February 26, 2012

A "Little" Field Trip (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Digital original
I have always loved simplicity, and while waiting for students to show up for the field trip, I caught sight of this leaf on a metal access hatch, and had to make an image of it.
Digital original
Within feet of the first image's location, some metal had been welded onto the plate, and the weld-lines ground down to the underlying stainless steel. With my 150mm macro lens, I was able to get in close enough to abstract the grinder lines and create a less literal image of the metal.
Digital original

As the students and I roamed about with cameras, close-ups and details continued to be the focus of my camera - the above image is the bottom of a canoe dragged high and dry for the winter.

February 19, 2012

Windhorse Farm Day #3 (New Germany, Nova Scotia)

Digital original
  A morning cup of OJ, freshly poured with a perfect bubble in the middle.
Digital original
Though I have now been using digital cameras for over a decade, I still find colour surprising, and hard. That being said, as soon as I drove past this barn, I knew something could be done with the red roof.
Digital original
A soon as I saw this board, holding the barn door shut, I knew exactly what I'd do with it!

February 18, 2012

Windhorse Farm Day #2 (New Germany, Nova Scotia)

Digital original, 7 frame exposure blend, 3 image stitch
My favourite image of the three days spent at Windhorse Farm is above; the light on the snow and lake was lovely, set below a beautiful winter sky.
Digital original
The view across to the other side of the lake was breath-taking - snow lightly dusted the hillside and gave beautiful highlights to the bare trees.
Digital original
The three mouse catchers on watch at the barn. I have never seen such plump cats.

February 17, 2012

Windhorse Farm Day #1 (New Germany, Nova Scotia)

Digital original

As the winter has been so mild, this horse was enjoying an afternoon out of the barn, in an open field. Made while waiting for students to arrive for the first annual Winter Photo Retreat.
Digital original, 8 frame focus blend
I was curious about the possibilities of focus stacking with a long lens (in this case, 400mm); after some experimentation, it turned out eight images at f/8 were enough to provide infinite depth of field, from the post on the left to the trees in the distance.

February 05, 2012

A morning Waterfront Field Trip (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Digital original
The early morning light was bright yellow, which immediately I connected to the colour of the rope on this dock.  I inverted my tripod head to get my camera right down to the dock level, and then used my 17mm tilt-shift lens to ensure my depth of field extended from the very front of the image to the bollard upon which the rock was tied.
Digital original
Whenever I find myself at a loss for things to photograph, I fall back upon composition as a way to create an image - I look for lines, shapes and forms which I can use to construct a composition, regardless of content.
Digital original
I have always loved the look of worn paint, and in this image, set against the new and pristine canvas cover, it became even more of a contrast in textures.

February 02, 2012

Vanessa in the Studio (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Digital infrared original
This portrait is actually a "test" image from this session. I'd asked Vanessa if she'd be interested in helping me make some images for a digital composite I was working on (for a series of fortune telling cards); she was more than happy to assist, and once the lighting was set up, I made some test images - including this really pleasing portrait.
Digital infrared original
At the end of the session, after creating the images I was seeking, I made a couple of images of Vanessa's tattoo - in infrared, tattoo always look far darker and more dramatic.
Digital composite
The final digital image, which was the real focus of this image, wasn't completed for a year!