Newsletter No. 104: March 2014

Newsletter No. 104: March, 2014
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.

Contents:

1. My Favourite Landscape, My Favourite Photograph: from 2012
2. A Grand Landscape of Texture: Hidden in plain view!
3. Hike and Photograph in the Rainbow Mountains: Be a part of my final book project.
4. The Fraser River Photo Safari: A landscape few have seen
5. BC Fjord Lands: 6 Days & 5 Nights of Endless Photographic Creativity
6. 2014 Photographic Seminars & Workshops: A Reminder!
7. Finding Order within Nature’s Chaos: Seeking balance and harmony

Hi everyone,

As the snow melts, I get more and more excited about shooting for my upcoming book project. This summer’s photo tours, of course, are a big part of this project.

There are still a few spots open on my photo tours, workshops and seminars. This will be the last Newsletter where I outline them, so take one last look and join me if you can. You will be a part of my final book project on the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast region of BC. We will have fun, and it will be richly rewarding photographically.

I have heard people say they decided not to join a trip because they felt their photography wasn’t good enough…not so! These trips are about the opportunities to see and photograph new environments. The less experienced you are, the more you will learn. In fact, we will all share and learn together as we seek the beauty of our land.

Chris

1. My Favourite Landscape, My Favourite Photograph: from 2012

In 2012, I, along with my partner Rita, her daughter Teresa, and friend Mike Duffy, decided to fly to Ape Lake on the lower eastern slopes of the Coast Mountains. It was a lake I had seen on a map, and had photographed from the air when shooting for Flyover. I knew the lake had a beautiful setting, but what I didn’t know, is what I am going to share with you in this short article.

 

Notes on composition & technique: To help invoke an inquisitive mind about this tiny rock, I used my wide angle story telling lens. A wide angle lens expands distance and provides a huge depth of focus. This allows me to better express the relationship between the tiny rock in the foreground and the huge glacier in the background. EOS 5D Mark III; iso 100; 1/80 sec.; f-22; 16-35mm lens; tripod

After four astonishing days of exploration, I realized I had discovered a landscape that resonated intensely with me. From dawn until dusk, I hiked, and I photographed. In the end, much like the above glacier which scratched the surface of this gigantic piece of granite, I too knew I had NOT scratched the surface of this staggeringly beautiful moraine landscape.
It was a thought provoking landscape.

I saw the story behind this tiny erratic, recently deposited by the receding glacier, and the tremendous sense of geological time here at Ape Lake.

 

Notes on composition: As mentioned below, I studied all the elements of composition and made choices as the the placement of each. This is only possible when a tripod is used. The inclusion and placement of the tiny rock in the upper left, for example, is the result of careful study through the viewfinder. EOS 5D Mark III; iso 100; 1/50 sec; f-22; 16-35mm lens; tripod

This is my favourite photograph made in the year 2012. There is a tremendous sense of mystery. I can study this image for long periods of time and continually find new interpretations. As a student of composition, I can study the triangles and implied triangles, lines and implied lines, textures, tonal and colour contrasts, and repetition of form.

One thing is for sure; I am returning to this landscape this summer. I can’t wait. I have all sorts of new ideas!

2. A Grand Landscape of Texture: Hidden in plain view!

On a hike through a very rocky landscape above Ptarmigan Lake in the Coast Mountains, I found my focus leaving the grand vista and narrowing in on the rocks I was hiking over. It was here that textural patterns captured my attention, more so than the boulders themselves.

As we learn to see better with ‘photographic eyes’, there are several things to note in this image as we endeavour to make stronger compositions.

 

Notes on composition: My main compositional decision was to decide where to place the small brighter rock, and how much space to give it within the frame. EOS 5D Mark III; iso 100; f-22; 24-105mm lens; tripod

Firstly, tonal and colour contrast enhance and enrich the detail in the texture. This contrast is also responsible in creating the two shapes, thus serving to generate a centre of interest and a sense of 3-dementiality. The interaction between these two shapes can convey an emotional response such as tension or intrigue. It also creates a more ‘active’ dynamic and a greater sense of depth.

Secondly, the largest shape is characterized by a richer texture than the brighter and smaller triangular shape. Therefore, the space devoted to each becomes important when planning the overall composition.

Thirdly, we should be aware that human eyes are attracted to bright areas over dark areas. The placement of the bright area and space given to it, therefore, is critical in how we wish to direct the viewers eye throughout the picture space.

These are all considerations in our quest to make stronger and more communicative compositions. Even though these contrasts in colour and tone were extremely subtle, I was still drawn to make this composition.

2014 Photographic Tours: Be a part of my final book project

This is the final reminder for my three photo tours, each with unparalleled photo opportunities.
There are three photo tours to three very distinct landscapes and there are a limited number of places still available on each. Please review the following photo opportunities and make plans to join us on the adventure of your choice.
3. Hike and Photograph in the Rainbow Mountains: Be a part of my final book project. Only two spots left.

 

 

This is the only opportunity to explore, photograph, and be part of my last major publication on the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast.

This tour is a horse supported hike, which means you only carry a day pack on your journey between each camp. Some days are day trips from the same campsite.

 

Open and expansive alpine meadows decorated with alpine flowers is just one of the many beautiful landscapes we will experience in the Rainbow Mountains. As you can see, the hiking is relatively easy.

 

The ridge walks are spectacular with 360 degree vista’s, and accessing them is easy.

Believe me, I will be the slowest hiker so don’t be intimidated. We are not ‘peak baggers’. We are seekers of beauty in this stunning volcanic landscape.

 

There will be daily opportunities to photograph the wranglers as they work with their horses. It’s quite a sight, with cultural significance.

 

Horse ‘pack train’ outfitters represent a life style that may soon disappear. Sights such as the one above, may soon fade from history. I hope not, but just in case, I am excited to photograph this cultural event as extensively as possible. It’s history in the making.

With horses carrying our food and supplies, we are free to hike leisurely while photographing geological and cultural history.

Led by Leslie and her father David, the Dorsey family will again take us out into the land where they and their ancestors have always lived and traveled since the beginning of human history in the region.

Join us if you enjoy hiking, especially if you enjoy day-hiking and photography. Join us and be a part of Chilcotin history.

Please join us. For complete trip details visit my website.

For other trip details and registration, visit Rainbow Mountain Outfitting.

4. The Fraser River Photo Safari: A landscape few have seen

This extraordinary trip through the Mid-Fraser River Canyon-Grasslands is just beginning to book.

For those who have been considering the trip, we are pleased to announce that Cariboo Chilcotin Jetboat Adventures has made a price reduction, so please contact them for details.

This is a rare cultural and artistic experience, in a remote and mostly inaccessible area of staggering beauty and biodiversity.

For five days, we seek the beauty in the landscape and then take our time maneuvering on the river, or going ashore, to capture it with our cameras.

Our campsites are chosen to offer photographic opportunities through the evening and early dawn light. I will be there to assist everyone in the creative capture of light.

Please join us. For complete trip details visit my website.

For other trip details and registration, visit Cariboo Chilcotin Jetboat Adventures.

5. BC Fjord Lands: 6 days and 5 nights of endless photographic creativity

 

Join us on the coast and be a part of my last book project on the region. Only two spots remain on this spectacular journey into the glacial fjord lands commonly known as “The Great Bear Rainforest”. Landscapes include hanging glaciers, granite walls with towering waterfalls, estuaries and lagoons, white sand beaches, and abandoned villages.

Wildlife opportunities include grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, and mountain goats on sheer cliffs above the ocean. We will have a good chance to photograph pods of killer whales, surfacing dolphins, and breaching Humpback whales. Dining includes fresh fish daily.

As with all of Chris’ trips, this one will be for the sole purpose of getting these images; unique, spectacular, remote, and adventurous.

A comparative trip with more luxurious accommodation, costs well over $9,000. Our trip is a steal in terms of a personalized itinerary, with personalized photographic assistance and opportunities.

For more descriptive trip details visit my website.

For pictures of the MV Nekhani, complete trip details, and registration, visit BC Grizzly Tours.

6. 2014 Photographic Seminars & Workshops: A reminder!

 

This year, I am offering a series of one-day and three-day photo seminars based out of the Chris Harris Gallery. They are designed for the beginner, to advanced intermediate.

Illustrated lectures, field experiences, and critique sessions will help us recognize and create stronger compositions.

By the end of each day, the world around you will look different, and you will have become a more creative photographer.
Please review the seminar and workshop options and choose one that is designed for you.

Descriptions of these seminars and workshop as well as how to register are posted on my website.

7. Finding Order within Nature’s Chaos: Seeking balance and harmony

Within the natural world, there is a wonderful and often delightful sense of chaos, a tanglement of beauty. As photographers, we often seek simple compositions that communicate a clear and powerful message. To do this, we look for a sense of structure, a sense of geometry, a sense or order, a sense of balance and harmony.

Notes on composition: Eventually I found oblique lines, repetition of form, texture, and the tonal and colour contrast that provided me with a sense of order and balance. EOS 50D; iso 200; f-8; 1/100 sec; 70-200mm; tripod

While travelling parallel to a kilometer-long canyon wall, I searched for compositions; I searched for hidden structure. I looked for line, form, tonal and colour contrast, texture, and patterns. I looked for an overall sense of balance and harmony.

I love this challenge, for I have learned, that if I look long enough and deeply enough, I will find a beauty that speaks to me.
When photographing, I keep the definition of composition in mind.

Composition is the pleasing arrangement of elements within the picture frame which has the most powerful effect in attracting one’s visual attention and maintaining it for as long as possible.

With this in mind, analyze how your eyes wonder through the picture space and low long you wish to stay there. It’s a good exercise when you are editing or critiquing your own images.

Notes on composition: There was a lot happening on this section of the canyon wall; you could call it, delightful chaos. I did eventually, however, find a sense of order and balance. Note the 3 triangles, the large centre one is inverted. The two largest snow patches on either side provide a further sense of balance. I could also interpret the shapes within this image as 3 triangles within the bottom 2/3rds of the picture space and a large rectangle across the entire top 1/3 of the image. Either way, a thin sense of geometry or structure provides a composition worth studying. EOS 50D; iso 200; f-8; 1/100 sec; 70-200mm lens; tripod

 

Notes on composition: Once again I searched the entire canyon wall for compositions. In this image a sense of order and balance is provided by the lines, shapes, textures, and tonal and colour contrast. EOS 50D; iso 200; f-11; 1/160 sec; 70-200mm lens; tripod

This was another huge wall with a story to tell. How big a story was a decision I had to make. In this case, I zoomed in to capture a more detailed explanation to the broader story.

In conclusion, it is not the subject (the canyon wall) that interests me, it is the elements and their arrangement within the picture space. In the end, it is an intuitive sense of visual design that will tell you when you are satisfied with your composition. Eventually, the ways in which you organize or arrange these elements will determine a unique photographic style.