Photo of the Week 2018-08-13

In a post two weeks ago, I wrote about having the patience to stay with it when conditions are changing. Continuing to explore the changing light and mood of a scene to capture more of what it has to offer can result in wonderful images, not imagined at the outset.

silken sunset

Having completed capturing the Chi-Cheemaun ferry arriving and departing Tobermory through a dense fog bank, my reason for venturing into the village one evening, I could have simply packed up and headed back to the cottage. Deciding to stay for whatever developed allowed me to let myself drift into the creative process. Constrained only by how the scene evolved while there was enough light to photograph, I explored compositions cropping in, pulling back wide, and anything between as the sun fell, light dissipated, fog shifted.

Apart from the satisfaction of getting some nice moody images, it was soothing to get into that so often elusive state of creative flow ... to spend more time there *sigh*

DJE

Photo of the Week 2015-07-06

I know it's past July 1 but it was only last week and I love celebrating Canada Day ! This year, we were at the cottage with friends and planned the day to include the fireworks in Little Tub Harbour, if the young ones could stay awake ... and they did !

Flowerburst !

This was our first year for viewing the fireworks in "the Tub". Lynn did the planning and although I was a bit skeptical about her choice of location at first, we managed to pull off a great spot for viewing, with Marcy, Matt, Emma and Logan grabbing a park bench and me setting up several metres away on the boardwalk looking across to the ferry dock, close to the display.

Although the boardwalk was full of people (some unable to sit/stand still and not bang the railing and floorboards constantly) I managed to pull off a number of exposures that I was happy with. For all shots I used the same exposure, determined from experience and confirmed with a quick test shot as the festivities began, 17mm, f/8, 15 sec, ISO 100 on my 5D III with the  EF 17-40 f/4L. The "trick" is to set up on a tripod (obviously for the 15 sec exposure) framing the area where most of the pyrotechnics will take place. Then you trip the shutter (remote release recommended) anticipating when the fireworks will explode during the time the shutter is open. Some get missed and others like the shot above, combine for multiple busts in a single frame.

Some others from the show ...

It was the first fireworks show for our younger guests and they did well to manage to stay up a few hours past their normal bed time to join us. When things got started all we could hear was Logan yelling "this is awesome! "

DJE

Photo of the Week 2015-06-15

For a while now I've felt that I've been slacking off with my photography. By slacking off I mean just grabbing the convenient shot, like walking down to the shore at the cottage and snapping a sunset, or throwing a camera over my shoulder when I go for a mid-day walk. Oh, I have been able to capture some decent images, a few anyway, but it's just not been satisfying, the way it is when I go out to locations selected specifically for photography and capture something special.

That requires initiative and particularly at the cottage, it's too easy to be content to just sit with a fresh coffee, relax and watch the day arrive. Mind you with sunrise close to 5:30 am this time of year it's early to get up and out to capture sunrise or photograph during the "golden hour", even for me.

When I heard there could be fog on Saturday morning, I decided it was time ...

hushed harbour

So just after 6 am, I first headed into the village to see if the harbour was shrouded in mist and sure enough it was. After parking, I grabbed one camera and started trying to find the best vantage point before conditions changed. The fog was shifting and I needed to work quickly. Sitting on the boat launch ramp at water's edge to get a low angle point of view, I heard the crew of Craigie's Restaurant outside chatting and having a break before the breakfast crowd came. Otherwise there was a peaceful hush over the harbour and wonderful golden diffused light ... and oh, those wonderful reflections.

I worked my way all around Little Tub Harbour and while driving along Bay St. as I left the village, most of the fog had lifted and only wisps remained, receding over the still water. I stopped for this parting shot of Big Tub Light across the water before heading south to Singing Sands to see what awaited me there.

It was well past time ... time I got back to this. These shots just aren't possible without making the effort to get out.

DJE