The year is coming to a close...

And at last, it's snowing outside! The forecast for Thursday night (it's now Saturday) was for up to 11" of snow here: I think we got 11mm! I could still see my grass. But it's snowing right now and the guy across the road is plowing his parking lot. Guess that means I get to take my ATV out and do my driveway! I think I'll let the township pass down the road first so I can clear the "cone" they make at the head of my driveway. Anyway, "Yahoo!" Winter.

(PS: it's later in the day. I went out and plowed with the ATV, the whole 2" of snow that we got! Having some issues with the switch that controls the winch (and the plow blade), I hope that's all it is. Up works, down doesn't always.)

Need I remind you that making quality winter pictures requires some forethought? Look over on the right to see my Guide to winter photography, and download it!

People try to take advantage

I read an ad in the local paper this morning calling for entries to the Haliburton Tourism photo contest. I'm not entering. I went to their website and discovered

1. You have to be on FaceBook or Twitter to submit images. 
2. It wants to install an app on your computer and you have to give it permission to "post on your behalf" which to me means I would allow them to pretend they're me and post on facebook as if it was me doing so. I'm not paranoid, that's what it says on the subtext.
3. No manipulation, no composites. I get it, but that means you can't even clone out a power line or do an HDR.
4. Here's the biggie. They ask for "a royalty-free, world-wide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to display, distribute, reproduce, and create derivative works of the entries, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or subsequently developed, for any County of Haliburton purpose, including, but not limited to advertising and promotional materials, its website, exhibition, and commercial products, including but not limited to County of Haliburton publications. The County of Haliburton will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such uses".

It's the 'commercial products, the "derivative works" and the "not limited to.." aspects that bother me.

I wrote them an email saying I'd be delighted to contribute to Tourism Haliburton, and I have some worthwhile images for them, but under my terms. I said, instead of the fancy legal terms, why not say something like, "we have the right to use your pictures on our website and even on our printed advertising, but if there's going to be any other use made of it, we will ask your permission first."

I'm sure it will fall on deaf ears but it was cathartic to write it.

Moving forward in 2013

There are some things I want to do with my life going forward. I'm going to be 67 this year. It's now or never! This isn't a New Year's Resolution, simply a goal to make some of the things I've been considering and preparing turn into concrete actions. They include:

• Consider where I am as an artist. I had a great conversation with Rosa yesterday in which I tried to convince her that by practicing and studying and reading and learning what the rules are (whether you follow them or not) you gain technical expertise and can therefore devote more attention to your art. She responded that all of that was horse manure, just go out and do what your passion tells you. I still think I'm right, in the sense that you can't do that if the technical stuff isn't instinctive but I do get what she's saying.
• Commercialize or monetize. Don't get me wrong, I hate blogs that are constantly and transparently trying to sell you something (the ones written by NAPP staffers come to mind), but at this point I do need some income from this stuff. Again I don't mean the blog... I mean training courses and materials, marketing some photographs, teaching.
• Explore other media. Writing: there's that novel that really wants to come out of me. Painting: despite my best intentions, I haven't tried it yet. Music: I'll never be any good (not in this life, anyway!) but I get passionate listening to great musicians. 
• Travel. I want to go places I can experience some of these things before it's too late. I haven't travelled in a long time. I need to.
• Relationships. I don't want to talk about that here, but it's something I need to address.

It's going to be a busy year.

February is already a busy month: there's an art show I plan to attend (The Artist Project 2013), I'm doing a presentation to the Richmond Hill Camera Club on HDR techniques, and I'm judging a competition at Toronto Camera Club. More to come!

Killer deal from B&H

If you're reading this before the end of 2012, you have to go to the B&H site and see this offer for a Nikon D600 outfit at an $850 discount. I wish it had been there when I bought mine, but then I wouldn't have 3 months of pictures with it under my belt, would I?

There's also my D300 outfit for sale:

If you're interested, I shot this in the light tent with one single off-camera Speedlight (SB600) pointing up. I overexposed it on purpose to blow out the background and I enhanced the detail in Photoshop using Topaz Adjust.

Everything you see here. What a great Christmas gift! Now in my Kijiji ad, I say $1200 (someone else is offering just the camera and lens for $1350 firm! Look at all my goodies!) but if you're reading it here, let's talk. Check out the Kijiji ad for more details or contact me directly!

Images

The world out there hasn't inspired me to shoot much in the past weeks. Maybe with snow on the ground, I'll feel more like getting out there. But in the meantime...

Winter's on its way! But it's not here yet... the lake isn't hard! Here's an unusual shot, you can only get at this time of year (actually you can see this in the dead of winter in fast water).

Iced Cap

The water washing over the rock froze in place. But the lake is still liquid! 

I went back and got my 10x ND filter so I could shoot this 15 second time exposure. The red colour snuck in there: I think it was the sun reflecting off the ND filter. So I emphasized it. Again, the rocks have a cap of ice. 

This ATV was sitting in the parking lot next door. HDR + Oil Paint filter makes it surreal.

This guy was working in the parking lot. He works at the Inn and I don't think I've ever seen him without a cigarette hanging from his mouth. This a really tight crop out of a long telephoto shot.. I just liked the character study. 

I drive past this sculpture all the time: it's on Water Street, one of the main roads into Minden. It's very 'kitch' but I thought it was quite cool in the snow. I fixed the eyes in Photoshop because they were covered with snow, but they realistically match the eyes the sculptor put in there, you can see it in a bear further down.

That's it for this weekend: it's more interesting out there now, let's see what I can come up with for next time!

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Sometimes you've got it...

And sometimes you don't!

Distracted by visitors (that's a good thing!) and with my mind clogged with other stuff (that's not), I haven't been shooting very many pictures for the past couple of weeks. Normally I see potential images everywhere around me, but not for a little while now. I'm feeling kind of jaded, but also on the cusp of something. I'm just not sure what.

I look at other people's pictures and say, "ho-hum. Another landscape, or HDR, or bird". Been there, done that. Stuff hasn't been speaking to me. I read a book on writing novels, then I read a novel and marvelled at how inept the writer was. Stilted dialog, inappropriate time spent on detail and not enough on character... and this is a published novel from a known writer! I watch sitcom's on TV and cringe at the laugh track, although I can still marvel at the skill of the videography. There's much to be learned.

I went out for an afternoon shoot with Dr. Ron and got... nuthin'. Not inspired. We spent 2 fruitless hours waiting for an Osprey in a nest to do something! It was a good day, though, the company was great, just getting a chance to unwind a bit... I feel a bit directionless and in need of a challenge. Is it just me, or do others feel that way sometimes?

A disappointment

Henry's Camera phoned me: the D800e I pre-ordered was in. "Come pick it up". I declined. Some financial issues, including the replacement of my computer, make it not possible now. My D300 keeps on trucking along, and I understand that Nikon is coming out with their new D600 in a few weeks at half the price of the D800. (Link) Maybe that's the ticket, we'll see soon! I have set aside enough money for that.

By the way, there's another rumour floating around for Canon fans: check it out! Thanks, Stu, for the heads-up.

Close to a deal

PS, I'm close to a deal to sell my motorcycle, or actually trade it for an ATV with a snowplow. Actually we've shaken hands on the deal but it depends on whether the other guy is able to restore the ATV to a suitable condition (I'm pretty sure he is, but I don't want to count my chickens!). Stay tuned...

Here's another mixed message

I took this picture yesterday:

Macro shot of a maple leaf. And yes, that's what colour it is. Lit by an off-camera flash at an oblique angle to bring out the texture. By the way, for you tekkie types, this was shot at minimum magnification with the bellows, lens somewhere around 80mm and probably at f/11. You can see the focus fall-off at upper right. Depth of field is always an issue with macro shots. 

All around me there are signs of the end of summer and the promise of autumn colours to come. For over a week, there are trees and individual branches showing colour already. Likely they are the less healthy shrubs, suffering somehow from lack of circulation. Although the daytime temperatures vary with the weather, there's a certain crispness in the nighttime air even when it's a warm evening. I can't believe it's actually Labour Day Weekend, the traditional end of high summer.

Every year I look forward at this time and say "this year I'm not going to give in and shoot the trite postcard views of Fall Colours in the Highlands". And every year, my breath is taken away by the colours so bright that you need sunglasses to look at them without damaging your eyes. What will I do this year?

I haven't planned anything yet: but I'm thinking about a "Photowalk" or "Fall Colours Shoot" up here. Who wants to come up? Shall we put something formal together? Or just a group of friends? Please tell me your thoughts and if you'd like to participate. A quick flirt with my calendar says the weekend of September 29/30 might be the one. Drop me a line...

Gales of November

That's Rob Stimpson's workshop up in Wawa on the shores of Lake Gitchigumi (Lake Superior). I'm not able to go this year, but I think they still have some space available if anyone is interested. It's a long drive but a wonderful opportunity to get some outstanding pictures, make new friends and have a fantastic extended weekend. This year it's November 1-4. Here are some links for information:

Rob Stimpson's website. Scroll down near the bottom of the page. Contact Rob here.
The Rock Island Lodge website. There's a video at the bottom of the page that I put together after the 2010 trip. If you click the "more images in the gallery" link at the bottom of the page, there's quite a number of pictures to see.
If you go to this Picasa album, there's a selection of images taken over some years at the Gales workshop. Some of the images are mine!

This is probably my favourite image from my two visits there (published several times, including in PhotoNews!)

Anyway, here are a few images from this "less-than-productive-week". OK, some of them came out OK...

At the "Famous"(!!) Haliburton Garlic Festival. Would you believe this bunch of a dozen garlic bulbs was selling for almost $50? OK, I'm not a connaisseur...

Family Portrait at the Scotch Line Road Landfill (OK, 'garbage dump'). I don't like the foreground, maybe I'll play with it a bit later on. You can click on it (actually any of my images) to blow it up and see more detail.

Macro shot of flower buds. This whole image is the size of my thumbnail. This is actually a "Focus Stacked" composite done in Photoshop CS6, from 8 separate images. As I said earlier, depth of field in macro photography is a challenge. Also enhanced with Topaz Adjust 5. 

Pano taken when I was shooting with Dr. Ron the other day. This was just East of Kirkfield, where the Trent-Severn waterway meets Highway 48. There was a boat with two fishermen in it nearby when we drove by earlier but they were gone when we got back. I'm kicking myself for not following my instincts and stopping for the shot. 

I had stopped for some sunset shots on Highway 35 one evening. It got dark (it does every night! LOL) and I was putting the camera away when I thought of trying this shot. I zoomed my 70-200 lens while the shutter was open (1 sec @ f/8, ISO 100) and a car approached along the road.  

See you next time! Pass along this link: I'd love to have more visitors to my blog.

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