Newsletter No. 88: November 2012
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.
CONTENTS:
1. Fraser River Photo Workshop: The Search for Form and Beauty
2. Light: A Gift in Wild Places
3. Our Paths Crossed: Telling the Story
4. A Land of Light and Beauty: The Chilcotin, not Antartica
5. Fly Fishing on the Mitchell River: Context and the Horizon Line
6. Flyover Presentations near you: Please join us.
1. Fraser River Photo Workshop: The Search for Form and Beauty.
and the subjects to photograph are unlimited. One cannot help but feel
the power of the large landscape; it draws you in, and you can’t stop
photographing it. Dennis Robinson was doing just that when I made this
image.
One of our campsites along the Fraser River
Notes on Composition: I don’t actually recall composing this image. I was probably hurrying in order not to miss Dennis making his image. By analyzing the composition now, however, I can see I felt that the subtle colour and beauty of the cloud formation was equally important to me as was Dennis, the campsite and the river. Thus the two major triangular shapes are of equal size.
EOS 5D Mk III; iso 100; f-8; 1/25 sec.; focal length: 24mm; On a tripod. |
beach in the lower right of the above image, caught my attention. I
walked along the beach searching for elements of composition. Two forms,
where water had drained from the rocks behind me, caught my attention.
Form and Beauty I
Notes on Composition: This is the story of a small amount of water trying to reach a large body of water, without success. The image itself is rather simple in design, yet there is texture, tonal and colour contrast, and shapes that need to be arranged in a way that satisfies my desire to tell this story that captured my imagination. I carefully chose the space given to each of those elements of composition.
EOS 5D Mk III; iso 100; f-22; 1.6 sec.; focal length: 35mm; on a tripod. |
search for form and beauty. As each small wave broke onto the sand, I
tried moving my camera in a myriad of ways. By checking my LCD screen
after each capture, I began to establish which movements created the
compositions I preferred.
Form and Beauty II
Notes on Composition: After studying how several waves broke on to the shore, I began to piece together my two major triangular forms. I then went to work by panning and shooting at the precise moment that the wave broke. This was my favourite.
EOS 5D Mk III; iso 100; f-22; 1/13 sec.; focal length: 60mm; handheld. |
2. Light: A Gift in Wild Places
Fly fishing on the Mitchell River
Notes on Composition: Quite by chance, I happened upon an angle where a shaft of light streamed through the towering forest above me. With little hesitation, I took full advantage of this gift, deep in the heart of the Inland Rainforest of the Cariboo Mountains.
EOS 5D Mk III; iso 400; f-10; 1/1000 sec.; focal length: 95mm; handheld. |
3. Our Paths Crossed: Telling the Story
It was early morning as we set off across an old river bed to explore a distant glacier. With low light and deep shadows, we soon became aware that a grizzly bear was also going to explore the same place! What to do? Photograph of course!
A Grizzly Story!
Notes on Composition: Because I couldn’t escape my own shadow, I decided to take advantage of it. By using a wide angle lens and aiming it down to the very base of my tripod, I was able to tell this human interest story.
EOS 5D Mk III; iso 200; f-22; 1/80 sec.; focal length: 17mm; on a tripod. |
Soon after making this image, we angled off to the left!!
4. A Land of Light and Beauty: The Chilcotin, not Antarctica
While camped on the shores of an unnamed lake in the heart of the Coast Mountains, I woke up early to discover we were engulfed in fog. Excited, I quickly got up and soon discovered that an iceberg had drifted down to our end of the lake. It was surreal. The diffuse light was magical. I was so excited, it was all I could do to stay focused on making imagery.
Inland Icebergs
Notes on Composition: As excited as I was, I felt joy, peace, and serenity. To help capture this feeling, I tried to eliminate any harshness of high contrast by over exposing. Under exposure of any kind would have ruined this feeling. I over exposed by + 1 2/3 f-stops.
EOS 5D Mk III; iso 200; f-11; 1/100 sec.; focal length: 105mm; on a tripod. |
5. Fly Fishing on the Mitchell River: Context and the Horizon Line
When you are deciding what message you are trying to put across with your image, think closely as to whether you should include or exclude the horizon line.
In fly fishing I, there is considerable context as to the location of the Mitchell River. It is part of a vast, mountainous, and beautiful landscape. It makes a fisher person want to go there to fish.
In fly fishing II, I have angled my camera down, increased the focal length of my lens, and eliminated the horizon line. There is now no context as to where the Mitchell River is located. This image is more about the art of fly fishing itself.
How you compose your images has a lot to do with the message or storyline you are trying to tell. Just something to think about.
Fly fishing on the Mitchell River I
Notes on Composition: To compose this image, I moved down the river bank to the left in order to place the fisherman in the lower right. Now the slope of the right hand mountain, the line of the right hand river bank, and the direction of his cast, all point leftward up the river. This enables our eye to move from the centre of interest (the fisherman) out to enjoy the entire landscape. That is the purpose of this image.
EOS 5D Mk III; iso 400; f-8; 1/800 sec.; focal length: 40mm; handheld. |
Fly fishing on the Mitchell River II
Notes on Composition: Timing and exposure was most important in making this image. Capturing the cast and the position of the line is all in the timing. Illuminating the fluorescent green fishing line is brought about by under exposing by 1 1/3 f-stops. This adds contrast between the line which is in sunlight and the river bank which is in shadow.
EOS 5D Mk III; iso 400; f-9; 1/400 sec.; focal length: 102mm; handheld. |
6. Flyover Presentations near you: Please join us.
Throughout the next few weeks we are continuing our book promotional tour throughout southern British Columbia.
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 to one of our slide show presentations.
We will be in Kelowna, Vernon, Port Moody, Salmon Arm, Langley, Vancouver, Williams Lake, Whistler, Surrey, Fort Langley, Kamloops, and Quesnel.
Please check the Appearances Page on my website for details.
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View further details about my Fraser River Photo Workshop.
View further details about fly fishing and heli-fly fishing in the Cariboo Chilcotin region.