Newsletter No. 3 – July, 2005
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.
Early Spring: A trip to the Fraser & Chilcotin River Canyon lands – Part III
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.
Canon EOS-1D Mark II; Shutter speed: 1/2500 sec.; Aperture: 2.8
Exposure mode: Manual; ISO: 100; Lens: 100mm macroIn the previous two newsletters, I took you along the shores of the Fraser and Chilcotin Rivers to see the beautiful ice formations; first for an overall perspective and then in for a closer look. Today I’d like to show you the extremely exciting abstract world of macro photography. This is the world that few people on the planet ever see. Glistening specs of melting ice can produce an amazing array of shapes, textures and colours. Enjoy the journey!
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.
Canon EOS-1D Mark II; Shutter speed: 1/2500 sec; Aperture: 2.8
Exposure mode: Manual; ISO: 100; Lens: 100mm macroIf you have a close-up lens and are willing to crawl around flat on your belly on the ice, then open up your lens to its widest aperture and go exploring. It’s one of the most exhilarating experiences you will ever have. Be prepared to get lost for an hour or two!
A Walk in the Grasslands – Part III
Parts I & II took you out into the Churn Creek area grasslands where the overall scenery is stunning and the views into the Churn Creek Canyon are staggering. But as we have witnessed in the above article, we can always challenge ourselves by looking more deeply into the landscape for a more intimate perspective.
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© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.
Canon EOS-1D Mark II; Lens: 70 to 200mm; Focal length: 110mm
Shutter speed: 1/13 sec; Aperture: 22; ISO: 100The shapes in the foreground are what attracted me to this the overall perspective of the landscape ahead of me. By zooming in with a telephoto lens, however, I was able to simplify the visual design of the image and concentrate on the shapes, textures and subtle tonal variations. This provides the more abstract view of the landscape shown below.
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.
Canon EOS-1D Mark II; Lens: 100-400mm IS; Focal length: 380mm; Shutter speed: 1/15 sec; Aperture: 22; ISO: 100Gallery News
Performance Poetry: June the 9th saw the Chris Harris Gallery full for the dual poetry reading by Harold Rhenisch and Anna Warje. Harold was his inimitable self, bringing the bard down off the academic pedestal and into the real world for us – back where he belongs, in our view. Anna was exciting and passionate; using song to support and illustrate her poems with a voice that filled the room to the brim. A big thanks to both of them – it was a real treat.
New Prints: Rita is in the process of framing prints that are new to the downstairs exhibit space. We’ll give you a preview in our next newsletter.
A Great Success: the "Discover the Grasslands" Guided Field Trip
– A Grasslands Awareness Project Fundraiser –
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.
Canon EOS-1D Mark II; Shutter speed: 1/13 sec; Aperture: 32;
Exposure mode: Manual; ISO: 100; Lens: 70 to 200mm; Focal length: 105mmOn June 4th, Kristi Iverson, Ken Mackenzie, Ordell Steen and myself had an amazing walk with a group of grassland enthusiasts and contributors to the "Grasslands Awareness Project". The conversation ranged (no pun!) from ranching to ants and flowers to economics as everyone took full advantage of the great depth of expertise present to ask as many questions as they could. It was a full day with everyone learning more than they ever thought they didn’t know about the grasslands biology and ecology. Lunch was enjoyed resting on an overlook above the Chilcotin River for a not-soon forgotten experience.
Although the emphasis was on grasslands ecology and the light not great for landscape photography, I did take a few moments to show what could be done from a more abstract point of view. After noticing the softly lit aspen tree trunks in an aspen grove we were approaching, I set my camera to the slowest shutter speed possible (without using neutral density filters) and by hand-holding the camera and panning it vertically along the line of the tree trunks, I made this exposure. The result shown above is an abstraction I am very fond of.
Our next walk will be in the fall. We are pleased to invite donors to the Grasslands Awareness Project of $200.00 or more to participate in an accompanied walk with naturalists Kristi Iverson, Ken Mackenzie, Ordell Steen and photographer Chris Harris. Remember, all participants will be acknowledged in the book as a supporter of this grasslands project. If you are interested in joining the next walk, please let us know. The date will be posted in this newsletter and on my website.
Cheers for now and happy picture making!
Chris
