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.

 

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.

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.

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.

 

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.

Beginning to End by Jay Scott

Happy Canada Day from Kiwi!

On Phases and Postings

There are different phases of being a photographer and different philosophies on which photos you choose to share. One of the things that I am coming to realize and learn lately is that the number of comments you receive on a post or the number of "likes" a photo receives on Facebook will have very little lasting value. It is not that they are not appreciated but what is of greater value is a solicited critique from someone who knows what they're talking about and being aware of your growth and development of the craft of photography.

That is what I am learning about the phase I am in or transitioning to in my work. A lot of photographers believe that you must only post your absolute best photos. When they say this they mean not just in your portfolio but absolutely everywhere. Without question I take far fewer keepers than the photos that get discarded. This is the case of any serious, working, photographer. Sorry to reveal the magician's secret but that is the way it is. Like beginning to carve a piece of wood or creating a sculpture, it requires shaping and work until it looks exactly the way the artist wants it to look. Interestingly enough, when I first started, I found that my first few photos of a particular thing or scene were the keepers. Now, almost every time, I find that it is the last few that are the best. I shoot until it looks either the way I envisioned it or a satsfactory result of the scene as it develops as I work.

The only exception to that is if you are working with a subject that loses attractiveness over time. This could be a person who is tired of smiling, is getting cold or to warm, or restless. It could also include food that is losing steam or glistening. Flowers with fast fading morning dew or a dog growing restless of sitting in the same spot and of the flashes going off all around are additional examples.

Where I stand on the question of what to post, at this point in time, is that I want to include only the best photos in my portfolio. However, I have created sets of photos that include all of what I consider a "keeper" even if it is not the best photo that I have made to date. I view this as an opportunity to monitor and display my own progress over time as well as present what I am able to consistently produce. A portfolio should be a limited number of photos and there is a great likelihood that a family photo shoot will result in some excellent photos but if every time the shutter snaps a client thinks that it is going to be a masterpiece they are wrong. What they should be able to expect is a consistent quality of work being posted which should assure any potential clients that you will get a good and reliable body of work from us if you so choose to hire us. This flow of quality photos can also be seen in regular posts right here.

Do I go overboard with the number of similar photos in some posts? Possibly. The last post with the dogs contained three similar photos of Tuffy. But that included two landscape oriented photos where he was laying down into different, and both cute, positions. In addition to that there was a portrait oriented photo of him standing up on the armrest of the couch. If these were examples to provide to the client I would like them to have the option to purchase their favorite which includes a variety of orientations.

Perhaps one day I will feel advanced enough to limit anything I share to only be absolute best. At the moment I'm happy to provide options and variety. I know that this can cause a viewer to approach it as eye candy. That is, a quick glance at the photo without really viewing it because there are more to come.

For certain I have purged a number of photos from my collection because, even though they were popular and significant print sellers in the past, they just do not meet my standards. For whatever reason, sometimes unbeknownst to me, they were great sellers but now do not meet the quality that I demand of what I am willing to place my name on. I am going to try to make it a biannual event to go through those albums and remove the below par photos that I have not seen for a while and have a fresh and objective view on. There are some that I put significant work into that did not receive the response I had hoped. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes a significant effort does not produce results you hope for. I'm sure this is true for any craft.

Growth and consistency in cooperation with a portfolio of the best are what I feel present the real picture.

Tuffy and Kiwi

As you may have observed on my Twitter feed, we looked after Tuffy last week.

Both dogs were pretty good and even played together quite a bit. I guess Kiwi still knows how to play with other dogs, it just takes the right dog and we have met very few of those.

Watching her come running in to greet me in the morning, then turning around to bolt for the bathroom (where Tuffy slept), sliding to the door on her chest in a playful bowed position, was great. His play noises sound like a grumbling old man, but he was having fun.

That said, he is getting up there and slowing down. Certainly we got a few bunny runs out of him, and he looked about two again, but I thought a few nice shots of him might be a good idea.

Tuffy by Jay Scott

Aside from a few stern warnings about barking when Angie's clients arrived, he was very well behaved and I look forward to seeing him again now that I know his personality, likes and dislikes better. I will know how to play with him and get him excited more.

Young Hawk

Earlier this morning Angie spotted this rather large bird resting on our railing. Not exactly the best photo, but when you're in a wheelchair a young hawk landing on your deck railing is nothing short of a gift.

Young Hawk by Jay Scott 

Shooting through a triple pane window, with a low quality borrowed lens, made for unsharp feathers and three "ghost" birds from the window panes. I had to go outside and truthfully, it rested on the railing quite awhile until I pushed its proximity comfort level and it decided to leave.

Long Awaited Breakfast

Yesterday morning, while enjoying some coffee and sun on the deck, I heard a distressed buzzing beside us. It sounded like a fly caught in a spiderweb. It was a small wasp.

After days of rain, and little insect activity outside, I imagine the spiders were getting hungry. This catch will keep him fed for awhile.

Arachnid's Breakfast by Jay Scott