In My Back Pocket – Photography

A Teepee frame on the valley floor at Dunvegan, near the Factor’s house, the Peace River and the Dunvegan bridge; a late evening sunset during harvest, a family operation … almost done; a forest trail panorama – looking for greens on an overcast Sunday afternoon in late September; and, a vintage grain truck – up for sale, on the side of the road. All are opportunity to find fall colour and to become a stealer of moments.

Reminded well of Dar Williams’ album ‘The Beauty of the Rain,’ and of one particular song – ‘Fishing in the Morning.’ The first lines run … ‘Let’s go fishing in the morning, just like we’ve always gone. You can come inside and wake me up, we’ll pack and leave by dawn.’ It’s a song about taking concrete steps in Life and Lives towards hopes, dreams and goals. It’s a song about appreciating time on Earth.

Quote to Consider / Inspire: “Photographic technique is no secret and – provided the interest is there – easily assimilated. But inspiration comes from the sould and when the Muse isn’t around even the best exposure meter is very little help. In their biographies, artists like Michelangelo, da Vinci and Bach said that their most valuable technique was their ability to inspire themselves. This is true of all artists; the moment there is something to say, there becomes a way to say it.” – Ralph Gibson, from his book ‘Déjà vu’ [cited in Creative Camera December 1972, p. 401]

Listening to: Dar Williams’ song ‘The Beauty of the Rain,’ a song fretted / learned with my FP-325SRC reading tablature shared in Acoustic Guitar magazine (now played with my L’Arrivee L-03).

An overcast, autumn September day – we, my wife and I, drive up Watt Mountain behind Hutch Lake. I get out of the truck while she is content to read in the cab. Down a cut-line and then a couple of paces into trees I find this image (among several) – colours found, the fall of each tree, the textures and the wisps of moss remind of Cathedral Grove and my parents’ home in Qualicum Beach, British Columbia.

Quote to Inspire / Consider – ‘Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever …. It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.’ – Aaron Siskind

Listening to – Brubeck’s ‘Take Five,’ a tune my father played both on his Heintzman grand piano in vertical form and on his Marantz stereo with Dual turntable … good memories, grateful.

The last few months have been a time of deep learning with photography, paying attention to tools and their use, composition and light. It’s been a time of becoming more familiar with what to do in a given situation and how to problem-solve along the way. It’s been a time of seeing what more I can do with editing in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. It’s been a time of making time for photography whether it’s the decision to pull the truck over a grab the image I’ve been gifted with or planning time in the mountains with my camera or to participate in a photo walk. Longstanding computer issues have been resolved, the monitor is calibrated as best it can be and now it’s time to print my photos and share my photos. One of the highlights occurred last summer when a canvas print sold for $900 … a record for me. And, that event highlighted understanding of how meaningful an image can be to others. I am grateful for the encouragement and the opportunity to have done so, right here, in High Level, Alberta, Canada.

A Saturday’s drive to Grande Prairie netted these images. The Dunvegan bridge is something I photographed in a photo-stitch and as a single image using a 10 stop (Super Stopper) Lee Filter. The photo-stitch was a curious experiment – I used a 16-35mm lens for the stitch of eight photos. The distortion of the lens created something curious looking and less that real, but a good example of why working with a 50 mm prime lens would be the better choice – I am learning and have learned. Working with a 50 mm prime is my plan next time I am in and around Dunvegan. I did gather a good shot with the Super Stopper filter and was rewarded with smooth water as result following a four-minute exposure. At day’s end I shot a windmill water pump between La Glace and Sexsmith, Alberta. On a grey sky evening, the sky opened between clouds and I got these images – I’m liking the colour, the texture, the light and the cloud work.

Quote to Consider / Inspire: “When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.” ― Ansel Adams

Listening to: Still Corner’s ‘The Trip,’ Flock of Seagulls’ ‘I Ran,’ Midnight Oil’s ‘Beds Are Burning,’ Gord Downie’s ‘Introduce Yourself,’ Joe Strummer’s ‘London is Burning,’ Bob Dylan’s ‘Wiggle Wiggle’ and Laura Cortese’s ‘California Calling.’ And, of course, there’s been Dizzie Gillespie’s ‘School Days.’