Photo of the Week 2016-01-25

This weekend, I was looking through my image library for a particular shot from several years ago to upload on a contest site. While browsing for the image, I came across others made the same day at an abandoned factory location, I decided to select a few for my blog this week and think anyone reading this will find it quite different from my "normal" or at least recent work.

The location, an abandoned factory which has since been demolished, was made available by the manager of the property and along with several of my friends we descended on the property for a few hours of shooting shenanigans. It was my second opportunity to photograph at this location and I had been harbouring an idea for some cinematic shots, should I ever return. I've shared these elsewhere in the past but offer them here as a mini set ... something different.

These were staged and set up in one-man production mode using tripod, wireless speedlites, and remote shutter release, with me as the subject. The location was ideal for scenes with criminal undertones. The others form our group had gone off to shoot in other buildings on their own, so I was left in the cold, dark, emptiness, which got a little unnerving at some points.

busted

in cold darkness

the frisk

the meeting

DJE

Photo of the Week 2016-01-18

They live amongst us,

their signs here and there,

actually most everywhere.

'Tis but for us to look,

and lift our gaze,

from life's daily drudge.

Amid brisk blowing snow,

winter's morn reveals,

their every presence here.

They live amongst us.

Nay ... it is we,
who live amongst them.

My morning tromp, particularly up north, provides opportunity to see and experience much. In winter, rather than lower my head and grumble at the snow and cold, I choose to savour the experience. The chill freshens my outlook and I enjoy searching the road and trail sides for signs of activity. Rabbit, squirrel and coyote tracks, I commonly encounter.

When last at the cottage, after a fresh snow, I noticed new tracks from our local wildlife at several locations as took  Murphy for his morning walk. During the days following, with very little more snow fallen, tracks and trails became more numerous and began to paint a picture of the activity around us. I eagerly anticipated each next outing and the changes that would be revealed, until ... another fresh snow, when it would start all over again.

DJE

Photo of the Week 2016-01-11

I have hundreds of images that were made while I was out for a hike or a morning walk. There is always something that catches my eye and since I usually have a camera with me, I'll stop to take a few shots. Many of these survive the initial edit and import to my master image catalogue but go no further. I find most lack the appeal of the original scene.

Lately, I've been working with the images from each outing to determine if I can bring out some of that original appeal. As an example, this image of a tree along a familiar route, is one that I have photographed many times using a number of different points of view . I've never really been satisfied with the results. This time I decided to spend some time with a recent version in post processing to see if I could do it justice.

winter vignette

Two processing techniques were used for this presentation, one removes the limited colour palette of the winter scene and reduces it to the basic graphic elements in black & white. The other, a vignette treatment, removes distraction around the edges of the frame and directs the viewer to the central elements of the scene in a manner that mimics how I "see" the actual scene. 

vignette
- a small, pleasing view
- a photograph, drawing, etc, with edges that are shaded off

DJE

Photo of the Week 2016-01-04

Spending a week at the cottage over the Christmas and New Year holidays offers a lot of opportunity for photo outings ... it also offers lots of opportunity to sit and read, drink, nap ... eat, nap ... read, drink, eat, nap ... I think you get the idea. Such are the holidays  :-)

So mid week, I thought I better get out for a morning drive and actually do some photography. In search of Snowy Owls specifically, but as always, eyes open for anything to photograph, I followed the now familiar side-roads. In areas where I had spotted them last year, I scanned the fields and fence lines to see if "Snowy' had returned. Searching across the fresh fallen snow for two or three hours, I came up empty. It's difficult to say if the owls have decided not to return to this area or if I just missed them on this day.

Not wanting to turn back without tripping the shutter, I began to look more at the winter scenes of the surrounding fields and forests. Following some yet unexplored roads, west of the main highway, the disappointment of not finding 'Snowy' melted away and my perception changed, time seemed to slow down and all but the scenes in from of me faded away.


At some point I came across a farm with some interesting fence lines in the field and I got out intending to work some trial compositions. While I was getting my cameras ready I heard the sound of a horse neighing and turned around to see three beauties all looking at me across a field. They continued to neigh and whinny off and on for several minutes, all the time keeping an eye on me. They never approached or shifted their position, as I find sometimes horses will. They simply stopped and stared.

equine three

DJE

First Light 2016

For me, 'First Light' started when a friend laid down the challenge to get out together and capture a photograph at official sunrise on the first day of a new year. Over the time since that first light in 2008, we've managed to get out together 5 of 9 years and the remaining 4 we've gone out on our own, wherever we were. For me, recently, that has been in Tobermory, as we're up at the cottage for some winter holidays

On New Year's Day, up in the dark hours before dawn, a quick coffee (or two), location selected, gear prepared and bundled up, I headed out with the idea of capturing the Tobermory Lighthouse at Big Tub at the moment of sunrise 2016-01-01. I arrived at the location and stepped out of the car into the cold morning wind, snow whipping violently about. I knew there would be no "sun" in the "sunrise" again this year. There really hasn't been for any of the years since 2008, though in 2012 it was close.

This year, decided to try a different 'look' and selected my 8mm fisheye on the 7DII. The unique perspective of the "fisheye" lens was a challenge and wasn't quite able to set up for the composition I had envisioned, but time was running out and I had to get set. 8:06 am quickly approaching. After positioning the tripod and locking down the camera, I had a few minutes to spare ... and then blizzard conditions hit. The lens and I quickly became covered in snow falling in the lee of the cedars at water's edge.

With a quick shake of the head, wipe of the lens ... "click" it was done. Another "first light" challenge was in the books.

seeking the light

DJE