Newsletter No. 64: November 2010
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CONTENTS
- Kudos
- Motherstone Presentations Near You: Please join us
- Beauty in Whole or in Part?: An Aerial Perspective
- Chilcotin Forest Fires; part II: Art after the Burn
- Back Yard Artist: Blurs are Fun!
- A Visit to Barkerville: Details add to the Story
1. Kudos“Way back when”
© Chris Harris
I receive kudos from almost every Newsletter we publish, and every slide presentation we make. To date I have never published them but, because they are so inspirational and motivating, I have decided to share a few with you. Newsletters are sent out into the void of outer space and it is easy to wonder if they are worth doing at all. It is only when I hear how they have touched individual people do I realize their value and importance.
Dear Mr. Harris,
When I teach my learning disabled and autistic students at Stafford Middle School, about their earth science unit, I will have a new resource to use. Thank you for bringing the wild places of our enchanting province to us, and reminding us not to take them for granted. Your photographs have, for years, been a resource for my students, to bring the wonders of time and geology to them. I will most definitely be in your Langley audience. Perhaps some day, one of my students will sit on a wild mountainside, and remember where their love affair with the mountains started, “way back when” with a photograph by a man with a great heart, and great vision.
– M.D.
Volcanic Beauty
© Chris Harris
I have always felt I am privileged to be a nature photographer and independent publisher, and to live where I live on this Planet. To share its beauty, to rekindle a reconnection with Mother Earth, and to try and bring value to the wonders of the natural world, is for me an honour.
Dear Chris & Rita,
On this glorious day after the introduction ceremony of your masterfully crafted opus “The Motherstone”, we extend sincere appreciation to you and yours for a delightful and enlightening evening.
Rita, your opening oration touched our hearts as did the walk through the Motherstone by her creators Chris & Harold who harmoniously evoke a new dimension to this area we call home.
Thank you for bringing the Motherstone into our livingroom. Chris, you truly are the cornerstone of the Cariboo and the Ansel Adams of British Columbia.
In sincere appreciation.
B&L. F.
2. Motherstone Presentations Near You: Please join usSince launching Motherstone here at home on Oct. 16, we have travelled to Williams Lake, Anahim Lake and Salmon Arm.
The response to the beauty of our British Columbia landscape in its unaltered form, as one of the last untouched places on the planet, has been a reward and confirmation of the vision and passion that sent all of us out there to create this book.
Motherstone is a remarkable story. It is surely your story also; as we share the beauty, grace and generosity of the planet as a human family, and we proudly invite you to come to one of our presentations.
Check the Appearances Page on my web site for one near you.
3. Beauty in Whole or in Part?: An Aerial PerspectiveCompositional Decision #1
© Chris Harris
Photographer’s Notes: Canon EOS-1Ds Mk.III. This image was made with settings of ISO 400; f-8; 1/1000sec; with a 24-105mm lens set to 70mm lens. When shooting from an airplane, compositional decisions must be made quickly. The elements of visual design are simply there before you; you can’t move them or eliminate them. You must incorporate them to your best advantage.
I take the camera away from my eyes to examine the landscape in its entirety. Within seconds I decide on what to include in a composition and then put the camera back to my eyes and quickly adjust the zoom lens to capture those elements I wanted to include. At the last split second, I rotate or adjust my camera angle to arrange those elements in a meaningful way.
Compositional Decision #2
© Chris Harris
Photographer’s Notes: Canon EOS-1Ds Mk.III. This image was made with settings of ISO 400; f-8; 1/1000sec; with a 70-200mm lens set to 165mm. By removing the camera from my eyes once again, I may decide on another composition. Here, I decided to abstract the lake overview by placing a greater emphasis on the lines, shapes, colours and textures. The aerial perspective provides a tremendous opportunity to do this.
The success of your image will depend upon how much emphasis you place on each of those elements. How large will you make the green triangle in the lower left in comparison to the triangle of water?
Experience, intuition, and what feels right in your heart, play a large part in these instantaneous decisions.
4. Chilcotin Forest Fires; part II: Art after the BurnVisual Prominence
© Chris Harris
Photographer’s thought process with technical notes: Canon EOS-1Ds Mk.III.This image was made with settings of ISO 200; f-22; 1/12sec; with a 14mm lens. Rarely do I place the centre of interest in the very middle of a composition, but in this case, the tree trunk was so impactful, that I decided to give it extreme prominence. Further thoughts below. While smoke still lingered in the air providing a beautiful blue cast to the forest beyond the trees, the sun was burning through a light cloud illuminating the ground with an iridescent golden glow. Even the pitch black charcoal tree truck took on a warm hue.
As the tint and texture of the tree trunk was so strong visually, I decided to place it dead centre of the composition for visual strength. The 14mm wide angle lens allowed me to get within two feet of the tree, yet provide context by including the other burnt trees of the forest.
Analyze how your eyes move through this composition. This is the most important question to ask yourself as you arrange all the visual elements within any composition. When I look at this image I enjoy the route or visual journey my eyes make throughout the picture space. Personally, that is all I need to know.
5. Back Yard Artist: Blurs are Fun!Going For It!
© Chris Harris
Photographer’s thought process with technical notes: Canon EOS-1Ds Mk.III. This image was made with settings of ISO 50; f-14; 1/8sec; with a 24-105mm lens set to 47mm. I feel there are three key components to making an image like this. First, examine the background before choosing your shooting location; second, visualize the image you want to capture; and third, practice the panning motion required to capture this image many times before your subject arrives. This fall I brought a friend of mine to a location nearby where young riders practice their tricky balancing acts and jumping skills. I love ‘blur’ images, but they require considerable thought if they are to be successful.
Apart from the biker, note the colours, shapes and lines. These are the main elements of composition in this image. There is the dark green triangle in the bottom left which forms the base of the image. Then there is the light brown line or rectangle of the riding track. Above that are two more lines or rectangles of two different colours of green. These are all very important, but most important of all, is the fact that they are diagonal lines, not static horizontal lines. A diagonal line is dynamic and evokes a sense of action. Look at TV ads and notice how and when they use diagonal lines. They use them for a very specific purpose.
The panning of your camera at roughly the same speed as the rider at a slow shutter speed requires some practice but is the easy part. The real challenge is choosing the best background.
Oh, one more thought. Before we left, I had him put on a red shirt!
6. A Visit to Barkerville: Details add to the StoryDovetail Joints
© Chris Harris
Photographer’s thought process with technical notes: Canon EOS-1Ds Mk.III. This image was made with settings of ISO 100; f-23; 1/60sec; with a 24-105mm lens set to 105mm. Because I use a tripod, shutter speed is irrelevant. I use an ISO of 100 to reduce noise and f-23 to provide sufficient depth of focus. The emphasis I wanted to capture here was detail and craftsmanship. As I have a tendency to look out at the larger picture, I often miss out on the smaller details, such as the craftsmanship in the construction of these old log buildings in the gold rush town of Barkerville.
Once I made the visual adjustment and began to examine smaller details, the possibilities were endless.
In this image, I searched out the building’s best looking corner logs, even to the extent of balancing knot holes within the composition. Everything counts when you wish your viewers to examine the very texture of each log.
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