Along with the rise of Instagram and iPhone photography, there has been a flood of filters and film simulations. Unfortunately, the majority of these tools are formulated very poorly and the results can be quite grotesque. When I heard that Fujifilm is working on a new film simulation, Classic Chrome, I was intrigued. After all, [...]
Category: Technique
Photo Ramblings
It is November and in Vancouver it usually means short days and lots of rain. It’s not that a little bit of water stops us from taking photos, in fact quite the opposite! We are working on several projects, which we will share with you as they take shape. We are planning a ten-day trip [...]
STOP. BREATHE. START AGAIN.
You are a photographer. You have the best gear you can afford. You have a hard drive full of great imagery. You post your photos on 500px, Flickr and God only knows where else. Your friends love your work. You and your photography are running at 100 miles per hour. You’ve done it! But have [...]
Timeless Quality of Film
Despite years of digital photography, many photographers, including us, have moments when they indulge in the timeless quality of film. One of my favourite B&W films were Kodak 400 TMAX or TRI-X 400. Their strong contrast and graininess created a particular visual atmosphere. Fortunately, today’s programs such as NIK Silver Pro allow the photographer to [...]
A Photographic State of Mind
One of my favourite times of day to take photos is in the early morning. Part of this is the allure of morning light, which is unlike any other type of light. It allows you to embody your subject and emotions in unusual images. Although I appreciate the quality of light, I came to the [...]
Barkerville – the Centre of the Cariboo Gold Rush
It wasn’t a picnic by any means. The miners usually lived in small tents or rough cabins, had to face severe winters (or get out of town), uncomfortable summers and a poor diet, which usually consisted of beans and bacon. That’s not all. Extremely hard labour, avalanches, frequent floods and numerous accidents shortened the average [...]
Connecting with a Landscape
There are more similarities between photographing landscapes and people than you think. When working with people, a photographer must achieve a certain level of connection and trust that allows them to relax and open up emotionally and visually. On many levels, a similar dynamics plays out when photographing landscapes. You must “feel” the place, connect [...]
Changing Lenses or Maybe Not?
One of our readers, Antoine, raised the important issue of changing lenses (thank you Antoine for sharing this with us). He writes: "How do you handle the lens changes during such trips? Do you prepare so much by scouting that you don’t have to change lenses too often during the trip? Especially if there is [...]
Sharpening – Monster Under the Bed – Debunked
Please keep in mind that in the artistic chain of creating a great image, a processing technique is only secondary to your creativity and your emotional connection with the subject. You should spend most of your time in the field concentrating on composition and light. Only when you master this part, can you complement your [...]