Newsletter No. 110: September 2014

Newsletter No. 110: September, 2014
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.

Contents:

1. Absorbing the Possibilities: A Nuk Tessli Adventure
2. The Soul of the Cannery: The Upper Floor
3. When Friends Visit: Show them your ‘home’
4. As Namu Dies: Colour and Life Abound
5. Aerial Abstracts: Vision and Design
6. Celestial Encirclement of Niut Mountain: Night Sky

Hi everyone,

Push, push, push. I have been out photographing as much as I can over the past four weeks, as I have given myself until the end of October to complete shooting for my final major book project. The almost overwhelming diversity of locations and subject matter I have been photographing points to how fortuitous I am to live and work in this Cariboo Chilcotin Coast region of BC. I hope you enjoy some of my latest photographs.

Remember, our 10th Anniversary sale combined with the ‘Flood Recovery Sale’ continues throughout the autumn. 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 110th consecutive monthly Newsletter!!

 

Chris

1. Absorbing the Possibilities: The Nuk Tessli Adventure (cont’d)

Our two days at Moonlit Lake became a photographic sensation. Few places have offered so much creative potential; the light was right.

Each evening we had dinner at 5pm; this allowed several hours of evening light exploration.

At 9:15pm, I noticed two people on the horizon, about a kilometre away. Hoping they wouldn’t move, I changed to my camera body with a 100-400mm lens. While composing at 400mm, one of the boys put his leg up on a rock as they chatted; I couldn’t believe my good fortune! Click. I couldn’t have asked for better models!

Notes about the image: Using my Canon 50D, the 400mm lens was the equivalent of 640mm when considering the camera’s crop factor. I made it at f-8 at 1/320sec.

A few minutes later, a beautifully curved shoreline caught my eye. After making a few images, I asked Rita if she would sit on a perfectly situated rock to add a human element. As it turned out, it was a pointed rock and not comfortable to sit on. Although she managed to balance herself just long enough for me to make this image, she didn’t let me forget how “I owed her one” for doing so!

Notes about the image: I made this image with my Canon 5D MkIII at f-22 at 1/13sec.

I continued around the lake, slowly. One of the great pleasures of photography, is the observation of nature’s creativity. Nature is endlessly dynamic and creative. As photographers, we merely pass by, needing only to be inspired and creative in observing nature’s genius.

Notes about the image: I used the same settings as the above image, then converted it to B&W.

Eventually, Niv and Yaniv, the two ridgeline models, joined us in conversation beside the lake. Darkness was setting in when I noticed, at my very feet, a small stream of slightly lit water draining through the glacial mud.

I set up my tripod and carefully made my composition. I was so excited, I invited everyone over to look through my viewfinder. They seemed amazed at the beauty that was merely two metres from where they chatted. I made my image.

Notes about the image: Photographed at f-22 for 1/4sec., then converted to B&W.

I remember that evening often. It keeps coming back to me. I was in a state of concentrated ‘awe’. I had to walk slowly to try and absorb the creative possibilities and to try and articulate them with my camera.

Note: This article is part of a series which started in Newsletter #108; made possible by Doron Erel who is developing a “hiker’s paradise” in the foothills of the Coast Mountains. These wilderness experiences are based out of his cabins at Nuk Tessli.

As a result of my first article, two hikers have visited Nuk Tessli. One of whom, just wrote to me saying, ” THANK YOU for your recommendation of Nuk Tessli. I spent an incredible week there and it was everything you said and more. What a hidden treasure we have in our own Beautiful BC”.

2. The Soul of the Cannery: The Upper Floor (cont’d)

Since Newsletter #107, I have talked about my experience at the Tallheo Cannery. It is an adventure in BC cultural history as well as a bonanza for photographers. Here are a few more images.

Photographers will want to spend a day or two here because of the changing light. In the morning the sun comes through the roof, but not so in the afternoon.

Notes about the image: Photographed at f-22 for maximum depth of field for 1/2sec.

There are so many openings in this building, one has to be continually alert to dynamic shafts of light. In this case, late afternoon light lit up an old winch used to haul up fishing nets. Next month we will get to the fishing nets!

Notes about the image: Photographed at f-22 for 1/15sec.

3. When Friends Visit: Show them your ‘home’

Recently, Rita and I had the pleasure of hosting Sahar Shimon and Niv Liel, two young Israeli’s whom we first met at Nuk Tessli, and then shared a hiking adventure in the Rainbow Mountains. Both Rita and I enjoy opening our home to young travelers, as we both remember with fond memories those who opened their doors to us when we were traveling the world.

To give them a sense of our ‘greater home’, I took Sahar and Niv out to Farwell Canyon and the grasslands for an overnighter. With evening light illuminating waist high golden grass, we hiked to a spot overlooking the Chilcotin River.

Below us, under the light of a three-quarter moon, the autumn turquoise colour of the glacier fed Chilcotin River combined with the shapes of the hoodoo’s below us, providing a landscape they found stunningly beautiful.

Notes about the image: Photographed at f-22 for maximum depth of field for 1/2.5secs.

Warm evening light brought colour and shape to the hoodoo’s, the protective home of BC’s largest herd of California big horn sheep.

Notes about the image: Photographed at f-22 for 1/5sec.

Darkness comes early in September. By 8:30pm the moon was reflecting off the river. I gave the hoodoo landscape below us a slight dusting of light with my Maglite flashlight.

Notes about the image: Made with a 14mm lens at f-11 for 25secs.

At 6 am. we were up enjoying Rita’s homemade granola and the light of a new day.

Notes about the image: Photographed at f-22 for 1.3secs.

The hoodoo’s below us feel the warmth of daylight.

Notes about the image: Made at f-20 for 1/13sec.

We here in the Cariboo Chilcotin are blessed with such diverse landscapes to share with our families, friends, and visitors. Sahar and Niv will never forget their experiences here in the Cariboo Chilcotin. This was their Canada; welcoming and beautiful.

4. As Namu Dies: Colour and Life Abound

The site of Namu is one of the oldest known sites on the BC coast. Middens and bone and rock microblades have placed marine hunters here 10,000-5,800 BCE.

In more recent history, it was one of the early canneries on the coast. Today it lies abandoned.

 

Amidst the decay, were isolated areas where care-takers or squatters built beautiful gardens. Remnants of pride, perhaps, in a place of great meaning.

Note: This article is part of a series which started in Newsletter #107; made possible by Leonard Ellis who is developing a series of central coast excursions on the BC central coast. You can view his offerings at BC Grizzly Tours.

5. Aerial Abstracts: Vision and Design

This past weekend, as part of my final book project on the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast region of BC, I flew over most of the major watersheds which tie this vast region together. Rick Church, who was a significant contributor to my recent Flyover book, once again extended to assist with my next book.

Rick is a global flier and fine photographer. He also has a long history of flying throughout this remote and often mountainous region. Along with friends Leslie and Mike Duffy, we flew for 9.5 hours and covered approximately 2200 kms; a vast area of exquisite beauty.

Along with the more customary documentary aerial photographs, I couldn’t resist the temptation to lower my camera’s perspective, exclude the horizon line, and abstract the landscape.

Below are five images with no references or context of where they might be located.

Notes about the image: Canon 5D MkIII; iso 800; f-11, 1/500sec; 24-105mm lens.

Notes about the image: Canon 5D MkIII; iso 400; f-11, 1/500sec; 24-105mm lens.

Notes about the image: Canon 5D MkIII; iso 400; f-8, 1/800sec; 24-105mm lens.

Notes about the image: Canon 5D MkIII; iso 400; f-9, 1/320sec; 24-105mm lens.

Notes about the image: Canon 50D; iso 800; f-11, 1/640sec; 70-200mm lens.

I share these images because they provide me with sense of aesthetic enjoyment. I can look at them for hours with a feeling of wonderment. They take me away somewhere, perhaps a dream life.

To make these images, I use my personal vision to search for design elements that connect with my unique sense of what is beautiful. That is my art. Whether it is art, or in any sense beautiful to anyone else, is irrelevant. The mere freedom to express my feelings through my photography is a gift of life, a gift I deeply value.

Note: You can read the complete story of my flight, and view over 60 images by following this link. Share this link with your friends. It’s a small, but very important story in the history of our region, the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast region of British Columbia.

On the home page of my website under “In the Field”, you can also link to the same story under the title “The Cariboo Chilcotin Watersheds“.

6.  Celestial Encirclement of Niut Mountain: Night Sky

In mid August, White Saddle Air helicopter pilot Les Rolston, flew Rita, our daughter Teresa, along with friend Mike Duffy and I, into a small and remote glacier carved valley in the heart of the Niut Range; situated high above the western shore of Tatlayoko Lake in the west Chilcotin. It’s an area I have wanted to photograph ever since I saw a photograph by Sally Mueller, a long time local resident of the Tatlayoko Valley.

Teresa is studying photography at Langara College. Fortunately, the skies cleared on the last evening of our trip, and I had the opportunity to share with her the possibilities of photographing the night sky.

We set up our compositions before dark, and then went to bed for a nap with alarms set for midnight. Up we got; we were amazed at the number and clarity of the stars. I immediately noticed the Big Dipper above 2918m (9573 ft.) Niut Mountain. Yeah, I exclaimed to Teresa, that means we can include the North Star and capture star trail circles above the towering peaks.

With head lamps on, we made our final camera setting adjustments. Click….

Then it was back to bed for another nap. Over two hours later we got up to shut off our exposures. The image you see below was a 140 minute exposure , made with a 14mm lens, at f-2.8.

Teresa’s battery had expired, so I was now alone. The evening was warm, and there were no mosquitoes. I just wanted to stay up all night. I was standing at the base of a mighty ‘cirque’ surrounded by silhouetted peaks and a garden of celestial stars.

Eventually, I knew I had to go to bed if I was going to photograph the next day. But wait a minute….I noticed something happening to the mountain tops. They seemed brighter. What was happening?

Eventually, I realized that light from a still hidden half-moon was reaching the highest peaks. That was it…back to my camera!

The image below was a 24 minute exposure at f2.8., long enough to see a few of the moon-lit Niut peaks together with short star trails.

Wow…..what a way to end a four day photographic expedition to the Niut Range!