The Embrace

Bless the dark chill that drives lovers to embrace.

I stole this moment between two lovers,

Comforting each other in the last days of their lives.

Long struggles in the growing/living season,

Did not harvest in either a bitter fruit.

Even when left old with wind withered faces, leaves and stems gone slack,

I couldn't help but noticed, they had both grown a common heart.

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Drama waiting and What I look like in the morning.

I love fall.
Even more, I love post-fall
leaves laid down for winter sleep
trees left naked in the wind.
Drama waiting. Wanting.
Click image for a larger view.

I couldn't help but recognize a bit of self in this next image. Mornings for me can be brutal and I often emerge from slumber disheveled and slightly out of sorts. Not grumpy, just not together yet. Arms go one way, nose seems part of my mouth, and a head that feels like its sticking out of another body part. Just like this image...

Click image for a larger view.

Poor fellow.

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Colour's Back!

As promised, here is a colour image of a fall landscape.

Click image for better detail.

After closing our summer camp for the year, I went for a walk in the nearby countryside. The atmosphere of quiet was defined not by audible levels but by the mind-calming smell of ripening leaves, cool touch of gusting winds, and moving visuals of cloud masses. It was the kind of pre-winter overcast day that tell your bones to slow down, chest to breath deep, and shoulders to let slip summers rush. It's time for knit sweaters, warm homemade soup, and fresh baked bread. (That's just what was waiting for me at home.)

Here's my discovery of colour in a field of wild flowers. It looked just like this too and I was thrilled it came out so well (IMHO). Rarely does a picture match what the mind sees: a flash of memories from childhood romps through wild grasses and flowers. I see cartoon-like patterns of pale grasses mixed with pastel flowers arrayed in patterns that dance across the field. It's a simple beauty.

Click image for better detail.

I look forward to the challenge of translating this to a large-format print and see if the vision survives.

Cheers to you and a happy Thanksgiving!

Colour's a thief.

Fall finally arrived and outdoor pictures have come to life. Colours abound. It's dream-time.

I've waited and waited for an interesting-looking morning. Early this week one appeared with fog and everything. There were colourful leaves, great foreground and background elements, and did I mention fog. I grabbed about a hundred images, raced back home to eagerly process them and then... bam! THEY CAME OUT BLACK AND WHITE.


Well, not on their own. I helped.

I just can't stop myself sometimes. I edited lots and lots of shots with colour but kept seeing them in a simpler format. I wanted to emphasis the compositional elements. The fog is a wonderful back curtain limiting the depth of field and far-background distractions. The light was coming in from the rising sun which was burning off the ground fog. The fields were wet with dew and held contrast. The wild flowers, bush, and tall grass gave foreground anchorage and interesting details. It was near perfect. If it only wasn't for those colourful leaves. Colour was stealing the eye and so he wasn't allowed in the picture.

In the coming weeks, I'll sincerely try and let some colour in. Till then, hope you enjoy these. Here's another fav.

The Super Fan, Tanya.

During Bluesfest every year, a bunch of friends of mine stake out key spots at our favorite venues and settle in for many-a-night of musical bliss. We bring lawn chairs, coolers, food, drinks, umbrellas, and even tarps in case of rain. Nothing stops us. We are fans.

Ben Harper at BluesFest 2009

This year our 'fan' quotant was bested by a young enthusiast who showed us how to rock. We watched her out of the corner of our eyes in the section beside us. She was right up front and filled with a glow for Ben Harper. From the first pluck of the strings and uttered words, she was all there!Tanya the Super Fan

In fact, the words of every song was on her lips and the first notes of every piece got her hopping with excitement. It was contagious. Those nearby gave room to see her groove. We were all swept away in the catchy fun of her 'Ben' world.

Front and Centre, Tanya knew every lyric.

Throughout night, it was evident that Ben too noticed this 'SUPER FAN'. It would have been impossible to miss. After a rousing encore, Ben picked her out of the crowd and passed down his mini-tamberine thingy directly to her.

Ben makes eye contact with Tanya at the end of his encore.

We all thought it was a class-act on his part but what a thrill to watch her reaction! It brought a smile to all of us.She couldn't believe it.
(Neither could her friends. Here's photo-evidence guys.)

A major part of the fun that night was watching her raptured enjoyment of Ben. Thank you Tanya for showing us how to rock.



PS. Some additional photos...

Ben Harper's attention to craft impressed me.
Tanya's deeply soulful experience impressed us all.

Beat of the Earth.

There's a deep quiet in the underbrush near my summer camp. It lies there unobserved by the motorized world.

Hidden to the day-time hiker, it's buried by nearby highway tire noise and revving rumbles.

It comes to the dawn-treader awake before the rising throb of human life. If this privileged audience walks carefully awed and clean washed from brashness they can hear earth’s song; a tune that tickles awareness with suspicion that it’s there.

Long thrumming, low humming, single syllables that sound for days and come out of the rocks and into the roots and up the tree trunks.

It's the beat of the earth.

Click for larger image.

There really is a humming sound that the earth makes. It's caused by very long ocean waves acting against the ocean floor off the western coast of North America and to a lesser extent Northern Europe. An article in WIRED magazine describes this hum or vibration. It's at a frequency of about 10 milli-hertz which is twelve octives below the lowest audible music note, E. It has only recently been measured and it's source located. Cool, eh!

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BluesFest 2009

Well it's taken a few days, but the glow has faded. BluesFest is over for another year.

There were so many big-name artists this year that it was hard to see them all. We did get to see Joe Cocker, Styx, Jackson Browne, Ben Harper, Blue Rodeo, and of course KISS. One of my favourite artist was there too, Matt 'Stubby Fingers' Anderson.

Matt Andersen in a blur as usual. Freakin' amazing player, singer, entertainer.

Here's some more performers...

Blue Rodeo.

More Blue Rodeo.

Great performance. Loved it.

I just thought he was a cool guy.

I’ve served as a volunteer photographer for two years so far. This year there were five photographers covering the festival with an assignment to capture each of the 30 roles volunteers perform. What a blast! The images were used in a daily online newsletter, for a slideshow at the volunteer appreciation party, and for various promo ads throughout the year.

Here's some of over 100 images I submitted.

Volunteers working at the Internet Cafe

The crew at the wine cafe.

These are the 'Alternate' volunteers, the minute men of the the north.
Ready to race off and fill in the gaps at a moments notice.

Sometimes it's not all fun and games.
These alternates are waiting it out at the 'Village', dreaming of their next assignment.

Another great assignment is to park bikes all day long. Work, work, work...

After or before each shift, we were served an excellent meal at the Volunteer Village where performers entertain on an ‘open-mic’ stage. Really chill!

Volunteers relaxing at the Village

At the village, conversations are easy among fellow volunteers taking a break. There’s a common feel among us that’s very positive and fun. Some I spoke to have been doing this for 9 years and have developed friendships here that have extended beyond the festival.

Our friend, Fran being the boss lady at a beer tent.

Our friend, Jennifer, explaining something cool to
my wife, Joey, and another friend, Lori.

I can't wait for next year. Till then...

Fine Art Printing Workshop

Last weekend I attended my first photography workshop. I've been to various lectures and meetings and trade shows on photography but this is the first time I've paid to have a professional photography pass on his/her expert knowledge. It was worth every cent.


Andrew Collett has a studio in Port Carling Ontario, a small town right next to Algonquin Park. He specializes in beautiful landscape images of the north and is especially known for his work within the park. The workshop class was small (7 of us) which allowed direct interaction with him in an intimate environment. It was conducted in the studio work area surrounded by all the tools of his trade: several Epson printers, frame-cutters, hanging/spraying room, canvas stretcher, matt cutters, etc.

We were asked to bring along a few raw files of images we would work on in the course. Most of the attendees were well established amateur landscape artists and brought amazing images. After this weekend, I felt like a rank novice in the world of outdoor/landscape imagery. Something I hope to improve on with some exercises over the summer and another one of his 'in-the-field' courses in the fall.

One by one the others brought their images onto the main computer for class discussion. My inexperience in the capture and handling of outdoor scenes became evident as successive students displayed their prize images. The distraction gave some opportunity for an emergency dive back into my small collection of archive images on the laptop. I slipped in one picture from a business trip the week before and another taken in panic on the morning drive to the studio.

Click on image for a larger view.
Naval Test Facility at Dodge Pond, CT.

Click on image for a larger view.
Roadside on the way to Workshop.

Andrew instructed us on image editing for print preparation. His fine touch was evident in the minor adjustments that, while appearing subtle, made all the difference in the final printed product. This included exposure and black point, white balance, curves, input/output sharpening, and a few other adjustments.

His understanding of the various print media led to selecting various subject images for a matching paper type. The test facility one above for instance is very contrasty and benefited from a glossy print to bring out the deep blacks and sharp edges. The roadside image was suited for a canvas media.

Finally, his framing and canvas wrap techniques were really cool. Canvas mirror wrapping, protective coating, stretching, and mounting were done very efficiently with two methods. He also demonstrated glass-cutting, matting, and framing. Those who had images printed out left with their artwork either framed or canvas wrapped.

Check out some of the fun here in a slideshow.

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Spring Walk

Spring's New Life. This past Victoria Day weekend, we set up our camp and enjoyed the new life around us. Spring reminds us that life triumphs everything. New grass, new buds, tracks in the warm mud, and secrets coming out of holes in the ground. It's a time to discover just how irrepressible the seeds of life are!

The flowers! There's a flood of colours and variety this year. Ottawa's Tulip Festival is a highlight of our nation's annual display of gratitude from a wartime friend-nation, the Netherlands. Though that dark war is long past, the springs that followed are the repeating "I told you so" reminder that every winter ends. Boys target dandelions instead of brothers.

Fresh Mud. While looking down to mind my way, I discovered impressions of past explorers. From animal, man, and automobile come marks that sign to us, "I've been here."











Fraggle Rock!
Like the magical hidden world where Fraggles live, there's glowing hints of subterranean kingdoms in culverts and holes. Spring brings the possibility of new discoveries.

KellyLee Evans at Lorne and Lori's

Another house concert at Lorne and Lori's place. Yes, and this time it was one of our favourites, KellyLee Evans. Check out her website.

She's an amazing local talent with 2007 Juno and Gemini Award nominations as a singer-songwriter. Some of my favourite songs are "Rapunzel", "Let's Call A Truce Tonight", and "Help Me Help You".

After setting up in the corner of the yard by the house, her band started cranking it up and Kellylee started into her set. The neighbors had their chairs out and listened along with the guests that filled the back yard.

She had her stories and friendly banter. A tale about how she cut her finger. You can see that bandage in the slideshow.

After more than an hour, she and her band quickly packed up, chatted with the guests, and headed off to their next gig at the Ottawa Tulip Festival. Busy night!

Check out more images from the evening here.

What's next? Some suggestions were made and I wouldn't be surprised if another favourite sing-songwriter will be dropping by before summer's end.