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!

2010 in Review....

Had to give my head a shake when I realized that 2010 is nearly done! Wow... and realized I needed this time between Christmas and New Year's to reflect on what my favorite things were about my photographic journey this year. Looking back I'm overwhelmed at the amount of images taken and all the hard work I put in.... but I'm most excited about all the things I learned. Thought perhaps I'd share some with you, and then at the end post my most favorite shot from all of 2010. Right now this sounds like a tall order to me, but I'll do my best.... here we go!
One of my biggest lessons this year I learned while filling my contract from the City of Hamilton, documenting the parks in the area for almost 8 months (the resulting collections are being featured one at a time on my website if interested). Photographing the same five spaces frequently, capturing every seasonal change, during several different times of the day, from every possible angle, for three seasons meant I HAD to be creative, and yet still provide images that provided information and an overview of how the parks evolve through the year. What a balancing act! And after a while, no matter what you do, you're afraid that all the images are going to start looking similar. I learned to stretch my perceptions of what an environmental portrait was, how to keep important detail while exhibiting beauty, and how to use the natural design elements at my disposal (ie colors, shapes, patterns) to enhance what could be a very tedious subject at times since not everyone who views the finished images will be gardening fanatics either! For wide landscape shots, I learned to wait for the right interesting light, while for close detail shots of nature I learned to wait for clean light, less shadow, and the perfect cloudy day with little to no breeze. I hope all these things will be evident when you view the first gallery "Gage Through the Seasons".
The second really important lesson I learned is that learning the technical aspects of your work flow in editing, and compiling said images into collections for clients easily and smoothly is something you should be very familiar with BEFORE you begin the contracted work, whether you're documenting city parks, or shooting extreme sports for a possible commercial gig. Thinking that you know "enough" just doesn't cut it. Many a night I spent tearing my hair out, getting very little sleep, and "misplacing" the odd file only to find it right where I left it weeks before meant wasted time that could have been better used editing the next files instead of falling behind right before a deadline and wishing the magical "work" fairy would just snap her fingers and I'd be saved. Never did miss a deadline, but came very close and in the midst of it all made my family stressed and anxious right along with me.
Lastly, although I really could go on and on, I learned this year that you can't fake doing what you love. I LOVE landscape, nature, and architectural photography, nothing excites me more!  The job for the parks was a blast really... I found it very exciting. But I also caved to the attitude that any job opportunity is good if you can pull it off... and those jobs not within my forte were the ones that I really had to make myself finish, and never really wanted to go back to (with the exclusion of some photo sessions for friends which I thoroughly enjoyed) and it's because they really weren't me to begin with. Now there's nothing wrong with knowing what your weak areas are and improving them to expand what it is you love to do... but you also have to know which areas really suck you dry, are a waste of time and steal your joy in pursuing whatever it is you're pursuing too. I've learned the difference over the course of this year.
In the end, what all this means for my photography in a practical way is that you'll see the pages for portrait sessions and weddings disappear from my site.... and you'll see new things take their place soon in 2011, and in exciting ways I hope. If you're a fan, keep an eye on http://www.c-duncans-photography.com/ in the coming months for new elements to my business.
And as promised, here's my own personal favorite image from 2010.... can't wait to start 2011 with all of you! Thanks for letting me ramble on over this past year, and have a good one!



Dreaming of Fieldcote
by M.Christine Duncan 2010 ~ please click on image for larger viewing, then back click to return to post ~



Chrysanthemum Days

"A Floral Crown"

(1/50 sec.@ F/7.1, ISO 320, 55mmfl, handheld, diffused late day light)

Today's post is an image I took this past weekend at the 90th Anniversary of the Fall Mum Show put on by the amazing parks staff at the Gage Park Greenhouses.

Each year they display over 75,000 chrysanthemums for the public! The bloom pictured above was one of a giant wall filled in part with these rare beauties, this one's head twice the size of my fist.

And oh the colors... ranging from deep reds, to pure whites, creamy yellows to vibrant fuchsias. Any photographer's delight. I will post an overall image to give you a glimpse as to the extent of coverage throughout the greenhouse. Think wall to wall color, jam packed into amazing patterns and displays. And tucked within each section, a waterfall too! It was simply beautiful.

This flower above is my personal favorite from the day. It's colors understated yet regal, and it's shape telling us that it's about to fully burst open any second.

Some facts about this shoot; firstly, the greenhouse is so jammed with blooms that you'd be inciting riots if you wandered through the popular show with a tripod, so this was shot handheld. I shoot in manual, and manually focused as well to get the desired sharpness despite my aperture. It was very late in the day, so the light filtering in through the opaque glass above was minimal, hence my reluctant use of a much higher ISO than I like to. But it allowed me to get the exposure I was looking for so there you have it. And these days ISO is much kinder when it comes to noise or grain visibility, so I wasn't overly concerned. I could have resorted to flash, but I knew it would have given a less subtle look and would add a harsher shadow or color tone within the composition.

My only real adjustment in editing was to heighten the red tones a bit to compliment the warm yellow, and to add a bit more drama overall.
As usual, if you prefer to see the shot enlarged please click on the image. Press your return arrow to come back to the page.

I'll take the opportunity to applaud the greenhouse and parks staff who have been preparing for this year's show for many many months, and who have once again delighted the community with their hard work and effortless looking beauty. Hamilton is certainly a more beautiful place with them in it!

Thanks all for letting me ramble on, and as always feel free to leave a comment or two! Have a good one!

Road Trip Part 2 - The B&W Images

As promised, here's a collection of images that take us into day two of my Ottawa Valley road trip. I know all three of you are anxiously awaiting them.... kidding! But seriously, even while fighting off a double ear infection the entire trip, and waiting out some very wet rainy weather, we managed to see a lot of sights as well as nature within the Madawaska River area, and the small town of Arnprior which truly charmed us during our stay.

I hope you enjoy! To see the images larger give a click over them. I shan't be rambling on as much this week as I have some deadlines to meet... but as always, if you have a comment or some feedback, I'd love to read it!
Have a good one folks! Keep an eye out for day three's installment!

"Untamed Shores"

"A Study in Sediment"

" St.John Chrysostom "  Arnprior

"Ye Olde Post Office"  Arnprior

Thankful for Ontario's Beauty

 " Autumn At Eels Lake"

1/125 sec @ F/5, ISO 160, 18mm fl, manual



Here in Canada it's Thanksgiving weekend already, so I thought I'd post images from my latest trip up to the Ottawa Valley area, where the color and beauty we explored for three days along all the old roads and highways was so inspirational. My husband and I loaded up the car with gear, snacks, coffee and tunes a couple weekends ago, and meandered our way 7hrs northeast up to where the Madawaska River finally meets with the Ottawa River... and along the way, we cruised back roads, boat launch trails, and even cemeteries. And everywhere we looked, there was a quiet wilderness begging to be captured.

Over the next few days I will be posting images that will give you a small taste of what it was like to explore this lovely and rural part of Ontario for a weekend, camera always in hand. And today I'll start with our first real stop, about halfway through our journey, at Eels Lake, up near the Kawarthas region.

 "Eels Lake Shoreline"

1/160 sec @ F/6.3, ISO 106, 18mm fl, manual



This particular area was shot quite close to the boat launch at Eels Lake. And if I have one tip for anyone out exploring this particular part of Ontario, up past the Kawarthas, Bancroft, all the way up to Renfrew or Ottawa itself along the smaller more scenic highways, it's this; some of the best and most rewarding "detours" you'll make along the way are anywhere along the road where you see a Boat Launch sign! These routes mean there are secluded and natural lakes ahead (secluded come autumn time anyways, lol) and you're sure to catch some pristine scenery in the lens. These roads are often remote enough that you may see deer, and other wildlife en route, and usually when you get to the end of the road there's a lovely place to stretch your legs or even picnic while you shoot. Of course, always make sure it is a public launch route, a private road can land you in trouble.



 "Rustic Eels Lake" B&W Conversion"

1/200 sec @ F/6.3, ISO 200, 18mm fl, manual

The above image I love because of all the textures that suddenly command your attention once converted to B&W. I often will take an image knowing that it's one I want to see in a monochromatic version, and this was one that I knew right away would suit perfectly. There will be more B&W images to follow in the next post, I'm excited to see what you think of them... the rocks and sediment along the shore were full of visual interest and character, and seemed to prove that we were treading on ground left quite in it's natural state... hard to find in the beaches and parks closer to my end of Ontario. The light was lovely and diffused due to fluffy clouds hanging low in the sky that day, so overall patterned metering was pretty much the norm as i shot, and all were handheld.



"Cove at Eels Lake Launch"

1/160 sec @ F/6.3, ISO 200, 18mm fl, Manual

Finally, the above image (a color version, landscape framing this time, as opposed to it's B&W partner) is a great example of how you can pull detail out of the sky AND the water below with the use of a circular polarizing filter. A polarizer cuts the light reflecting off the water, adding depth, and it deepens the sky, perfect for these low laying clouds. This was the perfect type of day to use my handy little filter, with the sun behind me late in the afternoon. I knelt low on the sand and made sure to compose so that the sky complimented the landscape, adding interest naturally.

This post pretty much exemplifies everything I love about landscape photography... adventuring into new territory, exploring the beauty available, and trying to capture it in such a way that the viewer is caught saying to themselves "oh, I need to GO there one day!" The wonder to be found a few hours from home inspires me, and makes me so thankful for things as simple as a humble little "boat launch" sign, for without it I never would have explored sweet little Eels Lake, or had images to hopefully inspire the rest of you to hop in the car with a loved one or pal one day, and just drive, to see what you can discover and become inspired by yourself!

Thanks for letting me ramble on! Have a great Thanksgiving one and all!

And feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you're thankful for lately :-)