Photography School Week Two

Here I am at the end of week two and so far I am surviving. I think school is tougher than dealing with clients! Take for example the shoot I did at Vancouver International Airport last week. I had to submit three, and only three submissions - no opportunity for a second presentation either. In my case I over thought what to submit. I was shooting for the Photojournalism class so I decided to submit two images that 'said' Airport. I know they conveyed airport as a place but my instructor critiqued them as too contrived. Having seen other students submissions and hearing the comments I am proud of my peers, and I take nothing away from them, however I could have stood in much greater light had I chosen other images from my shoot. Alas there is no second chance. Had I been presenting to a client I could have come back with the more appropriate selection, but such is not the case in class, what I gave is what it is, no chance of redemption for that assignment. I guess this is why I am in school, to learn.

My YVR shoot has flown, so I will leave you with a few street shots I took this past week.


One of my classmates making pictures.



Whale Watching.




Freighter Watching from the Spanish Banks.

School Week One

After a whirlwind of activity and application form overload I have finally made it here to Vancouver for my Professional Photographer Program. I haven't found a permanent address yet but I have found somewhere to lay my head.



Home Away From Home.


OK, I am only kidding, but if it doesn't rain out this could do in a pinch!
Actually I have been staying at Hostel International Vancouver, Jericho Beach. It has been a great place to start out, being close to school, close to the beach, and quite affordable. The hostel is kept clean and is occupied by a bunch of really decent people. The photo below is one I took while on a cycle tour of the beach walk, only moments away from HI Vancouver.


In Front of Spanish Banks Cafe


As I was typing this blog entry I received a phone call about a room for rent only five blocks from my school and no hill to climb. I am really beginning to like it here. School is revealing itself to be hard work but then again I didn't expect it to be anything other than hard work anyway. All this going on in my life makes me happy as a rose bloom (Sorry, couldn't resist!)


Happy Flower

Going To School

It's true, I am returning to school at 52 years old!

Frustrated from my unfruitful attempts to locate suitable employment since my injury I decided that I would see if I could obtain funded career training. I went to The Employment Place in Salmon Arm where a wonderfully helpful client counselor listened to my story then made some suggestions. In the middle of August I attended a two week self exploration career decision workshop known as Implicit Career Search, conducted by Stepping Stones Consulting in Salmon Arm. Back at The Employment Place we decided together that we could build a case to endorse preparation for a career as a professional photographer. Bowman Employment Services agreed that mine was a case they could get behind, and I start a ten month diploma program at Focal Point Academy Of Visual Arts in Vancouver this Monday!

This has been a whirlwind and many thanks are due. You know who you all are. May God bless you abundantly.


The other day I traveled around with a mandate to shoot only at 18mm. The light was lousy but I didn't care for my sole intent was to capture compositions using only the widest angle I had available to me.


My bike parked behind the library



Reflections at Salmon Arm Wharf



Looking through the railings

Kayak Adventures

My wife and son have been active kayak enthusiasts for the past ten years and have tried to get me interested for as long. Well this year they finally succeeded, and all I can say is, What took me so long?

Fishing On Hidden Lake, Enderby, BC

1/15 sec. (hand-held) f5.3 230mm ISO 1250

Mallard Duck and My Son on White Lake, Salmon Arm, BC

1/400 sec f14 55mm ISO 800

Levi Performing An Eskimo Roll

1/1250 sec f8 55mm ISO 800

The Ducks Like Levi!

1/1250 sec f8 55mm ISO 800

Cats Afternoon

Kress, eight week old female Scottish Fold


George, eight week old Scottish Fold male, straight ears


Mr Chin, male with folded ears, giving George a pat on the head.


Kress soaking up the heat from my desklamp, keeping me from work.

The Kittens Are Growing

The following pictures were taken about a week ago, when the kittens were seven weeks old. Today the kittens turned eight weeks and the first one to move out has found an excellent home with our son in sunny Kelowna. These cats are wonderfully socialized and will settle well in whatever home they go to.


Mother Sophie with the awesome Mr. Chin

1/60 sec f.5.6 60mm prime ISO200


Beautiful, brilliant and bursting with energy, this little lady we call Kress

1/60 sec f9 60mm ISO200


George, the Littlest Holstein. That gray between his paws is the last of his first mouse capture!

1/60 sec f8 78mm ISO800


Ems is sticking her tongue out and George is reaching out. Whatever it is it must look tasty.

1/60 sec f9 60mm ISO200

Color Valuing (Temperature) Photographs In Post Production

Today I would like to offer three versions of the same photograph in order to illustrate a simple yet visually appealing option in post-production, color valuing.

In truth, all three images are the same photograph. The different look and feel of each image is a result of the visual / emotional impact of the color values perceived. A simple adjustment of the temperature value slider and, Voila', an entirely different photo!

The original picture is shown first. It has not been edited in any way, it has only been converted from NEF (Nikon's RAW Format) to a reduced dimension JPG.


Personal Water Craft On Shuswap Lake - Original

1/6400 sec f.8 400mm ISO400 Color Temperature 4696

PWC - Warmed Up ...emphasizes the Golden Light...

1/6400 sec f.8 400mm ISO400 Color Temperature 8000

PWC - Cooled Down ...truest to the minds rendition at "Cheese" time...

1/6400 sec f.8 400mm ISO400 Color Temperature 3800


Please use the comments to state which you prefer and why. Any other comments and/or feedback is also welcome.

Graduation 2010

A family we are friends with celebrated the youngest daughters high school graduation the June. She has determined a solid educational path towards the profession she has chosen. She is an intelligent young lady and she will do well. As always, we pray that life continue to unfold well for her.


Balloons on the family float pulled in the Grad Parade

1/1600 sec f.8 55mm ISO400


Water Girls or Pink Mermaid

1/1250 sec f.4.8 86mm ISO400


After the Toss

1/10 sec f.5.6 200mm ISO1600


It says it all...

1 sec f.8 98mm ISO1000

Hunting the Elusive Yellow Headed Blackbird

Along the Salmon Arm waterfront is a rich marshland ecosystem that is recognized as important breeding habitat for several wetlands phyla and species. Amongst these breeders are Yellow Head Blackbird, which were my photographic pursuit on June 8, 2010. I weaponized the Nikon D70 with a Nikon Field Scope coupled through an SLR-Scope Adapter and set out to picture these illusive YH Blackbirds. For some unknown reason this lens, though powerful, appears to be incapable of capturing a "Money Shot," mostly because of severe Chromatic Aberration, secondarily due to a lack of ability to obtain Critical Focus, likely from the same basic optical fault that produces the Aberrations. None-the-less, I enjoyed my day and managed a few pictures I could enjoy anyway.


Yellow Headed Blackbird With Tail Fanned



The bird here is admittedly blurred, yet I quite like the tones and the pastel smoothness of the soft focus clouds.



Flying Fish? Darwin's (mythological) missing link? How does he carry the fish like that? -Look ma, no hands! (The only post processing done on this image is crop, dust removal, white point adjustment and reveal shadow detail.)



Over the years I have discovered that there is almost always a picture within a picture and along the same lines, there is usually another photo ready to be made if you take the time to look around you. My adapted scope-lens did not deliver a printable shot of this sailboat, but it did let me enjoy myself capturing compositions of this sportsman on the water.



All above shots taken with Nikon D70, Nikon Fieldscope IV (f.13) and Nikon FSA-L1 Adapter. ISO 400, Various shutter speeds.

Our New Scottish Fold Cats

Scottish Fold cats are a truly unique breed within the realm of the domestic cat; deeply affectionate, highly intelligent, vocally articulate yet soft-spoken, Folds have established a well deserved reputation as superb feline pets.

Years ago while living near Smithers, BC., my young family took great pleasure in a folded-ear and a straight-eared Fold that were bred in Prince Rupert, BC.. Earlier this year my wife found two Scottish Folds available to a good home, so once affairs were in order, my son and I drove to, coincidently, Prince Rupert to bring home our new friends, the queen is with my wife and I while our son has given a wonderful home to the neutered male.

By a genetic quirk Scottish Folds are bred to other breeds of cats that do not have folded ears and the result is typically half a litter with folded ears with the other half of the litter having straight ears. All the kittens retain the unique and sought after Fold personality. If both the Queen and the Tom are Scottish Fold the litter is likely to be deformed or otherwise deficient. We wanted kittens, therefore we chose to let her breed with a straight eared breed of cat in order to have a healthy brood.

The young were born on June 1, 2010. All are black with some white marking, except for the fluffy-puffy little holstein look-a-like who is white with black spotting!

Our son has chosen a dear little clone of its sweet mother and will be taking it home in another month, and then his "Bawler" will have a companion cat around the house. We haven't decided if we will keep one of these kittens or breed one more time before having our sweetheart spayed, we do agree however that we will be adding one more Scottish Fold permanently into our home, it is simply a matter of selection - and when they are all so sweet, it can be hard to choose.

REMEMBER: To view a larger image, simply mouse click over the image you wish to view.


This is our mother cat. She was previously named "Sophia," but we simply call her "Beautiful."



This is a snapshot when they were only days old.



Here they are curled up with Mom. Being so black they are difficult to photograph.



They are steadily gaining their feet under them and are sure to be a pleasant nuisance under foot within days now. Once they are more active, I will take opportunity to make some decent photographs of the little cuties as they play their way to readiness for their new homes. By the way, are you interested in a kitten? Use the comments if so...

Tea For the Tillerman

I have been pretty busy lately but I thought I had better update the blog anyway. These two pictures were taken several years ago with a point and shoot Canon. These are International pictures - the river is in Canada but the background mountain is in the USA!

Use the comments and tell me which of the two photos you like best...


TILLERMAN: This one always makes me think of Cat Stevens' Tea For the Tillerman.'



RIVER PILOT: I like the lighting,the wind in the hair, and the mountain dividing river from sky.



Please take a moment to comment on which you like best and why...

Watoto African Children's Choir

Recently the church we fellowship at hosted a wonderful concert of the Watoto Children's Choir from, you guessed it, Africa. It was an inspiring evening of song, praise and dance, vibrant in the energy of its' performance and the colors of cultural dress. Safe to say, a wonderful time was had by all.



1/80 sec. f8. 300mm ISO1250 saturation reduced in iPhoto

Spring Is Sprung

Many 'things' have become icons of spring, symbolically heralding the glorious change of the season from the passing winter to the luxurious changes brought about by the warming sun with its' longer days. If you are not too young and you have experienced spring on the prairies, you will no doubt be always hoping to spot the ever beautiful prairie crocus.

Prairie Crocus

1/250 sec. f5.6 ISO-800 55mm

Bugs On Plants

Bugs are fascinating subjects, especially when seen close up through a micro (for Nikonians) / macro lens.


1/125 sec. f4.2 ISO-800 60mm Nikkor Micro Lens



1/640 sec. f10 ISO-1000 60mm Nikkor Micro Lens



1/125 sec. f4 ISO-800 60mm Nikkor Micro Lens

Snowshoeing At Fairmont Hot Springs

It is time to deviate a little from the Photo Of the Day concept and just share a few pictures. My wife works really hard and she has taken this week for a vacation, which we are taking at Fairmont Hot Springs, British Columbia.

Today we strapped on our snowshoes and went along on a guided trek that departed from the local ski hill. There isn't a lot of snow, the lighting was poor and I lost a lens cap, so photographically the day was a wash, but our guides, Lucas, Steph, and Britt made certain that we enjoyed ourselves anyway.

Approaching the Creek Crossing



Our Guides; Steph, Britt, and Lucas.



The Wife and I At the Turn Around Point. Photo by Stephanie

Birds Of A Feather

Of course one can always get two sides of a coin by utilizing two coins, or in this case, two pieces currency.




1/125 sec. f4.5 ISO1000 60mm Tripod

Two Sides of the Coin

Today for a Photo of the Day I not only get to post two photos, I indeed Must post two, for today's photo is a collector coin from the Royal Canadian Mint, and as everybody knows, there are two sides to every coin.

Year Of the Dragon Collector Coin 'Tails'

1/2000 sec. f3.8 ISO1600 60mm Tripod

Year Of the Dragon Collector Coin 'Heads'

1/4000 sec. f3.8 ISO1600 60mm Tripod


The ISO is so high because I neglected to reset the sensitivity after doing some hand held photography of wild birds while using a Nikon Fieldscope and adapter on my Nikon D70. Considering the ISO setting there is very little noise present.