10-10-10 Progress Update

Since I set goals for myself, I have already progressed towards some of the items on the list. I have joined the RA Photo Club. I have gone to a meet-n-greet (about the World Press Photoawards) with some other photo students and some professional photographers.

I had planned to have this list ready as well, but with an important milestone at work (design test complete) and a visit from my mother, I was not able to post this until now. This is a (possibly incomplete) list of all the types of photos I would like to create for my portfolio. From the list, I can select each one, obtain/rent any required equipment, set times, book any locations if necessary and start learning how to take each photo. This list is in no particular order.

1 Self-Portrait. If I want to learn to work with models (whether they be models, family or friends), I should learn to work with myself. Most other portrait photographers also have taken self-portraits –KarshAvedonLeibovitz.
Copyright Annie Leibovitz
Copyright Annie Leibovitz
2 Smoke trails. The requirements are very simple, a black or white background with something like incense creating smoke. The light has to come from the side in order to show off the smoke trails.
Copyright Graham Jeffery
Copyright Graham Jeffery
3 Water droplets. The technical issues include the timing and having a light source that brings out the shapes of the water. This may require a macro lens. I can so this in my kitchen sink, although more creative ideas can be used as well.
Copyright Michael Melgar
Copyright Michael Melgar
4 Coloured water droplets. Unlike the subject above, this is dropping coloured water droplets into a tank of clear water. The abstract patterns created are similar to the smoke trails listed above. I would need to set up a water tank with very clean, clear sides to shoot through.
Copyright jfens (at Albumo Stock Photos)
Copyright jfens (at Albumo Stock Photos)
5 Star trails. This was something I had planned to do during the meteor shower last month, but work intruded. Looking at the full moon last night, I realized I would need to do this during a new moon. The full moon would be too bright, and would move across the sky causing a long streak. Requires a tripod, which I already have, and a good location without much city light, which I don’t. It might be something for the race track, as the tracks are all very dark at night.
Copyright Dan Heller
Copyright Dan Heller
6 Painting with light at night. There are some really neat images atDesign Shed under the Lost America galleries. The technique involves using lights, coloured or white, which are used to paint an image that is otherwise very dark. This requires a tripod for the long exposures, and some sort of light source.
Copyright Troy Paiva
Copyright Troy Paiva
7 Car taillights. A long exposure at night of a city street. A good location is key, as Ottawa does not have the same amount of traffic as, say, New York. The location should also have height over the street I am using. Perhaps from the top floors of one of the apartment buildings along the Queensway would work out.
Copyright Dan Heller
Copyright Dan Heller
8 Ballet. I have been taking photos for the ballet school Les Petits Ballets (Rosa is a student; I am on the Board of Directors, the web maintainer, and provide some of the promo photos). However, I have not been satisfied with the results so far. I’ve only taken one photo that I would keep for my portfolio. I want to be able to show the school in the best light. Some of that is the location (the class rooms are very hard to take a good photo without the background being very distracting.

Additionally, I don’t feel I have captured what Rosa is capable of doing. She is a lovely dancer and I want to show her talent.

Copyright Oli Scarff/Getty Images
Copyright Oli Scarff/Getty Images
9 Car shot, like the ones in the urban car mags (i.e. Import Tunermagazine instead of Car and Driver). I am more interested in a gritty sort of photo. I like some of the examples from local Ottawa photographer Mani Azeri. Location is key, and perhaps strategic use of flashes.
Copyright Mani Azeri
Copyright Mani Azeri
10 Boxer. Many wonderful shots have been taken in gyms, training camps or around the ring. This could include kickboxing or wrestling. My cardio kickboxing instructor is Wayne Thompson, who is the Canadian champion and is training to become the world champion in the heavy weight division. I will approach him to see what facilities exist in Ottawa.

These sports are intense physically and mentally, which makes them so appealing as subjects.

Copyright David Benedict
Copyright David Benedict
11 Ottawa downtown at twilight. Sometimes when I am driving past the downtown core of Ottawa on the Queensway at dusk, the way the buildings are lit up from inside with the darkening sky, it just takes my breath away. No photos available
12 Airplanes taking off or landing, like the photos on airliners.net. Planes are some of the most complex machines regularly used by the public, and have that wonderful sleekness of flight. My main concern about this topic is not getting into trouble with the airport police. Since 2001, the security around airports has made it occationally difficult. The photo on the right was taken by me out the drivers window of my car as I drove up Riverside Drive. It is Air Force One with George Bush, just after push back. The security was very tight, as you might expect. I was aiming with my camera, as I was driving and shooting at the same time; too bad the camera auto-focused on the fence instead of the plane. The police were not allowing people to stop along the road during the take off.

Showing a huge plane at lift-off would be amazing. Certainly there must be plane-spotters already in the city. I just need to contact them for location ideas.

Copyright Richard Muise
Copyright Richard Muise
13 High key portrait, where the subject is brightly lit on a light coloured background. The important part of this technique is learning about the light, and how to obtain the correct exposure.
Copyright Adolfo Valente
Copyright Adolfo Valente
14 Low key portrait, where most of the photo is dark. The example on the right of the cat shows that the light creates a real ambiance and drama. Again, the key is learning about using light (in this case the near absence of light) and correctly exposing the image.
Copyright Petr Novák, Wikipedia
Copyright Petr Novák, Wikipedia
15 Waterfall. Perhaps at Hog’s Back, but I’m not sure if it has the same ambiance as the photo on the right. A tripod is the only equipment, but the location is critical.
Unknown copyright
Unknown copyright
16 Abandoned Places. There is an entire photographic subculture of people who do urban spelunking. There have been some good examples posted to Abandoned Places and Bldgblog. Ottawa does not have as many examples as larger or older cities. I have a low tolerance for danger, so finding an accessible location is key. A photographer died last year in the Don Valley Brick Works. In New York, for example, there are derelict ships and a submarine along the industrial areas of the water front, which are accessible from boats and do not require safety equipment (beyond life jackets) if you are taking the photos from the boat.

I was able to see some interesting subjects during the Doors Open Ottawa event. The photo on the right is a nuclear fusion tokamakin the Canadian Science and Technology Museum.

This dovetails into another interest of mine in the operations or human systems of large scale projects, usually large engineering projects. I am fascinated by topics like how airports or dams or the Large Hadron Collider work.

Copyright Richard Muise
Copyright Richard Muise
17 Lilies. Inspired by Robert Mapplethorpe‘s pictures of lilies, and a recent article in DSLR User magazine. Requires a macro lens.
Copyright Robert Mapplethorpe
Copyright Robert Mapplethorpe

As each of these are done, I will post how they were created.

10-10-10 Photography

Walking through Chapters the other day, a book caught my eye with the title “10-10-10”. It was about setting goals for the next 10 minutes, 10 months and 10 years. I thought it was an interesting concept, and I started thinking about how I might apply the same thinking to my own goals.
Instead of using the scale proposed by Suzy Welsh, I decided to use 10 days, 10 weeks and 10 months as my scale.
10 Days
Short-term, immediate goals.
– In the next 10 days, I will create a ‘shopping list’ of photos I want to take. This can include something I have not done before (see next point), or to copy an existing photo from another photographer. From this list, I will make plans to do the shoot, rent equipment or a studio if needed.
– I have already missed my second target I had set for myself this week. I wanted to take some star photos during the Perseids meteor show. However, Wednesday night I got caught up in 3 different work issues after 10pm. By the time all three issues were resolved, I was went to bed exhausted.
my work load has been high and I am exhausted. I cannot stay up – I was falling asleep in my chair at work this afternoon. I will have to do this next year (the moon phase might be better too).
10 Weeks
In this interval (out to Oct 23rd), start some longer term projects.
– Join the RA Center Photoclub. I have been a member of the Nortel Photo club for a few years, but with the break up of Nortel, very few members remain. I need to find another outlet, which the RA Photo club will fill. The RA Center Photoclub has 300 members, and have special groups on topics that interest me (protrait, street).
– Start a portfolio. I have an on-line portfolio, but I’m not totally satisfied with all of the pictures. Very close attention finds minor flaws, such as the focus being off by an inch. I have heard advice that a printed portfolio is more important to potential clients. I will need to learn more about inkjet printing. I have a good photo printer (Canon iP4300) that supports 8×10. I should be planning my ‘shopping list’ such that I can fill out my portfolio.
– Contact a pro and pimp myself out. This will be the hardest to do. I should contact local photographers and ask if they need a part-time assistant. This would be the start of a side income for supporting my hobby. I have some leads from co-workers, and I’ve been collecting some business cards. I would only be available on evenings and weekends.
10 months
– Complete my portfolio. It must have enough materials available so that it can be tailored to my different needs.
– Set up a business, such that I can put my equipment under professional insurance, etc. I’ve already had the camera stolen once (St. Petersburg, Russia), which was covered by my home owners insurance. I don’t want to have to make any more claims against my home insurance, as that might cause them to drop me as a client (I’ve heard of this happening to others). Plus, if I am doing any professional work, my equipment would not be covered by home insurance anyways. It might provide some protection (law suits) and tax benefits. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time; the hardest part so far is thinking of a good name.

Walking through Chapters the other day, a book caught my eye with the title “10-10-10“. It was about setting goals for the next 10 minutes, 10 months and 10 years. I thought it was an interesting concept, and I started thinking about how I might apply the same thinking to my own goals.

Instead of using the scale proposed by Suzy Welsh, I decided to use 10 days, 10 weeks and 10 months as my scale.

10 Days

Short-term, immediate goals.

  • In the next 10 days, I will create a ‘shopping list’ of photos I want to take. This can include something I have not done before (see next point), or to copy an existing photo from another photographer. From this list, I will make plans to do the shoot, rent equipment or a studio if needed.
  • I have already missed my second target I had set for myself this week. I wanted to take some star photos during the Perseids meteor show. However, Wednesday night I got caught up in 3 different work issues after 10pm. By the time all three issues were resolved, I was went to bed exhausted.

10 Weeks

In this interval (out to Oct 23rd), start some longer term projects.

  • Join the RA Center Photoclub. I have been a member of the Nortel Photo club for a few years, but with the break up of Nortel, very few members remain. I need to find another outlet, which the RA Photo club will fill. The RA Center Photoclub has 300 members, and have special groups on topics that interest me (portrait, street).
  • Start a portfolio. I have an on-line portfolio, but I’m not totally satisfied with all of the pictures. Very close attention finds minor flaws, such as the focus being off by an inch. I have heard advice that a printed portfolio is more important to potential clients. I will need to learn more about inkjet printing. I have a good photo printer (Canon PIXMA iP4300) that supports 8×10. I should be planning my ‘shopping list’ such that I can fill out my portfolio.
  • Contact a professional and pimp myself out. This will be the hardest to do, to overcome my own shyness. I will contact local photographers and ask if they need a part-time assistant. This will be the start of a side income for supporting my hobby. I have a lead from a co-worker, and I’ve been collecting some business cards. I would only be available on evenings and weekends.

10 months

  • Complete my portfolio. It must have enough materials available so that it can be tailored to my different needs.
  • Set up a business, such that I can put my equipment under professional insurance, etc. I’ve already had the camera stolen once (St. Petersburg, Russia), which was covered by my home owners insurance. I don’t want to have to make any more claims against my home insurance, as that might cause them to drop me as a client (I’ve heard of this happening to others). Plus, if I am doing any professional work, my equipment would not be covered by home insurance anyways. It might provide some protection (law suits) and tax benefits. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time; the hardest part so far is thinking of a good name.

Festival Karsh

I went to the Canada Science and Technology Museum to see one of the moon rocks from Apollo 17, which is now on display. What I did not anticipate was the Festival Karsh exhibition that had just opened at the museum. Yousuf Karsh opened his photography studio in Ottawa in the 1930’s.

This was a very inspirational exhibit of the artist, his works, and how he created his famous portraits. They had some of his cameras, some of his studio equipment, booking calenders, letters to and from the artist, diary notes from the studio and many examples of his work.

Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto by Karsh
Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto by Karsh

One portrait that caught my eye in particular was his photo of then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan (sample on the right). The lighting, the pose, the focus are all so perfect. Interestingly, there were both B/W as well as colour versions of this portrait. I was able to spend a long time look at many of his works in the exhibit, figuring out what lighting he used, what was the point of focus (always the eyes), how the shot was created. It was a real inspiration.

I immediately wanted to start imitating his style. The second half of this year, I shall work harder to improve my own abilities with the camera. I feel I have learned how to use the tools (my Canon 40D), and now I should work on the art of photography.

Other samples of his work, as part of the Festival Karsh events, can be found on at http://www.flickr.com/photos/festivalkarsh/.

Two Small Steps for Me

I am so proud of myself this evening. I did two things for the first time.

After my first kayaking
After my first kayaking

The first is that I finally took my Clearwater kayak out for the first time. I found that, despite my optimism, it was too far to carry my kayak from the house to the river. By Google Maps, it’s 1.1km. So I went back to Ottawa Paddleshack and bought some foam and a tie-down. It’s not very strong, but I only have to drive that short distance, going about 30kmph. It does not need to be able to hold the kayak on my BMW at highway speeds.

So I get to the launch point, carry my kayak and equipment down, put it in the water and carefully get in. No major problems, and off I went. I paddled up stream a little bit, then a distance downstream before heading back. I crossed the river twice. There were lots of boats out with skiers and wake-boarders. I had to ride the waves they were generating.

After an hour, I came back to shore, packed everything up and came home.

I was so excited about this, that I decided I needed to have a picture to remember this evening. So, for the first time ever, I took a self-portrait. It turned out pretty good. I used a tripod to hold the camera, set the camera to a 10-second delay, and set myself in-front of the bedroom window. I set the external flash to balance the light and bounced it off the ceiling, and the result is above. I’m so happy with how well it turned out.

High Dynamic Range Photos

Parliament Hill from the Alexandra Bridge
Parliament Hill from the Alexandra Bridge

I’ve created my first high dynamic range (HDR) photos. I went on a photowalk last Friday with Mike and Haitham from the Nortel Photography Club. We started at the North end of Lower Town and moved across the Alexandra bridge to the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

Alexandra Bridge
Alexandra Bridge

My Canon 40D supports exposure bracketing, which is perfect for taking HDR photos. I set it to automatically take a metered exposure, then take one shot that is underexposed by 2 stops and one that is overexposed by 2 stops. The amount of over and underexposure can be configured in 1/3 or 1/2 stop increments. I also used the LiveView feature to take the photos, so that the mirror would not bounce, which would cause vibration and blurring. Even though I was using a tripod, I tried my EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 lens with image stabilization on and off to see if it made a difference – it did not.

I downloaded a trial version of the Aperture Photomatix plugin by HDRSoft. I kept all of the settings on the defaults to create the HDR photos. It worked great. The price is high ($79.95 USD), which is why I have not bought it yet. Perhaps later this year if I feel a strong urge to create lots of HDR photos.

My First Published Photo

Les Petits Ballets
Les Petits Ballets

I am so happy. Last week, I had my first published photo. A picture I took for Les Petits Ballets was used in an article for the school published in the newspaper Nepean This Week. The online article does not show the photo, which is reproduced on the right.

One of my other photos is being used by Les Petits Ballets on a promotional poster. The poster is being distributed around the city.

Photography

This is a year that I want to focus on becoming a better photographer.

I think about photography all the time. I read books, read magazines, listen to podcasts, I watch documentaries about it, and most days I carry my camera with me. I’m getting better at the tools too. I gave a demo of Apple’s Aperture software for theNortel Photo Club last week, and I created (well copied and updated) a new web gallery theme in Aperture too.

So far this year, I have taken a 2-day workshop with David Barbour on street photography with School of Photography Arts Ottawa (SPAO). I’ve been taking dance pictures for Les Petits Ballets and the Ottawa Chinese Art Troupe. I’ve taken event photos for the Nortel Asian Business Council too.

The course with David was especially good, including one-on-one interactions, and sharing experiences with other students. But the most crucial part was getting over my shyness to approach strangers. I’m certainly not an extrovert now, but I just feel like I’ve been given permission to do it, when before I was afraid to approach anyone because I wasn’t “permitted” to interrupt them. There’s some deep psychological reasons for my timidity – something to keep working at.

I’m gaining the confidence I need, and it’s showing. During a trip to Virginia in March, I approached a waitress at IHOP to take her photo. I would never have done that in the past.

And I’m finding out who I want to be when I have a camera in my hand. I’m not happy taking pictures of buildings or race cars or wild animals, although I’ve done all of that. I’m really driven by people. I enjoy great close-up shots of interesting people. A look of focus or concentration, a flash of emotion, a great smile, or perhaps the most amazing eyes. I’m so drawn to watching people. Even when I am taking ballets pictures, most of my photos are of the faces of the dancers, not their feet – which does not make for great dance photos!

I’m finding out who I want to be in my primary form of artistic expression.

Setting Targets, Meeting Goals

Here are my goals for 2009.

  • Become bi-lingual. I am already taking french classes for 6 hours a week. Je parle bien, mais j’oublie les mots.
  • Win a race. In 5 years of road racing, I have had three 2nd place results, a few 3rd places, but never a class win.
  • Write an essay. I have all these things in my head I want to say, but never had time to put anything down.
  • Create a personal web site and gallery. Glad to say that this site is working the way I want it now. Although I would like to continue to improve the look of the site. And find a better name!
  • Earn a small income from photography. This year I want to focus on stepping up my involvement in photography. I might look for opportunities to assist a professional photographer. Or I might offer my services; I have already taken photos for Les Petits Ballets, Ottawa Chinese Art Troupe and the Nortel Asian Business Council. One of my photos will be used for an ad poster for the ballet school this month. Another photo is being used on the cover of a CD for a friend.
  • Add a light in the storage area. I’ve never done any electrical work, so it’s scary and challenging.