not.  Locally, we're OK as we have plenty of greenspace to get lost in.  

Unfortunately we have to go to lockdown but as you can tell in the original post, many people don't take distancing seriously.  It shows in the results.  


Quoting CTV News:  

"Multiple sources with direct knowledge of the decision said Wednesday the province's third pandemic lockdown expected to begin on April 3 and is expected to last at least a month."

Month long shutdown for Ontario expected to be announced this Thursday, April 1, 2021. No, not an April Fools joke. I hope not. 


Last edited by OntPhoto on Thu Apr 01, 2021 6:56 am, edited 3 times in total.

by E.J. Peiker on Thu Apr 01, 2021 5:08 am
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I wouldn't engage in photography or any other activity within 10 feet or downwind of any other human being until this thing is over unless I know without a shadow of a doubt that every individual has been fully vaccinated and it has been at least 15 days since the second shot.

by signgrap on Thu Apr 01, 2021 6:59 am
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E.J. Peiker wrote:I wouldn't engage in photography or any other activity within 10 feet or downwind of any other human being until this thing is over unless I know without a shadow of a doubt that every individual has been fully vaccinated and it has been at least 15 days since the second shot.
Same here.
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by ADKShooter on Thu Apr 01, 2021 7:21 am
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E.J. Peiker wrote:I wouldn't engage in photography or any other activity within 10 feet or downwind of any other human being until this thing is over unless I know without a shadow of a doubt that every individual has been fully vaccinated and it has been at least 15 days since the second shot.
Ditto.  As I usually shoot alone or sometimes with one other person at a time, it hasn't been an issue for me.  I have been fully vaccinated since February but I still wear a mask in all appropriate settings.

by SantaFeJoe on Thu Apr 01, 2021 8:27 am
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Even fully vaccinated, there have been a few cases of people getting, and even dying from, Covid19. The bigger problem I find around here is that many people only “wear” a mask to comply with the rules. So many people don’t know how to wear a mask properly or just don’t like the feeling of wearing a mask, so they just wear it below the nose or around their neck. It doesn’t help that so many people still believe that masks “don’t work” or the virus is a hoax or propaganda!!! A cousin of mine asked why I wore a mask while I was working close to him. I said it was because I didn’t want to get sick and pass it along to my wife who has asthma and didn’t want to get him sick either in case I had been exposed. He said that masks don’t work. Then why do painters, people who apply pesticides, clean up asbestos, work with sawdust, etc, wear masks? He said you won’t die until it’s your time. I pointed to some garden poisons nearby and asked if he thought he could drink them and not die. He couldn’t answer. I told him masks protect you from things you can’t even see. Are they 100% effective? No, but why would someone want to take a chance? If you have had anyone close to you die, as I have, and have seen the suffering that many people have gone through, just maybe you would understand. It’s so disrespectful to not care about our elderly and other susceptible people. When anybody says it’s a hoax, it makes me wonder why they can’t see the numbers of people on ventilators and the full ICU’s. Then there’s the ridiculous claim that the numbers of people who have died are skewed so that the hospitals get more money for Covid deaths. That’s another stupid thing my cousin told me he believed. Then why are we seeing so many deaths above normal death rates all of a sudden? Why do he number of people dying from Covid19 exceed the numbers of deaths from many wars combined? And why would we want to see more health care workers die from just doing their jobs? This includes many doctors, nurses and others who chose a profession that would normally save lives, but never expected to be at such risk while doing so!!! I’m glad I got the vaccination, but it’s disheartening to see that many people are still resistant to taking it. I’m also glad that I mostly work alone in the field and I like the places where others seldom go, except for now that people just want to get out and are discovering how much they’ve been missing outdoors!!!!

Joe
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by Scott Fairbairn on Thu Apr 01, 2021 9:00 am
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I have found that people, in general, do not wear masks outdoors. The "dilution is the solution to pollution" principle at work. I have a friend who has had two family members die from Covid. I have also heard people argue, "they were old and going to die soon anyway," which makes my blood boil. The thing that bugs me the most are people that argue it is their right not to wear one. They do not seem to understand that mask-wearing is not just about them; it is about protecting the people you might infect too.
I typically avoid areas with lots of people when I am photographing, so it is not a concern. However, there is no way I will be near people without one.
I have not missed Pelee in the spring for more than thirty years, until last year, of course, and I cannot see it open this year either.
As to the question of how long it will take for the numbers to decline? In Ontario, the rates have been rising, so assuming everyone cooperates(which they won't) from Saturday, the infections should continue to rise as the people that became infected in the past two weeks become symptomatic, then assuming compliance, the numbers should decline.

by OntPhoto on Thu Apr 01, 2021 9:36 am
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You hit the nail on the head on all the points, SanteFe Joe. Your thinking is very much along how I think. I see the improper wearing of masks too, where it fits loosely on the nose but keeps slipping off. These people are just going thru the motions.

It is harder to keep distance in Ottawa because all the popular locations are well known. When I find an owl or fox or other animal of interest on my own, I keep it quiet. Especially now. The only sightings I share are the well known locations, that just about everyone knows about. Try and strike a good balance.

But it still amazes me whenever I run into photographers that don’t wear a mask and stand very close together. Roll the dice.

by Jeff Pearl on Thu Apr 01, 2021 10:03 am
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I wear a mask whenever I'm going to be around other people. You can't worry about what others do or don't because there is still a huge % that won't wear a mask and think the pandemic is not real. Taking steps to protect yourself is all you can do. Now many states are lifting the mask wearing requirements even though Covid cases are rising again. I will continue to wear mask for all of 2021 if the situation looks like it might require it. I should be able to get vaccine in the next 30 days or so, but i will still wear mask after that.

by E.J. Peiker on Thu Apr 01, 2021 12:18 pm
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As an interesting aside to this conversation, I have had two larger unsubscribe events to my newsletter in the 20 years I've been publishing it. The first was back in 2005 after returning from Africa for the first time when I made a comment against trophy hunting big game and the second was my last one a couple of weeks ago where I said that I would require proof of vaccination plus 15 days for anyone to book a workshop or one on one in person consultation...

by SantaFeJoe on Thu Apr 01, 2021 12:47 pm
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E.J. Peiker wrote:As an interesting aside to this conversation, I have had two larger unsubscribe events to my newsletter in the 20 years I've been publishing it.  The first was back in 2005 after returning from Africa for the first time when I made a comment against trophy hunting big game and the second was my last one a couple of weeks ago where I said that I would require proof of vaccination plus 15 days for anyone to book a workshop or one on one in person consultation...

You’re not losing anything by requesting that. If a person doesn’t like it, you’re protecting yourself and others from someone who could be a high risk due to their own beliefs. When you see what’s going on in Miami, you realize that there are a lot of people who just don’t get it, even with the highly contagious variants there.

Joe
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso

by Stephen Feingold on Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:40 pm
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I may continue to wear a mask whenever I photograph.
No more nose grease on the rear LCD.

by Rocky Sharwell on Thu Apr 01, 2021 7:02 pm
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E.J. Peiker wrote:I wouldn't engage in photography or any other activity within 10 feet or downwind of any other human being until this thing is over unless I know without a shadow of a doubt that every individual has been fully vaccinated and it has been at least 15 days since the second shot.
Same--I live in a great spot to walk/run but unless early morning-my treadmill
Rocky Sharwell

by bradmangas on Thu Apr 01, 2021 7:24 pm
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I don't and never have photographed at places where this is an issue. If it would ever come up I would just step away from someone. I wouldn't put a mask on outside when I can simply take a step away. Which I would do anyway. But then I also don't stand on the edge of a cliff to get "the shot" either. I always chuckle when I see folks walking by themselves outside with a mask on. That's when I wonder, what are they thinking?

by SantaFeJoe on Thu Apr 01, 2021 10:11 pm
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bradmangas wrote:.............. I always chuckle when I see folks walking by themselves outside with a mask on. That's when I wonder, what are they thinking?
I understand what you are saying, but I would rather see that than to see all the tourists from Florida, Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, New York and Louisiana on the Santa Fe plaza either not wearing masks or wearing them improperly and then saying it’s all propaganda, which I have personally witnessed. Then they praise the ones who propagate that stupidity. Too bad when others pay the price for their ignorant beliefs. It’s too bad they cannot witness the suffering of a person struggling to breath so that reality would set in for them. The suffering that can be avoided by others should be reason enough to just wear that “uncomfortable, restricting annoyance of a mask”. How selfish people can be when they don’t think of others, but only of their “constitutional” rights and freedom to do as they please, or worse yet, money. I loan out durable medical equipment to those in need and have become very aware of what is happening to a lot of people, even young people with no underlying conditions. Please, people, have a heart for others, especially our older generation.

Joe
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso

by OntPhoto on Thu Apr 01, 2021 10:32 pm
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Looks like Point Pelee is open but long waits as staff limit visitors.

Point Pelee FB Page

Things you need to know if you are visiting this Easter Weekend:
• Expect long wait times
• Staff will be stationed at the main gate to limit the number of vehicles entering the park 
• Visitors, including seasons pass holders, will likely find themselves waiting in line;
• The park is open 7 am until sunset.
• Regular fees apply;

by Jim Zipp on Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:51 am
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E.J. Peiker wrote:As an interesting aside to this conversation, I have had two larger unsubscribe events to my newsletter in the 20 years I've been publishing it.  The first was back in 2005 after returning from Africa for the first time when I made a comment against trophy hunting big game and the second was my last one a couple of weeks ago where I said that I would require proof of vaccination plus 15 days for anyone to book a workshop or one on one in person consultation...
E.J.  Wow. I find that simply amazing but probably shouldn't these days. 
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by Andrew_5488 on Fri Apr 02, 2021 12:21 pm
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SantaFeJoe wrote:... He said that masks don’t work. Then why do painters, people who apply pesticides, clean up asbestos, work with sawdust, etc, wear masks? He said you won’t die until it’s your time.
...
I told him masks protect you from things you can’t even see. Are they 100% effective? No, but why would someone want to take a chance?
...
Then there’s the ridiculous claim that the numbers of people who have died are skewed so that the hospitals get more money for Covid deaths. That’s another stupid thing my cousin told me he believed...

Joe
Of course it's not a hoax but:

You do know that there're different masks for different use cases ?
You do know that N95 mask will let particles of size of Covid 19 to go through ?
You do know that masks we all can see in major cities (that blue garbage) are nowhere near specs of N95 masks ?

Point of wearing a mask is to limit spread of the virus if you're infected. It doesn't protect you from anything nor
it eliminates spreading of the virus, it just limits it. Of course nobody knows specs of those blue masks so maybe
we just participate in one big happening ;-)

There's plenty of anecdotal evidence that some places are skewing numbers because of money.

First, there was masks are not needed. THen, you need a mask !
Now you need two masks.
The problem is we're not given straight information and people don't trust anyone anymore.

When it comes to photographing in the open I don't wear a mask and when I see some poor schmuck without mask
coughing and spitting over himself I move away. Call me crazy.




 

by Andrew_5488 on Fri Apr 02, 2021 12:23 pm
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bradmangas wrote: I always chuckle when I see folks walking by themselves outside with a mask on. That's when I wonder, what are they thinking?


They don't. That's the problem.

by Andrew_5488 on Fri Apr 02, 2021 12:29 pm
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E.J. Peiker wrote:As an interesting aside to this conversation, I have had two larger unsubscribe events to my newsletter in the 20 years I've been publishing it.  The first was back in 2005 after returning from Africa for the first time when I made a comment against trophy hunting big game and the second was my last one a couple of weeks ago where I said that I would require proof of vaccination plus 15 days for anyone to book a workshop or one on one in person consultation...
I'm a little bit surprised with first case but in second case vaccines are not 100% effective and why would you
blame people for not taking vaccines which were rushed and not fully tested ?

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