Zoo 2014 - 6

It's been a while since I posted about my trips to the zoo. There have been a few more since I last wrote about it but, already, I find myself finding it less exciting than it was earlier in the year. I've tried changing on my style and techniques to experiment, learn a little bit and see if I can't create something different than I have already. Sometimes it works, sometimes you learn from failure and sometimes you see the same thing you saw the last time through. At least we are in the season when as one type of flower finishes blooming another begins.

As I write this we have had more than double our usual rainfall and it shows in the mosquitoes. The swarm that flew into my van when I chose my first location for this week's Challenging Reality post was enough to make me squirm. I closed the door as quickly as the electronics were close it and chose somewhere not as interesting but without lot more pavement and far fewer 'skeeters.

Before our unexpected monsoon season there is just a nice amount of water to create a reflection with the light and grass to play among in the meditation garden.

The light in this next photo is definitely not something I would want to be doing portraits in but if you are looking for sharp contrast with bright colors the light near noon is what you are asking for. When else can you find ridiculous bright highlights with incredibly dark shadows? It may not be the best or portraiture but it has a beauty and character all of its own.

Spring at Innovation Place

I was going to do my absolute best to get some shots of the spring fruit tree blooms this year. In the past it seemed like it was either rain, wind or other commitments that made me miss this beautiful time of year and perfect photo opportunities. It was the very next day that we had wind gusts up to 70 km an hour, combined with some rain, that made what you see here almost completely fallen to the ground or damaged to the point of withering.

 

  Innovation Place in Bloom by Jay Scott on 500px

The photo above scored me a lot of love on 500px. Like Angie said, even the skilled and discerning photographers that post, share and peruse work on the website appreciate a nice scenery photo. You won't see that much appreciation of a good food photo which took a lot more time to prepare, stylize, light and execute. These I just showed up at the right time of year, found a nice framing and made a few images.

Below you see the Saskatchewan Research Council and one of my favorite places to hang out with a coffee. The grounds are beautiful, the planters (not put out yet) are always full of the nicest succulents and there's always a nice fragrance in the air. The fountain provides the steady soothing sound of flowing water and there is plenty of sun or shade, whichever you prefer. This time, the group in the photo was enjoying the shade under the vibrant pink blossoms.

To the right, out of frame, is a nice patio with raised planters that are always full of some of the nicest flowers that bloom all summer long. You can find the photos I made over there in past years right here, here and here.

 

  Innovation Place - Saskatchewan Research Council - HDR by Jay Scott on 500px

I really wished I had more time to stay longer and keep shooting but I had another appointment to get to for the promotion of Challenging Reality. It was interesting to see newly injured individuals, remember some of the things I went through and to see firsthand which technologies I've shared were of most interest to them. It was very good to see their interest and to be affirmed that my work there is appreciative and helpful. The writing splint that I use was available to them but they were incorrectly instructed on how to fit it on their hands by their occupational therapists. I just don't see how it can be used any other way than it is supposed to be. That's why when I made a photo that I did not include my hand. The description I gave probably isn't even necessary. But, I helped accelerate the ability of two men to resume handwriting. Combine that with the photos you've seen here and it was a good day.

Zoo 2014 - 5

I will be cramming in as many visits to the zoo as I am able to before our baby arrives. I have no doubt that will be one of our favorite spots to visit, relax and get out of the house even this year. Or, at least I hope so. So many uncertain questions of how things will change in the near future and in the long-term. It's all good, though.

I tried to be appreciative of the seasons but I'm still convinced that I would be quite happy being able to barbecue all year-round. I think the same could be said for flowers. So many of them have their brief lives and time in the shine only to be done for another year but thankfully replaced by other types that come into their prime shortly after. Still, I'd love to see all of them all spring, summer and early fall.

You might recognize this next photo. It's one tree over and one hour earlier in the morning than the one I made a few years ago. Amazing what three flashes and the little postprocessing can do to make quite a different photo. This one was just a snapshot.

As I said before, I love flowers but the blooms of trees are just so much more conveniently positioned for me to photograph from my wheelchair. I seldom have the right angle to get what I'm looking for from my chair and the hope of getting the focus exactly where I wanted simply by resting the camera on my feet is slim. As you will see in my next post from a visit to Innovation Place the day before this visit the trees were quite cooperative for me. In fact, I was able to make my third-highest rated photo on 500px. It's already over there if you want to go take a look but I will be posting in a few days.

Apparently it was time to move on as I had an angry crow hovering over my head. Where's that 12 gauge when you need it?

Abstract Shooting

 

  Abstract Long Exposure 2 by Jay Scott on 500px

Love it or hate it, here is my first attempt at something a little more abstract. Taking a page from David duChemin, I tried my hand at some intentionally out of focus, long exposure, shots to see what I could make out of them. Hard to believe that the photo above was made in the exact same spot, at the same time of year, as the one below. The top one was nothing more than a camera, lens and experimentation while the one below this was a combination of multiple light stands, flashes, radio triggers, much experience and meticulous tweaking to get it looking exactly as I wanted.

 

  Forestry Farm Thunderchild Crab Apple - 1 by Jay Scott on 500px

The photo below this was made no more than 10 meters away from the first photo, just chosen because of the delicate spring shade of green nearby and the hint of pink that entered the frame near the end from a similar, deeper coloured, tree.

 

  Abstract Long Exposure 1 by Jay Scott on 500px

I know that the comment section is pretty quiet in this space, but I know you are out there reading. I'd love to know what you think of this abstract style. It's just my first attempt, but it wasn't unenjoyable. We will see where my experimentation goes.

Wrestling with Words

That's what I have been doing lately. I have made a decision to begin releasing the work I have done on my personal project. I believe that there is enough quality content that I can give it its own space in hopes that it will grow to something much more than it is at this time.

The biggest challenge is to find an accurate, memorable, available and unmistakable name. It must be free of cheesiness and not easily mistaken or misspelled. When I was trying to title all of my photos a number of years ago, when I felt a title was necessary, I had a terrible habit of using far too many alliterations. They may be cute at first but quickly lose their charm and dignity.

I do not feel that I am poorly written but I want to make certain the name is just right. I think that I can tend to make my sentences longer than they need to be and occasionally overuse commas. But I most definitely try and pay attention when I know I am reading properly written material. My apologies if this turns into a bit of a grammar lesson however, it surprises me how much I get irritated when I read poor grammar in places where the time should have been made to make it correct. Your instead of you're, as in "you're going to win" not, "your going to win." I remember one of my favorite English teachers putting it very simply. He said, "If you cannot use contractions correctly you will not use them in my class." My other biggest annoyance is when someone says "I seen that," instead of "I saw that" or "I have seen that." Gripe ended.

I know language is always evolving and that it will change but I find it difficult to believe that as things change incorrect usage will become acceptable. But, back to the topic at hand.

Part of the lack of content on here has been because of some significant spring blahs. The problem is that we don't have a spring, yet. 10° below normal for three weeks is starting to take its toll on everyone. Yes, at least it is beginning to melt, but it's still not where it should be and my favorite season is passing by underneath piles of snow. It might end up being spring for two weeks and then jumping right into summer. I have been spending time, thesaurus in front of me, preparing a name and content for the new website.

My plan is to make it free. The copyright will be protected and I plan to put measures in place to prevent the content from being misused, but I really do not see their being much of a profit to be made on the work that I have created. If it helps someone and the enjoyment of simply making it, without the complications that money often adds, is what I get out of it, then I will be satisfied. I hope that word spreads enough that I can expand the project to people other than myself and my closest friends. Sorry that I cannot be more specific than that at this time. I know how frustrating vagueness can be.

I already invested much of my time, overhead and some money into this so I won't be paying for a website to host the content. It will be contained in free places such as blogger. I do plan to place a donate button and, should it start to provide adequate funding, I would look at upgrading to a dedicated website or at least a URL/web address.

So, until the flowers start to bloom and until I have some content for the new site it may continue to be somewhat quiet here. I do expect some 2.5 mm headphone jack ends to arrive from Hong Kong in a few days and when they do I will make an extension cord for my Nero Trigger and be able to start using it for larger scale photos. Usually I am pretty good at coming up with something creative to photograph but the rut I have been in is evident in the extensive time between posts. Thank you for sticking with me and when I have something new it will be big.

Work in Progress

It has been a while since I have had anything to say. Not that things have not been going on, just that nothing is terribly noteworthy at the moment. I have been working on a few things but cannot share them just yet. I will give you a glimpse of the largest photo in the form of a behind the scenes video below. Of course, as with any studio photo, the final product looks vastly different than what you see when looking at the set up.

The time lapse video was made during the Ebenezer Baptist Church arts team first day of working together. I would not have minded having a better angle on the room that was less focused entirely on me but I did not know when I set up the time lapse where everybody would be positioning themselves throughout the room. It was a very good day and amazing to watch those talented painters create their art.

Here is a sneak peek of the final product.

We were gone to Swift Current this past weekend to visit my parents, help sort out garage sale stuff and go Gopher hunting. Dad and I were the ones who went Gopher hunting and we had a good time hanging out in the fields together, shooting a couple gophers and destroying a coffee can. It's been too long since I enjoyed that sport. It was a good weekend was great food, excellent time together as a family and some good discussions. It really flew by and felt like we could be used another day or two.

Last week's rain certainly has things growing and I am getting itchy to go out and photograph the color. Hopefully Wednesday will be a good day for that. As much as I have said in the past that gear does not make a photographer, it certainly can help. As I have completed a number of the tasks on my to do list, I believe now is the time to reward myself with that next purchase. Now that those tasks are completed I will feel like this macro lens that I ordered on Friday will not distract me from more pressing jobs.

The new barbecue has been proving itself as I cooked for nine last Wednesday and for four of us last night with a grill full of baked potatoes and souvlaki pork tenderloin. I'm really enjoying cooking for more people and hosting more gatherings. I hope to make a regular thing this summer and that the propane tank needs to be filled a couple extra times this year.

I hope to have something more interesting than just a few words and a very mundane time lapse video in the next little while. My favorite time of year is upon us and I will be spending more time shooting in the next little while.

Happy spring, everyone!

Jenn and Jason

In about six weeks Jason and Jenn will have an addition to their family. A few weeks ago they asked me if I would be willing to make some maternity photos for them. It was my pleasure and a virtually pressure free opportunity to get some shots and try a few things I have wanted to try for some time when the opportunity presented itself.

Jenn and Jason - 1 by Jay Scott

It was completely amazing to me how quickly time flies when you are shooting. I expected to get to three or four buildings in the hour and a half we had. Nope, only the Ag building with a brief stop in the geology building.

Jason and Jenn - 2 by Jay Scott

I wanted a sharp silhouette but shooting through glass was the only option and it looked lousy so I tried to get a little artistic.

Jason and Jenn - 3 by Jay Scott

More from the university and from round two in our basement coming soon.