Cubist Arbutus

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Gary

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.

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Strawberry Tree

Posted on October 30, 2011 by admin

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 →

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How To: Eliminate Banding From Your Scans

Posted on October 29, 2011 by admin

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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Morning Walk in the Woods

Posted on October 24, 2011 by admin

Autumn maples, Galloping Goose Regional Trail, Victoria, BC. (Camera: Olympus OM-G; Lens: Zuiko 50mm f/1.8; Film: Kodak T-Max 100)

It was an unexpectedly lovely autumn day — perfect for a walk in the woods. I shot this in the morning, developed the roll once home, and did a quick-and-dirty scan a few hours later so that I could post it here. Instant autumn. Not iPhone instant, but not bad for black-and-white film and not really trying for speed.

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Rock and Kelp

Posted on October 18, 2011 by admin

(Camera: Olympus OM-2n; Lens: Olympus Zuiko 50mm f/3.5 macro; Film: Kodak T-MAX 100)

This shot is from my most recent roll and was taken during a relatively brief walk at Devonian Regional Park, here on Vancouver Island. I’d been feeling a bit unproductive lately since my last couple of rolls didn’t yield any images I was especially excited about. This latest one was different though. In addition to this shot, there are several others I can’t wait to get into the darkroom to work on. I suppose that’s just the nature of any creative enterprise though — inspiration comes and goes in fits and starts. If it were easy and repeatable, we probably wouldn’t bother at all.

Posted in Black and White, Framed Prints, Nature & Landscapes | 1 Comment

A Place Without a Postcard

Posted on October 8, 2011 by admin

Sigöldufoss, southwestern Iceland. (Camera: Olympus OM-PC; Lens: Olympus Zuiko 135mm; Film: Fuji Provia 100F)

It says something about the extravagant beauty of Iceland that a waterfall as picturesque as this one is so common it doesn’t even have a proper name.  According to my Icelandic friend, Martina, most locals refer to it as Sigöldufoss, since it lies near a hill called Sigalda. Makes sense. It was a year ago that I visited Iceland. I’ve been missing the place ever since.  Spectacular sights like this are only one reason.

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Similkameen Autumn

Posted on October 6, 2011 by admin

Late afternoon, October, along the Similkameen River. (Camera: Karoron medium-format folder; Film: Fuji Reala 100 )

The Similkameen is where I spent my childhood. It’s one valley west of the more famous Okanagan Valley, in the southern  interior of British Columbia. Both regions are rich with fuit trees and vineyards, producing some of the worlds finest wine grapes, apples, peaches, apricots, and cherries. It was the best possible place to be a kid. Continue reading →

Posted in Nature & Landscapes | 2 Comments

Pemaquid Point Sunrise

Posted on October 4, 2011 by admin

The start of a beautiful September day on the coast of Maine.
(Camera: Olympus OM-PC; Lens: Olympus Zuiko 28mm f/3.5; Film: Kodak Elite Chrome 200 EC)

In the eight years I lived on the east coast near Boston, I never ventured up to Maine. I have no idea why, except that I fell into that “there’s always another day” trap that conspires to keep one from exploring those things closest at hand. However, last autumn, my wife and I made the trip (this time, from the much greater distance of Victoria, BC) to attend the wedding of our friends Anne and Robert. We were staying just down the road from Pemaquid Point and got up early one morning to watch this sunrise. That alone made the trip worthwhile. Continue reading →

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San Fran Art Deco

Posted on October 2, 2011 by admin

(Camera: Yashica FX-3 Super 2000; Film: Ilford HP5)

One of the great joys of having your own darkroom is that you can reach back in time to make a new print from an old negative. I made this photo while visiting San Fransico in 1989, shortly after the big October quake. I was just enjoying the day, wandering around town, when this building caught my eye. I took the shot and carried on without giving it further thought until I encountered the negative 22 years later while organizing my old photos.  I was struck once again by the building’s unique architecture and decided to make this print. Continue reading →

Posted in Framed Prints | 3 Comments

Favourite Cameras: Olympus OM-10

Posted on September 29, 2011 by admin

If you’re hunting for a first SLR camera, there’s probably no bigger bang-for-the-buck than an Olympus OM-10. Do a quick search and you’ll find them littering garage sales and eBay like confetti after a wedding. And they’re cheap too. You can usually get one in decent condition with the standard 50mm f/1.8 lens (which is excellent, by the way) for $30. Sometimes you can get a body, case, and extra lenses for that same outlay. But 30 bucks is 30 bucks and if the camera’s no good, then you’d be better off spending your money on pizza or beer, right? Right. Fortunately, the OM-10 is an excellent photographic tool. Continue reading →

Posted in Favourite Cameras, Reviews | 35 Comments