I feel the need, the need for a fast shutter speed!

I originally started to write this in the Summer of 2022 and with all things life got away from me. So here I sit a whole year later, and figured I’d finally stop procrastinating on what I’ve been doing. During early August here in the Pacific North West, Seattle gears up to hold its annual air festival Seafair during this time. I was stoked to go as the line up had the F35, F18s and the Blue Angels all coming to show off their prowess over Lake Washington. This isn’t the only thing going on during that time of year and I was able to also enjoy some time in the Oregon Desert capturing images of amazing people on their bikes.

What does that all have in common though? All of these things are about speed and freezing that moment. Capturing anything at speed comes with its own inherent problems and I started to plan how and what I’d take with me. What problems you might ask?

The first question you have to ask is “what type of shot am I going for?” It seems counterintuitive but actually planning what your composition will be with vehicles going at high speed is something I thought about a lot. What did I want to capture it doing? Did I want anything in the background? How was I going to convey scale and speed as i took the picture? Sometimes you can’t answer all of those questions so don’t worry if you can’t. Whats important is that you’ve thought about it and have an idea.

The second question you have to ask is “where am I a taking this shot?” This seems super self explanatory but in actually planning where you want to take the shot you’ll be framing up elements around it. Am I capturing a plane landing with mountains in the background? Am I capturing a motorbike with a chair in the background? Just in these two questions along I’ve dovetailed my initial thoughts in the What and layering in the where, building up a better image.

The third question you then have to ask is “what equipment will I need?” You know two parts of the equation (what and where) which now helps inform your choices. You can pick out your lenses, camera settings and whether you truly need that tripod or not. I like doing this as it allows me to do a final run through of what I’m capturing and how. I can count the amount of times I haven’t done this and been missing a piece of equipment that would have truly helped out.

If you are also lucky you’ll get some awesome people who are also riding or controlling these machines, allowing you to hone the images you want to capture.

Did i have a blast? Of Course!

Would I do it again? Hell Yes!

Go check the Speed Gallery out to see more!

The wilds of Canada (British Columbia Edition)

I’m visiting Vancouver Island for the winter break and have been stretching the old legs for some new possibilities to shoot. I’d spent a month building out lists of locations I wanted to go too, and it seems the Christmas snow fairy was intent on stopping me (current levels are 16-20cm or 6-7in). So I had to pivot and find local areas that could still offer up great views, but that didn’t have me driving an hour through unplowed roads.

In having to switch gears, I was chuckling to myself over how you gear up for a full on landscape shoot, have all the lenses and filters and then you end up having to utilise (for you Americans thats utilize) it for something you didn’t originally plan. It made me step back more than normal and think on how I was composing a shot, what I wanted and why it might be interesting. Couple this with all the awesome places you can stumble onto in Vancouver Island, and you are likely to shoot something that piques your interest at any time.

Another unicorn I’ve been chasing while it snows here is the Arbutus Tree, which sloughs its own bark and has a bright orange/red hue to it. So far I’ve only been able to spot some of the driftwood that adorns the beaches and catch a snapshot of it. If you want to see it in all of its majesty, go google it. It’s well worth the effort.

I stumbled on a really cool shot (gallery) by taking that step back I mentioned earlier, focusing on a piece of the Arbutus Tree on the beach of Seal Bay Nature Park. By taking a 30 second exposure I was able to ghost out the water and really showcase the colours that come through from the wood. It was a shot where I didn’t really have to bump the colour levels in post processing too much, and you end up with the dawn sun breaking over it to give a warm glow. The water here is really clear so it adds to the picture while letting you focus on all the rocks and seaweed that pop in the picture.

Seems that being limited in your adventures doesnt mean you have to miss out on pictures you are proud of. To quote the great Bob Ross “We don't make mistakes, just happy little accidents.” And that was what I found in a random piece of driftwood, a happy accident making a picture I really liked.

To round it out I should share that list of locations for the trip? Here you go!

• Little Qualicum Falls

• Lady Falls

• Lupin Falls

• Nymph Falls

Maybe in the summer I’ll get to go eh!

Happy Christmas!!

Mike

Stretching Your Wings

Its been an odd few months, work has been busy which in itself has led to less time to get out and enjoy photography. Coupled with that was what I felt a saturation in the shots I was taking, and in turn the skills I was learning (in some cases atrophying). 

I sat and thought about what had originally gotten me back into photography, and that thrill of getting out to take shots. Going over those thoughts had me also look at why I felt I was plateaued and what I could do about it. I set myself a challenge of capturing shots with motion in and in turn had to push myself to try mediums I wasn't good at nor had practiced at much. With that came planning of trips, making lists of gear I needed and what I wanted to shoot. 

My first trip and plan was to capture the Calgary Stampede in Canada. This meant capturing people on fast moving animals, in differing light settings and with a long lens as I wouldn't be arena side.  Placement and a long lens where at the front of my mind, especially as the events would be happening during the midday sun because I wanted to capture the best action possible.

Thankfully there aren’t any real restrictions to photography, so I took my chances in the main stand and sat down to enjoy the show. Our seats where in a raised pavilion, overlooking the arena gates for the bull riding, which was perfect. We saw many cowboys bested by the animals and I managed to capture a ton of the action throughout the day.

Kit wise I kept it light. I rolled with my Canon 6d MKii and the Canon mkii 70-200mm lens (f2.8). That allowed me to take long range and closer in shots from the elevated seating position I was in. I’ve selected my favourites below, I hope you like them too.

Best

Mike

The Winter Blues - I want to be out more shooting

Well its that time of year, the days are short, the nights long and the weather is unpredictable to say the least. I find this time of year (like the rest of you) the hardest time. I look out of the window, watching as the cold and rain sweeps through and think longingly of being out and wielding my camera.

But dammit, I don't want to be held hostage by the weather. And you shouldn't either. So how have I been combating this the most nefarious of times? What is it that's helping me to keep my photography juices flowing?  

Firstly, I've invested a lot of time into honing the photography knowledge that I didn't have or that had atrophied over the years. I'd forgotten many things, so taking the time to go back and re-learn have really helped me dive deeper into my technical knowledge. How have I done that? At the basic level I've looked into classes in local photography shops and online courses I can sit. These all come with great instructors and will help guide you in all areas from lighting through to composition and beyond. Sites like Coursera or  Adobe Know How have been excellent places for me to buy and run through informative beginner courses in photography as well. Without these fundamentals its easy for you to become disgruntled with your passion. DON'T. LET. THAT. HAPPEN!

From there I've branched out to consuming content by some great photographers like Thomas Heaton and Peter McKinnon. The reason I chose these two is just down to my learning style. They both have a great way of explaining technical aspects, show the human side and have driven me to try hard. So look on YouTube and find someone that you enjoy watching and truly learn something from. Beyond that, I've started reading books that catch my eye and jotting notes down in my notebook when something crosses my mind to look up later. 

Secondly, I've been trying out new equipment and investigating where I can go to take shots in Washington State. I've looked at great abandoned buildings, places of natural beauty and anything between. Then I've looked up when they look the best and how long it takes me to get there.

The biggest part of taking a great shot is the prep, which I'm finding which is phrased well by this motto "Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance" or the 7 P's for short. Just slowing down, thinking through what you want to shoot and why, where and when is best to go are all key to this. I'm not someone that likes to rush when I'm out with my camera, so planning is helping me in being able to work out how many locations I can see and having me eager to be out.

Thirdly, I've been looking back at the shots I've taken so far and starting to critique my errors so I can learn from them. I don't just want to take amazing pictures, I want to learn from every single one I take to make them better. Sometimes we can be blind to the flaws, or even see them all too easily and not want to share! I recommend taking a picture and running through the flaws and also the good you find. If you don't see anything then maybe ask a friend, and ask them to be honest with you. The key here is to not take the flaws too heart and to build on what you are doing well in your shots. As you've noted down those areas that aren't so amazing, or that are good but could be amazing, start to research how to make them better. Then go practice! 

I'll wind this up by saying that you will get put off taking shots, you'll sometimes be down or what you thought was amazing isn't so good. We all get that way. It happens too the best. The only way to fix this I find is to lay out some shoots and learn new techniques to try when you next go out. 

- Mike

My Inaugural post - what I'm using.

Here I find myself, sat pondering what to write for my very first blog post, and figured I'd start with how I got to my current setup. I went back and forth on this for a while, needing to upgrade from my aging Fuji Finepix HS20. I bought the Finexpix as an upgrade from a point and shoot, and it held its own until recently. But after seven years I noticed that it really struggled in low light and as I wanted to do Astrophotography figured that now was a good time to upgrade. 

So like any person does I started to do research, looking at a myriad of sites and blogs. All of them wildly varied, all of them offering prices across the spectrum. It was confusing but thankfully I had an ace in my back pocket, and repeatedly asked them camera questions over and over. For that Melinda, Marco and Abby I thank you! Also if you'd like to check out their pics go here for Melinda, here for Marco and here for Abby. From all of these questions I came away with a good idea of what I wanted and bought the below starter kit for myself.

• Camera - Canon Rebel T7i
• Bag - Lowepro Protactic 450 AW
• Tripod - Three legged thing: Travis
• Lens - Canon 18-55mm F4
• Lens - Canon 55--250mm EFS F4
• Software - Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom 

For now I'll crack the basics, work harder on making better pictures, and exploring places wherever I am. I think from all of this, that my biggest tip to anyone who likes to take pictures is to go wander your surroundings. Just taking your gear and meandering through a city or countryside, will allow you to find amazing sights as you go. 

Mike