(Camera: Olympus OM-G; Lens: Olympus Zuiko 50mm f/3.5 Macro; Film: Kodak T-Max 100)
This print is from last evening’s darkroom work. I like its rather strange look. It’s partly the product of the muted, sharp-angle sunlight falling on the scene, and partly the result of the frost coating everything, which gives the picture a pronounced grainy texture.
Early morning at Tower Point Regional Park.
Camera: Olympus OM-10; Lens: Olympus Zuiko 28mm f/3.5; Film: Kodak Ektar 100
At this time of year we’re often right on the flight path of Pacific storm systems. The resulting lighting conditions often make for dramatic photographs. I’ve often wondered what it must be like to live in a place where the seasonal changes are less pronounced. Do photographers living in southern California, for example, ever feel like they’re missing out? Or perhaps the equation is just different. One tends to photograph what’s at hand, so I suppose that if big weather systems aren’t a regular part of one’s photographic life, something else settles in to occupy that creative space.
I have a great fondness for compact 35-mm cameras. There’s something undeniably liberating about a camera equipped with just the bare essentials — it frees the mind and promotes spontaneous picture taking. I certainly get a lot of use from recent-vintage, auto-everything models, like the Pentax Espio Mini I described here. But the best of the breed are rangefinder cameras from the ‘60s and early ‘70s, when magnificent beasts such as the Canonet QL and Yashica Electro roamed the photography landscape. One of the finest from that heyday is also one of the least often regarded — the Olympus 35RC. Continue reading
(Camera: Nikon FE; Lens: Tamron 90mm f/2.8 macro; Film: Kodak T-Max 100)
This region has its share of beautiful wild flowers (including several lilies), each taking its turn to enliven the forest floor at different times of the year. One of the first to emerge in the spring is the White Fawn Lily. Its evocative shape and wealth of delicate details make it especially photogenic — especially in black-and-white.
Garry Oak trees.
(Camera: Hasselblad 503cx; Lens: 80mm Zeiss Planar; Film: Fuji Acros 100)
I shot this yesterday while walking through Devonian Regional Park along one of the numerous paths that lead from the parking lot to Taylor Beach. My favourite route takes me along the fence line of an adjacent farm, which is where these Garry Oak trees are located. Continue reading
Along the KVR trail, Naramata, BC.
(Camera: Olympus 35RC; Film: Fuji Superia 200)
Linking the B.C. interior city of Penticton and its neighbour, the town of Naramata (and well beyond), is the Kettle Valley Railway trail. As the name suggests, the KVR is an abandoned railway line, and it’s now the domain of cyclists and hikers. It’s a great place to breath in the chill air, kick up some fallen leaves, and take in the colours of the season.
(Camera: Olympus Stylus Epic; Film: Kodak T-Max 100)
Days and days of rain, mushrooms by the ton
Waiting for our clothes to dry, Mr. Watson cleans his gun
Walking ’round the fences, a sister left behind
A visit by a country doctor, two years from going blind
— Lyrics from Haze by S. Kilbey
Arbutus bunch, Tower Point Regional Park.
(Camera: Olympus XA-2; Film: Fuji Sensia 200 transparency)
The previous post (Strawberry Tree) reminds me of how often I’ve photographed this little grove of Arbutus trees. I’ve returned many times, shooting them in various lighting conditions and in every season. This photo is from a winter morning a couple years ago. The grouping always puts me in mind of Picasso’s painting, Three Dancers — probably it’s something in the way the branches twist, curve, and reach towards the sea and the sky. If Picasso were to make a tree, I’m pretty sure it would be the Arbutus.
Arbutus tree, Tower Point Regional Park.
(Camera: Hasselblad 503cx; Lens: 80mmm f/2.8 Zeiss Planar; Film: Fuji Provia 100F transparancy)
The bold colours of this Arbutus tree are natural, but they’re extra rich in this photo. This is the product of two factors working in concert. First, warm sunset lighting is in play — not only from the Sun directly, but also reflecting off the ocean below. Secondly, I underexposed the shot by about ½ stop, which always boosts the colour in slide film. This scan looks pretty good, but how I wish you could see the original transparency on the light table! Continue reading
The vertical streaks in this sample image are the result of scanner banding. (The defects are enhanced here for clarity.)
One of the most common scanning problems is a defect known as image banding. Sometimes its appearance is subtle, sometimes it’s not. What’s the cause? Consider how a scanner works: a single-line CCD array slowly sweeps across your negative, slide, or print. If parts of the array differ in sensitivity, you get an unevenness in the resulting scan that manifests itself as one or more ruler straight bands. Continue reading
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