One Of The Final Cuts

I'm currently in the process of selecting the chosen few photos that will be in my show next week.  October 4th to November 6th, Greenfield Park Library, 225 Empire for those who may have forgotten.  This picture was one of the final cuts.  It was taken during a trip to the Old Port in Montreal.  The photo was taken at 6:29PM and it was actually a little bit darker than the photo appears.  That's because I shot at f/10, ISO 100 for 3 sec.  This combination brightened the sky in the final image, as well as creating the star effect around the lights on the walking bridge.  I really liked the star effects on the lights, as well as the reflection of the red lights on the water.  The photo ultimately didn't make the cut because I felt that the sky was actually a little to bright for my taste.  Still a very nice photo, but there is only so much space on the walls.  Maybe next time.

Farewell Summer

Those who know me are well aware that no tears were shed on my part with the changing of the seasons.  30+ degrees of sun, sweat and humidity are not my thing.  But, 11 degrees of cool, late summer overcast sky is not only music to my ears, but is wonderful for photography as well.  The big clouds reflecting on the calm lake and the empty chair on the dock just had a "thanks for coming, summer.  See ya next year." feel to it.  It's kind of tricky to take good sky photos as often the sky is way to bright for the rest of the image.  In order to avoid a dark foreground or a blown out sky, I took my readings off of the dock, which was pretty close to a neutral shade of grey.  I ended up shooting at ISO 100, f/9 for 1/500sec. This made sure that the dock would be the proper exposure, even allowing for the shadow from the chair to appear.  There are some small parts of the sky, near the whites of the clouds that are a bit blown out, but I don't feel it's really all that noticeable.  It also helped that the clouds themselves were a good shade of grey as well.  I really like this photo as it has lots of elements that I enjoy to looking at.  The puffy clouds, the blue sky, reflections on the water and the way that the red chair grabs your eye.  All that's missing is the empty bottle and you'd have the makings of a good beer commercial.

Everything Old Is New Again

After finishing up my Certificate in Photography from Concordia University, I spent my time trying to refine my skills and keep learning about my camera to enable myself to take the best photographs that I could.  I still didn't really think that my photographs would ever go much further than my computer screen or possibly the walls of my home.  However, this photograph is what led me down the road to where I am today.  Or rather, the photograph you see below is.  Thanks to a very persistent girlfriend, I entered this image in a photography contest for a local magazine, Lambert (http://www.magazinelambert.com/), and it won 2nd Place.  However, since winning that contest, I continued to learn and discovered that the same kind of photograph can be taken a little earlier in the evening, which results in a lighter skyline while keeping the light streaks of the passing cars.  Thus the 2012 re-do that is at the top of this post.  The above photo was taken around 7:30PM using the Canon 24-70mm lens at f/20, ISO 100 for 9sec.  The original photo was taken closer to 10:00PM using the same lens at f/11, ISO 100 for 25sec.  While I still like the original photo below, I also can't help but feel that the above photo is much better as I've retained all of the detail in the foreground of the picture, but the lighter sky allows the buildings to better stand out and it adds a bit more color to the final product.

Choeur Vives Voix

Back in the month of April, a friend of mine invited me to photograph a show that her choir group was putting together.  The show was called Contre Temps and it was put together by the Choeur Vives Voix, http://www.vivesvoix.ca/.  I was nervous about accepting to help them out as I had never photographed a live stage show before.  However, I was also really excited about accepting because I really wanted to photograph a live stage show.  The experience was one that I will never forget.  I went for the final dress rehersal and had full access to the floor, allowing me to position myself anywhere I wanted to get the best shots possible.  Knowing that I didn't have a reliable telephoto lens, I got myself as close to the stage as possible and shot away.  I was using my Canon 24-70mm lens as it was the best quality 2.8 lens that I have.  The light was very low, so I had to crank the ISO up to 1600, which terrified me as I was afraid that all of my photographs would be grainy.  Much to my relief, there was no such problem.  This image was shot at f/2.8, 1/30 sec.  It is my favourite shot from the show, and one of my favourite experiences I have had as a photographer.  More of my photographs from this show are available on their website, http://www.vivesvoix.ca/photos-contretemps.shtml.  Mine begin with photograph #8 and continue to the end.  I hope I get the chance to work with them again.

***UPDATE 1/24/2013***

A little photo  update to go along with the announcement that I will once again be photographing the show put on by the Choeur Vives Voix, http://www.vivesvoix.ca. The show this year will be called Romeo vs Juliette and if it is anything like the show they did last year, then it will be a smashing success.  Go to their website to find out more about the show and how to get tickets.  The above shot was taken at f/2.8, 1/100sec, ISO 1600 at 40mm.  As explained above, the high ISO is necessary due to the relative lack of light in the theater while 1/100sec is near the absolute slowest you can go to capture movement without much in the way of blurring.  I can't wait for April.

Sometimes You Have To Get Dirty

I went picking apples on Saturday and had two missions in mind.  One, to fill the bag as full as possible with apples, and two, to come home with a photograph that would make me forget the frustrations of Brockville.  I think that both tasks were successfully completed.  The apples were picked at Verger Petit et Fils (http://www.auxvergerspetit.com/) in Mont St. Hilaire.  I spent a good part of my time there looking for a nice, hanging group of apples that I could photograph.  However, I was having problems getting the background effect I was looking for as there were always leaves, branches or other apples in my way.  While you wander through an apple orchard, you quickly realize that there are almost as many apples on the ground as there are in the trees.  It was while I was wandering, that I came upon this apple, all by itself just beside the gravel trail used by the tractors that transported the pickers in and out of the orchard.  It was the forgotten apple.  I got down flat on the grass, used my Canon 24-70mm lens, set at 24mm.  I shot at ISO 100, f/4 for 1/200sec.  The result is the full focus on the apple as the background becomes very much blurred and out of focus.  You get the feeling of how the apple is isolated and very much alone in its environment.  Mission accomplished.

I Want A New Lens

Had a nice visit to the city of Brockville, Ont. today.  I took a cruise of the 1000 Islands, thanks to http://www.1000islandcruises.com, and I learned two things.  The best view is on the left side of the boat, and that I really hate my Canon 75-300mm f/4 - 5.6 lens.  Okay, that's a harsh word, but I do have a love/hate relationship with it.  It saved my hide when it was time to photograph the final fireworks display of 2012, but today on the boat, all it did was give me headaches.  This is probably the nicest shot of the day, out of the 234 photographs I originally took and the 78 that remain after a rather severe triage.  This image was shot at ISO 100, f/5 for 1/250 sec.  It's probably the least attractive photo you'll ever see of the 1000 Islands, but I chose it because I love the 'Keep Off' that was written on the rocks by someone who is obviously not a fan of visitors.  So, why bother to post a picture that I don't like?  Because it's important to remember that while every outing might not result in 'amazing' shots that are meant for an art gallery, they will serve their purpose as personal mementos.  Keep practicing and learn from your mistakes.  Also, keep off of this guys island.

It's In The Details

Every year in Saint-Lambert, they hold a Classic Car Exhibition, usually around the 3rd weekend in May.  Everyone at these events seems to always want to grab the odd picture of the cars, which are always parked in such a manner that it makes it difficult to really grab a unique photo.  So, what I like to do, as well as a couple of other photographers I spot each year, is look for the details.  Such as this wonderful hood ornament.  This image was shot with my Canon 24-70mm lens at 51mm.  ISO 100, f/2.8 with an exposure time of 1/1000 sec.  I also did a vertical crop on the photograph, to put a real emphasis on the hood ornament.  Full disclosure, I also like the uncropped version of this photograph as well.  The result is a decoration that really stands out from the blurred out background.  I'm also really fond of this shot as one of the local newspapers used a shot that was very similar to my pre-cropped image as the cover photo for their edition that covered the event.  Now, if only I could learn to take notes about the cars as well as I do with my shots, I might actually remember what car this hood ornament came from.

I Have Fun When The Sun Goes Down

 It should be no secret by now, says the guy with the blog that has been online for only a little more than a week, that my favourite kind of photography is night photography.  The above image isn't the photograph that I was originally out to get the other night.  However, I always keep my eyes open and this opportunity developed in front of me.  I've taken several shot of Montreal before, but I saw this as an opportunity to do some cropping.  I've never really done any, for lack of a better term, panorama cropping before but I knew this photograph would allow me the chance to play.  Above, is the final, cropped image, and below is the original image I took.  Using my Canon 24-70mm lens, I shot at ISO100, f/7.1 with an exposure of 15 sec.  I then cropped the image to 10' x 4' to give it the panorama look.  I still like the look of the original photograph, but the cropped version is, in my opinion, much tighter and more pleasant to look at.

Early For The Midnight Train

Paid a visit to my parents, and while there, I decided to visit a favorite location of mine.  I've always liked railroad tracks, and this one location just manages to always give off a 'middle of nowhere' feel.  The sun was just the right level to make the leaves on the trees a nice colour of green, and was also at the right level to keep the tracks in the shade.  I shot at f/5.6, 1/50 and ISO 100.  I was using my Canon 24-70mm lens, set at 42mm.  Your eye just follows the tracks to the back of the photo and you can't help but wonder where the trip will lead you.  That would be what we call a 'leading line'.  It's a photography technique in which your eye get attracted to a line, and really brings the viewer into the image.  I think I've accomplished that with this photo, but only you the viewer can know for sure.

Special Effects

One of the reasons I originally decided to sign up for photography courses was because I loved looking at photos of light streaks, fireworks and the way things looked at night.  I was drawn to night images, yet had no success taking them.  While learning how to take those kind  of photos, I also learned about some special effects shots that can also be taken once the sun goes down.  The image above was actually a hanging decoration at a local Cancer Walk.  I was using my trusty Canon 30D with a Canon 24-70mm lens at 70mm, ISO 100, f/7.1 with an exposure time of 6 seconds.  However, in order to achieve the light streaks you see while the picture was being taken, I was playing with the zoom ring to zoom in and out of the image.  As a result, the camera captures the light as you zoom in and out of the object being photographed.  Kind of like the when you capture streaks of light of cars going by, but in this case, you are creating the streaks of light while with your lens, rather than just capturing them.  It's a cool little trick that can be used to change something you would think to be rather ordinary into a totally original photograph.