Newsletter No. 87: October 2012
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.
CONTENTS:
1. Fraser River Photo Workshop: Compositions from a Moving Boat
2. Fly Fishing on the Blackwater River: It doesn’t get much better than this.
3. Responding to that which Moves you: Pushing Beyond the Documentary.
4. Photography on the Mitchell River: This was Wild!!
5. Composition: How One Foot can Make a Difference
6. Flyover Presentations near you: Please join us.
1. Fraser River Photo Workshop: Compositions from a Moving Boat
This past summer Doug Green and I ran a photographic tour and workshop along the mid Fraser River Canyon. Photographically, we journeyed through landscapes that evoked wide swings of emotional response. The river would vary from slow meandering currents alongside sandy beaches, to fast moving rapids through narrow passages; and the landscapes would change from rolling grasslands to high contrast canyon walls.
Emotion and enthusiasm are important and necessary ingredients when making powerful imagery, and believe me, we sure felt those emotions as we traveled down the Fraser River.
The challenge was in recognizing compositional elements and then making quality images quickly. Elements such as contrast and tone, form, line, balance, focal length and shutter speed, had not only to be recognized, but decisions on how to utilize the benefits of each had to be made in seconds.
Shooting toward shore I
Shooting toward shore II
Notes on Composition: The most significant photographic challenge was shooting at the quickly passing shoreline. My answer in many cases was to use a telephoto lens and simplify the composition. I looked mostly for line and form. In the above two images there are both horizontal and vertical lines. The shapes in each are three rectangular shapes. Above #I: EOS 50D; iso 400; f-8; 1/800 sec.; focal length: 285mm; Handheld. Above #II: EOS 50D; iso 400; f-8; 1/250 sec.; focal length: 190mm; Handheld. |
Shooting sideways toward shore: This reminded me of the speed of aerial shooting.
The tendency is to become a snap shooter and end up with record shots. There is nothing wrong with that, but while shooting from the air, I found that if I concentrated entirely on compositional elements, rather than the overall view, I could create quality imagery.
Fraser Canyon I
Fraser Canyon II
Notes on Composition: The landscape doesn’t change as quickly in front or behind you as it does beside you; there was relatively more time to compose. Tonal range and both colour and tonal contrast provided plenty of opportunity to make quality images. Fraser Canyon I: EOS 50D; iso 800; f-8; 1/800 sec.; focal length: 105mm; Handheld. Fraser Canyon II: EOS 5D Mk III; iso 400; f-8; 1/400 sec.; focal length: 90mm; Handheld. |
Doug and I will operate this tour/workshop again in 2013. For details visit:
Chris Harris Photography and/or
Cariboo Chilcotin Jetboat Adventures
2. Fly Fishing on the Blackwater River: It doesn’t get much better than this.
It was a beautiful day on a tranquil river. To be here was both a fly fisher’s and a photographer’s dream.
Fly Fishing on the Blackwater
Notes on Composition: I tried different perspectives; sometimes I shot from water level, other times I stood up on my raft as I did for this image. I asked Doug to rotate his raft slightly counterclockwise to separate the two of them, then waited for the perfect moment when the bright orange line would show up against a darker background. Click!
EOS 5D Mk III; iso 400; f-13; 1/320 sec.; focal length: 14mm; Handheld. |
As I mentioned in my August Newsletter, I found the photography extremely challenging on this trip. There were so many variables that needed to come together to make a reasonable photograph, and I usually was in charge of none of them! There was the positioning of both rafts, the angle of the raft I was shooting, and capturing the fly casting so that the line was recognizable. Those were just a few of the challenges.
Have a beer and photograph a fishing rod!
While sitting around the campfire enjoying a beer and chatting, I caught the glint of a fishing rod leaning against a tree. Suddenly, an idea! I got my camera, put on a macro lens, took the rod and my chair down to the river where there was still some evening light, and began to explore. The image above is one of many fly rod abstracts I made.
Notes on Technique: When I use a macro lens, my approach is simple. I open the aperture wide-open to 2.8 and start exploring the subject at hand. This means I focus on one small aspect of the subject and throw the rest out of focus. I find by doing this, the possibilities are endless, and the results are both unusual and stimulating.
EOS 5D Mk III; iso 500; f-2.8; 1/1000 sec.; focal length: 100mm macro; Handheld. |
Now…back to that beer!!
3. Responding to that which moves you: Pushing Beyond the Documentary
This past summer I was photographing on a Kumsheen raft trip. It was a trip designed to explore the natural history of the lower Thompson River between Ashcroft and Lytton.
Nicoamen Creek
On the last day, we stopped beside Nicoamen Creek for lunch. As soon as I had eaten, I did my usual ‘fade’. Quietly taking my camera bag, I headed off to explore. Up the creek toward Nicoamen Falls I found a pleasing composition and made the above image.
Notes on Composition: A single diagonal line and two triangular shapes made for a simple composition. The main decision was in proportioning the two green triangles. It was the interest of the two tall trees and the contrast provided by the two tree trunks that persuaded me to give far greater space to the right hand triangle.
EOS 5D Mk III; iso 100; f-22; 5 sec.; focal length: 45mm; On a tripod. |
I knew that lunch break would turn into a social hour, and give me more time to photograph. So, should I wander further up the creek and look for a new composition, or, should I stay put and push myself visually?
I decided on the latter and created the image below by making a multiple exposure.
Nicoamen Creek
Notes on Composition & Technique: Responding to an urge to be more creative and to push myself visually, I tried making a multiple exposure. If I remember correctly, I made 9 exposures while hand holding the camera and moving it very slightly. You will also note I changed the composition. With the horizontal format and an emphasis on expression rather than two tree trunks, I placed the diagonal line closer to the centre.
EOS 5D Mk III; iso 400; f-13; 1/160 sec.; focal length:55mm; 9 exposures; Handheld. |
4. Photography on the Mitchell River: This was Wild!!
The plan was to photograph a fly fishing expedition on the Mitchell River, a spectacular river which flows out of the Cariboo Mountains and into the north arm of Quesnel Lake. Doug Mooring and Josh Mackenzie of Cariboo Rivers Trout Fishing were the trip fishing guides while three gentlemen from Washington State were the clients. I was contemplating a peaceful meander up the river with fly fishers casting amidst the tall cedars of the rainforest.
I love shooting from helicopters!
Notes on Composition & Technique: With early morning light, I quickly realized I had the shadow of the helicopter to work with. Perfect; it told the exact story of what we were doing. If and when the helicopter, fishing boat, winding river, and the overview of the entire landscape came together into a pleasing composition, I would get my image. If photographed properly, I would capture the magnificent setting in which this fly fishing trip would take place. From a technical perspective, shutter speed and depth of field were my priority.
EOS 5D Mk III; iso 800; f-11; 1/400 sec.; focal length: 14mm; Handheld. |
That thought quickly ended when Doug’s friend Kelly Croswell of Frontline Helicopters flew in. Suddenly there was a new plan; shoot the fishermen as they travelled up this beautiful winding river set against the magnificent Cariboo Mountains. Before I knew it, the two boats were off upstream, the back side door was removed from the helicopter, and we too were off.
Fortunately, after a year of shooting my aerial book Flyover , I felt right at home. I just cranked up the ISO, upped the shutter speed, leaned out the door, felt the wind in my hair, and excitedly began to photograph the story. Wow…the adrenalin was flowing!
Hold on!
Notes on Composition & Technique: There was a lot happening here. The helicopter was criss-crossing the river, the boat was travelling at high speed while winding up the river, I was often shooting directly into the sun, and I was trying to hold on while adjusting camera settings! I knew I needed to shoot a lot. There are too many variables beyond my control that can ruin the perfect image. In this image the blade of the helicopter was in a perfect position (often it’s not), and the wake of the boat, together with Doug holding onto his hat, implies high speed adventure. All together I feel I caught the flavour of the moment.
EOS 5D Mk III; iso 400; f-8; 1/320 sec.; focal length: 14mm; Handheld. |
The next day we decided I would photograph the helicopter from the boat. As it turned out, this was even wilder and more risky than shooting from the helicopter. For this shot I was lying on the open front deck of the boat, leaning out over the side to get both Doug and the helicopter in my image. The water level was very low so we had to travel at high speeds to stay above any rocks or tree trunks below waterline. So when Doug yelled “hold on, we might hit a tree”, I was so caught up in the excitement, I just kept shooting. I got my shot (above), but if he had hit the tree, and the boat suddenly stopped, I would have ended up in the middle of the river, 50 metres upstream! Good work Doug!
5. Composition: How One Foot can Make a Difference
On the same Fraser River photo workshop mentioned above, the opportunity to learn more about composition and creative photography took place at our base camps. Here we could set up our tripods to better identify and understand the elements of composition.
Captivated by the erosive power of the river and the hole in the rock, I set up my tripod and composed the image below.
Fraser River I
Notes on Composition: Roughly speaking, the river creates a dynamic diagonal line from upper left to lower right with two triangles of rock formation on either side. I find that my eyes examine every aspect of this image. They not only observe the moving water, they also discover all the details within the surrounding rock formations. The small stones in the foreground, the coloured texture in the upper right, the hole in the rock, and the variety of rock shapes on the left all encourage this exploration. If composition is defined as ‘the arrangement of parts to form a harmonious whole’, then I feel that this image is well composed. Now look at the second image after moving my tripod one foot forward.
EOS 5D Mk III; iso 100; f-22; 10 sec.; focal length: 95mm; On a tripod. |
A minute later, I moved my tripod one foot closer to the cliff’s edge, and with the same intent, made this second composition.
If composition is a way of guiding the viewer’s eye in a way that the viewer understands the purpose of the image, then by moving my camera one foot, I had changed the purpose behind making this second image. I didn’t realize what a change that foot meant to the composition until I examined it at home on my monitor.
Fraser River II
Notes on Composition: The diagonal water line has now disappeared and we now see a large circle centered by a very large rock. My eye now has a tendency to remain near the centre, giving less notice to the larger rock formations that now frame the rock in the middle. The centre of interest has now narrowed to one rock in the middle. Camera position has changed the perspective (a major element of composition) and thus the supposed intent of this second image.
EOS 5D Mk III; iso 100; f-22; 5 sec.; focal length:55mm; On a tripod. |
The process and the pleasure of examining these two compositions has taught me a lot about the importance of using a tripod, and the importance of examining all the elements of composition in order to convey my intended message.
How do your eyes wander through these two images? Try critiquing your own photographs; it will help you make better images in the field.
6. Flyover Presentations near you: Please join us.
Since launching Flyover here at the 108 Airport Hangar on September 29th, we have travelled to Williams Lake, Anahim Lake, Bella Coola and Port Moody.
The response to this important story in Canadian aviation history, and the way we have captured and preserved it, has been a reward for all who participated in the book’s creation. It is also a confirmation of the vision and passion of all the pilots who generated the idea for this book and who flew to make it a reality.
Flyover is a remarkable story about colourful and intrepid aviators who flew in remote and dangerous lands. Their story is one of the most exciting in aviation history, and an era fast fading.
We proudly invite you to visit our booth at various artist/artisan shows, or at one of our presentations.
Please check the Appearances Page on my website for one near you.