Newsletter No. 32: March 2008

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CONTENTS

1. The Month of Nominations & Awards
2. The Next Book Project
3. New Look for the Web site
4. What I See and How I Photograph

Hi everyone,

This was an exciting Newsletter to write as there was so much exciting news to share with you. Firstly, there were book nominations and photographic awards that came as total surprises. Secondly, this was the Newsletter I was to announce the subject of my next book project. Wow! I can’t wait to start!

Also, we have given our web site a completely new look. Take a browse through it and don’t forget to visit the ‘Store’. You’ll see a new feature there where you can send a Chris Harris image as a postcard to anyone you like at no charge to you!

I hope you enjoy it, and that you pass it on to interested friends. Remember, our goal here at the Gallery is to share the creative process, and promote the arts; thus strengthening our artistic community. Thank you.

1. The Month of Nominations & Awards

Book Nominations

Two weeks ago I received a call notifying me that Spirit in the Grass was nominated in two categories for the BC Book Prizes. For a small self-publisher like myself, I consider it an honour to be even recognized for these prestigious awards. Once again, I’d like to thank all my fellow contributors, Kristi Iverson, Ordell Steen and Harold Rhenisch; my book designer, Bill Horne; and my editor Harold Rhenisch for contributing their many talents in the creation of this wonderful book. As a publisher, it’s an honour and a privilege to be able to bring such an important topic onto the world stage. The awards will be presented at the Lieutenant Governor’s BC Book Prize Gala at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel in Vancouver on April 26th.

The two categories for which Spirit in the Grass has been nominated for are:

1. The Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize which is awarded to the book which contributes most to the enjoyment and understanding of British Columbia.
2. The BC Booksellers’ Choice Award in Honour of Bill Duthie which is presented to the originating publisher and author of the best book in terms of public appeal, initiative, design, production and content.

Photography Awards

Last fall (2007), British Columbia Magazine published a beautiful 18-page article about the Grasslands and the book Spirit in the Grass titled Fields of Gold. This article was later submitted by the magazine to the Northern Lights Awards for excellence in travel journalism. This competition is open to magazines, newspapers, independent writers and photographers and internet reporters in North America who have generated tourism-oriented coverage on Canadian destinations in 2007 in either English or French.

And guess what??? I received a call from Northern Lights this past week and a lady named Monica started to tell me I had been awarded 1st prize as the North American photographer and that they wanted to fly me to Los Angeles and put me up in the Beverley Hilton to accept the award! At first I thought the call was a hoax, so I asked her to confirm who she was and what the Northern Lights Awards were (I had never heard of them!). But guess what . . . she was for real! I had won! So Rita and I are taking off to Beverley Hills on April 7th. I’ll let you know what happens in my next Newsletter . . . the Beverley Hilton . . . wow!!!

2. The Next Book Project

The Book Series

My vision for the next few years is to continue with my series of books on The natural wonders of the Cariboo Chilcotin. This region of central British Columbia is not only my home, but it also contains the most diverse landscape and natural history in the province. As a photographer, I have always considered myself blessed to live and work here.

The first two books in this natural wonders series are The Bowron Lakes, the story of a lifetime journey on what is known internationally as the iconic canoe trip, and Spirit in the Grass, the story that brings international, as well as local, public attention to our native grasslands ecosystem – the most threatened and endangered in the province.

All together, this series of books will show our Cariboo-Chilcotin region as a global environmental treasure with a unique cultural history. It’s about awareness and re-connection.

The Next Book

My next book will be about The Creation of the Cariboo-Chilcotin Landscape. That is not necessarily the title of the book, but it will describe the creation of our fabled landscape from earliest times (plate tectonics) through to the more recent periods of volcanism and glaciation. The book will also touch on how the landscape shapes our climate and ecology.

I can imagine nothing that would motivate me more than exploring the shapes, colours and textures of the earth through the viewfinder of my camera. I made this image years ago while hiking through the volcanic ranges in Tweedsmuir Park and I swore I would return to photograph it once again in greater depth. This image is as if a huge river of hot molten lava is flowing down a mountainside. I can almost feel the heat and I can visualize the landscape changing shape. Photographing the volcanics of the Cariboo-Chilcotin and turning them into art is going to be the most exciting phase of my photographic career.

The emphasis of this book will be on the volcanics and the more recent period of glaciation. As a result of this book, I hope we can all travel through the Cariboo-Chilcotin region with a new appreciation and understanding. Once again, I will attempt to marry the two perspectives of art and science so that the book is in equal parts visually stunning and scientifically accurate. My wish is that this book will provide British Columbians with a compelling inspiration to stay at home and learn more about where we are so privileged to live. The book will also, of course, welcome visitors from around the globe to explore this beautiful landscape. I hope they too will learn about, appreciate and ultimately participate in the preservation of this treasured area.

Having climbed on glaciers for weeks on end I have a deep respect for their power in changing the landscape. I made this image from the air, paying great attention to line and shape. If you look closely at this vast river of ice, you will also see many smaller rivers or lines. These so called medial moraines are carrying rocks that have been carved off of mountainsides further ‘upstream’. The placement of these lines and shapes make a harmonious ‘whole’ that is compelling to look at and examine. Texture also plays an important role in the success of this image.

There is nothing I love more than exploring the land with my camera. When looking back at the two above images, we see terrain that is simultaneously water that is almost frozen in place and rock that was once flowing like rivers. Fascinating.

I am so excited about the places I am about to explore and the sharing of these adventures and images with all my Newsletter subscribers. If you have friends whom you think might be interested in following my photographic adventures and the creation of this exciting new book, please forward this Newsletter on to them and have them subscribe. It’s going to be blast!

3. New Look for the Web site

You will have noticed the new look for the Newsletter you received last month and now the whole web site is ready with a fresh face and some new features.

You can visit the straw bale Studio Gallery, find out where and when I’ll be making my newly scheduled appearances on the ‘Appearances’ page, read previous Newsletters, or go to the ‘Store’. Shopping at the ‘Store’ is friendlier and easier than ever, and there are new prints available from the gallery.

© Chris Harris; Canon EOS-3 film camera

A new feature at the ‘Store’ are Chris Harris Postcards. Postcards of Chris’ images can now be sent to anyone you like at no cost to you. New collections of postcard images will be posted several times throughout the year and subscribers will be notified via the Newsletter. Just go to the ‘Store’ and follow the links.

4. What I See and How I Photograph

Now that we know the subject of my next book; I am looking at my old slides to see what I have related to volcanics.

The following two images were made on a pack trip in Itcha-Ilgathuz Park with Itcha-Ilgatchuz Mountain Outfitters. I was photographing for my Chilcotin book at the time and we had stopped for lunch overlooking this beautiful volcanic cone. After studying the shapes and lines within the vista before me, I set up my tripod, tried two different zoom lenses in order to get the perspective I wanted, and then arranged all the elements of visual design (the shapes and lines) into a pleasing composition.

The last step was setting the depth of field so that both the foreground and the background were in focus – probably around f-22. The shutter speed is irrelevant in this case as I am shooting on a tripod. This is why a tripod is so important. Without one, this image would be technically poor. It would not be sharp throughout.

The point here is that when you have what you think is a spectacular or interesting landscape, make that image first, but then consider other options.

Because I am usually shooting for several purposes (such as books, stock imagery, gallery prints etc.) I will often try and add the human element to the landscape at hand. In this particular case, I had people and horses (it could be hikers, mountain bikers etc.) so I asked the leader of the expedition if she would lead some horses across the foreground. As it turned out, I’m glad I did this as this image ended up being the cover shot of my book Chilcotin: British Columbia’s Last Frontier.

So, never think you have it covered with a single image of any subject. It should only be the beginning of an exciting journey of exploration and discovery. In the days of film, this meant spending a lot more money, but with digital capture, you can make hundreds of exploratory images at no extra cost. There is always the ‘delete’ button for what you don’t like! You should also notice how lighting conditions had changed for the second of these two images. I also used a different film.

Thank you . . . see you next month!

Cheers for now,

Chris