Principles

Julian Priester at The Bus Stop Theatre

I signed up to volunteer for the TD Halifax Jazz Festival again this year. I'm excited to get into the pit again.  I enjoy the work even though it is work.  But as I said, I enjoy it so it's fun too.  I get to listen to a lot of awesome music and challenge myself photographically since the light shows can make it difficult to get decent photos of the act.

I do wish the Jazz Fest people would provide me with better insight into how my work is used since I really don't see much of my photography used by the festival. It would give me a bit of a thrill to not only get to take the photos but also to have them used by the festival.  This will be the fourth year that I've photographed the festival and I have only ever seen them use one of my photos.

I recognize that I am the one who enjoys the photography and maybe that should be enough but I also feel like they should appreciate the work I do and it would be good to get a little recognition for that in the form of having my photos used.

This was especially highlighted this spring when I volunteered for the East Coast Music Awards.  I had volunteered through the website. I had to fill out availability forms at least twice.  One of the forms included a space for me to list my photography gear.  Apparently, that didn't impress the individual who was organizing the volunteer photographers.  After jumping through a bunch of hoops to volunteer I got an email reply which included the the line "I note that your camera and lens probably are not the greatest for really low light situations..."

Metric - Centre Stage 2017 Jazz Fest

I can only surmise that my portfolio of event photography was never reviewed even though it was asked for at least twice.  If my work had been reviewed there should have been no question as to whether or not I could photograph in low light conditions.  It got me to thinking that if I was accepted as a photographer without any of my work having been reviewed then they were just looking for warm bodies to take photos that they had no interest in using.

After a couple of days of thinking about it, because I do enjoy concert photography, I withdrew my offer of time and effort and walked away.  It made me sad to do so as I felt like I let them down but I also felt like I had to send a strong message as too often a simple complaint is ignored.  I hope that my stance doesn't affect my future in volunteering for such events but I was convinced that I had to "say" something.

Ebb and Flow

Over two years since my last blog post.  My apologies to the two readers who anxiously, yet quietly, await my next piece of rambling text.

Where is the time going?  It seems like I hardly have any time to do anything any more.  I never seem to get out and take photos much.  For a while that was fine.  The spirit wasn't there.  I feel it coming back though.  In dribs and drabs I get anxious to go out and photograph.  It has been a while though and I think that's OK.

Last week for instance, I was keen to make a special trip into the public gardens.  The dahlias are blooming and the bees are flittering about so I took my nifty-fifty and my reversing ring out for some fun.

I think you'll start seeing a few more posts from me from time to time.  For now, enjoy this photo of a bumblebee with his nose stuck deep into this dahlia.

Moved by the Music

I volunteered to photograph the TD Halifax Jazz Festival this week. I'm not a huge jazz fan but I liked the idea of photographing musicians so I thought I'd "put up" with the music and take the opportunity to explore a new area of photography.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday I went down to the main stage on the waterfront and photographed the bands. There was some very nice music, most of it sounded quite nice and you can find a number of photos over on my Flickr album.

The shot above, however, is Jane Ira Bloom. Her, Jerry Granelli, Julian Priester, and J. Anthony Granelli wove a spell of music as I literally had to crawl around on the floor in front of the stage at The Bus Stop Theatre on Friday night.

The venue is not very big and news of Jerry Granelli (below) packed them in wall to wall.  There was maybe three feet between the audience that was sitting on the floor and the stage.  That was the room I had to work in.  If I stood up I would have been obstructing the view of the paying customers so I had to sneak and crawl around on the floor.

It was worth every minute of it.  The music that those musicians teased out of those instruments was amazing and I think I may have been converted into a jazz fan.  I'm going to have to find more music like that as it was awesome.

Making it Work

I finished my second family shoot back before the holidays and I've just been so busy I haven't had a chance to really share the experience.  I really enjoyed getting out and photographing this lovely family and though we weren't out for very long and the weather wasn't very cooperative we got a couple of decent shots for the holidays.

The big struggle was to make something work.  It was a frigid day. The wind and cold conspired to make it a difficult shoot.  Our first location, the waterfront seemed like a great idea.  It was the holidays and there was a Christmas tree at Bishop's Landing and the harbour makes a nice background for portraits.  Unfortunately, after we got there we noticed that the tree looked miserable and lonely in the light of a winter morning and the wind coming in off the harbour was bitingly cold.  I need to do better locations scouting to avoid these types of issues.

We did manage to get a a few shots there, including my favourite of the day.  Mom was making some final adjustments before we even got officially started and I loved the interaction between the two and captured this moment.



While we got a few shots on the waterfront that I thought were reasonably decent, I didn't feel like we managed to get the holiday family photo that I thought they desired.  So in order to try and save the day we moved down to Point Pleasant Park where we hoped the wind would be blocked by land and trees and possibly offer up a slightly warmer experience.  Unfortunately, it was still pretty cold in the park and it brought an early end to the shoot but not before getting at least one decent family portrait for them to have for the holidays.



So, we made it work that day and I promised them we could get together again when the weather was more cooperative.  Hopefully, I'll get to see them for another session in the spring and get another opportunity to make some awesome family photos they can have for a lifetime.

B&W Challenge - Day 5

Well, it took me more than 5 days but I did finish it.  To anyone who wants to challenge themselves to black and white photography by all means, pick up your camera and go make some images.  I will do black and white photography again but it's not my main love.  My main love is colour.  I'm not sure I always get it right but it's what I like to see.  Black and white feels old.  Black and white feels dead.  Black and white feels empty.  Colour is where it's at for me - most of the time.

B&W Challenge - Day 4

Thanks to Gary Grout for reminding me that I had forgotten to finish this thing but challenging me again.  I'm not starting from scratch though, I'll just pick up from where I left off.  So, here is day 4 of the B&W challenge.

This morning I took a few people from the Sackville Photography Club out for a mentoring session on street photography.  Or at least my take on it. :)  We had fun and finished the morning up with some panning experimentation.  Of the dozen or so I took for panning practice, I liked this one.  The sense of motion is very nice and the person and the car are in pretty good focus.  Also, it works as a really nice B&W.

B&W Challenge - Day 3

Day 3 of the challenge is one I got on Day 3 if we start counting on the evening of Nocturne. I was heading to the bus stop when I noticed the almost sunset light filtering through the trees in the Old Burying Grounds on Barrington St.

The sun was back lighting the headstones and I just thought it was  just such a lovely moment.  I'm not sure my landscape skills can do it justice.  It was quite pretty.

B&W Challenge - Day 2

Day 2 is kind of a cheat, I think.  I believe the challenge is designed to get you out and shooting and I captured this one on the same night I was out for the Day 1 challenge shot.  This fellow was sitting reading the newspaper and I just loved the way he was back lit.  Sorry I didn't post this last night but Monday's are busy for me.  If you missed the reason for this challenge go visit the Sideways Glance blog post that started it all.

B&W Challenge - Day 1

A fellow photographer, Grant Dixon, over at Sideways Glance issued a black and white challenge (link) the other day.  I decided I'd step up to that challenge and here's my first B&W challenge photo.  Only four more days to go!

The Slade Family

I volunteered some time as an auction item for the United Way auction we were having at work. I had offered up a portrait session with two or three 8x10 prints and one of my co-workers won the auction.  I have to admit that I was a bit surprised when he said he wanted a family portrait session.  I thought I'd be doing a one on one.



Finally, weather and schedules collided this weekend and I did my first ever family photo and I really enjoyed it.  The Slade's were an awesome family to photograph as they did their best just to let me do my thing while they simply enjoyed each other's company.

 

I realized I have a lot to learn in this particular world as photographing kids was not something I'd had much practice with and they really just don't stand still for very long and they are not necessarily the best at taking direction so you have to take your shots when you can get 'em.  Also, I had a few technical issues which I have noticed that I will work towards fixing on my next outing.

Overall, it was an excellent experience and I can't wait to do it again.

Getting Social

I recently blogged about needing a change and I think I have figured out my next photographic adventure.  I've decided that I want to improve my skills at photographing people and that means that I need your help!

Here's how it is going to work:

I'm going to ask all of my followers to meet me somewhere in the Halifax area for a photo shoot.  We'll spend a minimum of 10 minutes together and I'll do my best to create a portrait of you that you'll be able to use on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, or any other social media site you want to use it on.

Dress in the clothing you want to be photographed in and I'll do my best to make it work.  You can wear your Sunday best or you can dress down and dirty for the street.  I will not have any assistants to do hair or make up so you'll have to take care of that before you show up.  It'll just be me and you and the camera.

I've created a form for you to select where you would like to be photographed and the time of day you would like to be photographed.  I'll do my best to accommodate everyone but I reserve the right to select only the most popular locations.

There are no warranties express or implied and why would you expect one when this will cost you nothing but time.  I will only deliver the best portrait I can create for you and I promise you will get at least one image for you to use.  I'll deliver it to you via email so if you hate it you can choose not to use it.

Please let me know where and when you would like to have this done by filling in this form

Telling a Story

I always try to tell a story with my images and I work hard to capture the "right" moment.  Sports photography can be exceptionally difficult but every once in a while you time it just right.  I think I selected an excellent moment here and I think the story leaps out at you in this image.  You can see the intensity of competition on his face.  The referee in the background is making a call.  On top of that you can make out our club crest on his arm so it works as a decent promo shot as well.  For me, this was the best shot of the day.

Embrace the Change

I went for a drive a couple of weeks ago to head down to Point Pleasant Park to get out and go for a walk with the camera after a long winter and the scene above caught my eye on the way down so I stopped and captured this image.  I really enjoyed spending the morning out.  But I didn't realize that things were about to change.

I think this past winter really affected my photography.  I feel like everything I do sucks.  I think I need a new adventure, a new challenge.  Time for something different.  I don't know what it is but I look forward to figuring it out.

Stay tuned and I'll share the results. :)

"The Best Camera is the One You Have With You"

The title of this post is a quote from Chase Jarvis and this photo is proof of that statement.  This past winter I have left my dSLR at home on most of those days when I'm walking to work simply because I don't want to add it to my backpack when I never pull it out to actually take any photographs.

It's that time of year again when I feel really down in the dumps about taking any photographs because the weather sucks.  I'm tired of winter.  I am very much looking forward to spring.

On this particular day the only camera that I had was the one on my Blackberry Z10.  It was, however, all I needed  to capture the above image of a frosty and snowy morning. I really liked the way the snow had settled on the tree branches as well as everything else.

Hopefully, spring will come soon and I can get back to enjoying photography.  Until then, I just keep playing it one day at a time.

Patience

I learned a valuable lesson in patience a couple of weeks ago.

The Sackville Photography Club had planned a field trip for Saturday, December 21.  It was a "Sunrise on the Arm" field trip because for about one week near the winter solstice the sun rises up pretty much in line with the Northwest Arm hear in Halifax.

I was interested in attending, however, it was only a few days until Christmas and I was not very prepared for the holidays so I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get out for very long.  I checked the forecast on Wednesday prior to the field trip and noticed that Thursday morning was supposed to be sunny but Friday and Saturday called for rain.  So, I hatched a plan.  I would pack my gear and stop at the Arm on the way to work that morning.

I got up early but still managed to get out the door a bit late.  I arrived at the Armdale Roundabout at about 7:35am.  I had very little time to prepare with sunrise expected at 7:45am.  I broke out my tripod and my camera and set everything up to get ready for the sunrise.  At 7:45am I managed to get the above shot.  Sunrise had come and gone and it was a big let down.

Knowing I had to hoof it to work I grumpily packed up all my gear.  Stowed the camera and the tripod and then put my backpack on.  When I stood up and turned around I noticed that the sky was changing.  Sure sunrise had come and gone but as the sun broke through the cloud layer a fire red sun was poking through.  I quickly pulled out my gear and set it up again.  And that's how I managed to get the following two shots.  This time I was lucky...next time, I'll have patience.

Photographer, Heal Thyself

For those who went out during Nocturne this past Saturday to enjoy the art shows I'm sure you ran into lots of issues trying to photograph at night. I know in the heat of the moment I totally forgot how to properly photograph Incendia Motus. You can see on of my images below.  In my brain, I kept thinking this is night time.  So, ISO 1600, f1.8, and 1/125sec seemed reasonable and the small screen on the back showed a decent image.  However, I didn't check or rely on my histogram.  Oh, woe is me.



Had I checked, I would have realized that the flame was completely blown out.  Maybe then I would have tried ISO 800, ISO 400 and then maybe move to 1/250 or 1/500 and then maybe f4, f5.6.  Had I done that I might have ended up with a decent shot.

A blast of flame puts out a lot of light.  So, my friends, when you go next year you'll see me sitting down in front of Incendia Motus again but this time I will not forget.  This time I will make sure I take my time.  I may end up there for 3 straight hours but I'm not leaving until I get the shot I want.  My karate moto will spill over into my photography and with peace, perseverance, and hard work, I will reach my goal.

Cheers for now, see you next year in front of the Incendia Motus stage.

Halifax Zombie Walk 2013

 The Halifax Zombie Walk took place today and while I had a very busy weekend scheduled I managed to squeeze it in.  It's going to take a little while to go through all the images and find the best ones but I thought I'd share one or two for now.

Thanks to the horde for going all zombie on us and giving us something fun to photograph today.

As Fall Approaches

As autumn approaches and summer ends I am looking back and reviewing what I did photographically this summer and the answer is "not much".  But I'm OK with that.  I thought I'd be bothered by it but I'm not because I believe that in anything we do, we have ups and downs and this summer was one of my downs.

It was down because I feel like my attention was focused elsewhere.  On what, I do not know but elsewhere it was and that's as good an explanation as you are going to get since that's the only one I have.

I do feel quite charged up for autumn though I don't know why.  I just have this feeling it's going to be a banner year and it all starts now.

I already brought one creation to life.  I saw a video on Hadouken photography a while back where you try and create a scene that looks like it came out of Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat.  I suggested it as the August Level 2 Photo Challenge at photography.ca and managed to create not one but two entries for the month.  The key for me was that these were images I made, not images I found.

I will continue to enjoy stumbling across interesting things in the world like the golden leaf above, however, I want to spend more time making images instead of just finding them.

A Little Sadness in the Euloth Home Tonight

Today we said goodbye to Sox, a part of our family.  She left us much too early but unfortunately life can be like that and there is not much we can do.  We can keep her in our hearts and remember her with love.

The Power of Spontaneity

I got this shot back on April 29th while out for a lunch time photowalk with a friend.  He and I were walking along the Halifax waterfront enjoying the nice weather and looking for interesting moments in time to capture.  We turned a corner and there was this woman sitting on the bench with her two dogs.  We stopped to ask her if she minded if we took her photograph and this is the shot that I got from that.

You haven't seen it posted before now because it paled in comparison to the photograph I saw when I first turned the corner.  When I first turned the corner the woman was sitting in the middle of the bench.  The dogs were sitting, one on each side of her feet, in almost the exact pose that you'll see sculptures of lions in as they guard the entrance to a building or some such.  Paws out in front, head up, scanning the crowd, protecting their owner.

By getting closer and stopping to ask permission, we disturbed the scene.  I wish I could have shared with you the image I saw that day before we disturbed the scene, unfortunately it's gone forever.

Tell me what you think?  Ask permission or beg forgiveness?