Newsletter No. 73: August 2011
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CONTENTS
- Chilcotin Ark – A Planetary Refuge: Will
Mt. Waddington be the only Water Tower left in the Temperate
World?- The Turner Lakes. Part III: There
are Always Opportunities at the "Theatre of Light"- Aerial Photography: Bridge
River Glacier – It’s Huge, Where to Begin?
1. Chilcotin Ark – A Planetary Refuge: Will
Mt. Waddington be the only Water Tower left in the Temperate
World?
Overlooking
Razorback Mountain in the Coast Mountains© Chris Harris
Photographer’s
Notes: Compositionally we have three main
shapes. I have made the top and bottom rectangles (meadow
and sky) approximately the same width. They are used
to frame the larger and more important rectangle of
mountains in the centre. Nikon D700, iso 400; f-11;
1/400 sec; 28-300mm lens; handheld (where was my tripod??
I could have used better settings).Last week Mike and I hiked over 4000 feet to camp on this
meadow to admire and photograph Mt. Waddington, the highest
mountain in British Columbia. We were here not only to photograph
her beauty, but to contemplate her importance to the planet
and our very existence as humans. More about that below.
Mike Making Coffee
before Dawn© Chris Harris
Photographer’s Notes: Having
a tripod is very important in low light situations such
as this. I don’t like going higher than iso 400 if possible
to keep digital noise at a minimum and shooting at 1/45
sec. makes it very hard to handhold. Nikon D700, iso
400; f-8; 1/45 sec; 28-300mm lens; on a tripod.Actually, I was making the coffee and
Mike was returning with some water when he saw the above
image. Mike made some images with his Canon G-9 and then
told me about the opportunity. We quickly switched places
and I made this image of him! We were anxiously awaiting
first light on Mt. Waddington.
Mt Waddington
at 8:45am© Chris Harris
Photographer’s Notes: This
and the next two images are straight forward documentary
images. Beyond the correct exposure, your main considerations
are depth of field and shutter speed. Canon EOS 50D,
iso 200; f-16; 1/125 sec; 100-400mm lens; on a tripod.Far beyond the beauty of Mt Waddington and its neighbouring
icefields, is the role this mountain might play for future
generations. As global warming progresses, scientists have
predicted that the snow and ice surrounding this very mountain
may well be the last remaining source of water in the temperate
world. The snow and ice of the Canadian Rockies and even
the Himalayas will disappear first.This is a fascinating
story which you can read by visiting my Chilcotin
Ark website.
Dave Neads, who is co-authoring this book, wrote this most
interesting article. It’s a subject that may very well affect
our children.
Mt Waddington
at 7 pm© Chris Harris
Photographer’s Notes: Canon
EOS 50D, iso 200; f-11; 1/800 sec; 100-400mm lens; on
a tripod.By photographing Mt. Waddington throughout the day, you can
see the importance of directional light. The two images above
were made from approximately the same place but the results
are dramatically different. In the first image the purple
rock holds a place of interest. Your eyes definitely look
at and examine both areas of the image. In the second image
the evening light has cast the purple rock into deep shadow.
By under-exposing, I turned it into an almost black shape,
pushing one’s primary attention to the mountain.
Mt Waddington
at 9 pm© Chris Harris
Photographer’s
Notes: Canon EOS 50D, iso 200;
f-16; 1/13 sec; 100-400mm lens; on a tripod.Finally, at 9pm, the warm evening light bathed the mountain
with the colour I had come to see and photograph. It was
a wonderful two days in the high alpine and Mt. Waddington
dominated both our conversation and our entire being. The
haunting question remains; Will Mt. Waddington be the only
Water Tower left in the Temperate World?
2. The Turner Lakes. Part III: There
are always Opportunities at "the Theatre of Light"There never seems to be a moment when opportunities don’t
exist when photography is your passion. Have you ever been
out with a group of photographers? Just when you think there
is nothing around you to photograph, someone in the group
is excited as hell, and when they show you what they had
discovered, you say to yourself, "’why didn’t I see
that".
High Contrast in
a Burnt Forest
© Chris Harris
| Photographer’s Notes: Whenever you see high contrast, there are photographic opportunities. The light hit the dead trees casting the live forest in the foreground into shadow. By under exposing, I was able to emphasize the three shapes of almost black, white, and middle grey. Canon EOS 50D, iso 200; f-8; 1/800 sec; 100-400mm lens; on a tripod. |
The weather was cloudy with sunny periods and I was chopping
wood for our last evening meal on the Turner Lakes. I was
feeling good about the trip, for I knew I had lucked out
with the weather, and I knew I had made some great images
for my Chilcotin Ark book. I thought my photographic assignment
was over (silly thought!) when my peripheral vision caught
some high contrast light on the apparently ‘not so boring’
burnt forest across the lake. Suddenly I was back in action!
The Burnt
Forest becomes Alive with Opportunity
© Chris Harris
| Photographer’s Notes: The light changed and I found a new element to include in my composition; a small patch of live trees amidst the dead ones. Rather than tonal contrast, I was now observing colour contrast. In this case I over-exposed slightly. Canon EOS-50D, iso 400; f-8; 1/200 sec; 100-400mm lens; on a tripod. |
It was easy to look across the lake and see the once beautifully
green and vibrant forest as being dead and uninteresting.
However, with the play of shadow and light, the mostly dead
forest had turned into a magical production. It was like
being at the theatre. I just watched and made images as the
‘play of light’ was performed.
Forest Reflection
in the Lake
© Chris Harris
| Photographer’s Notes: In this instance I used a slower shutter speed to allow the moving tree reflections an opportunity to blur slightly. If you are new to making images like this, try different shutter speeds and then choose the result you like most in the darkroom. You will soon learn what works best for you. Canon EOS-50D, iso 400; f-14; 1/25 sec; 100-400mm lens; on a tripod. |
Now totally absorbed, I followed the light down into the
lake where I found dead and live trees reflected in the water.
It just never ends. There are always opportunities at the
grand Theatre of Light.
3. Aerial Photography: Bridge
River Glacier – It’s Huge. Where to Begin?In July of this year, pilot Rick Church flew
Jim Horn, Mike Duffy, and me on a photographic flight to
one of his favourite locations, the Bridge River Glacier
in the South Chilcotin.
Bridge River
Glacier
© Chris Harris
| Photographer’s Notes: Making an overview shot is a deliberate decision. Otherwise there would be a tendency to zoom right in on the glacier. Note there is minimal sky. Apart from telling you it’s a clear day, there is no further message to impart about the sky. The emphasis is on the glacier and icebergs below. I also include the mountains on either side to give overall context. Canon -1Ds Mk III, iso 400; f-10; 1/5000 sec; 24-105mm lens. |
This is an overview image of the calving glacier before
it starts its journey to the coast. As I have mentioned before,
when flying the landscape changes rapidly and compositional
decisions have to be made quickly. The photographic opportunities
here are limitless. Where to begin? Rick circled this vast
area three times. I started with an overview.
A Staggering Sight
© Chris Harris
| Photographer’s Notes: As part of the visual story, I am zeroing in on the icebergs. I do, however, include the toe of the glacier to give them context. The two triangles of rock on both sides of the ice flow are important compositional elements. Canon -1Ds Mk III, iso 400; f-10; 1/5000 sec; 24-105mm lens. |
I’m now starting to move in closer knowing that my ultimate
goal is more abstract images of the icebergs. This is challenging
but VERY exciting. Sometimes I lower my camera and take a
quick look to try and find a strong composition. Other times
I search looking through the viewfinder. I’m not sure which
works best so I do both. Actually I think the latter method
works best – but I’m not 100% sure.
Icebergs!
© Chris Harris
| Photographer’s Notes: Although I am making very quick and instinctual compositional decisions while flying at 150 mph or more, I do have time to study the results at home. For me, what is important here are the four bergs in the centre shown in their entirety, and the three large bergs (one on the bottom left and two on the top) partially shown which act as a frame. In this way our eyes initially concentrate on the four interior bergs but then move slowly about the entire image. Examine how your eyes move through the picture space and then decide if this composition works for you. Canon -1Ds Mk III, iso 400; f-10; 1/5000 sec; 24-105mm lens. |
Making compositions at this location was all about the arrangement
or placement of shapes. I feel that making good compositions
is based on studying visual design and years of personal
experience. As I have mentioned many times before, visit
art galleries and look at books; learn from the masters.
Then make lots of images and analyze your work. Learn what
works for you and what does not. In the end, it all comes
down to listening to your inner self and making compositions
that speak to you. What you have learned from studying others
as well as the studying of your own work will all come into
play. You will eventually develop your own style, which is
so very important.
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