A Thousand Points of Light

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

Remember that poster from the 70s?  Well, it is still true, and I know that as the milestone day you'll want to mark it appropriately.  And because you know I'm all about inspiration (for both of us!) let today be the day you discover one new idea about life.

The one question I get asked most often is who my favorite photographer is.  Well, I don't have just one fav - there areso many styles and techniques to admire.  But I can tell you about the people who have influenced me the most in the preceeding years, leading up to today.

They are inspirational and influential for an assortment of reasons, some are purely personal.  Some are already famous, some are on their way there, and a few you may never have even heard of. But if you care to learn a little about these people, you'll uncover a bit more about how to reveal a creative pathway (or two) that could just change your life.

Here's this week's list in no special order - I'll write the details of each in subsequent articles.  Man Ray, Imogen Cunningham, Ian Morrison, Freeman Paterson, Jim, Deepak, Jeremy, Patty.

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Plan for Success

Sure it's a well worn phrase...but the method works. Here is Canada - and proably any other former British "colonies" we're getting ready to launch summer officially, this weekend.  It's the May Long weekend - 3 or perhaps 4 (!) days to get out doors and rejoice that t he cold weather (we hope) will be vanquished back to the north for another few months.

So, what will you do to take advantage of this time. If you're just relaxing that's great.  But if you've been thinking about photography, about trying something new, gettting that great sunrise shot, doing some wildlife photography  in the wilderness this is a prime time to just do it.

The big picture looks like this:

Plan one sunrise shoot.  Depending on where you live you may be getting up quite early.  Here's a site that will tell you exactly WHEN you'll need to get moving.

Plan some infrared shooting. (Be sure to get my new IR Photography Tutorials ) Best done at mid day when the sun is high and the infrared efeect is at full power.

Plan some macro shots.  You need lots of light because your apreture needs to be stopped down to get max focus.  So mid day is often a good time for this too. I use a well washed j cloth (nice blue colour) as a backdrop because it looks like blue sky.

How about a romantic beach sunset, if you're out at the lake? Use the sunset table from the first link to tell you when the best time will be. Be sure to turn around, face away from the sun to see the Bands of Venus that appear on the opposite sky of the setting sun.  These can make remarkable sunset shots.

Got a tripod? If you're away from the city lights, try some star trails.  Use a wide angle lens to capture more of the sky. If you're in the northern hemshpere, place the north star at the centre of your viewfinder. Keep your ISO pretty low - no more than 400 ISO. Shutter anywhere from 30 seconds to perhaps 2 minutes.

If you're in the city, night shots of skylines, and urban architecture are a ton of fun and with warm nights and no mosquitos yet, it's a really enjoyable way to get creative after dark. 

So there is a basic plan for 3 days of photography. Remember what ever you do, take your camera. Even if you're not a hard-core photographer, this long weekend is always a special one so you'll want to capture those family shots, party shots, and record the good times.  Post a few online here! 

May long pics can be the most memorable of them all.

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News Flash

I have some good news and some bad news...

READ MORE...

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Go West!

While the PPOC National Convention is on in Quebec this week, I find myself thinking of the mountains again.

The drive accross the prairies is always subtly breathtaking, in some places it's easy to pretend you're one of the first humans to explore the vast hilly plains of western Saskatchewan.

Some places on the trip list so far -

• Castle Rock in SK, Canada's most secret natural monument, and little known answer to Ayers Rock - yes really!
• Red Rock Coulee in Alberta, at sunset of course.
• Various scenic places in Banff National Park
• Icefields parkway to Jasper
• The Okanagan Valley in BC

If you've been to any of these places let me know - I'm interested in knowing your experiences and possibly locations

Got photos?  Share them here!

ttfn

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Entry # 4

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Entry # 3

If displacement maps are a mumbo jumbo term for you, then I will keep this one short! 

I was experementing with displacement maps, and as I was playing around, this was going through my head - don't ask me why!

From The Tempest (by William Shakespeare)

Full fathom five thy Father lies, 
Of his bones are coral made: 
Those are pearles that were his eyes, 
Nothing of him that doth fade, 
But doth suffer a sea-change 
Into something rich & strange...
 

And what you see is the result of several hours of meditation on one of Willy's grand verses.

ACCEPTED at the PPOC National Image Show, 2010

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Entry # 2

Last summer I hiked around parts of Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, (too many tourists to do it right!), but it was a stunning view just the same, and from some angles I could get shots sans people. I'm going back there very soon BEFORE the tourist season starts so I can take a day to explore it in more detail.

There was one lone paddler amongst all the sightseers, and I would have given almost anything to hitch a ride with him to the far shore of the lake where people couldn't get to. But why should I spoil his adventure - he took off in a hurry eager to enjoy the unreal emerald waters and the sunlight that danced on each wave. Lucky man.

This image was ACCEPTED.

No it's not HDR in case you're wondering .

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