Newsletter No. 43: February 2009
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.
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CONTENTS
- Back Yard Artist: Where to Find Inspiration
- Inspiration in Ireland: A painters Studio
- The Story Behind the Image: Getting to the Moment: Is the Reward Worth it?
Hi everyone,
February has been a busy and pleasurable month. Rita’s daughter Teresa received a new camera for Christmas, so I have really enjoyed going on several photo assignments with her – discussing the technical aspects of her camera along with visual design. I also took two weeks away from the office and visited my sister in Ireland.
In this Newsletter I’ll share some of my photo experiences close to home, in Ireland, and of course another adventure in the volcanic ranges of Tweedsmuir Park.
Enjoy the Newsletter, and pass it on to interested friends. Our goal here at the Chris Harris Gallery is to share the creative process, promote the arts, and strengthen our artistic community. Thank you.
1. Back Yard Artist
Throughout the years of teaching photographic workshops, I have always encouraged aspiring photographers to look at and study all forms of visual media. Magazines, TV ads, movies, documentaries, and now of course the internet. What I study most are paintings. When I visit an urban centre, I always make a point of visiting the local art museum. With pen and notebook in hand, I particularly study landscape paintings of the masters. Ideas flow and I extrapolate them into the landscape where I usually travel.
Still Life by the Sea – 2005
Acrylic & collage. 20”x16”
©Jane O’Malley
In my January Newsletter, I described the creation of the image titled “Flight of the Frosted Flakes”. That evening I had been looking through paintings by my sister, Jane O’Malley, who is predominately a still life painter. Her paintings of jugs have gathered a huge following in Europe. Art critic Brian Lynch describes them as “still-life in action”; her subjects always seem alive and in communication with each other (above).
JUGS…right! I jumped up and scoured the house for jugs! The idea was for a double exposure…two jugs in conversation and an image of frosted snowflakes. Below is the result. I call it “A Winters Conversation “.
A Winters Conversation – double exposure
2. Inspiration in Ireland:
Talk of inspiration; I think the above experience inspired me to visit my sister! Usually when I visit her in Ireland I leave my camera at home, but this time I decided to bring it – and I’m glad I did!
One rainy day I followed Jane to her studio, and with her permission, began to photograph her at work. I made dozens of images that morning, and editing them down to one was not easy! I found the experience very inspirational. A painter’s studio is often a complete ‘clutter’. I wanted to capture some of that clutter yet simplify it to emphasize Jane and some of her work. In this image I feel I accomplished that by taking advantage of the light shining through a skylight onto her painting with the orange jug.
Jane in her Studio
Canon EOS-1Ds MarkIII;
ISO: 400; Lens: 28-70mm
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec; Aperture: f16When Jane left to make lunch, I stayed on to photograph. Where to begin? There were endless possibilities. Below is a study of one of her three painting workstations. Try studying this image as I deliberately did for some time before making the image. There are triangles, implied triangles, circles, rectangles, textures, lines and colours. Take a careful look and see what elements of composition you can discover.
A Painters Pallet
Canon EOS-1Ds MarkIII;
ISO: 100; Lens: 28-70mm
Shutter speed: 8 sec; Aperture: f22
3. The Story Behind the Image
On a windy, rainy, and cold morning last summer , Aileen, Mike and I left camp in the Rainbow Mountain’s Mackenzie Valley (Tweedsmuir Park). Our goal was a colourful ridge I had seen from a mountain top the day before. After lunch, which we ate on the ridge, huddled below a ledge out of the blustery wind, we hiked to a peak which I felt would make a wonderful lookout to photograph from. The vista’s were spectacular but a storm engulfed us and it began to pour rain.
Volcanic Landscape
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III;
ISO: 250; Shutter speed: 1/100 sec; Aperture: f20With every ounce of warm and waterproof clothing on, I decided to wait out the storm on the peak. It was impossible to shoot, but I knew I was only going to be here once, and the potential for colourful volcanic imagery was too great to give up on. I waterproofed my camera bag and tried to stay purposeful and focused by studying the landscape. If there was a break in the rain, I wanted to have compositions ready from the plethora of possibilities before me; from large scale panoramas to abstract details. I made mental notes while hoping for the slightest break in the weather.
Volcanic Landscape-panorama
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III;
A 3-image panorama made at ISO: 250; Shutter speed: 1/60 sec; Aperture: f16Finally, the break in the weather came. In total, I had 20 minutes before the weather socked in again. I worked as fast as I could. I had planned what lenses would capture what images. I just stayed focused and went to work. It is at times like these when experience and knowledge of your equipment really pays off.
Volcanic Landscape- abstract
Canon EOS-1Ds MarkIII;
Lens: 100-400mm; ISO: 400;
Shutter speed: 1/400 sec; Aperture: f11
In the end, I couldn’t have asked for more. The weather provided atmosphere, the rain saturated colour, and the light brought texture.
Wow…what a day. We hiked back in the rain but I was ecstatic. Was it all worth it? Well, as they say in the wild Chilcotin…you betcha!