A Touch Of Red
May 24, 2010 | Filed Under Photography | Leave a Comment
Shadows and patterns and a touch of red on the University of Victoria campus
Photograph of a Photographer Holding a Photograph of a Photographer (Inside a Giant Tree)
May 18, 2010 | Filed Under Photography | Leave a Comment
Photographer T. J. Watt holds one of his photographs, this one showing fellow photographer Byron Fry sitting inside the giant stump of a recently logged old growth tree on Vancouver Island. Watt is also one of the co-founders of the Ancient Forest Alliance. You can see more of his photographs at his site or the Ancient Forest site.
Drinking With Photographers
April 25, 2010 | Filed Under Personal Project, Photography | Leave a Comment
One of the downsides of living in a smaller place is that you have a tendency to feel isolated from the rest of the world. This week Don Weber was in town for a couple of workshops and it was a nice reminder of the wider world out there.
Thursday night I met up with him and a couple of other local photographers at a local pub and we had one of those great freewheeling talks over a few drinks that left me buzzing with ideas at the end of the night.
Don and I were joined by Deddeda Stemler, Sean White (the two just back from three months in the Philippines) and Duane Prentice, all local photographers although Sean is also a videographer, filmaker, producer etc.
We chatted about the basic (equipment and cameras) , we talked about travel, we talked about technical things and format but most of all we just talked about ideas. Everybody had different viewpoints but it was all agreeable and thought provoking. I don’t really know Duane, this was the first time I had had a chance to chat with him and while he was quiet (compared to the rest of us) he had some interesting insights and thoughts about challenging yourself as a photographer.
The next day I took a look at Duane’s site and was struck by the connection between his Remnants project, David Pollocks’s Sign, Symbol and Nature and my own Saltwater And Rain project. There are, of course, differences, for instance both David and Duane are using large format and I’m not. All are about Vancouver Island though and are concerned with the impact of landscape. It would be interesting to see a show with all of our work together.
Creating Art Is More Than Just Technique
April 7, 2010 | Filed Under Gallery & Workshop, Online Learning, Photography | Leave a Comment
I mentioned a few posts back that I’d attended a show opening and artist’s talk with Thomas Bartlett at Luz Gallery. All the images posted here are from the show. Bartlett talked a bit about how he creates his images, he uses a digital camera and long exposures and focuses on common objects often in his house or in motel rooms when he travels. He won’t tell what the original objects are as he prefers to let the viewer use their imagination. It all sounds simple. point the camera, set it for a long exposure and let fly or at least move the camera around a lot.
It sounded so simple I thought I’d fool around with the techniques mentioned over the weekend and create some ‘Bartletts”. The reality is that like most art, technique is more than camera settings. I tried a variety of settings and focused on a number of objects but just ended up with a series of rather ugly smears none of which I’ll bore you with. I’ll obviously have to keep practicing and experimenting if I want to start creating images as arresting and colourful as those Bartlett creates. It’s a good lesson that we should all remember.
Good Friday Walk with the Cross
April 4, 2010 | Filed Under Personal Project, Photography | Leave a Comment
For more than a decade now I’ve been trying to get out on Good Friday and photograph the annual walks with a wooden cross that some churches do. It’s a project I call Weight of Faith. It’s an event that’s great for a photo project, visually the cross is an amazing symbol. It’s also a rare example of mainstream Christians showing off their faith in public. I started the project while living in Calgary and have continued in Victoria. This year there was a good turnout for the Christ Church Cathedral’s Good Friday Passion Procession despite rain showers and really heavy winds.
Looking At Vancouver
March 15, 2010 | Filed Under Photography, Street photography | Leave a Comment
I really need to get back to Vancouver and just spend a few days wandering around capturing images not just snapping pix on a quick stroll back to other work, although that was fun too.
Vancouver Pre – Olympics
February 7, 2010 | Filed Under 2010 Winter Olympics, Photography, Photos | Leave a Comment
Main press centre in Vancouver.
I picked up the last of my Olympic credentials on Saturday and so am officially official. Lots of Olympic workers and media, with special clothes and accreditation tags around their necks, and police in the downtown core but hard to see ‘Olympic fever’ among regular folks. Most of the Olympic signage you’re seeing is commercial but there are a few small signs of locals stepping up and adding to the real (as opposed to paid) spirit by decorating windows or hanging Canadian flags. Hopefully we’ll see more of that as the events progress.
Royal Bank building on West Georgia Street.
Home made decorations in the windows of a downtown office building.
The Bay Store Olympic decor.
Wet Coast Weather
January 27, 2010 | Filed Under Photography | Leave a Comment
Out looking for a weather feature on a recent wet and very windy day and was driving away from a view of the breakwater as nobody was walking on it and with good reason, the waves were breaking over the top of the wall. Just as I pulled away I saw a runner heading onto the breakwater so pulled a u-turn and drove back to my original position. Person ran all the way to the end and back despite waves splashing over top of them.
Nanaimo Neon
January 20, 2010 | Filed Under Neon, Photography | Leave a Comment
Old neon in Nanaimo, BC. The sign for the Modern Cafe. From a quick visit last weekend.
The Dishrags – More Images From Vancouver Punk’s Early Years
January 15, 2010 | Filed Under Music, Photography, Photos | Leave a Comment
