Shop Studio

Best Practices - Photography, Canon 60D, Canon Camera, Canon Live View, Journaling, Light Intensity, Photoblog Intention, Photography & Conceptualizing Beauty, Project 365 - Photo-a-day, Sigma Lens - Wide Angle 10-20mm, Spring, Vehicle, Vehicle Restoration
Chevrolet Pickup - Reynolds-Alberta Museum - Wetaskiwin, Alberta

Chevrolet Pickup – Reynolds-Alberta Museum – Wetaskiwin, Alberta

One never-done project I hope to undertake is to photograph a vehicle indoors and to control context and lighting and to create a cluster of images from various perspectives. The vehicle could be a sports car, a restored relic or a project vehicle about to undergo rehabilitation – each will reveal character in its grillwork, lights, repetition of shape, door handles, badge-work and interior. The task will be to explore pattern, shape, design and colour. This 1940 Chevrolet pick-up truck has me thinking about the project because museum lighting is a fixed entity, something not within my control; multiple lights reflect at several points on the pick-up’s glossy sheen – the hood, cab, windscreen, fenders, grill and bumper. In a controlled, albeit impromptu shop as studio, limiting light in terms of source versus sources, controlling light intensity and in terms of directing light to the vehicle – all will allow freedom to photograph the indoor vehicle with intent. Key, here, would be having light that can be intense enough to allow work at lower ISO. Some of the work will be about context – borrowing shop space, ensuring that it’s tidy and setting/planning how to light the vehicle. It will also be about coordinating invitations and times to shoot. And, once each vehicle arrives the matter becomes that of seeing the shot, discovering the vehicle through the lens and then keeping the vehicle clean – lint-free, dust-free and smudge free.

Other News – Dave Brosha is offering a workshop in Fort Vermilion, Alberta, an event sponsored by the Fort Vermilion Community Library – +1 (780) 927-4279; a friend called and encouraged me to lock-in my spot with a deposit; check out Dave Brosha’s photography and website – http://www.davebrosha.com/ .

Listening to – Sigur Ros’ ‘Glosoli’ and ‘Hoppipolla.’

Quote to Inspire – “There is nothing as mysterious as a fact clearly described. I photograph to see what something will look like photographed.” – Garry Winogrand

Relics Restored

Best Practices - Photography, Canon 60D, Canon Camera, Canon Live View, Light Intensity, Photoblog Intention, Photography & Conceptualizing Beauty, Project 365 - Photo-a-day, Sigma Lens - Wide Angle 10-20mm, Spring, Vehicle, Vehicle Restoration
4 Wheel Drive Auto Co - Reynolds Museum, Wetaskiwin, Alberta

4 Wheel Drive Auto Co – Reynolds Museum, Wetaskiwin, Alberta

Front End - Graham Farm Truck - Reynolds Museum, Wetaskiwin, Alberta

Front End – Graham Farm Truck – Reynolds Museum, Wetaskiwin, Alberta

Graham Farm Truck - Reynolds Museum - Wetaskiwin, Alberta

Graham Farm Truck – Reynolds Museum – Wetaskiwin, Alberta

Graham Radiator - Reynolds Museum, Wetaskiwin, Alberta

Part of Easter break took me into central Alberta to Wetaskiwin for an afternoon at the Reynolds-Alberta Museum. With permission I photographed vehicles that had played a part in Alberta’s history – McLaughlin Buicks, Grahams, a Duisenberg, a Cord, some Chevrolets and Fords. With my Sigma 10-20 mm lens and at ISO 6400, the museum’s lighting was somewhat harsh and it’s possible that different metering and bringing down the ISO with longer exposures might have yielded more satisfying results. A speedlight might allow more control of lighting although reflection from vehicle gloss and finish would need to be anticipated. My intention, for my next visit is to bring my macro lens (for pattern and design work) and my 70-200 lens (to get closer-in to vehicles from a distance) – exploring other possibilities. So, these images become scouting shots, first looks at subject and context and first looks towards what might be done next time. The upcoming May long-weekend begins a tribute to cars from the fifties at the Reynolds Museum, something to return for.

Listening to – Peter Gabriel’s ‘In Your Eyes,’ ‘Sledgehammer,’ ‘Shaking the Tree,’ ‘Steam,’ ‘Don’t Give Up’ and ‘Come Talk to Me.’

Quote to Inspire – “My life is shaped by the urgent need to wander and observe, and my camera is my passport.” – Steve McCurry