Newsletter No. 109: August, 2014
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.
Contents:
1. Evening Light on the Coast: The Tallheo Cannery
2. There is Always Beauty in the Grasslands
3. Moving camp to Moonlit Mountain: A Nuk Tessli Adventure
4. Namu: Ghost town on the central coast
5. Back Yard Artist: A fun self-assignment
Hi everyone,
The first two weeks of August were spent close to home, teaching a 3-day photographic workshop and taking short overnight photo trips.
Next came a photo adventure of a lifetime, one with a small group of family and friends as we flew by helicopter into the Niut Range. I have never photographed there, so this was a long-time ambition realized. Photographing new landscapes is a ‘highlight’ experience for me.
In a few days, I will be leading a photo tour into the Rainbow Volcano with our good friends at Rainbow Mountain Outfitters. For me, capturing this cultural experience is just as important as photographing the landscape. I can’t wait!
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 109th consecutive monthly Newsletter!!
Chris
1. Evening Light on the Coast: The Tallheo Cannery
When friend Shayne Middleton and I went to the Tallheo Cannery to photograph, we decided to spend the night at their B&B so we could photograph through the evening light.
Here are three images I made that evening. Together we had so much fun. Each of us had a two-million candlelight flash-light, so you can imagine the two of us running about the property flashing our lights on various subjects. If hosts Garrett Newkirk and Skye Phillips were watching, they must have thought we were crazy!
| Notes about the image: At 10:20 pm during an 8 sec. exposure, I painted this boat with the light from my flashlight. Compositionally, I made sure I was low enough to have the top of the mast against the lighter blue sky. |
| Notes about the image: At 10:40 pm during a 30 sec. exposure, I painted both parts of the main cannery building; the part still standing, and the section that has collapsed. The lights of Bella Coola harbour can be seen in the distance. |
| Notes about the image: For more intimate work, I use a small Maglight flashlight. I also carry a large section of cheesecloth which I can fold over the flashlight to diffuse the light when necessary. |
As I described in my two previous Newsletters, the Tallheo Cannery is an amazing place to visit, both from a cultural and photographic perspective. If you find yourself in Bella Coola, a visit to the Cannery is well worth it.
2. There is Always Beauty in the Grasslands
One of the most rewarding photographic projects I have ever involved myself with, was the “Spirit in the Grass” book project which was done in co-operation with the Grasslands Conservation Council of BC. I had the honour of working with biologists Kristi Iverson and Ordell Steen who brought the grasslands to life for me. Their knowledge and perspective provided me with an understanding that allowed me to capture this environment at a much deeper level than I would otherwise have. The importance of understanding the subject I am photographing was clearly driven home to me.
In my last Newsletter, I took you out to the grasslands where I spent the night sleeping under a silent sky, tucked in my cozy bivy bag. I would like to share three more images from that evening.
| Notes about the image: Not far from where I slept, an old fir tree provided a beautiful frame under which I could see and capture the evening light. As I looked southward down the Fraser River canyon toward Big Bar and Lillooet beyond, the light and shadows which bathed the rolling valley, provided me with texture and warm tones. |
| Notes about the image: Two hours later, around 8:30 pm, a shaft of evening light singled out a hay field that had just been bailed. Compositionally, I placed the hay field below the centre of the picture frame to provide context, and a sense of balance between the image’s four rectangular shapes. |
| Notes about the image: The sentinel was brought to my attention by a gift of light. Compositionally, the sentinel, the brightly lit grassland in the distance, and the more softly lit grassland knoll in the central right, form an implied triangle; guiding one’s eye through the picture space. The rectangular sky shape was given more prominence than I might have given it, because of the splendor of the clouds. |
At 4:00 am I opened my eyes and looked out from my bivy bag. Sunrise was on its way. I got up, chose my perspective, and waited. The sunrise was not a dramatic one in terms of colour, but it was emotionally dramatic as I stood there in spacious silence. The grasslands can provide as much emotional impact as can the mountains. I have learned to appreciate this over the years.
| Notes about the image: The placement of the lone fir tree was of primary importance to this composition. To capture the feeling of spaciousness, I used a 16mm lens and then cropped the sky to emphasis the land. |
3. Moving camp to Moonlit Mountain: A Nuk Tessli Adventure
Continuing on the morning hike I introduced you to in my last Newsletter, we travelled over a large alpine meadow strewn with pink, white and yellow heather. Interspersed with the heather, were alpine tarns, beautifully shaped granite rocks, and reflections that reminded us that we were amidst divergently shaped mountains.
| Notes about the image: To describe the relationship between the communities of heather and the granite boulders which provide warmth and protection from the wind, I use my 16-35mm story-telling lens. |
| Notes about the image: The placement and space given to the 5 main shapes within the picture space, along with the reflections of the hiker, and rock in the lower right, are all critically important to this composition. |
| Notes about the image: Paying absolute attention to perspective is all important in the visual design of an image. I remember raising the centre post of my tripod so that the reflected rock on the right did not merge with the darker tone of the reflected mountain. |
| Notes about the image: Once again, perspective was all important in the making of this image. To capture the textured rock along with the reflected mountain required lowering my tripod substantially. With my lens at 16mm, it was only inches away from the rocks in the foreground. F-22 gave me the depth of focus I required. |
During the afternoon of this, our first day of hiking at Nuk Tessli, we discover a small lake which was hidden from our camp by a large terminal moraine. Once discovered, Rita immediately said to me, “let’s move camp, this is breathtaking”. In total agreement, we hiked back to camp, packed up all our gear, and hiked back over the large moraine.
The image below shows the view from our tent!
It was 11:00 pm, and everyone was in bed. I decided to stay up and photograph, for I knew the full moon was soon to appear. I thought it would be too bright to capture any star trails but during a short period of time, I was able to capture both.
I don’t know the name of this mountain, or even if it has a name, so I have called it “Moonlit Mountain”. I stand to be corrected!
| Notes about the image: For 6 minutes at f-5.6 I made this image of reflected star trails along with the side-lighting of the full moon which was just coming over the ridge to my left. |
Nuk Tessli is located on the shores of a beautiful high altitude lake in the heart of the Coast Mountains. It is owned by a father and son team, Doron Erel and Sela Bucovetsky, who have a wealth of experience in wilderness hiking, trekking, canoeing, and mountaineering. With renovated cabins, they are turning this area into a hiker’s paradise. Follow my Newsletters and you can see for yourself what an amazing hiking area this is…then connect with Doron. You can hike their well-cairned trails on your own, or be assisted by Doron’s incredible team of guides. Either way, it is a hiker’s paradise.
4. Namu: Ghost town on the central coast
As part of our photo expedition with BC Grizzly Tours this spring, Leonard Ellis took us to several ghost towns along the central coast; one of them was Namu.
Namu was a hub of activity for commercial fishers along the central coast between the 1930’s and early 1980’s when it was owned by B.C. Packers. In its heyday, Namu had a population of over 400 people including enough children for a four-room school house.
Prior to contact and appropriation it was the oldest settlement on the coast and one of the most important. It is in the territory of Heltsiuk Nation.
We entered Namu in the evening, leaving us just enough time to briefly explore the old town site and wet our appetite for tomorrow’s photo extravaganza.
The cannery, ice plant, cafe, laundry, general store, offices, schoolhouse, and bunkhouses, were interconnected by kilometers of boardwalk.
| Notes about the image: In order to capture a more informative perspective of the ocean side boardwalk, I accessed the beach below at low tide. Looking upward, I used my story-telling lens set at 16mm. |
After a day at work, I can imagine a family taking an evening stroll at sunset along this ocean side boardwalk. A relaxing end to the day perhaps. Today they are all in disrepair.
Throwing bottles from the boardwalk was obviously a thing to do! Only as a photographer could I appreciate the colouful texture!
Keep an eye on the BC Grizzly Tours website for ghost town photo tours on the central coast. I’ll share more imagery of Namu next month.
5. Back Yard Artist: A fun self-assignment
When I’m at home, I walk through this garden several times a day, travelling between the house and gallery where I have my office and digital darkroom. Although I appreciate this gardenscape deeply, my office ‘to do’ list always seems to override my creative desire to take time and photograph here.
One day, with a determination to break this cycle, I took my camera with a 24-105mm lens on it, and went into a brown-eyed Susan patch.
| Notes about the image: At 55mm and camera settings at f-8 and 1/30sec, I started to play. The image shown here was a multiple exposure of 9 with twisting camera movement. |
Even though I only spent 10 minutes photographing, I had a blast! I made dozens of images of all kinds. I tried everything; some were experimental duds while others were very satisfying.
This exercise was a reminder to me; if I wish to continually improve my ability to see with ‘photographic eyes’, I need to photograph daily. It makes a huge difference. If I don’t pick up my camera for a week, I feel rusty; rusty at seeing, and rusty at thinking of all the creative possibilities that are open to me at any given moment.
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