Photo of the Week 2013-08-26

In Celebration ... a new chapter begins.
 
On Aug 22, Lynn and I took possession of the cottage in Tobermory and what could have been more appropriate than to celebrate with a dram or two of Tobermory (1798 Isle of Mull) Single Malt. It's not what I would normally reach for, but hey with that name, it was entirely right for this occasion.

Late in the evening under clear skies with the sun low on the horizon and sunset colour beginning to intensify, I grabbed the bottle, glass and camera then headed to the chairs down by the shore on the rock. I poured myself a wee dram, placed the glass and bottle on the table ...

... then using sunset as a backdrop and back-light for both the bottle and glass, I made a few exposures before sitting back to celebrate our first sunset in Tobermory.

The Celebration ...

Here are a few others from the first night, of the first weekend ... of many more :-)

DJE

Photo of the Week 2013-08-19

Along the way, on this journey, I have discovered many places and things of interest that I likely would not have encountered otherwise. Everton Cascade is one such place, and what a magic place it is. Sharing with others who have similar appreciation is what we do, and from a photographic point of view, it is always interesting so see how another photographer reacts, how they interpret through their imagery.

Plans for my most recent outing began to take shape mid-week with the normal series of emails probing for ideas, for places to go. Recalling past outings and favourite spots, I came up with the idea of introducing a friend to a photo location I had been wanting to revisit. I had mentioned it to him before, but he had not yet been able to get there. Enlisting an accomplice, I began kidding around, telling him that we had an idea for a location but that we would not tell him where just yet. We even threatened to blindfold him on the drive there so he couldn't see where we planned on going. Our plans ended with "you are just going to have to trust us" ...
  
... trust us he did, though we strongly suspected he knew the planned destination.

The Essence of Everton

I think my friend now shares my deep appreciation for this magical little spot, a spot where I could spend many, many hours just taking it all in ...

On a related note, not only was there photography on this outing, but I brought along my sketchbook and made time to perch on the rock along the cascade to see what would result ... completely unaware of time passing, I was also apparently completely unaware that I was being photographed.

Oh, the Tim's Ice Cap cup near my foot ... it's not mine; someone else had discarded it without consideration. I'd picked it up to take back and dispose of in the appropriate manner, which brings me to this ... I've started a new initiative, one that has been developing for a considerable time. I call it  "Photographers Pick It Up 'n Pack It Out". The idea behind the initiative is for photographers to carry small plastic bags, light and convenient like doggy poop bags, to pick up trash left by less caring individuals and bag them to be packed out on the return trek for proper disposal. It's primarily targeted at natural areas but applies anywhere. From now on I'll have a bag with me whenever I'm out shooting so I can pick up some of the crap left behind by others in the outdoors. Join me in the effort. Every little bit helps.

DJE

Photo of the Week 2013-08-12

... no photo outing this weekend so we're going back to last week and my outing to Cheltenham Badlands.

This is a view that always makes me stop and pause to take it all in. The colours are vibrant at the right time, in the right light.

red-green-blue

After shooting for a while with Patrick last week, he made a comment about how the natural textures and contours of the eroded shale make interesting subjects for photographic study.

DJE

Photo of the Week 2013-08-05

At it's core, this blog is about photography. It was started it as a result of my enthusiastic return to the creative pursuit of photography after years of using a camera sporadically, only to take "snapshots". My photographic journey has pushed me to open my mind, encouraging me to explore and experience the subjects of my photographs and their environment.

Overall, I now find myself making less images on my photo outings. It is not something that I try to do intentionally. It is something that has developed with my maturation as a photographer. No longer do I suffer the uncontrollable urge to begin shooting away indiscriminately when first presented with a subject. This doesn't mean that I'm not excited at the prospect of a new location or scene, just that I find my approach more refined and contemplative.

This weekend's outing took us to the Cheltenham Badlands. Arriving just after sunrise in the brisk morning air, I began by moving around the location, exploring different vantage points. The sun was moving too, cresting the horizon, selectively waking the landscape as it slowly rose higher in the sky. Contemplating the development of an image, when the time was just  right, I made my way to a spot where I could isolate a lone tree against shadowed background as sunlight called on it to start a new day.

daylight cometh to the badlands

Not only has this journey providing opportunity to be creative through photography, it has lead me to explore creativity in other ways. After working this location for a while and making most of the images I would capture on this day, I broke from photography to sit and sketch. Yes SKETCH. Now, carrying a sketchbook and pen will be the norm when I'm out photographing. The act of sketching makes me take notice of the subject in different ways. There is a calming, meditative quality about sitting with sketchbook and pen. I hope this will ultimately improve my photography.

I have Patrick to thank for encouraging me after recent discussions around our photography led to the subject of drawing and sketching. It had always interested me but I lacked the confidence to start, thinking I had no talent for drawing. It may still be that I don't ...  but I now know it doesn't matter. It's all part of the journey and at this stage, one to new and vulnerable to share openly yet.

Doug at work - by Patrick Boerlin 2013

Oh, and here's an image of me while I was working the location, taken by Patrick just before I looked up and caught him photographing me :-)  






DJE