Jul 20, 2012
Jul 19, 2012
2012 Vacation - Reptile World 2
Not the best photo with the dirty glass in the way, but the sheer size... Wow!
Jul 18, 2012
2012 Vacation - Reptile World 1
This is the first of likely eight posts. Yeah, I know. Eight posts on Reptile world. I didn't think I had that many photos worth sharing. The final cut as I prepare the posts may weed out a few that I was too generous with initially. For those less interested in photos of reptiles, don't worry. I have some nice food photos coming soon. Perhaps I will use them as an intermission from the Reptile World photos.
The visit to Reptile World was what I was most excited about on this summer's vacation. We went after supper on our final evening in Drumheller and though we missed feeding time, it was nicely quiet with plenty of time for a second look around to see if any of the animals were in more photogenic position. Because of that you may see the same specimen twice in different posts.
Without anymore commentary, here are the first of the photos.
The visit to Reptile World was what I was most excited about on this summer's vacation. We went after supper on our final evening in Drumheller and though we missed feeding time, it was nicely quiet with plenty of time for a second look around to see if any of the animals were in more photogenic position. Because of that you may see the same specimen twice in different posts.
Without anymore commentary, here are the first of the photos.
Jul 13, 2012
2012 Vacation - Our Stops
Wanting to make the most out of our trip, we sought out points of interest around Drumheller.
After the Royal Tyrell Museum we checked in to our hotel then went for supper at Bernie & the Boys. It had great reviews. Our view was that it was adequate. Besides being a bit of a shack, and quite difficult to get in to, the food was reasonably priced and decent. The many flavours of milkshakes were what we were most impressed with. Angie's peanut butter milkshake and my pumpkin pie milkshake were the best part of the meal.
Wanting to do something in the evening, we looked for the hoodoos, went the wrong way but ended up at Horse Thief Canyon (the image will take a minute to load). You can navigate by clicking and holding your middle mouse button/scroll wheel and the left click and hold to move around:
UPDATE: You need a Google Earth plugin to view this. If you don't have or don't want it don't worry, you're not missing much.
After that we headed to the hoodoos, passing the campground we stayed at on our grade eight trip. I don't have a shot of the hoodoos as, once again, it was steel steps and platforms. The angle I had from the road would have been little more than a snapshot full of other tourists. So, we saw them then headed back to our room for the night.
The next day was our dinner theatre experience in Rosebud. What a quaint, welcoming town. So many of the art galleries, museums, gift shops and other attractions would have been nice to see, but they were up many stairs and the ones Angie saw were snug, anyway. So, I stopped by the meat market to pick up something for a little later. ;)
The streets were so quiet that sidewalks were almost unnecessary. Above, connected to the Meat Market, is the mercantile. You can see it at the end of the street below, connected to the restaurant where our meal was.
Across and just down the street from that is the theatre.
I know a certain set of parents who would enjoy the experience immensely. Maybe these tractors, immediately across from the theatre, will seal the deal, some day.
The meal was amazing. Buffet style brunch including salads, vegetables, fresh fruit, fruit salads, dips, pickled beats, pearl onions, olives, Belgian waffles with all the toppings, omelettes, Salisbury steak, hash browns, braised duck legs and a seafood stew with mussels, king crab and clam in a creamy lemon zest sauce. Yes, the stew was my favourite and I have no doubt that I ate $15 worth of king crab. It was so sweet. Then was the dessert table with pies, cheesecakes, brownies, pastries and more. I was too busy eating to make a nice photo of the food so my words will need to suffice.
The play was a musical version of Anne of Green Gables. The performances were simply excellent and since I had never seen the story so it was most enjoyable.
That evening we tried Cafe Ole for supper and after fighting the slope right up to the door, the thick mat at the door and significant ledge to get in, we discovered that their food was limited, despite online information indicating otherwise. So, we headed to Boston Pizza. It was adequate, but a chain, which we try to avoid in the interest of experiencing unique cuisine when away. After supper was Reptile World. Many posts on that coming next week. Skip ahead to the lake and time with my parents.
It really was a lot of relaxing. The mosquitoes were bad the first day, but the next day was great. Spent most of it on the deck which was fine with us. Mom had an excellent menu planned for us and we enjoyed the food, as we always do, very much. I did take the time to make a few photos as part of a project I'm considering revealing soon, but I probably didn't take enough candids at the lake. We considered making our Christmas photo, but both felt that we weren't looking our best so decided against it.
Kiwi always looks cute so she got a photo of her snapped around the great fire we had the final evening before returning to Saskatoon.
After the Royal Tyrell Museum we checked in to our hotel then went for supper at Bernie & the Boys. It had great reviews. Our view was that it was adequate. Besides being a bit of a shack, and quite difficult to get in to, the food was reasonably priced and decent. The many flavours of milkshakes were what we were most impressed with. Angie's peanut butter milkshake and my pumpkin pie milkshake were the best part of the meal.
Wanting to do something in the evening, we looked for the hoodoos, went the wrong way but ended up at Horse Thief Canyon (the image will take a minute to load). You can navigate by clicking and holding your middle mouse button/scroll wheel and the left click and hold to move around:
UPDATE: You need a Google Earth plugin to view this. If you don't have or don't want it don't worry, you're not missing much.
That digital map is the best I can do because if I thought Bernie & the Boys was tricky to get in, getting to view that canyon would've been simply dangerous. Not the landscape, the drop off the asphalt. Honestly, I was very disappointed in the inaccessibility of Drumheller and area in general. Did I mention the free admission to the Tyrell Museum because of ramps that aren't up to code. Yeah, that about sums it up.
After the canyon we stopped back at the tourist info centre to get directions to the hoodoos. The suspension bridge I remember from grade eight was on the way.
After that we headed to the hoodoos, passing the campground we stayed at on our grade eight trip. I don't have a shot of the hoodoos as, once again, it was steel steps and platforms. The angle I had from the road would have been little more than a snapshot full of other tourists. So, we saw them then headed back to our room for the night.
The next day was our dinner theatre experience in Rosebud. What a quaint, welcoming town. So many of the art galleries, museums, gift shops and other attractions would have been nice to see, but they were up many stairs and the ones Angie saw were snug, anyway. So, I stopped by the meat market to pick up something for a little later. ;)
The streets were so quiet that sidewalks were almost unnecessary. Above, connected to the Meat Market, is the mercantile. You can see it at the end of the street below, connected to the restaurant where our meal was.
Across and just down the street from that is the theatre.
I know a certain set of parents who would enjoy the experience immensely. Maybe these tractors, immediately across from the theatre, will seal the deal, some day.
The meal was amazing. Buffet style brunch including salads, vegetables, fresh fruit, fruit salads, dips, pickled beats, pearl onions, olives, Belgian waffles with all the toppings, omelettes, Salisbury steak, hash browns, braised duck legs and a seafood stew with mussels, king crab and clam in a creamy lemon zest sauce. Yes, the stew was my favourite and I have no doubt that I ate $15 worth of king crab. It was so sweet. Then was the dessert table with pies, cheesecakes, brownies, pastries and more. I was too busy eating to make a nice photo of the food so my words will need to suffice.
The play was a musical version of Anne of Green Gables. The performances were simply excellent and since I had never seen the story so it was most enjoyable.
That evening we tried Cafe Ole for supper and after fighting the slope right up to the door, the thick mat at the door and significant ledge to get in, we discovered that their food was limited, despite online information indicating otherwise. So, we headed to Boston Pizza. It was adequate, but a chain, which we try to avoid in the interest of experiencing unique cuisine when away. After supper was Reptile World. Many posts on that coming next week. Skip ahead to the lake and time with my parents.
It really was a lot of relaxing. The mosquitoes were bad the first day, but the next day was great. Spent most of it on the deck which was fine with us. Mom had an excellent menu planned for us and we enjoyed the food, as we always do, very much. I did take the time to make a few photos as part of a project I'm considering revealing soon, but I probably didn't take enough candids at the lake. We considered making our Christmas photo, but both felt that we weren't looking our best so decided against it.
Kiwi always looks cute so she got a photo of her snapped around the great fire we had the final evening before returning to Saskatoon.
Jul 10, 2012
2012 Vacation - Royal Tyrell Museum
This summer our vacation took us to Drumheller, Alberta for the first three days before we headed down to my parents' cabin for a bit of R&R and too much eating.
We started our touring in Drumheller with the Royal Tyrell Museum.
I was hoping for the opportunity to get a shot into the rib cage from behind. I don't know why. It was just an angle I thought might be nice.
I would like to take a few paragraphs to give any average person a few pointers. Let me start by saying that I realize not everyone is trained in the skills of photography so I will keep it very simple.
The first pointer I would like to give is with respect to lighting. In a place like a museum the designers are very aware of such things as lighting. The angles of the lights used are positioned to give nice shape and definition to things such as dinosaur bones or sculptures. Light comes from inside many glass cases so there is no glare reflecting off the surface you are looking through. Even lighting, from high enough overhead (to prevent glare) is used in art galleries for paintings. The point is that your camera's on board flash will not do a better job than the existing light so turn off your flash and give it a few shots. You might just like the results better.
However, maybe your camera just cannot handle the dim conditions. If you have a DSLR or Micro 4/3 system made in the last four years, I doubt it cannot handle the higher ISOs (digital equivalent of film speeds) needed for a properly exposed photo. But if it is a point and shoot camera, and you need flash, when photographing into glass, shoot from any angle other than straight on. This way you'll avoid the photo destroying reflection of your camera flash in the photo. Light bounces in a straight line. The greater your angle to the reflective surface the further it will be out of your photo.
Second last is your angle. The above photo was made from one of the upper levels of the museum. If you knew the spark of excitement that fires in me when I have an opportunity to shoot from higher up (not through a window or with a railing in my way) because of my significant restrictions you would appreciate more any ability to crouch, climb or get that unique angle.
Finally, your cell phone or smart phone camera. Without question they are getting really quite good. Some people use them exclusively as serious hobbyist photographers. While in Swift Current this last week we were looking at some old photos of family. Photos from long before I was around. They were full length group photos, printed smaller than on 4x6 paper. The resolution was such that had I or my parents not known who they were we couldn't have identified them. Had they been much closer up in a portrait or tight group shot, would have helped. The bigger issue was the technology of the time. It just wasn't there, yet. This coincided in such a timely way with an article I just read. The article stated that many of the iPhoneographers I just mentioned are giving up their smartphones used for photography purposes because on the newer displays and screens they don't look very good. The phones aren't even outdated and are not up to the task of today's tech. Have you watched a Blu-Ray then tried a VHS, lately? Same idea. The photos smart phones produce look alright on the small, lower resolution, displays. Ten years from now they will be in the same situation as those old photos we looked at last week.
I'm not saying you should give up your smart phone's camera. They will always be handy and ready to capture a moment. But if a grad photo may end up on a wedding slide show, or be wanted to show grandchildren twenty years from now, you may want to future-proof those important moments and events as much as possible and make the best digital file possible. That and maybe a few high quality prints for backup. Speaking of that, have you backed up your photos lately?
More from our vacation in a few days.
We started our touring in Drumheller with the Royal Tyrell Museum.
We were very surprised at how busy it was when we arrived. I know it's a popular location, but still, it caught us off guard at how full it was. Not unmanageable, but there were a few times our view was obstructed or we had to wait to appreciate what we were seeing.
I won't add too much commentary, in general, but the below photos is of a sea bed fossil that is very common to the point of being used to make jewellery. As with most fossils, the appearance results from the minerals present that replaced the bone/shell in creating the fossil.
When I was last at the museum in 1994 at the end of grade eight. Since then they have added three new levels and many more displays and discoveries. It was nice to see the continued growth of the facility.
I was hoping for the opportunity to get a shot into the rib cage from behind. I don't know why. It was just an angle I thought might be nice.
I would like to take a few paragraphs to give any average person a few pointers. Let me start by saying that I realize not everyone is trained in the skills of photography so I will keep it very simple.
The first pointer I would like to give is with respect to lighting. In a place like a museum the designers are very aware of such things as lighting. The angles of the lights used are positioned to give nice shape and definition to things such as dinosaur bones or sculptures. Light comes from inside many glass cases so there is no glare reflecting off the surface you are looking through. Even lighting, from high enough overhead (to prevent glare) is used in art galleries for paintings. The point is that your camera's on board flash will not do a better job than the existing light so turn off your flash and give it a few shots. You might just like the results better.
However, maybe your camera just cannot handle the dim conditions. If you have a DSLR or Micro 4/3 system made in the last four years, I doubt it cannot handle the higher ISOs (digital equivalent of film speeds) needed for a properly exposed photo. But if it is a point and shoot camera, and you need flash, when photographing into glass, shoot from any angle other than straight on. This way you'll avoid the photo destroying reflection of your camera flash in the photo. Light bounces in a straight line. The greater your angle to the reflective surface the further it will be out of your photo.
Finally, your cell phone or smart phone camera. Without question they are getting really quite good. Some people use them exclusively as serious hobbyist photographers. While in Swift Current this last week we were looking at some old photos of family. Photos from long before I was around. They were full length group photos, printed smaller than on 4x6 paper. The resolution was such that had I or my parents not known who they were we couldn't have identified them. Had they been much closer up in a portrait or tight group shot, would have helped. The bigger issue was the technology of the time. It just wasn't there, yet. This coincided in such a timely way with an article I just read. The article stated that many of the iPhoneographers I just mentioned are giving up their smartphones used for photography purposes because on the newer displays and screens they don't look very good. The phones aren't even outdated and are not up to the task of today's tech. Have you watched a Blu-Ray then tried a VHS, lately? Same idea. The photos smart phones produce look alright on the small, lower resolution, displays. Ten years from now they will be in the same situation as those old photos we looked at last week.
I'm not saying you should give up your smart phone's camera. They will always be handy and ready to capture a moment. But if a grad photo may end up on a wedding slide show, or be wanted to show grandchildren twenty years from now, you may want to future-proof those important moments and events as much as possible and make the best digital file possible. That and maybe a few high quality prints for backup. Speaking of that, have you backed up your photos lately?
More from our vacation in a few days.
Jul 3, 2012
Author of Life
You may recall, from mid March to May 5, my repeated posts and tweets regarding an upcoming day of creation with our arts team at Ebenezer Baptist Church. It was on Saturday, May 5 that we gathered to work on a piece in our preferred medium with the theme: Author of Life.
The unveiling took place Sunday, May 27 in the morning before the services, but the complete show was that evening at Scott's concert. Due to sold pieces, exhibits elsewhere and class requirements not all of the pieces could remain on display.
Not all of the pieces in these two photos were from the Author of Life Theme.
In this first photo the bottom painting was Leah's from the day of working together. I believe Laurel's painting of the dancer's feet was as well.
I respect Leah's creativity and Janet's interpretation of a photo turned into a painting. My approaches are simply more direct. I definitely feel more creative than I used to be, but still struggle to think of ideas to create that represent something else well. One way I've thought that painting has the advantage is that the artist can paint whatever they see in their mind. Perhaps that could be made into a photo, but often logistics and even physics get in the way of that. I still love photography and doubt I would have the passion and commitment to put in the hours to move beyond painting photos if I did try painting. A person can think if only to let the mind consider the possibilities.
Without further adieu, here is the result of waiting weeks for my duck quills, planning, painting the edges of the book silver (that and fences I can paint). After three hours of setup, four hours to let the candle burn down in the candle holder made by my grandfather and get the angle just right, you have the below result. Though the above photo does not represent the final look well, it was a 20x30 metallic print on a floatmount with a glossy laminate. The piece is for sale if you are interested and, as always, prints of any size are available.
The unveiling took place Sunday, May 27 in the morning before the services, but the complete show was that evening at Scott's concert. Due to sold pieces, exhibits elsewhere and class requirements not all of the pieces could remain on display.
Not all of the pieces in these two photos were from the Author of Life Theme.
In this first photo the bottom painting was Leah's from the day of working together. I believe Laurel's painting of the dancer's feet was as well.
Janet's photo or the colours reflecting over the water (top right) and my photo, "From Beginning to End" (top left) was from that day. A larger version is right below.
I respect Leah's creativity and Janet's interpretation of a photo turned into a painting. My approaches are simply more direct. I definitely feel more creative than I used to be, but still struggle to think of ideas to create that represent something else well. One way I've thought that painting has the advantage is that the artist can paint whatever they see in their mind. Perhaps that could be made into a photo, but often logistics and even physics get in the way of that. I still love photography and doubt I would have the passion and commitment to put in the hours to move beyond painting photos if I did try painting. A person can think if only to let the mind consider the possibilities.
Without further adieu, here is the result of waiting weeks for my duck quills, planning, painting the edges of the book silver (that and fences I can paint). After three hours of setup, four hours to let the candle burn down in the candle holder made by my grandfather and get the angle just right, you have the below result. Though the above photo does not represent the final look well, it was a 20x30 metallic print on a floatmount with a glossy laminate. The piece is for sale if you are interested and, as always, prints of any size are available.
Jul 1, 2012
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