For 6 months back in ‘96 I flew helicopters with the Canadian Air Force as part of the UN mission in Haiti. I saw aid where the motives and the results were questionable and I also saw organizations making a real difference. MSF (Doctors Without Borders) provides independent, impartial assistance to those most in need. I support their efforts.
Click the photo below to link to a series of powerful images of MSF staff and patients…
Before I became professional photographer, I flew helicopters in the military. We had a great saying in the squadron… a plan is just a point from which to deviate. Now pilots are known for their sarcasm and dark humour but if you push that aside there’s a deeper meaning and a good life lesson to be learned from the phrase. Plans are good but they are not guarantees of how life will play out. They are starting points. “The best laid plans of mice and men…” and all that.
That lesson may be what this photographic journey teaches me most of all – a plan is a good starting point but be open to, appreciate and make the most of the unexpected. How often have you pre-planned a shoot and had things go exactly as planned? Yeah I figured I wasn’t the only one. The point I’m getting at is not to reveal that life and photography go off the flightplan at times – we all know that. The point, in regards to the arts, is that how adaptive you are to your environment has a lot to do with how creative you can be. The control freak photographer is a pretty poor photographer. The photographer who appreciates and makes the most of the unexpected is able to express his vision creatively. He plays the hand he’s dealt and gives voice to his reaction to the moment. I believe that’s true photographic vision. Of course some days are better than others but the photographer of vision doesn’t only create images that connect on days when the stars align.
I believe what makes you a professional is how you deal with the unexpected. Can you get the job done when the cards are stacked against you? Experience teaches you what to do when it all hits the fan. Experience gives you the confidence to know it can be done… your creativity determines how you are going to get there.
So when you pick up the camera today, be open to, appreciate and make the most of the unexpected – it’s the twists and turns that make the journey memorable.
Whenever I am out in the field and the weather just isn’t cooperating, or I’m on a shoot and lets just say things aren’t going exactly as planned, I think of my Cannon Beach sandcastle image. On a trip I took to Oregon, my intention in stopping in at Cannon Beach was to capture the iconic haystack formations. However, the unexpected scene of a sandscastle being surrounded by the incoming tide had me throwing the flightplan out the window. The soon to be history sandcastle more clearly captured the Cannon Beach story I wanted to tell.
Pick a shot from your own portfolio that will remind you that when the number 2 engine flames out – a plan is just a point from which to deviate.
Nik Software, out of San Diego California, is a great company. Their products are first class and an essential part of my digital photography workflow.
My introduction to the Nik family of products was through their Capture NX2 image editing software. I’m a Nikon shooter so it just made sense to me to use Capture NX2 as my RAW converter and image editor since Nik, Nikon and Intel were partners in all aspects of bringing the product to market. Nik, Nikon and Intel all share a passion for innovation and superior quality. Their collaboration in the area of image editing software has resulted in a product that is powerful, quick and easy to use.
Last year I bought another Nik product that totally energized my photography. That product was Color Efex Pro 3.0.
Color Efex Pro 3.0 is a set of 52 filters that gives life to a photographer’s vision. Color Efex Pro 3.0 integrates beautifully with the U Point technology and non-destructive workflow of Capture NX2.
If Nik Software isn’t already a part of your digital photography workflow I cannot urge you enough to check out their line of products. Nik has allowed me to have a much faster, productive workflow and it has transformed how I communicate my photographic vision.
Processed using Nik Capture NX2 and Color Efex Pro 3.0 filters (Glamour Glow, Bleach Bypass, Polarization)
Photography books are a dime a dozen. Well, actually no – they go for about $40 each but you know what I mean. There’s no shortage of authors selling “how to” roadmaps. Every now and then, however, an author comes along and writes a photography book which throws a bucket of cold water on the industry. David duChemin is just such an author and Within the Frame published by Peachpit is just such a book.
Depending where you are on your photo journey David’s message may be like a teaspoon of Buckley’s couch syrup. It will be hard to swallow but it will be good for you in the long run. David’s a straight shooter and that’s what I love most about Within the Frame. You want the truth? Are you ready for it? This photography thing is hard. Plain and simple. There are no shortcuts. It’s hard work. You can buy the latest camera but look all you want in the box it came in because I guarantee you that you won’t find a free pass to being a great photographer. As David says, “Gear is good. Vision is better”. Photography is all about vision and great photography is where craft and vision meet. Becoming a craftsman takes time. Check out an old blog post of mine about the 10,000 hour rule. Sorry to break this to you but there are no shortcuts. Shortcuts anyway are all about destination. Craft is all about the journey.
Joe McNally, who wrote the forward to the book, sums up Within the Frame nicely when he says, “David gives you the tools and information that enable you to make the camera - a machine – an extension of the human heart and mind. Then he gives you a road map…and invites you on the journey. It’s a trip well worth taking”.
Early on in my photo journey I came across a book that changed the way I look at the world around me. That book was Freeman Patterson’s Photography and the Art of Seeing. I can think of no higher praise for David duChemin’s book that to say it deserves its place on the bookshelf right beside the book that inspired me to be a photographer and to express my vision of the world around me within the frame.
A few days ago I posted some portrait pics I took for a friend of mine. I got a bunch of emails asking me about what kind of light set up was used on each shot. I’ll let you in on a little light control secret…. Lighttools egg crates. Soft egg crates are a great way to combine both the quality of soft light and the directional attribute of hard light. I use a 40 degree Lighttools egg crate on a 24″ octagon soft box for portrait work and it’s a sweet little combo.
Lightrein is a company I trust for professional lighting products and great customer service. My opinion is shared by many professional photographers and cinematographers. Check out what others say about egg crates on the Lighttools site.
Lighttools and David Montizambert have teamed up and put together the following YouTube video to show the dramatic lighting effects of egg crates…
For my techy readers, check out this page on the Lighttools site for technical data on the light distribution from the various egg crate degree options.
I can roughly tell the air temperature by the sound the snow makes under my boots
On ice, trucks and cars are equal… they both slide and put you first at the scene of the accident (amazing how many guys driving around in F250s don’t get that one)
One of winter’s greatest gifts is silence
Snowflakes weigh nothing by themselves but shoveling a whole bunch off your driveway can sure hurt your back
Wind in the winter totally bites
A fresh blanket of snow on the landscape, crisp air and frosted trees is a joy
If you have cracks in your driveway, watch out for how much weight you throw into a shovel push. When the edge of that shovel connects with a crack the handle can fly out of your hand and almost take your chin off.
When I was a helicopter pilot the flight engineers that flew with me had a great saying – “Any idiot can be cold.” Don’t like being cold? Then dress for the weather.
If you’re a photographer you gotta love that sweet winter light
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of shooting a friend’s portrait for use in a movie media package. Good communication between the model and the photographer is key to any photo shoot so knowing the model makes the whole process that much easier. If possible, prior to a shoot, I like to get models to describe shots they have seen that typify the style they are looking for in their portrait. That way, lights are already set up to achieve a certain look when the model comes on set. A little pre shoot communication saves a lot of time and helps both myself and the model to be working off the same page.
One of the looks we worked together to achieve was inspired by classic Hollywood starlet portraits of the 50’s….
Another was more modern in style and used a variation on the so called “butterfly lighting” set up….
Information on hiring me for a portrait session can be found on my website
