From the Vault

There's something about a leaf stuck in the ice that compells me to take a photo everytime.  This one has lots of detail and colour which doesn't always happen.

From the Vault

I think it was some rusty thing that left it's indelible mark on this weathered piece of wood....photographed with the G11 somewhere along the Icefields Parkway in February 2010.

From the Vault

There hasn't been much time shooting over the last while; lots of proposals to write and other adminstrative stuff to do.  When that happens I fall back on the archives for the daily update.  This photo was taken at the Columbia Ice Fields almost exactly one year ago.  I like the way the short depth of field makes this look like a photo of a model.

Canon G11; handheld.

Recent Portraits

It's bad manners to show off portraits of people before the people in the photo have their proofs, this one they saw by e-mail so I'm gonna' let it ride this time.

Recent Portraits

This is Franco; past Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Alberta.  This photo was taken in the Foyer of the Pharmacy Dental Building on the University Campus.  Some people fight the camera every step of the way during a portrait session.  Franco, on the other hand did not and the result was a handful of images that I am very happy with; this is my favourite.

Downtown Photowalk

There are two towers at the Telus Plaza; the taller is probably the most photographed just because it's taller.  The little brother is the subject of this photo.

Downtown Photowalk

I like the simplicity of this photo - even more so in the black and white version.

Downtown Photowalk

This weekend a few of us headed out for a short photowalk in downtown Edmonton.  It was very cold and windy which made for the usual challenges - eventually the gloves have to come off to change settings or whatever.  There are a few decent shots to share, here's the first - The Winspear Centre.

Chickakoo Lake

Here's another photo from Chickakoo Lake.  I like the way the ski trail forms the leading lines to the more distant aspect of the photograph.  At first glance this appears to be a black and white photo but it isn't.

Chickakoo Lake

Not much to say about this simple composition.  Pretty close to a classic rule of thirds photo I'd say.  I was determined to retain some of the detail in the foreground snow. 

Canon 5DII with Canon 70-200 F2.8 ISM Lens.  90mm; F11 @ 1/200 sec.  ISO 100;  handheld. Black and white conversion with Nik Silver Efex Pro software.

Chickakoo Lake

One of my favourite artists is Kelowna based David Alexander.  He paints landscapes but not in the usual sense; there are often scenes that feature amazing reflections or unusual aspects.  A few years ago I saw some paintings he had done depicting views up into the treetops.  As the trees extended upward the bent inward toward one another.  This photo reminded me of these paintings.

Canon 5DII with Canon 15mm Fisheye Lens.

Chickakoo Lake

I took a run out to Chickakoo Lake this past weekend.  It was a warm day and the paths were very icy.  I had my young dog Parker along for the outing.  It's not an off-leash park but Parker is very well behaved and she sat patiently beside me when the skiers went by.  She figured out quickly that when the tripod gets set up she is supposed to just lie quietly along side.  So this photo is dedicated to Parker - my trusty side kick.

Whyte Avenue Photowalk

It was blustery day when our Whyte Ave photo group was out on assignment, as evidenced by these streamers flapping away over one of the Whyte Ave car dealerships.

Whyte Avenue Photowalk

This photo has remarkable clarity to it.  If it weren't for the window mullions on the right it would be hard to tell that this image is a reflection.

Whyte Avenue Photowalk

Lots of muted colour in this photo which I rather like.  The fellow in this photo seems to have figured out what I was doing as I lurked about taking photos of windows.

Whyte Avenue Photowalk

I really like the way the wetness of the day is captured in this image.  Lots of reflections going on here, both in the glass window and the wet sidewalk and roadway.

Canon 40D with Canon 24-105 L series lens.  ISO 400, F8 @ 125 sec.  Black and white conversion with Nik Silver Efex Pro software.

Whyte Avenue Photowalk

In this photo I achieved both my objectives; a reflected image of the subject and a framed capture as well.

Whyte Avenue Photowalk

One reflected portrait and four faces in the photo.  Go figure....!

Whyte Avenue Photowalk

Not much to say about this shot; I just liked the bleakness of it; the loan figure trudging through the wet snow past the 'closed for business' storefront had a strange appeal.

Whyte Avenue Photowalk

Two heads are better than one.  In this case a passer by's reflection is on glass behind which a hair care products poster is affixed.

Whyte Avenue Photowalk

Next up on the Whyte Avenue reflection series.

Whyte Avenue Photowalk

This is probably the best of the images that I got on our outing where the subject is framed by an object in the street.  The object in this case is a UK style telephone booth.

Whyte Avenue Photowalk

My young mate Sean (http://www.seanbuchanandesign.com/) suggested that we gather a group on Whyte Ave on February 05 and go stalking people with cameras .  I had two rather loose strategies for this outing; I would try to capture reflections of people in windows or puddles and/or try to capture an image that was somehow framed by some object in the streetscape.  I was resolved not to ask them to pose for me.  Here's the first shot of the series.  In this case I reversed the image because I found the wording on the signs along the top of the image distracting when it was backwards; which is how it looked in the reflected image.

Workplace portraits

This shot was taken not because it fit into the program of requirements but because we thought it looked cool. I told the subject that I wanted the stern look of a guy who is in charge of this place. I had noticed the placard on the underside of the truck that said 'The Boss' and wanted that to be in the shot.

Workplace portraits

Next up in the workplace Portraits series.  Meet Parker who works in the U of A Vehicle Maintenance Garage.

Workplace portraits

Number 2 in the new workplace portrait series.

Workplace Portraits

I love portrait photography and I always jump at the chance to photograph people in their workplace.  In my post from January 21 I wrote about a new assignment I have photographing young people in their workplace.  I'll post a few more examples in the next day or two.  Meet Ray; a hard working young chap working on the U of A carpentry shop.