National Geographic

I recently had the good fortune of licensing two images to National Geographic, which for me is a photographer's dream. I have had my work used on the National Geographic website before but this time I was being paid and the images were also licensed for print.

I grew up reading National Geographic and some of my favourite photographer's, my idols such as Steve McCurry worked for this magazine and it has carried many a iconic image. It's a pleasure being a part of it in any way.

One of the images was:

"Rough Seas at Cape Bonavista"

Aside from the print license the images are being used for the National Geographic Geotourism Mapguide for Eastern Newfoundland. You can visit their website by clicking here!

Thank You for stopping by.

Mummers, Mummers Everywhere

The 2012 St John's Mummers Parade was yesterday and I was just amazed at the turnout The parade was considerably bigger than last year, knowing that it is growing is great news. Saturday December 15, 2012 was the fourth Annual Mummers Parade and it's really catching on!

The parade route is along the streets of downtown St John's, on what has to be some of the most colourful neighbourhood's in the world.

 

For more information on Mummering in Newfoundland and Labrador visit the local Mummers Festival website at http://mummersfestival.ca/

 

 

“Refreshments are Served” 

A eager participant!

See you next year! :-)

Newfoundland Facebook Covers

I've had so many people on Facebook use my Newfoundland landscape photography as timeline covers over the last couple of years that I thought I'd upload some formatted for that very purpose. If you'd like to use one all you got to do is “share” the image and then from the bottom right of the page, select “Options” and then “Make Cover”. 

“Pink Sky's over St John's” 

I've uploaded 55 so far and if I get a good response I'll upload more. There may even be images no one has ever seen before! Click here for the link. 

So if your an expatriate, living in Newfoundland or just love the place feel free to use these images on your Facebook page. All I ask is that you share and give a link back to me.

Thanks and Happy Holidays!

Your first 10,000 photos

In order to learn and become proficient at any craft you need experience. One theory on how to become an “expert” is known at the “10,000 Hour Rule”.  This concept has been attribitued to people such as Wayne Gretzky, Bill Gates,and Yo-Yo Ma.

As far as photographers go, legendary photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson put it simply: “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.”

   

The number here is merely arbitrary and is used to make a point. In order to be good at something you have to practice, for some of us more, for others less. No doubt the more you do something the better you become at it. As a photographer you have to get out and shoot and spend time listening and learning. 

Through experience skills are developed and these skills allow you to more deeply explore and bring out your creative side, the artists in you! Happy shooting!

 Thank You for stopping by!

The Latest Autumn Ever

I always look forward to fall photography. In my area, the northeast Avalon peninsula of Newfoundland, the autumn colours go on display during the month of October and are usually gone by the months end.

This year it's different and in the second week of November there are areas around, by rivers, which are still in bloom. I shot these photographs in early November, technically the second week of the month. After posting on facebook one local lady replied “My roses are blooming for the fourth time this year!! Who would have thought in Nfld in November”!!

Because of greenhouse gas arctic ice is disappearing and global temperatures continue to rise and you have to wonder what are we leaving to our children and grandchildren?

Maybe there is somthing we can do. A little more recycling perhaps. By walking to the store instead of driving, your helping the environment and your health. We could empower ourselves in many ways as well as call upon our political leaders for action.

Do it for our children and grandchildren.

Thank you for stoppping by!

Samsara

Filmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents …................

“Prepare yourself for an unparalleled sensory experience. SAMSARA reunites director Ron Fricke and producer Mark Magidson, whose award-winning films BARAKA and CHRONOS were acclaimed for combining visual and musical artistry.”

To be released on DVD and Blu Ray December 4^th 2012. 

Time Passages

Time-lapse photography is something that has always amazed me and most people who see it are captivated. My fascination began when I came across the work of Ron Fricke and his film Chronos back in 1985, an amazing work. Another one of my favourites is Koyaanisqatsi (1982), if you would like to go on an amazing visual journey I recommend viewing all his movies.

The wonderful imagery in these films are the drawing card but after some retrospection you have to appreciate how much work went into them and begin to develop an admiration for that also. This is especially true when you consider Fricke's team shot on 70 mm film and carried massive amounts of equipment to the most remote places on earth. Not to mention time-lapse photography has to be one of the most time consuming activities you can get involved with. It can take hours or days to get a few seconds of video.

For me, my first time-lapse video was made close to home, in and around my home town of St John's Newfoundland. “Time Passages at Canada's Far East” is a 2 1/2 minute video comprised of approximately 3,000 still images, a process I began 18 months ago. I learned a lot about photography, time-lapse and video in that time.

Perhaps the main reason I love time-lapse photography is that it teaches us to have a greater appreciation of the world around us because we see it through a different lens: in a chronological time-frame unnatural to us. As Ron Fricke said it reveals “humanity's relationship to the eternal”.

It does give us a unique window through which to view our world. Hope you enjoy the video.

A Landscape Photographers Guide to Fashion Photography

“A Landscape Photographers Guide to Fashion Photography” is a tongue in cheek title for sure, I have been photographing people as long as I have been a landscape photographer but I think being a landscape photographer helps you bring a different perspective and technique to a fashion photo session.

Landscape photographers know ambient light. We know how to dig deep and bring it out if we need it. No doubt all the great landscape photographers use a tripod and by doing so can use very slow shutter speeds to draw out as much ambient light as needed. We can use this ambient light as fill when flash is used as the primary light source and we can also use it to soften or feather edges of the main light.

Also, landscape photographers would be more inclined to an environmental portraiture style of photography. Environmental portraiture is about including a persons surroundings in a shot, the idea is that the environment is a part of and enhances the personality of the subject in the same way as what they wear or how they look does. Joe McNally calls it "a face in a place".

Photography is evolving, it's inspirational and exciting to discuss new ideas and see new work. Thank you for stopping by!

Explore Newfoundland

Hi everyone I'm giving away one copy of my second self-published book "Explore Newfoundland". It has 23 of my most popular images and some of my favorite inspiring quotes. Please see below and take a minute to browse the books contents.

To be eligible "click the Like button and leave a comment". Be sure to do both as I may need this to properly record your name. I will cover the cost of shipping anywhere in the world

Draw date is December 3^rd, 2012. Sorry family members or employees are not eligible.

Good Luck and thank you for stopping by!

Bowring Park Fall Photowalk

I’ve had numerous requests for introductory photography courses and thought a fall photowalk around Bowring Park would suit this very nicely. While this is an introductory course personal interaction in a small group allows me to offer instruction on a individual level. No matter what your skill set I am happy to answer any questions you may have and look forward to helping you improve your technique so that you can continue to appreciate the joy of photography. 

Bowring Park Fall Photowalk

Sunday October 14th, 2012 - 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm

The date and time is Sunday October 14th, 2012 @ 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, all you need to get started is a camera. This photowalk will last for about 2 hours and cost $50 each plus tax per participant.

Bowring Park is a perfect place to learn and develop your photography skills as we enjoy and photograph the beautiful surroundings the park provides.

To Register please fill out the form below and complete payment. Please note payment must be made to complete the registration process, you can pay with a major credit card using the "Buy Now" button below. Upon registration you will receive a confirmation email from us usually within 24 hours.

Limited spaces are available so be sure to register soon.

    

This is the only Bowring Park photowalk I have planned for 2012. I also offer other types of photography training, please check out my my website for more information. Select “Services”, “Training” from the top of the page.

Thanks and looking forward to sharing the joy of photography with you!

Photo Skills: Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced

Natural Light Portraiture

I like to classify Natural Light Portraiture into indoor and outdoor portraiture and I’d like to focus on indoor portraiture here. Indoors the light is easier to control both in regard to the subject and the background, the area can be divided into sunlight or shadow areas and these areas can be used together to achieve a desired look. 

Many of the same rules apply to Natural Light Portraiture as they would when adding artificial light. Indoors, window light is your main source and when it is diffused by clouds outside it is a large soft light, beautiful and elegant. Big light will fill lines on a face resulting in a smoother more pleasing appearance. And best of all it's free! :-) If you wanted to create similar light with flash you would need a large expensive flash unit and light modifier.

 

Some suggestions in regard to portraiture would be:

• Avoid back-lighting the subject, at least don’t have the face in shadow. Even for high key images you have to get light into and expose for the face. 
• Avoid dark eyes, a.k.a. the raccoon effect. Get the light into those eyes. 
• Keep the head clean. Don’t have any wires or lines going through the head and keep the head free of other elements in the frame. This can be done in a number of ways including: a selective dept of field, creative lighting and of course composition. 
• Keep the nose from breaking the face. When the nose extends beyond the face it tends to make the nose look longer. Some people call this the Pinocchio effect. 

My three basic rules are to get as much light into the eyes as possible, open the lens wide and focus on the closest eye. I’ve found following these three suggestions will lead to some great portraits.

Do you have any suggestions or recommendations of your own? It’d be great to hear from you, always willing to learn.

Top Ten Places to Photograph in St John’s Newfoundland

One thing I truly love about the internet and social media is how it connects people from all over the world. Through those contacts I often get asked about Newfoundland and many people enjoy the images they've seen and want to visit often to take some photos of their own.

I’m a native of St John’s and have spent most of my life here. During that time I've photographed the area extensively and enjoy capturing its history and character. Speaking from experience here is my list of the top ten places to photograph in the St John’s area.

1. Cabot Tower / Signal Hill 

Cabot Tower, Signal Hill is a photographer’s paradise offering a great view of the city and excellent walking trails providing you with countless vantage points.

1. Admiring Amherst

Fort Amherst and the entrance to St John's harbour, The Narrows" offer an abundance of photo ops. You can take the wonderful NorthHead Trail to get you there!

 

 2. Cape Spear 

Ah, the most easterly point in Canada, truly Canada’s Far East. I have photographed here every hour of the day throughout the years. Photo opportunities abound, it’s an amazing place. For example just last year during my "Cape Spear Night Photography Workshop" we could hear the whales spout as we photographed the stars, how cool is that!

You will find great walking trails at Cape Spear, miraculous sunrises and revitalizing North Atlantic fresh air! So you’re bound to get some great photographs and after a few breaths of that great fresh air your lungs will love you! :-)

North Atlantic Sunrise

3. Bowring Park 

Bowring Park is one of the cities jewels. It offers countless photographic opportunities throughout the park and along it nestled walking trails. Autumn is especially colourful here.

Fall at Bowring Park

4. On the Waterfront 

St John’s has a small harbour and offers numerous photographic opportunities from the north or south side.

St John's Harbour pano
 

5. Downtown 

You’ll find lots of photo opportunities downtown, from the world famous colourful row houses to the unique characters and buskers who frequent there.

Kimberly Row

6. The Rooms 

The viewing deck allows a great view of the city, a lovely high vantage point. Best light to photograph the city is in the afternoon.

View from the Rooms

7. Petty Harbour 

It’s so nice to have a quaint little fishing village in the area. It offers what you would expect from a Newfoundland fishing village as well as some miraculous sunrises. Oh and chances are there are otters watching you, they’ll see you before you see them but keep your eyes open and you may get a good shot of them.

Petty Harbour

8. Quidi Vidi Lake 

A lovely lake with a popular walking trail and there are bald eagles, hawks and otters in the area year round. If you want a chance to photograph either you have to be patient and keep a sharp eye. Best times to sight these animals would be early morning.

The Scrap at the Lake

9. Quidi Vidi Village 

A little fishing village that became a part of St John’s many years ago.

Calm After the Storm

10. The War Memorial 

 The War Memorial is Newfoundland’s shrine and is in a part of the city blossoming with colour and character.

The War Memorial
 


I’ve got lots more on my website if you'd like to see them, click here to have a look. And if you have any questions please feel free to post here and I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks for stopping by! These are my ten places; do you have any you would like to share?

Online Photography Courses

I’ve had many requests from people inquiring about various forms of photography training and I’ve decided to offer online photography courses. These days it’s amazing to see so many people out enjoying photography and having fun. Personally, I love being out taking and making photos and it’s been a great experience seeing my images improve over the years.

With these courses I hope to help you get more out of your camera by exploring various ways to improve your images. Each assignment will be followed by a private critique along with three suggestions, personally tailored to help you improve your photography. No doubt creating better images increases the enjoyment you get out of photography and adds to the fun.

Bidgoods Park

You can register using the payment method below. Upon registering you will be emailed a assignment list from which you can choose. If you have any questions please post them below. Looking forward to seeing you evolve and improve as a photographer.


Course 1 - $99 + HST 
A choice of 4 photography assignments each followed by a personal critique with 3 suggestions on how to improve your photography. You have 6 months to complete the assignments.

Course 2 - $129 + HST 
A choice of 6 photography assignments each followed by a personal critique with 3 suggestions on how to improve your photography. You have 6 months to complete the assignments.

Thanks for stopping by!

Dad’s Dory

I was looking forward to photographing "Dad’s Dory" again this year. I started photographing it back in 2009 and I found that by going back I was beginning to appreciate the challenge of coming up with something different. Among other things I was delighted to find that the light was never the same, it was a learning experience for sure.

Still Waters at Forest Pond

I asked my buddy Leo about “Dad’s Dory” and he reported “the bottom’s gone right out of ‘er”! It looks like it won’t see the water ever again. As we say in these parts, “she’s gone b’y”! The dory is a banks dory and is about 50 years old, his Dad used to own it.

Dad’s Dory

He is looking for a dory to replace it, would anyone know where he might get one? I should add we are in St John’s Newfoundland. When we get one we’ll put it in Forest Pond and Leo will look after it. I’ll be sure to take some photographs and post them here

Floating on Clouds

C'est la vie.

Take a minute to enter our contest for a chance to win one of two prints!

Thanks for your time. Hope you have a good day!

Hope You Enjoy the Sunrise

Sunrises are like snowflakes no two are alike. But what might be surprising is that this is not only a day to day observation for a sunrise will change dramatically from one minute to the next, for example …

Below are 5 photo’s taken yesterday over a 14 minute period at Cape Spear Newfoundland, each unique in its own way. Hope you enjoy the sunrise!

Cape Spear Sunrise 5:51am

Cape Spear Sunrise 5:53 am

Cape Spear Sunrise 5:55am

Cape Spear Sunrise 6:00am

Cape Spear Sunrise 6:05am

With each sunrise we begin a new day, with new opportunities.

I don’t know if anyone ever said it better than the Philosopher King, Marcus Aurelius. “When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love”.

Hope you enjoyed the sunrise! :-)

Take a minute to enter our contest for a chance to win one of two prints!

Spaceship Earth

There is a lot of great night sky photography out there. Its beauty can inspire others to learn more about the immense and complex beauty of the cosmos.

Amazingly we are travelling through the vastness of space on Spaceship Earth.

Spaceship Earth is spinning on it's axis at 1,800 kph and revolving around the Sun at 54,000 kph. Our Solar System is moving throughout our Milky Way Galaxy at 180,000 kph. And our Milky Way Galaxy is moving in our local group of galaxies at 1,080,000 kph. Sorry I don't know how fast our group of galaxies are moving throughout the universe! And perhaps the universe is moving too?

It's funny how sometimes we might be driving down the street at 60kph and feel we are driving fast! :-)

Cabot Tower - Spinning Through Space 


Photography can teach those of us who are fortunate enough to call ourselves photographers so much. But we can also use it as a means to share and bring to others this beauty and wonder. To inspire people, in this way more will learn to appreciate and care for this wonderful planet. After all the Earth is our home!

Click here and enter our contest for a chance to win one of two prints!

 Thank you for stopping by!

Catchlights

The eyes can say so much about a person, they are the window to the soul. The eyes are also an open book for photographers. The revealing catchlights contain a lot of information about how the subject is being lit because the catchlights are a reflection of the main light source. Catchlights can reveal some very important information including the direction, shape and relative size of the lighting source among other things.
  

 

The creative photographer can mould or create a style of catchlight. Also, many manufacturers of light modifying equipment offer umbrellas with covered ribs so that they would appear less noticeable, as they can look like unattractive veins in people’s eyes. Some manufacturers offer attachments for soft boxes to make the resulting catchlights look like a window. What you do and how you do it is a matter of your imagination. 

In this example as you can see despite the fact that the umbrella ribs are hidden behind the fabric they can be seen. However when this portrait is viewed at a normal viewing distance the lines are hardly noticeable and the lighting quite large and pleasing.

 

Personally I like the light source at 10 or 2 o’clock. When lighting a person be careful not to raise the light to high, darkening the eye sockets, leaving the eyes in shadow creating a raccoon effect. The eyes can say so much! 

These are just some of my thoughts on flash photography, what are yours?

The Good Old Day’s

It seems no matter how old you are you can recount “The Good Old Day’s”. For many of us photographers here in Newfoundland we think of the arrival of the behemoths of the sea in the spring. Large icebergs would move down from the arctic via the Labrador Sea staging a grand show. It’s been so long since we’ve seen anything but a few drabs of ice in this part of Newfoundland we now talk as if we’ll never see the big bergs again.

King of the Sea

…. taken in 1996

A lot of people might think Newfoundland is in the far north however I would like to point out that St John’s is at 47.561485 degrees north latitude, further south than our sister city of Vancouver, further south than Seattle Washington. Our climate is colder than these cities because of the path of the ocean currents. In eastern North America the warmer Gulf Stream from the Gulf of Mexico flows out into the middle of the North Atlantic missing Newfoundland, providing milder temperatures to Western Europe including Britain. London being further north at 51.5171 degrees N.

It’s about to turn April 2012 and there’s a bit of ice around, who knows maybe this will be the year? Maybe?

ATTENTION! ATTENTION! This is not an Iceberg!

….  taken March 25, 2012. A friend told me you might call this an iceberg if you were from Toronto. :-)

Don’t forget to enter our contest for a chance to win one of two prints!

Any comments or ideas of what you would like to see on this blog please feel free to post here I’ll be sure to reply!

Twilight Sings the Blues

I just love the blue hour, its captivating rich colour and its ethereal glow. We are perhaps less familiar with its beauty because it is a fleeting light, never the same from one minute to the next. In eastern North America during the winter months it can last for just over one hour. As we near the poles it can last for weeks.
Twilight is the time between dawn and sunrise or between sunset and dusk. During twilight the sun is below the horizon and natural light is provided by the upper atmosphere, redirecting sunlight back towards the earth's surface.


The Battery Blues

I have been practicing night time photography for many years but it’s only in the last few that I’ve began to appreciate the twilight. One of the great things I’ve noticed is that there is a period of time where there is an equal balance of exposure between the natural light and "domestic lighting". What I mean by "domestic lighting" is the light emanating from households, buildings or street lighting. The period when the exposure is relatively equal is during the late morning or early evening twilight and will only last 10 minutes or so depending on the time of year.


Twilight Sings the Blues

I had the idea for “Twilight Sings the Blues” while out on a photo hike, humming a blues tune and being captivated by the twilight. My model was unable to make it so it became a self-portrait.

And you don’t have to include the sky to appreciate those magnificent blue hues, during twilight they shine all around you as you can see here…………


Rhythm and Blues
I should add I used a polarizer to deepen the blues in this image.

Yeah,  Twilight does indeed sing the Blues! Thanks for stopping by!

Enter to Win

Hi Everyone, time for another promo. Enter to win a copy of “REFLECTIONS OF THE BATTERY”. From the names entered I will draw two, the first chosen will receive a 20 x 30 inch print and the second, a 16 x 24 inch print.

“REFLECTIONS OF THE BATTERY”


“Reflections of the Battery” was taken looking across “the Narrows”, the entrance to the harbour in beautiful St John’s Newfoundland.

To enter please complete one of the following:

• “Like” my Facebook page or
• Click “Like” on this blog post and leave a comment.

Please note I need both the “Like” and the comment to ensure I am able to record your entry. Also this is for a print only, it is not framed or mounted. I will cover the cost of shipping anywhere in the world. Draw date is July 1st, 2012, Canada Day.

Sorry family members and employees are not eligible.

Good Luck and thank you for stopping by! Greetings from Canada’s Far East!