Welcome back everyone! The title says it all as this appears to be the crappiest Saskatchewan summer and fall weather-wise on record! Coming from someone who really can't stand the cold or winter in general this is going to prove to be an awfully long year and the thoughts of a hot winter vacation are already dancing through our heads. (That said, which Devona entered, I'll add that September was one of the warmest one record but because everyone is back at work and busy getting their kids into school for the year, it tends to go rather unnoticed)

Okay...enough complaining about the weather as the sun has actually began to poke out for the day . We are starting to settle into the new format of alternating our podast and blogs every two weeks which is working well as this way we can bring you lots of images and information. Life has been extremely busy as usual with teaching on tour throughout the province for Tourism Saskatchewan with visits to Fort Qu'Appelle and Moose Jaw and in the next few, Kindersley, Prince Albert and Tisdale. If you are wanting to attend or know anyone in these areas who would be interested in attending, just get ahold of your local Saskatchewan Tourism office and they can get you signed up.

We start this post with a quick tip on sports photography and post the following couple of fastball images Rob shot this summer as an example of keeping your focus point precisely on the action and moving it when necesary. Here the focus point is on the base runner when he first hits the dirt but as he comes up out of his slide and the participants and crown would turn their attention to the umpire to make the call, so too moves the focus of the photograph. 

An attempt at a summer holiday resulted more in a race to log about 4,700 kms than any opportunity to relax. That said, Rob did manage to find a couple of opportunities to make photos for the sake of making photos, rather than paying the bills. The following are those photos

Port Renfrew, British Columbia just outside the doors of the Big Fish Lodge. Great hospitality, great food and endless photo opps.

Before we move onto some current images I was feeling nostalgic the other day and decided to go through some of my old images to see what was happening a few years ago and came across this one which still remains an all time favorite shot almost 2 years ago to the day...please note that there was no snow on the ground! 

Lens (mm): 17
ISO: 100
Aperture: 5
Shutter: 1/500
Exp. Comp.: 0.0

We actually managed to get out shooting with some good friends back in August choosing to stroll quite aimlessly through a local graveyard. Here are some of Rob's images from that evening: 

Lens (mm): 80
ISO: 100
Aperture: 4.5
Shutter: 1/400
Exp. Comp.: -0.3

Here is a shot of "our buddy who shall remain nameless so we'll call him Norm" doing his best "I'm a Cannon" impression

Not even a huge camera can conceal this smile.
Lens (mm): 115
ISO: 1000
Aperture: 4
Shutter: 1/640
Exp. Comp.: -0.3


Another good friend whom for now we will call Mel... keep in mind she's not a big fan of getting her photo taken so if we happen to go missing you all know who to look for


Lens (mm): 22
ISO: 100
Aperture: 9
Shutter: 1/60
Exp. Comp.: -0.7

One big happy family... even The Big Guy came and joined us! Not sure how it so happened that not only did Rob get photos of everyone we shot with, he also ended up with some photos to post?

Here is another blast from the past that Rob shot last year sometime... the lost little sister of Elvis... go figure

Just for fun here is one of Rob that a friend of ours shot in Don's Photo during the launch party for the new Canon 7D. Larry points camera, Rob raises hands like being mugged. What's up with that? Pretty good at high ISO said camera is.

Devona covered the University of Regina's Cougar Trot as Rob was busy shooting University soccer.

Every year this guy leads the runners through the course on his bike...keep in mind that there are a ton of different age groups that run this race so you do the math on the miles he puts on! Makes me tired just thinking about it!
Lens (mm): 200
ISO: 200
Aperture: 2.8
Shutter: 1/1250
Exp. Comp.: 0.0

Lens (mm): 200
ISO: 320
Aperture: 4.5
Shutter: 1/2000
Exp. Comp.: -0.3

Lens (mm): 126
ISO: 200
Aperture: 8
Shutter: 1/125
Exp. Comp.: +0.3

Lens (mm): 200
ISO: 200
Aperture: 8
Shutter: 1/125
Exp. Comp.: 0.0

The above two images a panning effect was used. Essentially using a slower shutter speed and moving the camera parallel to your subject as you shoot thus creating a very blurred out of focus background but sharp subject.

Yippee... we have a winner!

Lens (mm): 200
ISO: 200
Aperture: 5
Shutter: 1/1000
Exp. Comp.: 0.0

Now for a couple of Rob's Cougar basketball images. There are times when you really need to think about your crop when composing images. Occasionally as a pro you are called upon to shoot to a crop factor/ratio and format that does not necessarily suit the sport but due to page or website layout requirements you have to be a little creative in those compositions. Basketball is by no means a horizontal sport but these images still suit the space alloted by the Cougars website.

Lens (mm): 70
ISO: 3200
Aperture: 2.8
Shutter: 1/500
Exp. Comp.: +0.3

Lens (mm): 90
ISO: 3200
Aperture: 2.8
Shutter: 1/800
Exp. Comp.: +0.3

Lens (mm): 200
ISO: 3200
Aperture: 2.8
Shutter: 1/640
Exp. Comp.: +0.3

From the gymnasium at the U of R to Devona's living room just for the sheer fun of it , photos can be made anywhere. On occasion people have asked Devona what her images look like straight out of the camera...prior to any editing of any kind. Well, today's your lucky day Norm people

Below are two images ... obviously the first one is the one straight out of the camera and the second one has gone through some playing around in Photoshop:

Lens (mm): 100
ISO: 100
Aperture: 5.6
Shutter: 10
Exp. Comp.: 0.0

Rob has just fiunished four days on his knees shooting the CSA BMO National Soccer Championships held in Saskatoon last weekend. Fortunate for our fingers but unfortunately for the photos, the games were all moved indoors to the SaskTel Soccer Centre.  This brings to mind another tip for those of you learning photography and looking for oppotunities to shoot major events to add to your portfolio. Check with the organizers first, know the rules of the game, be courteous and have good etiquette, stay out of the way of the game and get permission to go where you want to go. If you want to shoot at a major event, you will need credentials or accreditation to move beyond the position of the regular fans. Find out if said event has an official photographer and if so, introduce yourself and make that person or organization aware of your position and intentions. If you are there on behalf of a particular team, you still need permission if you have not been previsously acreddited by the organizers or the sanctioning body... If you don't, you are a fan.

Perhaps you are asking, why the long list of do's and do nots. Well Rob had a bit of a run-in this past week with a sideline fan. This person showed up on the sidelines with a big chunk of glass, and a bigger chip on his shoulder. When greeted with a friendly hello, a pat on the back and a comment regarding the less than desireable lighting conditions (something pro photographers often, like other humans, do, greet each other), he talked about how he had a large lens and big camera body that he thought somehow more capable of absorbing light at F2.8 that someone elses 2.8. Rather strange for a person who then went on to talk about the multiple parties that were paying him to be there and how his name should be on the tip of the tongue of every sports image connoisseur on the planet, stranger because Rob had never heard of him. Alarms were sounding and Rob, who has worked the sidelines of major events all over this country was left feeling a little less than comfortable. Given the described chain of events, Rob inquired as to this individual's credentials. Turned out that he was only in posession of a fans pass yet somehow had made his way onto the sidelines of a national event due to the fact that he had a big lens. Let's just say security was a little lapse. PEOPLE, big glass does not give a fan the right to be in a place they should not be. Fans do not carry liabilty insurance, they do not neccesarily understand the impact or possible impact their position and their equipment may have on the athletes or officials.

Anybody remember why professional photogs are granted a right to be on the sidelines? It's not because they are taking pictures of their kids and not because they need photos for facebook. It is because, the players, the fans, the teams and the sanctioning bodies want and accurate photographic description of what takes place on the playing surface.

Why is a cheering photographer a problem? They change the dynamic between the players and the photographers. Professionals are paid to document a game, and we understand the game is not about us. Whether taking pictures for a team, a league or and individual. We are there to document what happens. If a team or player thinks for a second that we are on one side or another, their reaction, when faced with our camera, changes and thereby impacts the story that we can tell through our photos. Fans do not belong on the sidelines. The photos are about the game and the players, the wins and the losses, the cries of pain and joy. I've seen people at games take photos from the sidelines, go and drink some beer with the fans and then come back, take pictures, get in the way of the game, cheer at the home team and holler at the opposition. How does this make the opposition feel and how will the players react when they look into the lens of one of us who really does have some professionalism in our conduct and really do just want to tell a story of a game? The players game.

On the lighter side, with all the 70-200 F2.8 lenses and big bodied DSLRs being sold, perhaps someday we will justs get to the piont where there will be 39,000 photogs at a sporting event and 12 people in the stands. Beer service will be spectacular.

I too am a sports fan and appreciate that those who read these posts are often fans who want to better understand how to make good sports photos. I believe everyone should have the right to do so. Just follow the proper channels and avoid impacting the game.

Weather aside, Rob's weekend was pretty hairy.

Lens (mm): 165
ISO: 6400
Aperture: 2.8
Shutter: 1/800
Exp. Comp.: 0.0

Lens (mm): 200
ISO: 6400
Aperture: 2.8
Shutter: 1/800
Exp. Comp.: +0.3

Lens (mm): 100
ISO: 6400
Aperture: 2.8
Shutter: 1/1000
Exp. Comp.: +0.3

"If the shoe doesn't fit... don't wear it!"

Lens (mm): 200
ISO: 6400
Aperture: 2.8
Shutter: 1/1000
Exp. Comp.: 0.0

This past week Devona and a few friends were able to go way up in the sky to shoot a few photos of the city and had a blast even though it felt like it was about -40 up there with the wind chilly

The above two images were shot with a technique called HDR. Basically you take a minimum of 3 shots all at different exposures and then you blend them together using a program rendering all of the highlights and all of the shaded areas. Not something the imaging latitude of a camera, or even the human eye, can really see.

Lens (mm): 104
ISO: 100
Aperture: 5.6
Shutter: 2.5
Exp. Comp.: +0.3

Lens (mm): 200
ISO: 100
Aperture: 5.6
Shutter: 3
Exp. Comp.: +0.3


Lens (mm): 97
ISO: 100
Aperture: 5.6
Shutter: 5
Exp. Comp.: +0.3

The above 3 images were shot by using a technique called zoom pushing...or pulling. With your camera mounted on a tripod ensure that you have a bit of a longer shutter speed and then as soon as you release the shutter either zoom in or zoom out with your lens while the photo is being taken. The result is a pretty neat effect. This also is used quite frequently with photos of flowers etc.

Rob and his buddy Brian went out quadding in the snow and slush yeasterday out by Kennossee. They spent about as much time on the quad's as they did trying to get them unstuck! Here are a few pics that Rob shot of the day with his Canon Powershot G10:

 
Lens (mm): 6.1
ISO: 100
Aperture: 8
Shutter: 1/60
Exp. Comp.: -0.3 

Lens (mm): 6.1
ISO: 100
Aperture: 8
Shutter: 1/125
Exp. Comp.: 0.0

This image very shortly after Brian "smelt the swamp gasses". 2.5 hours later, this machine was free thanks to bracing the second quad up against one of the trees in the background and winching the stuck one from behind combined with a come-along jack on a second tree and way, way too many f-bombs.

Here's Rob covered in mud with a huge smile on his face... what is it about boys??

 Below is an image that were taken last night. I decided to play around with it for a bit in Photoshop after I had already gone in and tone mapped it to get the effect of highlights and shadows.

I input the following image in place at the bottom of this blog only to see if our friend and consistent reader has the intestinal fortitude to make it all the way through to the bottom of this rather longish installment of our blog. Consider yourselves caught up. Now get your ass out there and shoot.

That's right folks, I do believe that I am sitting right in the eye.  What makes me think that??  Well, as I type I am looking out my window and I am sure that the wind is blowing at least 100kmh... in my book we are indeed having a hurricane!  And here I thought that Saskatchewan was immune to those things   I will take the wind over the cold though.  Actually, now that I think of it maybe it would be a toss up but right now I think I favor wind because I am so sick of talking to people about how cold it is... I should have counted the amount of times in the past month or two that I have heard the line "Is it cold enough for you?".  I have come up with a new response to that so when I am asked I seriously look people in the eye and say "no"... at first they think I'm joking but then I explain that I need it to go down to at least -50 (before the windchill) as that is the temperature at which ice crystals start to merge together and I am really dying to photograph this rare event.  Yeah, not so much

Okay... once again I have found myself getting a little bit off course... sorry... so, what has been happening photographically speaking in the past couple of weeks?  Well, we have been as busy as ever teaching photo workshops.  We have a post processing workshop coming up and we have also been gearing up getting ready for our Winterscapes 2009 fieldtrip which as long as the weather holds out should be a blast.  Rob has also been busy with the University of Regina and is shooting wrestling as we speak.  Other than that I do believe that Rob is planning to shoot both Brad Paisley and the Eagles in the near future... am I jealous??  Come on...seriously, everyone knows that the Eagles were only a one hit wonder anyway Okay... I might just be a weeee bit envious.

I did head out once again to the Floral Conservatory to shoot their orchid display. I must admit that I am starting to love it there as there is nothing like walking down paths of flowers in a tropical environment when it is about -40 outside.

And with that we will move onto some pictures.  Rob has in fact finally found a bit of time to send me some more of his Costa Rican trip so I will be posting some here in hopes that Rob will add some comments after the fact as I could make some but they most likely would have nothing to do with the actual images... hmmm... now that I think of it maybe I will do just that and then he can add on if necessary I will also once again point out that Rob did not take an SLR on his trip as all photo were shot with a Canon Powershot G10.

This blog is also going to be split up into at least 2 if not 3 seperate entries as this time we have a lot of images to post and we have realized that some of our blog buddies are on dial up and it takes them upwards of half an hour on occasion to load the blog if there are a pile of images in it.

{Hello blog reading people - Being that Devona was kind enough to do all this work for us and publish these blog entries all that is left to me is to add some comments and explanations which I will do througout these postings and use these funny little bracketsf or which I have never previously found a use for.}

{Your eyes do not deceive you. The above image has been seriously tweaked in PS. At full size it looks very much like an oil painting and will ultimately be printed on a canvas or cotton stock.}

ISO - 80, F - 8.0, SHUTTER SPEED - 1/30TH SEC. {Poas Volcano in Costa Rica - The clouds parted for just long enough for me to shoot this. Most visitors during the week we were there were not lucky enough to see anything other than clouds (Don't worry, the tour guides still took their $60US per person) Can someone please remind me to change the typo on the print... or perhaps not, those tend to be the things that people buy and glom onto for decades... other people's screwups.}

ISO - 80, F - 4.5, Shutter Speed - 1/80th sec, Exp Comp - +0.7 {Yes, that says ISO 80 as all these Costa Rica images were shot with a Canon G10 which has a maximum aperature of F8.0 and quite often meeter readings not terribly relevant to the SLR world due to the size of the sensor and the close proximity of it to the lens opening etc.}

ISO - 200, F - 8.0, Shutter Speed - 1/500th, Exp Comp -0.7

ISO - 80, F - 8.0, Shutter Speed - .5 sec, Exp Comp - -0.3

ISO - 80, F - 8.0, Shutter Speed - 1.5 sec {Somehow the results I obtained from this little camera at F8.0 were suprisingly similar to the results I would see from my DSLR at about F16 or higher - I am generally very pleased with how well this camera performed especially considering how many Cervezas I had consumed by the time the sun set daily}

ISO - 400, F - 4.5, Shutter Speed - 1/200th sec {handheld}

ISO - 400, F - 4.5, Shutter Speed - 1/400th sec, Exp Comp - -0.3 {handheld}

ISO - 400, F - 4.5, Shutter Speed - 1/250th sec, Exp Comp - -0.3 {handheld}

So, I would have made some comments on Rob's photos above as I think that they are all stunning but the problem lies in the fact that looking at them makes me just a wee bit envious as I was sitting here working with the temperatures hovering around minus a zillion while he was galavanting all over Costa Rica taking amazing pictures and I didn't want to come across in my comments like I was bitter or anything

Okay everyone... this is where I say "to be continued" as after I post this I am going to start working on part II .... 

Well believe it or not I am actually going to get the final vacation blog entry done ahead of time!  I figured that I can't sleep anyway so why not get it done and then I can have the entire day tomorrow to do whatever I want.  In reality what I should be doing is key-wording all of my vacation photos etc. but like they say...there is more to life than work...amen to that!

The following photos were all taken in La Jolla California.  This is one of my most favorite places on the planet as the scenery is absolutely amazing everywhere you look.  I am the type of person that has a hard time sitting still but this is the one place that I could go and sit on one of the bluffs overlooking the ocean and feel like I wish that I never had to leave.  Wow... that sounded almost poetic coming from me and I'm pretty sure that most of you check out the blog to see the photos and not read my poetry so... on to the pictures.

I'm not going to have a ton of running commentary as the pictures are pretty self-explanitory for the most part. 

1/100th sec.,  f: 6.3, ISO-100, Focal Length - 33mm   

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If you look closely in the background of this photo you will see the house that I will one day live in... just as soon as I come up with the 10 million dollars to buy it

A lifeguard mailbox.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tons of sea lions basking in the sun.  I decided that this is the life that I want ...minus the whole having to go into the ocean and fight off the sharks bit that is