Newsletter No. 86: September 2012
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.
CONTENTS:
1. Advance Copy Arrives: And it Looks Beautiful!
2. This Book was a Team Effort: In Appreciation
3. Official Book Launch: Everyone is Invited
4. British Columbia Book Promotional Tour: Coming Near You. All Invited
5. Want to Host a Presentation?: We Would Enjoy Presenting to Your Group
6. Book Orders & Limited Edition Books: Importance Notice
7. The Legacy Series: Book Four
8. Prints: Limited and Unlimited Prints from this Book are now Available
1. Advance Copy Arrives: And it Looks Beautiful!
Notes on the book cover image: This was probably the most challenging image I have ever made and processed. I wanted to capture the iconic beauty of Chilko Lake, but I was flying and shooting directly into the sun. In order to obtain some detail in the dash and digital information within the complete tonal range, I had to shoot an HDR image. I shot 3 images on ‘continuous high’ at a very high shutter speed and attempted to shield the direct sun rays by using the window bar. The resulting raw image had a lot of noise which I carefully removed.
The right cover image is critical for a books success. It must be powerful and communicate the books intent clearly. This image clearly speaks about flying as well as the majestic beauty of our land. EOS 1Ds Mk III; iso 800; f-14; various shutter speeds (HDR); focal length:15mm (fisheye lens); Handheld. |
Rita greeted us as we drove up the driveway. I was being dropped off after my 5-day photo workshop/tour on the Fraser River, and as we were exchanging farewells, Rita whispered in my ear, “it’s arrived”!
As soon as the tour group left for Williams Lake, I roared into the house, asking “where is it”, “where is it”?
I’ve experienced this moment eleven times before; excitement mixed with a little apprehension. This is it. There is no opportunity to make corrections now.
Rita had seen the book, so as I began to look at and admire the front cover, I glanced up and saw her face. I could tell by her smile that it was good!
Slowly, one page at a time, I checked the colour and the quality of each image and the overall feel of the book. As both the publisher and photographer, looking through one’s creation for the first time is a very special moment. The memories and the feelings which lay behind the creation of each image, and my relationship with each pilot, flooded back to life. It’s a powerful experience. I appreciated every second, and when I reached the back cover, I felt relieved, thrilled and grateful. I secretly said ‘thanks’ to everyone who had been a part of this creation.
Then it was time to celebrate!
2. This Book was a Team Effort: In Appreciation
Notes on Composition: I visited my friend Rick Church’s hangar and they very kindly wheeled a shiny Cessna 185 out onto the tarmac for me to photograph. I shot every angle I could think of including this one which was my favourite. I would normally have used a tripod but I had to lie flat on the tarmac to get this perspective, so I increased the iso and made this image handheld. The very tight composition including only a portion of the three blades (I had to rotate them to get the top one against the sky) was designed for impact. I was trying to say more with less.
EOS 1Ds Mk III; iso 400; f-13; 1/320 sec.; focal length: 200mm. Handheld. |
I went through the book several more times, always overwhelmed with pride, appreciation, and gratitude. This book is the work of a team of very talented, dedicated, enthusiastic, and supportive friends and aviators.
My partner Rita, and friends Mike Duffy and Shayne Middleton provided endless support and encouragement. My friend Bill Horne is the master designer and supporting image editor. His creativity and attention to detail makes this book the gift that it is. My co-author Sage Birchwater, interviewed over 60 aviators, uncovering their stories of intrigue, romance, humour, and tragedy. These five friends travelled with me in person and/or in spirit, every inch of the way.
I flew with about 20 pilots, and together with Sage, chatted with dozens of others who caught the vision and who understood that this chapter of Canadian aviation history needed to be preserved.
Together we have made this book a reality. Thank you all, deeply.
3. Official Book Launch: Everyone is Invited
© Chris Harris
Notes on Composition: Overall, I am extremely pleased with my aerial compositions considering they are made in seconds. With no time to analyze compositions like you would on a tripod, I relied on intuition gained from years of photographing. Experience and years of critiquing imagery was paying large dividends. The placement of curving lines, intriguing shapes, tonal contrast, and colour, make for this strong composition.
NKN D700; iso 800; f-8; 1/1500 sec.; focal length: 170mm. Handheld. |
The Flyover promotional book tour is about to begin. The official launch is here at our home town of 108 Mile Ranch on September 29th, at 7:30 p.m. in the airport hangar at the 108 Mile Airport.
Pilots will be flying in for the occasion, some on floats, some on wheels, and some by helicopter. They will be joined by aviation enthusiasts and friends from both locally and around the province.
Nick Christianson, manager of the 108 Airport, has invited us to launch Flyover as part of “108 Airport Appreciation Days”. There will be a full day of aerial events followed by a supper, our slide show & story telling presentation, and then topped off with a social & dance.
The presentation will include stunning imagery, fascinating stories, and slide shows to music, including the first showing of my greatest visual discovery from the air.
This will be a rare event for both the general public and the pilots themselves. The living legends of bush pilot fame will be here for you to meet and chat with. All together there will be well over 100,000 hours of bush pilot flying time in the same room. Rarely, if ever, has this happened. The evening promises to be a celebration of the Cariboo Chilcotin’s original aviation pioneers.
Throughout the day, Sage and I will be there signing books and sharing stories. Please join us.
4. British Columbia Book Promotional Tour: Coming Near You. All Invited
© Chris Harris
Notes on Composition: This is one of my very favourite images and I feel it is because I absolutely nailed the composition. It just feels so good to me when I look at it. Repetition, rhythm, lines, shapes, colour, movement….what else can I say…it just feels good to me.
NKN D700; iso 800; f-8; 1/1500 sec.; focal length: 200mm. Handheld. |
After the official launch on September 29th, Sage, and/or Rita and I will be touring the province with our feature presentation. As mentioned above, the presentation will include my most stunning imagery, stories of intrigue, romance, and adventure, slide shows to music, and my secret discovery slide show titled “Beauty in an Undiscovered Landscape”.
We made 25 flights with 20 pilots over the Cariboo Chilcotin and Central Coast and Sage interviewed over 60 pilots. From these experiences, we’ll share a visual journey of discovery with ‘behind the image’ stories while Sage (or Rita) will share aviator stories of romance and tragedy.
To date, presentations will be held in Williams Lake, Anahim Lake, Bella Coola, Port Moody, Quaaout Lodge (Chase/Salmon Arm area), Vernon, Salmon Arm, Vancouver, Fort Langley, and Surrey.
If you have friends who do not receive this Newsletter and whom you think might enjoy this presentation, please tell them about it or bring them along. It’s a great B.C. story of interest.
For those of you who can attend one of these presentations, we look forward to seeing you there.
5. Want to Host a Presentation?: We Would Enjoy Presenting to Your Group
© Chris Harris
Notes on Composition: My friend Dieter agreed to take the door off his Cessna 172, and I decided to experiment with my 15mm fisheye lens on our descent. I loved how the curvature of the door frame related to the curvature of the horizon. I’m not sure how a piece of my red jacket got into the image but I will take it! It works wonderfully with all those beautiful yellows. I tried to position myself so the wing strut did not cut through the middle of the image.
EOS 1Ds Mk III; iso 800; f-16; various shutter speeds (HDR); focal length:15mm(fisheye lens). Handheld. |
As well as presenting in the above mentioned locations, we have presentation dates waiting for confirmation in Kamloops and Quesnel.
If your group or organization would like to host a presentation of Flyover, we do have dates available. Contact us here at the office, and we will find a time to come to your community.
6. Book Orders & Limited Edition Books: Importance Notice
© Chris Harris
Notes on Composition: My pilot friend Steve Goodliffe made this image possible. Flying his helicopter above the flight path and tilting it, enabled me to shoot this Air Tractor 802 from above. The challenge was composing the image so that the plane was right of centre and flying on an angle. I used continuous high speed shooting with the active focusing point at right of centre (I did not want the trees below in focus and the plane out of focus). If I remember correctly, I rotated my camera slightly to get the diagonal flight path. The luck aspect of this image is the deciduous forest. A pine beetle infested forest would have ruined the image.
EOS 50D; iso 1600; f-8; 1/1600 sec.; focal length: 24mm. Handheld. |
Country Light Publishing wishes to advise that Flyover will go on sale September 29, 2012. Hard cover and soft cover editions will be released at the same time, so there is opportunity to get your edition of choice.
Limited Edition Hard Cover Books: Country Light Publishing will print only 350 hard cover copies. They represent the ‘Collectors Edition’, each numbered and signed by Sage and I. They will not be printed again. They are not available in bookstores. They will only be available directly from us at the Chris Harris Gallery, on our website bookstore, or at our presentations, while supplies last. They retail for $59.95
Soft Cover Edition: The soft cover edition, equally beautiful, is unlimited and may be reprinted any number of times. They retail for $39.95 and are available at all book stores including our own website bookstore.
Orders are now being taken but delivery won’t begin until September 29th, 2012.
To avoid shipping costs or to insure availability, you can reserve copies for delivery at any of our presentations by calling the office at 1-800-946-6622 or 250-791-6631.
7. The Legacy Series: Book Four
© Chris Harris
Notes on Composition: This beautifully designed piece of exposed blue ice trapped on a frozen lake was easy to spot. I merely rotated my camera slightly to get the angle I preferred (I do this frequently with abstract subjects).
EOS 50D; iso 800; f-11; 1/1250 sec.; focal length: 108mm. Handheld. |
The Legacy series of publications is designed as a set of five volumes, with the last one to be released in 2014.
Flyover British Columbia’s Cariboo Chilcotin Coast is number four, with its aerial perspective and history. Each book in the series is a ‘stand alone’ but each complements the other and fills out the narrative of the Cariboo Chilcotin plateau.
We hope you continue to enjoy this visual, geographic and cultural story.
8. Prints: Limited and Unlimited Prints from this Book are now Available
© Chris Harris
Notes on Composition: This image of animal tracks leading ones eye to the shoreline of a calcareous lake in the Cariboo is one of my favourite images. I love its simplicity and the colour pallet. I love the texture of the land compared to the wash of blue water. The proportions of the two main shapes seem right to me. All in all, this image speaks to me.
EOS 50D; iso 800; f-11; 1/1500 sec.; focal length: 180mm. handheld. |
The images you have just seen in this Newsletter are all part of the newly released Limited Edition print series. They will join our gallery collection and are available in all the formats and sizes we use for gallery prints; numbered and documented.
All other images in the book are also available, as 11″ x 16″, copyrighted, photographic prints, unlimited and undocumented, and suitable for framing.
If there is an image in the book that speaks to you, that you would like to own, simply contact us here at the gallery.
Those prints are priced at $99.00
Our pricing formula for Limited Edition prints is based on a sq.in. price of $1.50.
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