Newsletter No. 54: January 2010
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CONTENTS
1. Adventures with a Mountain ManTen years ago, while photographing on a horse pack trip in the Cariboo Mountains, I met a man who had spent his life in the mountains. He was a man with a zest for life and adventure; he was a storyteller; and his name was Bill Mero. After ten days of riding through the mountains, and evenings spent storytelling around the campfire, we became friends.
At Home in the Mountains
© Chris Harris
Photographer’s Notes: Canon EOS-1Ds Mk.III; shot at 28mm. The thought behind this image was to tell a story. The cabin and horses were a part of that story so I used a wide enough lens to capture both. Next was to capture Bill as the person he is – energetic and strong. Carrying that load showed him as such.Also, I am always aware of a person’s legs. In this image I captured them in a way to express motion. All together, I think this image shows Bill exactly as I know him and how I wished to portray him. I used ISO 100; 1/250 of a sec. to keep Bill sharp; f-11 to keep the whole image sharp.
I stayed in touch with Bill, and when he heard I was doing a book that included the volcanic Itcha Mountains, he offered to take me there. He said, “Chris, I will show you things no man has ever seen”. That, of course, was all I needed to hear! A month later we were off. After riding for 14 hours we arrived at a cabin he helps maintain. This would be our base for the next four days.
Riding High into the Mountains
© Chris Harris
Photographer’s Notes: Canon EOS-1Ds Mk.III; shot at 24mm. I realized I couldn’t get off my horse every time I wanted to make an image, so I took full advantage of my digital camera. I pushed the ISO up to 800 and shot at 1/1600 sec. @ f-10. This was the first time I have shot directly from a horse and the results were amazing. From this perspective I could keep Bill’s head below the horizon line. Throughout the day, I was able to manoeuvre my horse in such a way as to capture many wonderful compositions. |
Each morning we would rise in darkness, find the horses, saddle up, grab a bite for breakfast, and be off before the sun hit the horizon. It was magical. As the early morning sky shed its darkness, and our long dark shadows began to appear, we were reaching the high country. With camera in one hand, I led my horse to the left to take advantage of the spectacular clouds and the deep shadow of Bill and his horses. It was a day I would never forget.
The Volcanic Mountains in Autumn
© Chris Harris
Photographer’s Notes: Canon EOS-1Ds Mk.III; shot at 28mm; ISO 100; 1/25 sec. @ f-22.6. By using a tripod, I was able to pay full attention to composition and capture full depth of field. Shutter speed was irrelevant.
For pure landscape images, I asked Bill to stop and hold my horse. With the early warm light; buck brush dressed in autumn colours; and Itcha Mountain in the distance; I knew I had to use my tripod. Bill later commented to me how fascinated he was, watching me set up to make this image. He said, “you had everything ready and then you decided to move your tripod about 6 inches to the right. How could 6 inches make a difference when looking out over this vast landscape” he asked, laughing. Good question. When I thought about how it must have looked to him, I laughed myself. In this image, the placement of that strip of grass in the lower right is critical to leading one’s eye into the image toward the red buck brush and then off across the meadow toward Itcha Mountain in the upper left. Every inch does make a difference! In my next Newsletter, I’ll take you to Bill’s secret discovery, a place where no one has been before.
2. A Feast of Salmon
Grizzly Bear and Salmon
© Chris Harris
Photographer’s Notes: Canon EOS-1Ds Mk.III; shot at 330mm; ISO 800; 1/640 sec. @ f-9. Shutter speed and aperture were chosen to have the bear’s head and fish sharp and in focus. The immediate foreground and background are better out of focus. Always make sure the eye is in focus. |
While sailing along the central BC Coast in an area known as the Great Bear Rain Forest, I had the privilege of watching and photographing grizzly bears along the shoreline. With one eye on me, this gorgeous grizzly began to eat a salmon that would help provide fat and nutrition for the long winter season ahead.
Grizzly Bear and Salmon
© Chris Harris
Photographer’s Notes: Canon EOS-1Ds Mk.III; shot at 330mm; ISO 800; 1/200 sec. @ f-9. Shutter speed and aperture were chosen to have the bear’s head and fish sharp and in focus. The immediate foreground and background are better out of focus. Still with an eye on me, the grizzly continued to eat. What I found amazing was how calm, gentle and dexterous the bear was while handling a flapping fish with one huge paw. It was a privilege to be there with such a beautiful animal.
If you would like to explore and photograph the Great Bear Rainforest by boat, contact Ocean Light II Adventures.
3. Ever wonder where you are?Contemplating the Planet
© Chris Harris
Photographer’s Notes: Canon EOS-1Ds Mk.III; shot at 47mm; ISO 320; 1/400 sec. @ f-14. Depth of field; main subject sharpness; and composition were my main considerations. We were hiking in the Painted Mountains of Tweedsmuir Park but we could have been on another planet. The setting, the colours, and the remoteness; there was not a sign that any human had ever passed this way before. With camera in hand, I once again stayed well behind the others, always manoeuvring myself to a position where I could capture a poignant moment. When the power of this incredible landscape became overwhelming to Mike, he stopped to contemplate where he was, and what he was doing. It was that moment, and that thought, that I tried to capture here.
If you would like to explore the Rainbow Mountains by horse, contact Rainbow Mountain Outfitters.
4. Serendipity
Young Buck Explores the Rainbow Mountains
© Chris Harris
Information Notes: Canon EOS-1Ds Mk.III; shot at 400mm; ISO 320; 1/320 sec. @ f-8. My prime consideration here was placement of the buck; a sharply focused animal; and the proper exposure in order to throw the shadowed background into darkness. I under exposed in my original exposure and under exposed further in development. |
During the day of hiking described above in #3, I saw this young buck nestled into his foot-carved bed, eating what must have been lichen on the volcanic rocks. At that time, because he blended in so well with the landscape, I didn’t feel it warranted a photograph.
While hiking back to camp, however, we rounded a ridge and unexpectedly disturbed him, sending him on his way. Serendipitously, he wandered toward another ridge, back-dropped by a huge valley deep in shadow. Realizing the photographic potential of this high contrast scene, I dropped to my knees in an attempt to get his head above the ridge line. Serendipity, perfect light, and recognition for the potential of a great image, led to this capture.
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