Photo of the Week 2016-09-26

I've been looking for something a little different to do with my photography recently, not in place of what I have been doing but in addition to ... 

Sunsets are a favourite and as always there have been some beautiful ones over Lake Huron lately. That's one drawing card to the area we chose for our cottage location, but this time I decided to turn my lens to the other end of the day, sunrise.  Mornings hold their own magic, it just seems easier for most people to stay up for sunset rather than get up early for sunrise. I'm usually up early, 5 am early, and yesterday that meant the stars were still out and from the deck I could see the constellation Orion clearly in the southern sky. I almost went out to capture some stary sky shots be settled in to have coffee and plunk around on the computer. Then with morning light arriving and with mist rolling out of Ragged Bight, I knew there would be a shot out there ... 

Morning Hues 2016-09-25 - Pano

When I reached the shore, not only was the mist beautifully ethereal, but the sky was aglow with orange, pink mauve and blue. The biggest decision was what portion of the scene to capture ... and then I recalled reading a recent article about stitching vertical images together for a panorama. So 13 frames make up this image (overlapping ~30% for each frame) which represents approximately 180* around the spot where I stood.

No tripod, no fiddling to find the nodal point, just pivot and shoot. Sure there are some issues with doing it this way but I'm no going to argue with the result. Besides, If I had gone back inside for my tripod and taken time to set up, I likely would have missed the magic.

DJE

Photo of the Week 2016-09-19

There are some photographers that say you should live with an image for a while before making the final decision on it. The thought being that for a period of time right after the image is made, the emotion that caused you to make the image in the first place is still with you and it can be difficult to be fully objective about the result.

Living with an image can mean a number of things but I think that finishing the initial processing and printing it so it can be viewed regularly is the best way to see if how I feel about it changes over time. 

A few weeks ago, I made a series of images at sunset from the water on Hay Bay near the tip of the Bruce Peninsula. One from that set has been processed, printed and set aside to live with. It has been printed in various sizes and scrutinized quite a few times in that period of time and I'm convinced that it's one of the better images I've made. That's my opinion, your mileage may vary ...

afterglow

I'm now considering new options for presenting the image. I'm inclined to use it for launching a 'Signature Series' of select images printed on premium fine art media, signed and embossed, possibly in an edition of limited numbers. Whatever I decide, one will certainly one will hang in my own collection and a second will anchor my gallery display at Upper Deck in Tobermory.

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2016-09-12

"waves of blue' ... a new series

waves of blue X

 Halfway Log Dump, mid day, clear sky, direct sunlight ... no time for photography, or is it?

For the second time, a mid-day trek to Halfway Log Dump has proven rewarding. Productive beyond expectation in terms of my photography and as always some time spent admiring the blue waters of Georgian Bay along the escarpment washes away all that matters not.

On an earlier visit, waters were calm and I managed a number of images that made the cut, and from those I crafted the series 'hues of blue". One from that series has sold multiple times as a fine art print and was licensed to Parks Canada for use in one of their displays. Waters this time were more agitated and with the sun just a bright, images were bore abundant with more making the cut for a follow up series 'waves of blue'. Following are a few more from the still growing collection.

DJE

Photo of the Week 2016-09-05

The most difficult aspect to photographing the night sky, stars and the Milky Way is staying up late enough these days ;-)

With another summer coming to an end, daylight hours are becoming shorter, darkness comes earlier, and so too does the time when stars and the Milky Way come out for night photography. It's a gradual change, but at some point it grabs your attention and you realize that at this time not so long ago it was still light out and perhaps the sun had not yet set.

With a clear night sky a week ago, it was only 10:00 pm when the stars were out in all their glory with the Milky Way easily visible to the naked eye ... oh how I love the view when light pollution from the major populations centres is far away and the magic is revealed.

With a little help from quality gear and some digital enhancement, the images can be breathtaking ...  
 

 

DJE