Angel or Dragon?

This is Angel Glacier beside Mt. Edith Cavell glacier.  With the warmer weather of the last couple of years, the Angel is shorter.  The portion you are looking at is the upper part of the skirt (with the rest melted.)

I loved this image because the image looks like a dragon crawling over the mountain and its mouth visible here.  There is even an eye on this side, (and looks like one on the other side as well.

Looking beyond what you are told helps consider the options for making a great photo.  I didn't just see the Angel that I was told to see, I looked for other interpretations.

The perfect photo

I framed a photo of this same flower, but changing the subject to the photographer was much more interesting.  Using the direction of John's eye and his camera lens, it leads the viewers eye to the image of the wild rose.  Using objects or people to direct the viewers eye to the real subject.

Signing your life away

I make a habit of reading waiver forms.  This is another opportunity to let students see the image and then decide the story that it tells.  Obviously, this is not me signing the form, as both hands are used in the image.  The original image is in RAW and it is possible to zoom in and read the details including that the company is not liable for injuries - including death....

What are you thinking?

While in Jasper, the Elk were wandering around our cabins.  Most of the guests just hung out about 50 feet away.  I am a little more daring to make a great photo.  I didn't just want a picture of animals.  I wanted something more from the pictures I made.  I was still careful to keep a car between the Elk and I; however, some of my colleagues felt I got to close - as witnessed by this look.  I assumed it was thinking, "If he takes one more step closer ...."

A great opportunity for writing with students is providing images like this one that invite you to create your own story to explain it.

Standing Guard

While in Jasper, the goslings were exploring but not far from Mom.  This image almost follows the rule of thirds.  I would have liked to have the goslings looking up too, but they were chomping happily under Mom's watchful eye.

Planning the Angle

I enjoyed taking photos during the Barnsley Lifeguard Competition.  I also was able to plan some photos.  I made these photos by working the bulkhead at the other end of the pool.  While I captured the action, it is relatively boring.  A better shot would have been much closer to the swimmers, but on the side of the pool.  Head-on, there is very little to see of the entry.  If I was at the side, I would have gotten some great profiles while diving.

Posing Golfers

These two photos were taken moments apart.   The second one is nice;however, the first one has some nicer expressions.  Telling people when a photo is being taken changes their expressions.  I usually take a few before the official photo to make sure I get the great expressions.  

Another thought to making good photos is to interact with the environment.  The second image has the golfers crossing their clubs.  While this is posed, it is also a neat effect.

Following Directions

I give credit to Shelagh Lim for this image.  This was a made image.  There is a story behind the image though.  We were given permission to walk the golf cart path in Jasper.

That is me with the farmer hat.

Some photographs are made to tell a story.  This one depicts a story but I know the real one behind it.

Capturing a story

This is a fun photo that was taken to capture a fun event.  Shelagh has many fun stories from this trip.  

Part of taking photos this way is always having a camera with you.  A delicate part of this is to not take so many as to be annoying.  (Most people just know that I have a camera with me now.)

Water Skeeter

Making photographers through water is particularly challenging.  Cameras have difficulty auto focusing through water, and I have difficulty with manual focus through water.

Both my wife and I remember playing in streams and 'capturing and releasing' these insects.

It is challenging to capture them as the move unexpectedly.  

The solution for me in this case was to zoom out, focus where I thought it should be in the frame and then crop the final image.  I tried about 6 different shots to make this one.

Moving Targets

With my previous photograph bringing up the 20 lb brick, the guard came straight up.  With this shot, the guard swam sideways.  It is not unusual to do this but making a photograph when this happens requires a changing plan.

Helping the camera deal with a subject moving (and moving out of the frame,) you move the camera at the same speed of your subject.  If this is new to you, you can also make sure you are zoomed out more so that you can capture the event.  In post production, you can crop out excess space to compose the photograph better.

Being Playful

Being a photographer for any event is a challenge to 'capture' the event.  If you ever leave one spot, you may miss the action there, but by being different, you have other opportunities to capture the essence of the event.

When you start taking photos, those that are natural comedians will often 'act out.'  The nice thing is that you can capture these moments with our new technologies.

While this shot was not framed, or arranged, I planned on getting images like this.  So.... this is another way of making photographs.

Pretty Amazing

At the LG competition, there is a fitness component.  Bring a 20lb brick off the bottom at 6 feet or more, then swim with it for 15 feet.  Sounds easy - but try it.  

I have been doing this activity for almost 20 years.  When I was at Rolley Lake, I was 'playing' by picking up rocks off the bottom.  It was fun to watch others try as well.  

Catching this on film was exciting.  Again I had to plan watching when she was going to break the surface and take the shot just before she broke the surface.  Having done this activity gave me an opportunity to have a good idea when she would break and the breath she would immediately take.

Catching the action

Catching the action used to be so much harder.  With my old Pentax Super ME, I could only take one image and then manually wind.  I never moved to an auto winder.

With the Nikon D60, I can take 3 to 4 snaps per second.  It is still not fast enough to catch action with unless it is planned.  You need to plan your shot, ensure your shutter speed is enough to not just make a blur, then breath out slowly and depress the shutter just before the moment you want.

Think Different

This image was taken at the Bear Creek LG Competition.  I said taken because I didn't take the photo for composition.  Rather the photo was made to look differently at the competition.  When all eyes are on the finish of the race, a different perspective.

I was told by a professional photographer to plan your photos by walking around without a camera.  Look for shots and plan before picking up a camera.  The beauty of the LG competition was that I got to see most things 3 times in succession.  I was able to plan several shots this way.

Yet another Powell River Sunset

As I have said, I spend a long time to get just the right photo.  Even with the right subject matter, you still have choices.  These two images are great.  At first I wanted to post the first one, then I saw the second again and thought it was better.  They both have their merits and the colour is amazing.

My mother-in-law claims Powell River has the best sunsets in the world.  It is hard to argue when I can capture the range of great photos in one night.

Another Powell River Sunset

Patience is important.  I hung around the beach for over an hour to explore different shots and make just the right photo.  I had decided I wanted to be out on the breakwater to get less foreground in the images.  Walking over, the sun changed a bit more and when I arrived this image was waiting to be made.  I could adjust the colour saturation a bit but I am happy with the shot 'au naturel.'  

Upon further looking, I see that I purposely decreased the aperture to expose the image less.  Here is an image taken moments before with 1/80 of a second versus the 1/200 of a second for the image above.

Wild Strawberry

I am always amazed at the way we have domesticated and changed plants.  More recently, concerns over genetically modified plants....  We have been able to 'naturally' modify plants such as this strawberry which basically produces a fruit the size of a pea covered in seeds to a fruit the size of a golf ball or more.  

Politics aside, I love the beauty of plants that are 'wild' versions of what I know.  This image was shot in raw so I was able to crop over half of the image out to frame a much nicer photo.

Catching Water

Something critical that I gained from listening to Vincent LaForet was relating to making photos rather than taking.  This series of images was intended to do just that.  I adjust the shutter speed manually from 1/500 of a second to 1/15 of a second.  At 1/500, the water appears to stop and is in close focus.  At 1/15 of a second the rock can be in perfect focus while the water becomes a white blur.

I am sure that there is a way as a science lesson to use the photo to see how fast the water was flowing at the time.