More yesterday and comments

Let's start with comments. I love getting comments, so a big shout out to my two regular commenters Janice and Sean. Several other people comment as well, braving the difficulties Blogger puts in their way, and I thank them as well. Sean at least I can meet up and chat photography over beer or coffee, once we sort out our schedules. Unfortunately Janice lives a long way away, and while I'd dearly love to visit and meet up at the LaHave Bakery to talk photography and many other things, there are considerable difficulties involved.

Sean asks, in the context of the Driftwood feature, what I know about texture and composition that I didn't know before. Considering I didn't know anything before, the glib answer is, everything I know now. Except I'm not always sure what that is. During a recent talk I attended given by Dave Brosha he discussed the idea of likes on social media. He can recognize what would get likes, but stressed that chasing likes doesn't really help us grow as photographers to find our own niche.

Sometimes I'll see a scene, and I'll know how to shoot it to get a result I'll like, and I'll know that others will like it or not. I'm not fussed about the not part, since everybody's tastes are different and I march to my own beat. Sometimes I'm not sure and will shoot it as best I can and then afterward at home I'm pleased or I'll wondering WTF I was thinking. There's times I'm all meh about an image and am astonished when other people like it; I've told the resting bitch face story before.

Texture can be interesting. It doesn't have to be huge or obvious. A change of texture along the way can make or break the image. Having sand or rock might add interest, or take away from the texture flow. It's funny, I can walk past a dozen logs and scarcely break stride, and then something will catch my eye on another, and I'm all over it.

Composition is a whole different story. I've been complimented about composition in photos where I didn't think about it or had no choice. Sometimes I think about the many rules about composition, and other times I just wing it. Generally though, I just ask myself how this scene would look good on screen.

The bridge railing is an example. I only saw the splash of reflected colour and was afraid of losing it if I futzed around. I'd already cropped in a bit to lose some of the background above the railing. I thought about taking the railing out as well, but thought I'd keep it for a bit of context.

Again, from Dave Brosha, I'm trying to ask myself what the hook of the photo is, what story it tells, or what story I want to tell. How is it not just another pretty picture?

Janice really loved 4 and 6 on these Yukon photos. Four is another example of having no choice based on the lens on the camera. Six, there was lots of choice. As I recall, I was thinking of doing a panorama, but it didn't go together for some reason. One person I chatted to in the hot tub at Repsol about Yukon, was bored by the scenery of Tombstone. Rocks and scrub was how he described it. I was dumbfounded.

The torque goes around my neck and fits loosely. There is a clever joint in the back where it rotates so I can put it on. The woven silver is a bracelet. Jeff has been making jewelry since shortly after high school.

The first two that Janice really liked in the first day of Yukon editing are from Kluane lake. We drove part way around it and stopped a couple of times. The Slims River supplying the lake is a victim of climate change. It dried up and has essentially stopped because the glacier on this side of the mountain melted. The lake levels have dropped dramatically. So even if you go next year, these views might not be there anymore.

I love all the photos from Tombstone and it's nice to hear particular ones ring someones chimes. I've begun to think about putting a book together of Tombstone photos from my two visits. If you'd like to be on the list so I know to print more than a couple, let me know. I've been musing about the idea of an aurora book as well.


Now to more current events.
That was a busy weekend! If you were following the story I assisted the famous Neil Zeller during his recent beginner photography course. What's great about these courses is that he takes people through a process to help them understand how to use a camera to do what they want it to do. But it isn't just theory. There's lots of classroom time devoted to working with your camera, and trying different settings just to see how it affects the image.

Then the fun begins. We climb into a van and head out into the real world. Usually nobody knows where we're going till we're on the way, because the destination varies depending on the weather, time of year, and other secret criteria. Once there, Neil helps them get going, then people explore as they please. He brings along someone to stay with the van as people fan out, and this weekend that was me. It's more fun than it sounds.

Here's a few photos from the weekend.
Orkney overlook.

A pano and then a single shot.

Dry Island Buffalo Jump

Lynx of the Day

Texture of the Day
A continuation started by the Driftwood of the Day feature. I did that mainly because I fell in love with the textures and contrasts of the driftwood I found along the beaches of New Zealand. There's lots of distressed wood here as well, and it's just as much fun to shoot, even if the scenery isn't quite a beach in the South Pacific. So I'm going to continue with this, mainly for me, but I know there are several people who enjoy it, or wonder WTF.

I think, just because, I'll put a bit of a blurb about where I found it, and what I was thinking, or my thoughts about it now. After all this first one is from early April, 6 months ago now near where Fish Creek empties into the Bow River. This limb is about 6 inches in diameter, and I can only speculate what forces produced this result.