Newsletter No. 108: July, 2014
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.
Contents:
1. The Tallheo Cannery: Capturing a sense of BC history
2. The BC Central Coast: Wildlife encounter
3. The Zirnhelt Barn: Another sliver of Cariboo culture
4. Goose Island: Three beach-walk discoveries
5. In Touch with the Grasslands: An overnighter
6. The Nuk Tessli Adventure: The first of many visual narratives
Hi everyone,
The summer season is short here in the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast region of BC, especially above tree line. So I am rarely home these days, trying to pack as many photographic adventures in as I possibly can.
In response to a recent inquiry, I’d like to clarify that I am not sponsored, nor do I receive any remuneration from any outfitter, tour guide, or resort with whom I work on my photographic adventures.
Any recommendation that I make is because I have had a first class experience with them, and I feel confident in recommending them to my friends and Newsletter subscribers.
Each one of them is also a stakeholder with the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Assoc. which represents the area in which I photograph. All my image making and book publishing is dedicated to supporting tourism operators and tourism in general throughout this region. I could not accomplish what I do, without the participation of my fellow stakeholders.
Our 10th Anniversary sale combined with the ‘Flood Recovery Sale’ continues throughout the summer. If you would like a photographic print for your home or office, now is the time. Drop by the Gallery or give Rita a call at the office.
Enjoy my 108th consecutive monthly Newsletter!!
I appreciate your support for my work.
Chris
1. The Tallheo Cannery: Capturing a sense of BC history
| Notes about the image: I made a horizontal and vertical version of this sign, but as the horizontal version included too much background, I used the less cluttered vertical image to emphasize the sign post and name. |
This is the continuation of my June Newsletter story, when my friend Shayne Middleton and I visited the Tallheo Cannery on the central BC coast, a five minute boat ride from Bella Coola harbour. Owners Garrett Newkirk and Skye Phillips host a B&B there and provide a compelling historical tour of this old abandoned cannery town.
| Notes about the image: I made this image with a wide angle lens at 16mm and composed it to make use of the three main elements; the bed, window, and mirror. Together they make an implied triangle. This stabilizes the image design and helps keep the viewers attention within the picture space. |
After our interpretive tour, we were escorted to our rooms in a beautifully restored 1920’s guesthouse. It was once the ladies “bunkhouse” during the cannery’s heyday.
| Notes about the image: I call my wide angle 16-35mm lens my ‘story-telling’ lens. This image was designed to give the viewer a feel for the entire place outside the kitchen, but the high contrast between the iron and mid-tone green background draws one’s immediate attention. The image was composed that way, because the iron is the centre of the story; the purpose of the image. |
When you hear that iron ring, you know breakfast is served and you are in for a great start to the day!
| Notes about the image: I used my 100-400mm lens to focus in on specific details. At f-36, there was still enough light to make this image at 0.8 sec on a tripod. |
Photographically, the real excitement at Tallheo was exploring the details within the cannery building itself. There were enchanting subjects to photograph wherever you looked. Shayne and I had a blast!
| Notes about the image: For this effect, I waited until early evening when there was little light, then I painted the lathe with my Maglite flashlight during a time exposure. |
If you are in the Bella Coola Valley, be sure to visit the Tallheo Cannery. I’m sure you will find it as captivating as Shayne and I did.
2. The BC Central Coast: Wildlife encounter
Earlier this summer, on a photographic tour of the Central Coast with Leonard Ellis of BC Grizzly Tours, we found ourselves surrounded with a playful group of dolphins.
First sighting
Dolphins are quite gregarious and very playful. After spotting two dolphins jumping ahead of our boat, I knew there would be many more, as they usually travel in groups of 20 or more. The immediate challenge I faced as a photographer was what perspective to take. From what location should I photograph from, and what lens should I use.
| Notes about the image: Using my mid-range 24-105mm lens, I shot through the water at f-8 and a very fast shutter speed of 1/1500 sec to freeze the action. The iso was at 800. |
Having rarely photographed on the ocean, I guessed the usual perspective would probably be shooting from the side of the boat with a telephoto lens. I made the quick decision to go to the bow, lie down on the deck, and peer over the side with a 24-105mm lens. I gambled on a perspective I did not know would work.
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As it turned out, I was very pleased with the perspective I chose.
There were many highlights to this trip with BC Grizzly Tours. The BC coastline is an amazingly rich environment and it is well worth exploring it with experienced and knowledgeable guides. I will share more in Newsletters to come!
3. The Zirnhelt Barn: Another sliver of Cariboo culture
This past month I accompanied my partner Rita to David and Sue Zirnhelt’s ranch for an agricultural meeting they were having. I asked Dave if he minded I photograph around the ranch while they had their meeting.
As the Zirnhelt’s have a long, varied, and significant history in the region, I hoped my images would provide another sliver of Cariboo culture.
I meandered into a couple of barns, wondering where to start. Everything I saw told a story which I’m sure could fill a book. I set up my tripod and went about trying to capture that sense of history. Below are three images I made that afternoon.
| Notes about the image: Within the very cluttered tack room, I simplified the design of this image by including only two horse collars with the coloured straps in the middle to provide a sense of balance. This is a single image shot at f-22 for 15 secs on a tripod. |
| Notes about the image: Using what little light there was in the barn, I exposed this image for 4 secs at f-22. |
| Notes about the image: With light from an open side door, I exposed this image for 10 secs at f-22. |
It was an honour to photograph on the Zirnhelt family ranch. The sense of history was over whelming.
4. Goose Island: Three beach-walk discoveries
As part of our photo tour with BC Grizzly Tours, Leonard took us to Goose Island on the outer central coast. While anchored for the evening, we went ashore for a short walk along the beach.
The shore was on the outer Pacific coast, so Len told us to look out for glass fishing balls or other paraphernalia that might have drifted over from Asia.. Below are three discoveries from which I made the following images.
| Notes about the image: Searching for my favourite composition, I walked completely around this dead Eagle. I chose this angle to balance the eagle feathers on the left of centre with the heft of the rock mass on the right. |
One doesn’t often find an intact dead bird in the wild, but this bald eagle lay exposed on the rocks just as you see it here.
Notes about the image: Although it was very difficult to set up my tripod in this clump of salal, I tried to create an overall sense of balance. It was also important for me to have the stump on the left completely within the picture frame. |
I thought hiking through Devil’s Club in the rainforest was tough, but hiking through west coast salal is impossible! Just trying to move into position to make this composition was almost insurmountable!
| Notes about the image: The diamond shape of the four little crabs and the simplicity of the composition drew me to making this image. Using my story-telling lens at 16mm, I shot at f-22 at 1/30 sec. With the centre of interest being the crabs, I included very little sky. |
When I came across this form, a diamond in the sand, its simplicity struck me immediately as a strong photographic composition.
5. In Touch with the Grasslands: An overnighter
| Notes about the image: To make this image I used my camera’s 10 sec self-timer which gave me just enough time to run, jump in my bivy bag, and grab my second camera! |
On a recent overnight trip to our rare and beautiful grasslands, I decided to experience a closer connection with the land I was photographing. Instead of sleeping in the back of my truck, I got out my old bivy sac so I could sleep on the grass under the stars.
When I do this, I sleep lightly, always alert to the sounds, the slightest breeze, the pulse of the night sky, and the dawn breaking in the night. By being alone, the grasslands, and indeed the planet, became my unknown companion.
Dawn breaks over the grasslands
My eyes opened with first light, long before the sunrise of colour. I remained in my sleeping bag and watched, feeling thankful for a new day. With the first signs of colour, I was up. My tripod was already in place for the composition I had chosen the night before.
| Notes about the image: What drew me to this image was the textured sage background. To isolate the cabin and emphasize the texture, I used my 100-400mm telephoto lens. |
As I set off for home after my morning shoot and small breakfast, I passed an old sod roofed cabin. I don’t know who slept there, but I feel assured they must have felt well connected to the land and the grasslands.
6. The Nuk Tessli Adventure: The first of many visual narratives
| Notes about the image: Because of the extreme brightness of the lake outside the window, and the deep shadowed interior, I made this as an HDR image. I shot five exposures to cover the complete range of light values. They were tone-mapped in Photomatix. |
Two days ago, Rita and I, along with our friend Mike, returned home after an extraordinarily rejuvenating hike in the heart of the Coast Mountains. We were based at the Nuk Tessli cabins, built by well known wilderness dweller, Chris Czajkowski, in 1991.
Since 2012, The cabins are now owned by Doron Erel, a well known mountaineer and international adventure guide who is establishing this stunningly beautiful alpine area as a hiker’s paradise. While I was there to explore the trails and photograph, we quickly discovered that the hospitality offered to us by Doron and his staff soon became the highlight of the trip!
To get to Nuk Tessli, one flies from Nimpo Lake, (from Stewarts Lodge in the West Chilcotin) in a De Havilland Beaver, the classic Canadian bush plane. It’s always a thrill to fly to a remote wilderness lake in a Beaver, and flying to Nuk Tessli with Tweedsmuir Air was no exception.
| Notes about the image: With my lens at 16mm, I also made this as an HDR image in the same way as the previous indoor image above. |
Doron has been renovating the cabins and upgrading all the trail systems. Upon arrival, you are introduced to the staff, the cabins, and the sense that you are about to experience the beauty of hiking in remote wilderness.
| Notes about the image: I was searching for a way to tell the story about the heather covered alpine in which we were hiking. The tall clump of trees in the upper left drew my attention first, then I noticed the three clumps. They led my eye to the mountain. From there I composed my image giving the greatest space to the heather. |
If you look at the Nuk Tessli website, you can read about the many hikes and options available to you. If you enjoy alpine hiking with the luxury of support staff and a cozy cabin to base out of, I can think of no better place than here at Nuk Tessli in the foothills of the spectacular Coast Mountains.
| Notes about the image: Because I was also shooting promotional imagery for Doron, I was always looking for settings that would depict hiking and beautiful scenery. The stunning scenery wasn’t hard to find. I asked Rita to hike along a prescribed route and then made sure that her two legs were separated when I exposed the frame. |
Our first morning’s hike took us across alpine meadows which were carpeted with white mountain heather and interspersed with alpine tarns; all within view of eye-catching Monarch Mountain (3,555 m or 11,663 ft).
| Notes about the image: With my 100-400mm lens always close at hand, I made this image at 220mm, f-8, 1/250 sec. |
We seemed to flush out several families of ptarmigan as we enjoyed our morning hike.
This is the first of several visual narratives describing our Nuk Tessli experiences. There are several more to come.
There is still time to book a hike before the snow flies. Nuk Tessli comes highly recommended.