So I'm in Munich right now (in the bathroom so I don't wake Carolyn). When I started this week I did not expect to end it on the other side of the ocean, but I suppose that's life.
Carolyn and I were notified at work around 3 or 4pm on Wednesday that we needed to catch a flight to Munich... at 8pm... that evening. I wasn't 100% sure that my passport was valid, so I rushed home right away. Passport was valid, so I began the packing process, but it's been some years since my work travel days, so we didn't hit the road until nearly 6pm. Thankfully the task to get to the airport was left to our new VP of Engineering, with the CEO as first mate.
Through some kind of magic (I couldn't say which - my eyes were tightly closed) we made it to Pearson in less than an hour, with plenty of time to grab Tim Horton's for dinner. We also learned that pregnancy has it's perks for travel, as we were allowed to pre-board and settle in nicely, before all the plebes.
I won't go into details about the trip, suffice it to say that the doctor drilling a hole into my thumbnail this evening to relieve some pressure after slamming it in a car door this morning just might be the highlight of the trip.
To the office tomorrow, hopefully with positive results.
Baby, it's cold outside
I suppose it's not so cold anymore, but it was when these photos were taken.
Flash Forward
I consider myself to be an available light photographer. I typically take landscape (natural or urban) and wildlife (flora or fauna) photos, which implies that I make use of natural light to illuminate my subject. For the most part, it's a very WYSIWYG experience.
As such, I don't often find myself creating light for the scene. I rarely use my on-camera flash (it really sucks any sense of dimension out of a photo), but I have used an old Canon flash for off-camera macro photography. I bought an optical flash trigger so I can activate the remote flash using my on-camera flash. Unfortunately, the setup is awkward enough - and the results not satisfying enough - that I haven't gained any competency using a flash. And I have been OK with that deficiency.
Until now.
Carolyn got me a very nice flash for Christmas so I have become forced to become competent. I have tried playing with it on a few occasions in order to familiarize myself with the gamut of functions that I never realized a flash could have. It's quite frustrating to step out of one's comfort zone. I feel completely at ease with my camera in my hands, but with the addition of this inarguably helpful tool I have become a novice again.
Now, I have accepted (begrudgingly) the fact that I won't understand all the fancy features of the flash overnight; I don't even know what they are all for, let alone how to active them. What is most frustrating for me is not being able to create the lighting effect I desire. I am not able to correctly visualize how the scene will appear when I place the flash in a certain way using a certain setting. I mean, I understand the fundamental concepts of lighting, but I can't seem to consistently apply them.
On top of that, flash photography requires a much different mindset than available-light photography. Consider that when taking a photograph using available light, you take what you can get, and then you move on. If the sun has set then you can't get those cozy, warm colours any more. For me, this is great because I am under the pressure of the clock to get the shot; if I don't get it within that window then there's nothing more I can do.
That concept doesn't apply when you use flash. If you aren't getting the result you want then it's because you're not doing something right, and it's up to you to fix it. And there's no clock. No clock means there is no end. No end to getting the shot that's just a little bit better than the last one. For a perfectionist, this isn't healthy.
I suppose half the problem is that I don't know when I've nailed the shot; when I'm using natural light I have a sense of this, but not as much when using the flash. I expect this will come with time and practice, but knowing this fact doesn't make it easier.
So, practicing is what I have started to do. After a trip to the dollar store I acquired some coloured bristol board for backdrops, a foam board to keep them straight, and some clips to keep them attached. I managed to keep the foam board upright using some tape and a bookend, but I may invest in some better equipment after squishing my subject a few times. Below is a selection of my recent attempts. Note that they are all against a black backdrop; I was unable to illuminate the white backdrop enough, and the blue background just wasn't cutting it.
I have signed up for a day seminar for flash photography with Richard and Ryan in April, so I have high hopes for what I will learn. In the mean time I'll keep flashing.
As such, I don't often find myself creating light for the scene. I rarely use my on-camera flash (it really sucks any sense of dimension out of a photo), but I have used an old Canon flash for off-camera macro photography. I bought an optical flash trigger so I can activate the remote flash using my on-camera flash. Unfortunately, the setup is awkward enough - and the results not satisfying enough - that I haven't gained any competency using a flash. And I have been OK with that deficiency.
Until now.
Carolyn got me a very nice flash for Christmas so I have become forced to become competent. I have tried playing with it on a few occasions in order to familiarize myself with the gamut of functions that I never realized a flash could have. It's quite frustrating to step out of one's comfort zone. I feel completely at ease with my camera in my hands, but with the addition of this inarguably helpful tool I have become a novice again.
Now, I have accepted (begrudgingly) the fact that I won't understand all the fancy features of the flash overnight; I don't even know what they are all for, let alone how to active them. What is most frustrating for me is not being able to create the lighting effect I desire. I am not able to correctly visualize how the scene will appear when I place the flash in a certain way using a certain setting. I mean, I understand the fundamental concepts of lighting, but I can't seem to consistently apply them.
On top of that, flash photography requires a much different mindset than available-light photography. Consider that when taking a photograph using available light, you take what you can get, and then you move on. If the sun has set then you can't get those cozy, warm colours any more. For me, this is great because I am under the pressure of the clock to get the shot; if I don't get it within that window then there's nothing more I can do.
That concept doesn't apply when you use flash. If you aren't getting the result you want then it's because you're not doing something right, and it's up to you to fix it. And there's no clock. No clock means there is no end. No end to getting the shot that's just a little bit better than the last one. For a perfectionist, this isn't healthy.
I suppose half the problem is that I don't know when I've nailed the shot; when I'm using natural light I have a sense of this, but not as much when using the flash. I expect this will come with time and practice, but knowing this fact doesn't make it easier.
So, practicing is what I have started to do. After a trip to the dollar store I acquired some coloured bristol board for backdrops, a foam board to keep them straight, and some clips to keep them attached. I managed to keep the foam board upright using some tape and a bookend, but I may invest in some better equipment after squishing my subject a few times. Below is a selection of my recent attempts. Note that they are all against a black backdrop; I was unable to illuminate the white backdrop enough, and the blue background just wasn't cutting it.
I have signed up for a day seminar for flash photography with Richard and Ryan in April, so I have high hopes for what I will learn. In the mean time I'll keep flashing.
Rocky Holidays
Last Thanksgiving weekend, Carolyn and I went to visit our friends Andrea and Jeremy in Alberta. They moved out there last summer when Andrea got a ministerial placement in the metropolis of Killam. I can confirm that there is at least one stop sign in the town.
They were gracious enough to drive many hours and many hundred kilometers to show us the amazing Rocky Mountains, so I thought I should finally share some photos. Furthermore, I upgraded my computer over Christmas so I can do certain post-processing techniques (such as panoramas) much quicker.
We flew into Edmonton in the evening where we met Andrea, Jeremy, and Hiro. From there we drove straight to Canmore. Jeremy has booked us a great chalet, and this is the view we found in our backyard the next morning.
We drove into Banff National Park - my first visit - and headed for the Banff Gondola. The view on the way up is amazing, and once you're at the top - spectacular. We hiked around for quite some time and I took a number of photos. I think Jeremy and Andrea learned how time can slow to a crawl when I have my camera.
We then headed to Lake Louise for another short hike. Right on the lake is the Château Lake Louise, which is amazingly large and without a doubt has the best-smelling bathroom soap I have ever used. Everything since has left me wanting more from my hand-washing experience.
Just south of Lake Louise is the pristine Moraine Lake. I have never witnessed water so turquoise. Apparently it is one of the most photographed locations in Canada, and I can understand why.
Me and Carolyn at Moraine Lake.
Jeremy and Andrea at Moraine Lake.
To our dismay (and relief) we didn't have any real bear sightings (ask Carolyn), but on our way out of the park we had the pleasure of coming across a family of deer.
After ingesting some overpriced raclette in Banff, we headed back to Canmore. The next day we started the trek back to Killam. We stopped in Drumheller at the Royal Tyrell Museum. Sadly we got there too late to see any exhibits, but not too late to purchase some gifts for our dinosaur-crazy nephew. There were some dinosaur replicas outside the museum that Hiro was not too impressed with.
Late in the evening I finally got to check another thing off my life-list: seeing a moose. The photo isn't great but it's proof.
We finished our our visit with another few days in Killam, enjoying some balmy weather and a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner.
They were gracious enough to drive many hours and many hundred kilometers to show us the amazing Rocky Mountains, so I thought I should finally share some photos. Furthermore, I upgraded my computer over Christmas so I can do certain post-processing techniques (such as panoramas) much quicker.
We flew into Edmonton in the evening where we met Andrea, Jeremy, and Hiro. From there we drove straight to Canmore. Jeremy has booked us a great chalet, and this is the view we found in our backyard the next morning.We drove into Banff National Park - my first visit - and headed for the Banff Gondola. The view on the way up is amazing, and once you're at the top - spectacular. We hiked around for quite some time and I took a number of photos. I think Jeremy and Andrea learned how time can slow to a crawl when I have my camera.
We then headed to Lake Louise for another short hike. Right on the lake is the Château Lake Louise, which is amazingly large and without a doubt has the best-smelling bathroom soap I have ever used. Everything since has left me wanting more from my hand-washing experience.Just south of Lake Louise is the pristine Moraine Lake. I have never witnessed water so turquoise. Apparently it is one of the most photographed locations in Canada, and I can understand why.
Me and Carolyn at Moraine Lake.
Jeremy and Andrea at Moraine Lake.
To our dismay (and relief) we didn't have any real bear sightings (ask Carolyn), but on our way out of the park we had the pleasure of coming across a family of deer.
After ingesting some overpriced raclette in Banff, we headed back to Canmore. The next day we started the trek back to Killam. We stopped in Drumheller at the Royal Tyrell Museum. Sadly we got there too late to see any exhibits, but not too late to purchase some gifts for our dinosaur-crazy nephew. There were some dinosaur replicas outside the museum that Hiro was not too impressed with.
Late in the evening I finally got to check another thing off my life-list: seeing a moose. The photo isn't great but it's proof.We finished our our visit with another few days in Killam, enjoying some balmy weather and a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner.
