Traveling Back

"Ready To Go Out"

I have neglected the blog as of late, so I thought I'd post a new image today from a previous visit to Newfoundland. I don't yet get to travel often as a photographer, but I absolutely love it. So on days where I can't get rid of the ache to explore and have to stick close to home, I pull out my travel files and explore the memories via images I have yet to work on!

Today's image was taken somewhere on our way to Ocean View National Park and Leading Tickles. There was activity happening on the docks, so I only had a few seconds to get the sky skimming past these vessels lined up in the cove, ready to head out for the morning... I loved the boat in the middle ground with the flag waving proudly.

So now I've shared my itch to travel back... and to be sure I'll be arranging another trip, a longer trip, to magical Newfoundland. But for now, this will have to do while I get back to work! And hey, if you have one place you'd recommend to this rambling photographer, what would it be? I'd love to hear your suggestions!

Have a great day gang!  Thanks for the Ramble!

An Epic Ramble

"Standing Tall"

University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Been waiting to find time to post this latest image on the blog and on 500px. Taken on an epic ramble through Toronto a week ago with my friend Dave Pratt of Dave Pratt Photography who I finally met in person while he visited here in Ontario. I noticed over the course of the day that both of us had similar styles of exploring with cameras. Ramble along, let something stand out or catch our eye, content to let a detail or subject speak to us, in the midst of good conversation and idea swapping. But that's not always how a ramble with a fellow photographer has gone. And it made me think... obviously we have all have different ways we photograph something, but sometimes we have different exploration styles that lead to the photography itself.

I'm a happy rambler. I like to head in a general direction, without a set target in mind for the most part. I truly like the process of exploring. What feeds my desire to photograph something is catching it at that moment, the way I've stumbled across it, like finding treasure. There were a number of times Dave laughed at me last Saturday because something would get my attention, I'd raise the camera, get the golden nugget in the lens, snap away, and then cackle gleefully. Victory by Nikon. What can I say, it makes me giddy.

Some photographers are more destination oriented though. It's about already having a more "selective objective" in mind. This is me once in a blue moon. A location or subject that spoke to me so strongly that I knew exactly how I wanted to get it in the camera the next time I photographed it. And when the time is right, you don't ramble, and wander, and stray along the way, you zone in on that one objective and work it for all you're worth while you shoot. This is rarely my personal preference when shooting with other photographers... it means every one's photos look slightly familiar at the end of the day because you had one designated spot you all focused on getting in camera. But I will approach a shoot like this once in a while when I'm on my own, setting out with my own goals. It becomes more about solidifying a vision, a set intention that excites you.

Are you a rambler, a wandering explorer like me? Or do you fall into the selective objective type approach more often than not? Neither one is better than the other... but your approach feeds your overall style at some point. Think about it!

A Certain Texture

"Exploring Sleepy Cove"

*Newfoundland, Canada*

If it seems as if the blog has been in limbo lately, you'd be right. Life seems to go from one extreme to the other. One minute business is slow, the next, I have work piling up around me. But I'm not complaining.

I'm embracing the various textures that are making up my life lately. A little travel, adventures into newer job descriptions, a little expanding, facing some personal fears, approaching some personal weaknesses... and absorbing the things each item brings to the table of life.

And having life textured by so many different elements can only mean one thing. It's bound to show up in my photographs. Whether I want them to or not, the things being absorbed by me every day have the ability to pour out of my images too.

Why is this important enough to mention today? Cause I've realized in the past I've tried to shield those things from seeping into my work. And did myself a disservice each time I did. In an attempt to strive for a certain look, or expression, or ideal, or vision, I shucked my ability to use what was going on around me to take my photography to a new level.

Funny that the tag line on my website is "Show The World Who You Are"... and I was avoiding that very thing myself. Let's change that.

The City Scene...

~Abandoned Decay~

1/30 sec.@ F/5.6, ISO 250, 55mm fl, late day

overcast light, handheld, manual

Urban Decay, Street Photography, Cityscapes... call it what you will, it's one of my favorite genres to work in during the winter. All the different textures exposed, the perfect lines and aging patterns sometimes mingle with lightly falling snow, no crowds impeding your view.

I am particularly attracted to the aging buildings, and old alleyways. Why is that? There's so many handsome, historically restored buildings within the city, but it's scenes like the one posted above that draw me. Closed in, shadowy spaces, filled with wires that crisscross through the image, poles, grids, grates, and iron steps crawling the walls. I've often kept these images to myself, thinking there won't be many like me who'd appreciate the poetry seen within the vertical lines and gritty brick patterns, chipped with ancient paint, or new graffiti. You can't say there's no character within those walls, that's for sure. If you haven't already, I urge you to explore the city limits with your camera in hand!

So what do you need to remember when you decide to take the plunge into street photography? Here's a few things I learned, perhaps they'll help someone else get excited about exploring their city if they aren't already.

1) Use light to your advantage. Early morning side light can give real definition to brick, stone, and glass patterns. Cloudy or overcast days are good for detail, stormy and sunset skies are perfect backdrops for cityscape's in a wide lens. Warm late day light is great for illuminating angles, reflections, or including people on the street.

2) Vary your perspective. Get down low on the ground, use an ultra wide lens, and emphasize the sprawl of a classic piece of architecture. Find a position that lets you photograph looking down on a busy street or deserted alley at dusk. Lean against a soaring tower or condo and distort the receding stone pattern till it looks like it never ends. Use a telephoto and zone in on one rustic detail clinging to the side of an abandoned building.

3) Be safe! Certain locations or times of day require a photo buddy. And they can double as a model in a pinch. Never step backwards into traffic... if the angle you need is in the middle of the street, find yourself a crossing guard or find a new angle. Don't carry so much gear that you'd tempt being mugged for it... I was once asked why I don't carry a tripod in the city. It screams "female photographer with her hands too full, and her attention elsewhere!" On my own, shooting urban decay, I make sure I can raise my camera easily from around my neck or shoulder, and that my backpack is strapped on well. I never stay in one spot for too long bringing attention to myself, and if alone, I shoot in well populated areas. I know this all sounds like common sense, but I've heard stories to the contrary.

I hope this has been helpful in some way. I've met many a beginner that simply shot in every tourist location, and never considered anything but composing from eye level. Add a new element and watch your street photography come alive.

The image above can be enlarged by clicking over it and I'd be ever so pleased to hear what your thoughts are on the image or the topic that accompanies it...

thanks for letting me ramble, and have a good one!



New Directions for a New Year...

Ah, January... when so many make resolutions and build for themselves impossible goals. It's a recipe for failure often times, and I for one try to avoid failure at all costs.
I have been reading David duChemin's book "VisionMongers" and learned a very important principle I'm going to apply to my photography and my business for 2011. And that principle boils down to this; pursuing what you love to photograph, and positioning it where you want it within the photographic community... like giving yourself a road map and prepping for a long trip, you can take your photography to your ideal destination, and have an adventure along the way. The preparation is the focus, even more so than the journey sometimes, because it's in the prep work that you secure a successful journey in the first place.
I find myself wishing I could go back and change things about my photography or my approach to some gigs I wound up with last year... but instead I'm going to spend January digging deeply into my past images, and learning from them... who I am as a photographer, the direction I need to be going now as I mature and grow, and what I need to aim my Nikon at next... not to mention how to update my website, bring in a new logo, and decide what my true market will be that I begin to strive for...
Check out David's site at http://www.davidduchemin.com/  where you'll see his incredible images and come across some excellent books, and perhaps start thinking about where you'd like your photography to take you, and vice versa in 2011.
The image above is called "South Side" and was taken last weekend as I drove around my city. Architecture is one subject I can't help but photograph. You're about to see a lot more of it on this blog!
Thanks for letting me ramble... and with the new year, you'll see me ramble on perhaps a bit more frequently so you all have a peak into my own journey with my photography! Have a good one folks!