Newsletter No. 92: March 2013

Newsletter No. 92: March, 2013
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS:

1. Windows: Prague details
2. Wild Horses: An educational assignment
3. Pictorial Space: The illusion of depth
4. The Gift of Music: Listening to two very different symphonies
5. A Walk Through Prague: Drawn by history, discovery and the unknown

Hi everyone,

My March Newsletter is a little late, but if you follow me on facebook you are aware that I have had substantial computer problems.

The short term good news is that I now have access to enough data to complete this Newsletter. The long term is hopeful that I will recover all my data and imagery.

Remember the days when thousands of slides representing a lifetime of work all resided in one place? Now I realize that one should have three or four backups of their data and digital images. Wow…where are we headed?

This Newsletter describes a variety of photographic discoveries and visual experiences. I hope you enjoy the journey!

Our goal here at the Gallery is to share the creative process, and promote the arts; thus strengthening our artistic community. Please share this Newsletter with friends. Thank you.

1.  Windows:   Prague details

As Rita and I walked about the city of Prague, we learned about the city’s architectural history. At first we became aware of the major styles such as Baroque, Gothic, Renaissance, and modern. Then we began to observe the finer details.

Windows became one of our interests. Here are four very different types and styles of windows from the many I photographed.

Notes on composition & technique: Colour contrast, tonal contrast, and repetition of form drew my attention to this building. There was a sense of geometry that I enjoyed. EOS 5D Mark III; iso 200; f-8; 1/100 sec.; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod

Notes on composition & technique: Colour drew my attention to this window, but I was equally intrigued by what the inhabitants were communicating with their choice of decorations. This window had a voice. It told a story. It was alive and that was the reason for making the image. EOS 5D Mark III; iso 400; f-8; 1/40 sec.; 24-105mm lens; handheld

Notes on composition & technique: In this instance, it was tonal contrast, line and form that grabbed my attention. An inner force compelled me to make this image. That urge to make an image is an emotional response that all photographers should pay close attention to. EOS 5D Mark III; iso 200; f-22; 1/6 sec.; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod (not sure why I used f-22; f-11 would have been sufficient)

Notes on composition & technique: I remember picking up my camera, preparing to head out from our hostel room for the day, when I saw this composition. I recognized its potential because of a flash back to a beautiful image my father had made in his hotel room in Nova Scotia several decades ago. Talk about responding to an emotional response…I felt my father’s presence when I made this photograph. EOS 5D Mark III; iso 100; f-22; .6 sec.; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod

So there you have four very different responses to feelings I experienced while looking at windows. In the first image it was about geometry, the second image was about the story, in the third it was the abstract forms and historical contrast between window and lamp post, and in the last image, it was a deep felt memory.

2.  Wild Horses:   An educational assignment

On February 25th, I took part in a very exciting photo shoot in the Nemaiah Valley; a beautiful part of the Chilcotin, just east of Chilko Lake.

David Williams, president of the Friends of the Nemaiah Valley, asked me to join him and members of the Xeni Gwet’in and Yunesit’in First Nation communities, to photograph the wild horses while they did their annual count.

The story of these fabled free-roaming horses is a fascinating one and I urge you to visit the above website and read their history, including their genetic background.

Shortly after taking off in our Bell 407 helicopter, we saw two wild horses. That was great, but from a photographic perspective, I felt a little disappointment when I saw the landscape I would be flying over. There were clear cuts, large areas of beetle kill, and huge areas of burnt forest. ‘How would I make beautiful images of these horses’ I thought to myself.

Notes on composition & technique: Because the horses were facing right, I placed them on the left side of the image. Apart from that, I tried to balance the two major white areas in the foreground. EOS 5D Mark III; iso 400; f-9; 1/320 sec.; 24-105mm lens; handheld

As soon as I saw the tonal contrast of these horses traveling through the unexpected beauty of a “pick-up-sticks” forest, my outlook changed from disappointment to excitement. Once I eliminated the thought that burned forests are ugly, I was away to the races!

Notes on composition & technique: In this instance I decided to place the horses close to the centre because I felt the landscape which the horses were moving through was equally important to the story. EOS 5D Mark III; iso 400; f-9; 1/400 sec.; 24-105mm lens; handheld

Of interest in this image are the two palomino horses in the centre of the herd. Look very closely and you will see them. I never saw them until I was processing the image on my monitor. This was the largest herd of wild horses we saw on the entire flight. There was over 55.

Notes on composition & technique: As always, compositional decisions are make quickly in aerial photography. After determining which elements of a composition lie before me, I usually try and arrange them with a sense of overall balance. In this instance I decided the small clump of trees was an important contextual element to include. EOS 50D; iso 800; f-9; 1/1600 sec.; 24-105mm lens; handheld (note I am using a higher iso and shutter speed with my telephoto lens)

I remember feeling how lucky I was to have clicked the shutter while the horses were clumped within the open white space. Two seconds later and the image would be less powerful.

Notes on composition & technique: With images such as this, I make two versions, one full frame and one cropped. This is the cropped version which places a greater emphasis on the horses running as opposed to the landscape they were running through. Notice that a stronger and more directional light generated expressive shadows from each horse. EOS 5D Mk III; iso 400; f-9; 1/1000 sec.; 24-105mm lens; handheld

3.  Pictorial Space:   The illusion of depth

Pictorial space refers to the illusion of depth behind a 2-dimentional surface, such as this image. Note how our eyes move down the passage way toward the brightest area in the photograph.

Also of interest here, is that the outer walls of this structure have been painted to create an additional illusion of depth. Those apparent 3-dimensional concrete blocks are nothing but a painted flat surface.

Notes on composition & technique: Because I included the partial arch on the right, I placed the arched entrance on the left of centre. This provides a sense of balance. Other elements such as the handrail, help guide our eyes down the passageway toward the brightest area. These and other features help create the illusion of depth. EOS 5D Mk III; iso 200; f-22; 2 sec.; 24-105mm lens; handheld

4.  The Gift of Music:   Listening to two very different, yet beautiful symphonies
A week before I left for Prague, Mike Duffy and I sat on a cliff high above the Fraser River eating lunch in the sun. With no one around for miles, there seemed to be complete silence. It was then that Mike and I looked at each other and simultaneously said;’ do you hear that?’ The sound of ice crystals hitting each other were as if they were cymbals in an orchestra. The sounds of the Fraser River Philharmonic filled the valley. No other art affects our feelings the way music does. It had claimed us both.

Notes on composition & technique: The reflection of the snow clad cliffs played a large role in how much space I gave to them in the overall composition. That was the setting within which the members (ice crystals) of the orchestra played their symphony. EOS 5D Mk III; iso 200; f-16; 1/320 sec.; 24-105mm lens; handheld

About ten days later in the city of Prague, Rita and I went to the Dvorak-Hall in the Rudolfinum; an impressive neo-Renaissance edifice, to listen to the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. As with all great music, we were swept away to a state of timelessness.

Looking at both these images, and reflecting back on both experiences, I can better appreciate the gift of music.
I feel blessed and enriched.

Notes on composition & technique: The orchestra warms up before the conductor arrives. iPhone image.      Not much technique here. It’s called automatic!

5.   A Walk Through Prague:   Drawn by history, discovery and the unknown

Every day Rita and I set out on a walk of discovery. Some were before dawn, others during mid-day, and on several occasions, late into the evening. Each provided a different insight into both the city and its inhabitants.

Notes on composition & technique: This was a sight I could not resist photographing. With the look of abandonment, and the old papers in the right hand window, there was a sense of history and wonder. There is a story here and I felt the intrigue. EOS 5D Mk III; iso 200; f-14; 1/8 sec.; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod (It would be better to have used f-8; it would have generated a higher quality image with ample depth of field).

There is a foreground layer (the alley with graffiti walls), a background layer (the cathedral across the street), and two people moving from one to the other. Who are these two people? Where are they going? Do they belong to either of these two worlds?

I have a very difficult time making images of people. I don’t like to intrude on anyone’s space. I deeply respect people’s privacy.

My camera was on my tripod and I was making images of the alleyway when I heard footsteps behind me. I stepped back and let them pass. As I watched them, I realized a photograph was in the making as they exited the alley. Because they were facing the other way, I felt brave enough to click the shutter.

I love this image because it leaves me wanting to know more about this particular place and those two people passing through it. It’s a powerful image for me because I captured a feeling I rarely capture.

Notes on composition & technique: There is both negative and positive space. There is tonal and colour contrast. There is historical and architectural context. There is also a sense of 3-dimensional space. Upon recognizing those elements, I juxtaposed them together in a way that spoke to me. EOS 5D Mk III; iso 200; f-14; 1/15 sec.; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod

Quite by chance, Rita and I walked around a corner and came face to face with John Lennon! It was the most colourful display of graffiti I have ever seen. One could make abstract images for hours here, but when I saw Rita writing a message for her two daughters, I made this picture instead.

Notes on composition & technique: For a sense of balance, I placed John and Rita in the one-third and two-thirds position within the picture space. EOS 5D Mk III; iso 200; f-13; 1/10 sec.; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod