Newsletter No. 111: October 2014

Newsletter No. 111: October, 2014
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.

Contents:

1. Imagination Unfolding: a dedication
2. Dance of the Fish Nets: Tallheo Cannery
3. Hues and Harmonies: the ever changing grasslands
4. Reflected Light: hiking at Nuk Tessli
5. Namu: remains of a vibrant coastal town
6. Out of the Blue, A Kind Gesture: I was off to the Nemiah Valley

Hi everyone,

I have just returned from my last photo shoot of the season. It’s been very full summer packed with numerous photographic expeditions of all kinds. I look forward to sharing them with you over the next several months.

Over the next few weeks I will be attending Christmas Fairs in Prince George, Quesnel, and Williams Lake. I will also be processing hundreds of images as I prepare for the layout and storyline of my new book. More about the upcoming publication later. Exciting times ahead!

Enjoy my 111th consecutive monthly Newsletter!!

 

Chris

1. Imagination Unfolding: a dedication
Earlier this year, I joined Len Ellis of BC Grizzly Tours to travel and photograph along the central coast. Leaving from Bella Coola, we explored beautiful estuaries, deep fjords, ghost towns, and open coastal beaches. Amidst all that beauty, there was one moment in time I will never forget.

It was 6:30 am and everyone was below having coffee. I was on deck, so excited at what I was seeing. I made this image, verified my exposure, and then just enjoyed the moment. The view was so simple, so thought provoking. When I got home it was the first image I looked for, and processed.

For 360 degrees, this was the seascape. It was as if the imagination of the day was yet to unfold. It spoke to me of endless possibilities.

I shared my excitement for this image with a dear friend. We looked at it together and spoke of what it meant to each of us. We spoke of living simply, yet fully. We spoke of dreaming, awareness, inspiration, creativity, and giving and receiving.

Recently, my friend passed away. I had it printed on canvas and I dedicated this print to her at her memorial.

2. Dance of the Fish Nets: Tallheo Cannery
Over the last few Newsletters, I have shared several images I made at the Tallheo Cannery , an historic Guest House and B&B, a short five minute boat ride from Bella Coola Harbour. Built in 1916, close to 100 people lived here at the height of the fish canning industry on the central coast.

 

 

The photographic highlight for me was the net loft where different coloured nets were hung to dry. I studied them closely, and then spent several hours photographing there.

 

I felt I was in a very feminine space; the nets became gorgeous gowns, very lace-like in appearance.

 

Notes about the images: to capture the flavour of what I was imagining, I used several creative techniques. The last two images above were made with multiple exposures combined with camera movement and relatively slow shutter speeds.

If you ever visit Bella Coola, a visit to the Tallheo Cannery is a must. Your hosts are Garrett Newkirk and Skye Phillips. Enjoy their hospitality and historical tour, and if you revel in photography, you won’t be disappointed.

3. Hues and Harmonies: the ever changing grasslands
It was June, and the valleys of the Plateau were often filled with smoke. Evening and morning light was often dramatic. There were forest fires everywhere.

Sensing the unexpected, I called my friend Mike, and we both headed out to the grasslands above Farwell Canyon to spend the night.

We climbed high above the hoodoo cliffs overlooking the Chilcotin River. We had hardly finished a small supper when all light let loose.

 

Notes about the image: My go-to landscape lens is a 14mm lens. There was little time to waste choosing a composition. There was the dark clumps of trees, the sunset sky and rainbow, the river, and the full moon in a bright patch of sky. I tried to capture a sense of harmony and balance amidst the mostly warm hues.

 

Up at 4 am, I was delighted to find smoke nestled in the quiet and peaceful valley below. I went to work, purposefully.

Notes about the image: Once again, I used my 14mm lens. Compositionally, I placed the horizon in the centre of the picture space giving equal emphasis to land and sky. It just felt right.

4. Reflected Light: hiking at Nuk Tessli
I have been trying to show you in the last few Newsletters all the places where we hiked in the Charlotte Alplands, but I seem stuck here at Moonlit Lake where we spent two incredible evenings hiking amidst reflective ponds of glacial melt water. It was such a beautiful spot, and I made so many expressive images that I want to share with you! I promise to move on, in one of these Newsletters!

 

Notes about the image: As Mike photographed this mirror-like pond, I captured him in the evening light on a tripod at f-16 and 1/13th sec.

Taking advantage of the calm water and reflected light, I slowly moved around the small pond, paying particular attention to the arrangement of the elements of visual design.

Notes about the image: By strategically arranging each element of design, I create an image where my goal is that the viewer’s eye rest willingly within the picture space.

 

Looking up from the pond, I saw similar design elements to my previous two photographs.

Notes about the images: By using a 200mm focal length, I eliminated any distracting visual elements, concentrating solely on those that expressed simple beauty.

The hikes at Nuk Tessli are among the best in BC and come highly recommended. With cozy cabins in the foothills of the Coast Mountains as your base, the experience here is a genuine ‘hiking holiday’.

5. Namu: remains of a vibrant coastal town
Namu is an old fish cannery town, and before that, it was a First Nations community that dates back to 8,000 – 10,000 BCE. It is now abandoned and lies in disrepair.

Skipper Len Ellis of BC Grizzly Tours took our photo tour here this summer; a wonderful place to capture the feeling of a once vibrant coastal life.

 

Notes about the images: F-22 enables me to capture the full range of abandonment details.

 

Notes about the images: During evening light on a tripod at f-22, I used the dilapidated wharf features to focus my attention on the old ship. One day it will roll over, releasing its fuel to the sea.

 

We were on our way back to the boat when someone yelled that there was a beautiful sunset. Most of us ran back to where the Chilcotin Princess was; it was one of the more interesting subjects, visually and historically.

The beauty of this sunset is fleeting. We know to enjoy it intensely, for it will soon disappear. The beauty of this once proud ship will take much longer to return to the Earth.

Notes about the images: Using my 16-35mm ‘story telling lens’, I captured a moment in history at f-22.

 

It turned out to be one of the most intensely colourful sunsets I have ever enjoyed; and who can resist making a photograph of a sunset!

6. Out of the Blue, A Kind Gesture: I was off to the Nemiah Valley
It was mid-September and I was tending our booth at the 100 Mile House Fall Fair. The shooting season for my new book project was almost complete, but there was one place on the ‘Chilcotin Ark’ plateau I had never photographed. It was the wild iconic beauty spot of the entire region; Chilko Lake.

Chilko Lake is very large, fed by the waters and winds of the Coast Mountains. It is a dangerous lake that can turn from mirror calm to furious whitecaps in minutes. I had heard the stories.

Near mid-day when Rita returned to the booth to spell me off, she mentioned I should go outside and try a homemade crepe; that there was a family making them and they were delicious. As I headed to the crepe stand, the crepe gentleman himself, a large tall man with a ponytail, was headed to my booth to meet me.

Out of the blue, he stopped me, asking me if I ever considered photographing Chilko Lake. He said he knew the lake better than anyone, that he had the type of boat to explore it, and that he was willing to take me. I didn’t even know his name!

Wow! A week later I was on my way to the remote Nemiah Valley, looking for their home in the wilderness.

 

Roland Class, his wife Udette and son Jesaja, lived mostly off the land in an historical building that once stood on the Gold Rush Trail near 150 Mile. It had been dis-assembled and re-assembled on the shore of Big Lake, overlooking the Tsilhqot’in Nation’s sacred Mount Tatlow.

 

The place was tranquil and relaxing, and the Class family was most welcoming. They showed me to my cozy B&B cabin. I felt at home in the Nemiah Valley.

 

While awaiting the evening meal, I explored their garden with my camera.

 

While enjoying a delicious supper and discussing our upcoming trip plans, warm evening light revealed the form of Mount Tatlow. I had to excuse myself from the table to make this image!! How could I resist; polite or not!!

To book accommodation at the Big Lake B&B, you need to call them directly at 250-394-7444. I look forward to sharing my Chilko Lake adventure in my next Newsletter.