Newsletter No. 94: May, 2013
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.
CONTENTS:
1. British Columbia Magazine: My feature shoot titled: “Sweet Isolation”
2. Up Coming Photo Seminars & Workshops: Light, Form, and Visual Expression
3. Seeing with ‘Photographic Eyes’: An application from my Visual Expression workshop
4. A Fly Fishing Reel: Real imagination !
5. The Importance of Personal Expression: Being true to your deepest self
Hi everyone,
I am always grateful to be a photographer.
Already this month I have hiked and slept under the stars in some unbelievable places; from high above the mid Fraser River Canyon to just below the ridge of the largest sand dune in British Columbia.
I listened to the music of birds, water, and wind; I smelled the aroma of sage and saskatoon; and I watched a universe of stars from places where there was zero light pollution.
My camera plays a huge role in taking me to those places.
I just love what I do.
Our goal at the Chris Harris Gallery is to share the creative process. Please share this Newsletter with friends. Thank you.
1. British Columbia Magazine: My feature shoot titled: “Sweet Isolation”
Three years ago, writer Larry Pynn and his nephew Glen Wiggins, joined my partner Rita and me, as we journeyed north to Nenikekh/Nanika-Kidprice Provincial Park on assignment for British Columbia Magazine.
The article was delayed for two years, so I have never been permitted to share these images until now. You can buy the Spring Edition off the shelf here in B.C., or visit the article and more pictures online.
Nenikekh/Nanika-Kidprice Park is near the town of Houston, B.C., west of Prince George, and it offers canoe enthusiasts a multi-day paddle on a chain of lakes through spectacular British Columbia wilderness. Below are a few images I made on that trip.
Dinner awaits evening paddlers
Notes on composition & technique: Photographing for a magazine is a totally different thought process from going out to make fine art imagery. For the above photograph, I first pre-visualized it, then lit the fire, arranged the logs, and finally had Larry and Glen paddle out and position themselves to fit my desired composition.
EOS 1Ds Mark III; iso 400; f-22; 1/8 sec.; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod |
Nanika Falls
Notes on composition & technique: When photographing in an unknown wilderness setting, the key is to take the time to explore each vantage point in search for the best composition. For this image of the falls, I found a dead snag in the lower left to provide a sense of balance with the cliff in the lower right. The space between them allows our eyes to easily travel upstream to visually explore the entire centre of interest.
EOS 1Ds Mark III; iso 100; f-11; 1/3 sec.; 16-35mm lens; on a tripod |
Contemplation, Kidprice Lake
Notes on composition & technique: Before going to bed, I pre-visualized a number of early morning image possibilities. That was the easy part. I then had to convince Rita to get up at 5am to model for me! My challenge in making the above image was getting a high enough perspective to avoid having Rita’s head merge with the mountain reflection. To do that I used the notch in the reflection to advantage.
EOS 1Ds Mark III; iso 200; f-22; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod |
If you enjoy a true wilderness setting, Nenikekh/Nanika-Kidprice Park is a wonderful destination. We never saw a soul throughout our trip !
2. Up Coming Photo Seminars & Workshops: Light, Form, and Visual Expression
This year I will teach photography in three different locations. The format for each is different but the theme is the same.
Sarnia, Ontario. Sponsored by the Sarnia Photographic Club and supported by the Southwestern Ontario Photographers Association. November 9th, 2013
This is a one day seminar titled “Light and Form in the Quest for Visual Expression”. Based on my philosophy of passion and purpose, together with my experience as an adventure tour guide, stock photographer, and independent publisher, I will share how I communicate my personal message through the alchemy of light and form.
Throughout this seminar I will illustrate how to recognize the elements of composition with ‘photographic eyes’, and then visualize the final image with my self-developed ‘composition presets’ (a hand out). The talk will be illustrated with imagery and slide shows to music based on my most recent books.
Beyond the educational component, you will be treated to imagery of the most diverse, and spectacular region of British Columbia. Few people have visited these remote parts of the province and Tourism BC knows little about them.
Please join me for an educational, light hearted, and inspirational day of photography. Bring your friends. They won’t be disappointed!
Chris Harris Gallery. Sponsored by the Langley Camera Club. August 3-5, 2013
The essence of this seminar and workshop is the same as that described above, except the format is different. There will be a seminar in the Gallery, a full day of photography in the grasslands, and a critique session of the previous day’s work.
Late Notice: This workshop is FULL and has a long wait list. Please do not contact the Langley Camera Club. Next Year!! Thanks.
Chilcotin grasslands
Fraser River Photo Tour and Workshop. August 10-14, 2013
This photo tour and workshop takes you along the most remote and staggeringly beautiful part of the Fraser River by boat. With no road access to much of this section of the river, it is an opportunity to learn how to make powerful and expressive imagery of a landscape known to a very few photographers in the world.
With individual instruction, I will cover all what is presented in the above seminars. The main difference is that you will be putting into practice everything that you learn on a daily basis. You will be visually challenged and deeply rewarded.
Fraser River landscape
The details of this photo tour and workshop are on my website. As you will read, it is also a cultural experience with unparalleled photographic opportunities. The trip is operated by my friend Douglas Green of the Tsilhqot’in (Chilcotin) Nation. Doug is the owner and operator of Cariboo Chilcotin Jetboat Adventures. For further details on this photo tour, please visit his website as well. You can also read about last year’s tour and see imagery on my website Newsletters of October, November and December of 2012, along with January, 2013.
3. Seeing with ‘Photographic Eyes’: An application from my Visual Expression workshop
This little story is an example of how I utilized my ‘composition presets’ (which I explain in my workshops) to create a very satisfactory image from a poorly lit landscape that had become a visual roadblock for me.
Back in 2006, grassland ecologist Ordell Steen took me to a forest at Becher’s Prairie when photographing for my book Spirit in the Grass. With its light tones and green coloured mosses, I experienced it as a magical place and made this image. So this year I decided to return there and share that magic with my friend Mike Duffy.
Magical forest
Notes on composition & technique: A classic example of the ‘rule of thirds’. The tree trunk on the right third and the major branches on the top third. The sense of pictorial space (depth) is brought about by colour and tonal contrast.
EOS 1D Mark II; iso 100; f-32; 70-200mm lens; on a tripod |
To my amazement, we arrived to find it had been burned by forest fire. The magic had gone, I thought to myself. The forest floor was covered with dead fireweed, and with bright sunlight and extremely high contrast, I found it uninspiring to photograph.
Burnt forest
Notes on composition & technique: Even though I knew this would not be a great image in these lighting conditions, I attempted the best composition possible by searching for a semi-circle of space in front of my camera. This allows my eye to wander into the picture space more easily.
EOS 5D Mark III; iso 100; f-22; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod |
Refusing to give up, I pulled out my ‘composition presets’ sheet ( of which you receive a copy in my workshops) and was able to visualize a completely new approach to making imagery. Suddenly, the magic was back!
Magical forest
Notes on composition & technique: The reason my Canon EOS 5D Mark III is my favourite digital camera ever, is that it has a multiple exposure feature. By handholding and moving my camera upwards, I made 8 exposures. You can count them by counting the blades of grass. I certainly prefer this more expressive image to the burnt forest image above.
EOS 5D Mark III; iso 100; f-8; 24-105mm lens; handheld |
For me, this short story is a reminder that wherever we are and whatever the conditions, there is always the potential for expressive and rewarding compositions.
4. A Fly Fishing Reel: Real imagination !
Earlier this year, my friend Doug Mooring dropped off some of his fishing gear and said “feel free to photograph it when you have time”. With snow on the ground I just never got into it, but two weeks ago, with spring in the air, I took the gear out to the front of the house.
I’ve always enjoyed the fun and the challenge of taking a subject or an object and seeing what I can do with it photographically. It was hard to know where to start at first, but after awhile, I started to get into it, and before long I was just having fun! Ideas began to come.
Here are four images I’d like to share with you.
Reel, real abstract !
Notes on composition & technique: My favourite way of using a macro lens is setting it to its widest aperture, and with focus on manual I explore by moving the camera until I see something with photographic potential. I next set it at a different focal distance and explore again. I continue to do this until I find a winner!
EOS 5D Mark III; iso 400; f-2.8; 1/2000 sec; 100mm macro lens; handheld |
Fly selection
Notes on composition & technique: Holding the rod with one hand and my camera in the other, I searched for a uniform background that I could throw completely out of focus.
EOS 5D Mark III; iso 200; f-6.3; 1/200 sec; 100mm macro lens; handheld |
Casting
Notes on composition & technique: Once again, holding the fishing rod in one hand and my camera in the other, I elected to use a shallow depth of field. By doing this, my forearm and the end of the rod go out of focus, placing the emphasis on the reel which is a classic.
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Still life
Notes on composition & technique: By using a telephoto lens I am better able to throw the foreground and background out of focus, thus placing a greater emphasis on the reel, rod handle and hat.
EOS 5D Mark III; iso 200; f-5.6; 1/1000 sec; 100-400mm lens; on a tripod |
Give it a try. Pick an object in your house, grab a lens, and let your imagine take you somewhere…anywhere! It’s reel fun, (whoops, I mean real fun !), and it’s imaginative.
5. The Importance of Personal Expression: Be true to your deepest self
Some landscapes have a certain power over us, and we feel it deep within.
For me, on this day, this was one of those landscapes.
Earlier that day, I had paddled my Chestnut canoe past that iceberg, alongside the towering rock wall, and underneath the thundering waterfall in the distance. They were all immense when I was close to them.
From a distance, however, that all changed. The multi-million year old wall of rock looked colossal and felt permanent, while the lake, iceberg, and waterfall were miniscule by comparison and transitory. They will be long gone before the rock so much as winks an eye.
Feeling that sense of geological time, I made this image. The mist added to that mystery of time.
Rock; Soul of the Planet
Notes on composition & technique: I positioned my canoe so that the waterfall was between the rock island and iceberg. I then place them on the far left to balance with the towering rock bluff on the right. My final compositional decision was to give the two rectangles of water and cloud equal space.
EOS 50D; iso 200; f-8; 1/60 sec.; 100-400mm lens; handheld |
I have no idea how others might react to this image and it doesn’t matter. I am sure enough within myself to know that I captured a true and deep feeling, an important moment in my life.
If I had this image as a huge print in my living room, I am sure that every time I looked at it, all those emotions that drew me to making this image in the first place, would come pouring back.
That is the reason why I will always follow my two passions of adventuring in the natural world, and photographing these special moments with my camera.
Along with sharing, that is the beauty of photography.