What I LOVE About Canada - A Chain Blog

Whirlpools at Niagara Gorge, Ontario, Canada

A little while back, fellow blogger Pamela MacNaughtan began a blog post chain. Normally I don't go for these kinds of things, but she's a fellow Canadian as well and she had a great idea... that no matter who you are and what you blog about, that one giant shout out could begin in honour of Canada, in the form chain blogging! Well, she had me sold! Who wouldn't want to brag on Canada? So I've finally carved away a chance to continue the chain... here's my Canadian Ramble:

Dundurn Castle, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

As a photographer, I have always been excited about what Canada has to offer me. Great wild landscapes, phenomenal architecture, ever expanding communities, and areas swamped in rich history. Anywhere I decide to go with the camera has been rich in subject matter that never disappoints. The above image of Dundurn Castle was taken literally minutes from my house, yet further along today's collection of images is a view of Newfoundland at sunset, accessible via a two and a half hour plane ride from Toronto, also down the road from me... and there's so much I've never seen!

Glimpses of Canadian Pride, Vineland, Ontario, Canada

What I have seen though makes me proud. People who for the most part work hard at leaving a solid Canadian legacy behind for the next generation. Friendly, easy going people. People who will step out their door for a perfect stranger, give you permission to wander their property with your camera, then wish you all the best as you get back in the car, and to say 'hi' to Ralph who has an even better farm to check out down the road... they'll call him to tell him you're coming.

Oh the stories Ralph had. 

Toronto Harbour Life, Toronto, Ontario

The major metropolises have their own rhythm, and so much colour. Eye candy for someone like me. And my family will always tag along, visiting museums, galleries, art crawls, festivals, huge outdoor concerts, air shows, and you can't forget the CNE! Exhausted yet? This is why I love Canada! It doesn't sit still until you're ready for it to sit still.

Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

I can't include all the images from places I've spent time with my camera. Quebec, Northern and Southern Ontario, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland... and I have yet to travel across the west half of the country. Trust me, I will. And it'll be just as wonderful. Why?

Killick Island, Botwood, Newfoundland, Canada

Because it's home. It's beautiful, it's diverse, it's true to itself. It's for the CEO in their glass tower in Vancouver, and it's for the fisherman in Cottrell's Cove. It's for the cattle rancher in Alberta, and it's for the indy musician in Montreal. That's cool. And I'm proud of it.

A Frosty Kiss....

Thank you to Corrine over at Have Baby Will Travel for tagging me to continue the chain! If you reside in Canada, keep exploring all the good things we have. Be thankful for them. And if you don't live here, we want you to visit as soon as you can! We'll introduce you to Ralph... I hear he tells great stories.

And so now I pass the chain blogging baton over to Esther, and Peter who each have wonderful blogs and will have fun with this chain post! Have a great day, and keep an eye on the above bloggers for their take on why they LOVE Canada, coming soon! Also, you can follow the progression on Twitter using the hash tag #MyCanada to search for posts!

Happy blogging! Happy Reading! Happy Rambling!

Using Intentional Parameters...

"What Time Has Left Behind"

Today's image should speak for itself. Actually, every image should be able to speak for itself. When you read a photograph, you shouldn't need verbal help to tell you what theme, or story, or emotion has hopefully been woven through it. I'm not sure that I've considered that enough in the last year but am working to fix that. You can click on the deserted industrial shed to see a larger version. But I hope my intent for this image is clear whether you enlarge the image on your screen for better viewing or not.

The day I photographed this, I was feeling spent, mellow, I was far from the hustle and bustle of life... so I gave myself those exact emotional parameters to guide what I pointed the camera at, and all the creative decisions that followed. This was one of the photos that day that really came alive within the ideas I wanted to explore. In fact, anytime you give yourself a theme, a visual goal, or parameters of any kind, you make stronger photographs. These intentional parameters give you something to hone in on, to freely explore with the medium of photography. Consider it another tool to round out your "creative kit bag".  

Great composition is a must. A good exposure is necessary. The right light can be a bonus. But your images will always be lacking a little something if there aren't some intentional parameters to help guide your creative process. To tell the reader how to experience the photograph. 

That's my tip for the week.
Thanks for the ramble friends! Let's get out there and make purpose driven images, no matter what you raise your camera to!

In a Fog...

"An Inconvenient View"

Today's image is from last year's Doors Open Toronto. I've been mucking about in old files again and couldn't stop tweaking this one. If you click on the image you'll get a bit larger view and a bit more sharp (something about compressed files on this page...). The perspective you see here is one you can only get every couple of years when they decide to open the observatory at the top of Toronto's SunLife Building to the public. No tripod's allowed, and a thousand smudges on the glass from everyone trying to look down... but I got a shot of the CN Tower emerging from the fog that day along with it's fellow skyscrapers. My telephoto to the rescue.

I know I'm not the only one who'd confess to being in a creative fog at times. There are days the possibilities for really engaging photographs comes so easily, and then there are days I'm not sure I should be showing anybody much of anything for fear it'll be stale or misguided somehow. Worse yet, I have days where I still second guess where I want my photography to go, or what it should be accomplishing. What I, myself, should be accomplishing. If anything.

And in rolls the fog. I guess today's photograph reminds me to climb the unusually high, difficult to access places in life, and see above the fog to what could be on the other side. To spy whatever that is, for just a moment, means I can stay the course for just a little bit longer... till the next SunLife building comes along. Am I coming through loud and clear...? 

If yes, then the fog is lifting.

Thanks for the Ramble, looking forward to Doors Open TO 2013 in a few months time!

Where Have We Been...?

"Enter History"

Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario

2013 has arrived. My first image of the year is of the interior entrance of the ROM. (To see it in full view just click on the image.) An entrance leading to history. Moving into the past. Backwards and yet not.

Christine, what are you trying to say?

I'm not a huge resolutions person, have never done well on change for the sake of having something to do. I make changes when a lesson teaches me something, when a choice reveals itself to be good for me, or when someone inspires me to reach for something I never thought to reach for before.

I know I strengthened my perspective and spacial skills this past year, my architectural portfolio grew, and I got to experience a taste of traveling again with my camera, allowing my soul and my passion to be reignited. I learned new things about my personal style, and what's been missing from my work flow. 

But I also know after reviewing the year that I would love to do some reportage work, I want to include people inside the broad spaces I photograph, and that I would like to do some  very dramatic portraits just for the heck of it...  and that I still need to understand things as simple as knowing my computer programs better.

By looking back, you can see where you still need to go in future. So I've been compiling some personal projects and some goals I need to strive for that the past year has shown me I've been missing, in my photography, and in life in general. Many of them can't help but overlap. If you're an artist, you understand what I mean by that.

Let's ask ourselves where we've been. It'll assist in showing us where we're going next if we let it.

Thanks for the Ramble! Happy 2013 to you all!

What You See Is What We Get!

"Atlantic Rock II"

Leading Tickles, Newfoundland, Canada

The post today is an image taken from one of my favorite locations from my quick trip down to Newfoundland this past fall. And if I could be honest, this image is very nearly untouched. I say nearly, because some mild high pass sharpen and fade correction was applied to keep the contrast clean, as well as a slight in-camera tilt corrected. I so loved the weather and the scene from that moment in this frame, that I feel to manipulate it further is too much. Does that make sense? 

Sometimes I fear that unless an image is saturated beyond logic, has a multitude of filters and apps applied, wild edges, and unearthly hues displayed, we won't recognize beautiful photography when we see it. That's just my fear, you may feel completely different. That's what's great about art.

For me it's still the old adage that you can indeed get most of it right in camera. Grab that cool light the minute you see it, or be authentic in how you expose for that weather moving into frame, be confident in your ability to capture what you love... if it grabbed your eye in real life, chances are you can go without the Velvet Elvis HDR effect later. And have I manipulated the light's intensity, or colouring, or the scene's perspective in my photos at any point.... heck yeh! When my intent for what I needed or desired to convey called for it. But I work hard to make sure it's then, and only then... and with extreme care. And I've said it before, I don't pick up the camera this much so I can spend all day parked at the computer. 

Whatever you love to tweak and change in your images, or how much, make sure that what you saw is what we get.... your intent and your final vision for that photograph. That's what it keeps coming down to.

Thanks for the ramble! Hope you all had a fabulous holiday celebrating everything you celebrate!