It’s a small world

You don’t have to go to Walt Disney and ride the “It’s a small world” attraction to realize just how small the world really is. 

This week I received two e-mails that proved that.  The first e-mail was from the World Energy Council’s London office you wrote to tell me that my image “Modern Day Farming” was the global winner in the Council’s annual photo competition.  Aside from getting a T-shirt with my image on it, I get a £500 Amazon.com gift certificate.  I’ve been considering purchasing a high-end Epson Archival ink printer and this is making the decision that much easier.

My second e-mail came from a flickr contact.  He wrote:

“Hi Pierre,
We last spoke some time ago after I'd expressed my
admiration for one of your locomotive HDR's, a very strong
image which really stuck in the mind. Anyway, the other day
as I was glancing through my weekly edition of "Amateur
Photographer" magazine, I spied an ad for, I think, the
Tokina 11-16. Since I find myself shooting more and more
architecture on a professional basis, I read the ad as I'm
considering swapping my Sigma 10-20 for the Tokina.
Unusually for a lens makers ad, it featured a decent quality
photo which caught my eye and closer inspection revealed a
credit for "HDR by Pierre Contant". I immediately thought "I
recognise that name, thats the locomotive guy!" and was
delighted that your HDR skills had been recognised!

Amateur Photographer is the UK's oldest and most respected
photo mag, celebrating its 125th birthday this year. As part
of their celebrations they gave away a reflector and white
balance target/diffuser with last weeks issue and since I
wanted both gifts I bought two copies. If that was the same
week I saw your work gracing the Tokina ad it means I should
have a spare copy floating around somewhere, which, if I can
find it, I'd be happy to send to you.

Either way you've been refining your HDR skills for a while
now and it's great to see them recognised, congratulations!!

If you'd like any more info about the Tokina image then
just Flickrmail me. Have a great weekend!

Best Wishes, Adrian " 

That image was sold to Kenro, the UK distributor for Tokina for a one year license agreement for an ad campaign. 

The internet has made our world small, very small.  I've sold images in Canada, the US and the UK.  And to think that just maybe the Queen is sitting on the throne reading “Amateur Photographer” and gazing a my image of Lumsden Dam just tickles me. 

From the lighter side of the darkroom, 

Pierre

Workshop Update

My fall Outdoor Digital Photography Essentials workshop did take place last Saturday and I would have to say it was a success.  Although we crammed in tons of information, we managed to get out there and try things out.  

I shared many tips and tricks which will undoubtedly improve each and every participant’s photographic skills if they continue to put in practice what they learned.

I truly enjoyed the day and the fact that the workshop attendees were great people who wanted to learn made it that much better and a perfect day.

Thanks to everyone who participated.

Pierre

Photography Workshop

FULL - This workshop is now booked. If you wish to be on a cancelation list, please send me an e-mail.  
 

I’m looking at hosting a Digital Photography Essentials workshop this fall. I have a few things I need to iron out but I should be in a position to confirm if the workshop will take place in a few weeks.

Where: Temiscaming, Quebec

When: The tentative date is Saturday September 26^th, 2009, from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., rain or shine. A one hour preparation session will take place the night before from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. to get started and ensure that everyone is prepared for the next day.

Workshop Outline: I will cover just about everything in digital photography except for post processing and studio lighting. At least 4 hours of the day will be out in the field trying and testing the various learning with one-on-one coaching. Night time and flash photography will be covered after dinner.

Prerequisites: You need to be a serious amateur willing to learn and improve your photographic skills.

Required Equipment: A DSLR and a tripod is a must. Most Point & Shoot (P&S) digital camera will not qualify as they do not have the level of functionality required.

Limited seats: The workshop will be limited in participation in order to maximize the one-on-one instruction. Since space is limited, seats will be on a first come, first served basis.

Workshop Fees: The cost for the workshop is $100. You will need to bring your lunch and cover your dinner costs.

Language: My last workshop was in French only and this one may be in English depending on who attends. If the lectures are in English, French may be used during the one-on-ones to better explain and understand the theory. 

f you are interested in improving your photographic skills by participating in this workshop or have any questions, please e-mail me at pierre.contant@yahoo.com as soon as possible.

Pierre

El Rodeo, more than trucks....

El Rodeo!

Every year, the Rodeo du Camion (El Rodeo) attracts over 65,000 people in Notre-dame-du Nord, a small 1500 resident community on the Ontario/Quebec border. The rodeo is filled with attractions such as the amazing Show & Shine competition, truck parade and up-hill truck drag racing. This event has become the biggest activity of this nature in Canada attracting people from across the country and the US.

Coors Light like you've never seen

This year I decided to attend the event as I hadn’t been there for over 20 years. I was perplexed to see how big this event had become and floored to see how much beer was being consumed. Beer shacks were all over the place and the grounds’ were covered with empty beer cans. This big beer drinking party attracts many young people looking for a good time.

Entertainment

But what really titillated me was the free entertainment between each race. Motivated by Mardi-Gras style necklaces and crowds of cheering men, ladies of all ages were encouraged to lift their tops and show their breast and that they did. From woman young enough to be my daughter to one that was old enough to be my mother, many participated.

Now I could tell you that I was totally appalled by this behavior and to stand there and see all these perverted men cheer and holler to the women on the opposite side of the track to take there tops off was disturbing, but that would be a lie. In fact, I truly enjoyed the entertainment and best of all it was free!

I quickly reviewed the fine print in my marriage contract and no where did I see that I could not photograph these bare chested women.

So as I stood their in the crowd, actively scanning for the next lucky contestant, I quickly realized that most of these rowdy guys were on the other side of the track which meant that most of the ladies participating were on my side. Needless to say, it was time to change sides.

Once on the other side I found the perfect spot with a great view but I guess it wasn’t my lucky day. It seemed that by time I got to the other side most of the action had changed sides as well. But nonetheless I was determined and decided to wait it out for things to go my way which they finally did.

Reality

When I got home I shared the experience with my wife and confirmed that I hadn't missed any fine print in our marriage contact. And as I sat there later that evening, replaying the day’s events in my head, I suddenly realized that these young girls had a father and the older ones participating probably had grand children! Having a daughter myself made the fun of the day take sudden change in perspective.

The next morning at breakfast I had a little chat with my daughter. She was well aware of what I had seen at the Rodeo so I shared with her my thought about the concept of her participating in such an activity. Being a mature and reasonable girl, she was disgusted by the event and unquestionably supportive of not embarking in such activity. I told her to scratch this event out of her list of events to attend.

Now just to make sure she doesn’t go, I’ve convinced my wife that I should be attending each year!

From the brighter side of the darkroom,

Pierre

DIY Camera Raingear

It doesn’t take much rain to get a 10 year old boy outside but to get a 13 year old girl to put aside her iPod and get off the couch to go out and play in the rain takes an impressive downpour.

Well that’s what we had last Sunday night, a very heavy downpour and what better time to test my home made camera raingear. Now while most photographers were looking outside I was out there taking pictures and getting wet, really wet.

The camera raingear worked perfectly and in fact outperformed my worn out raincoat. It was raining so much, perhaps too for a first test. It kept the camera dry but I could not keep the front lens dry which made photography a challenge.

The Design

I’m a canvas sewer hobbyist and designed and sewed the raingear myself with the following features.

Seal – The rain gear seals around the lens with a pull cord and the bottom of the cover seals up with velco so that I can seal it around my hand.

Window – I put a clear plastic window so that I can look in the viewfinder and see the LCD display. With my right hand inside the cover I can adjust any setting.

Fabric – Lightweight water repellent black nylon.

Size – The fabric is collapsible for my 50mm lens and extendable for my 80-200.

Version 2

I give this design 100 % for normal rain, wet or snow conditions. However, for torrential rain such as in this test, the nylon fabric eventually became drenched. No water got through but I could begin to feel the dampness on my hand. This was undoubtedly more rain than I had ever imagined testing this gear. It was raining so much that pouring buckets of water over the covered camera would not have been any worse. That said, I've made a second version made out of 100% waterproof marine canvas. This on is fully sealed model and you must operate the controls from outside the cover. I made a 1/4" hole under a sealed flat for a tripod mount or the adapter of my fantastic Rapid-R strap. This unit designed for extreme conditions and I can't wait to try it out.

VERSION 2

Click on image to view larger

From the brighter side of the darkroom,

Pierre

Where's the Wildlife?

While I was on vacation I noticed a guy on the beach feeding seagulls and I was quite impressed to see just how close he was getting to the birds. Was this a photo opportunity?

Later that night as I sat by the fire, faithfully testing the blueness of the Coors Light Mountains, my wife noticed that I was rather quiet. Concerned that I may be contemplating the purchase of more camera gear; she asked me what I was thinking.

I was actually deep in thought developing a plan to capture these famished gulls in a unique way but I wasn’t about to share this with her. My mind is focused (most of time) on a few things and regardless of what I say, her answer usually is “Don’t you ever think about anything else?”. So I replied that I had enjoyed the day and was looking forward to tomorrow, which was true, just not what I was thinking.

Operation REGULAR

Throughout the next day I did the Dad thing. The beach, the Midway, the Mini-Put, Dairy Queen you name it. When the time came and the sun was where I wanted it to be, operation REGULAR was engaged. Before I started I had to shelter my daughter and wife in a safe location and what better place than a shopping area with plenty of stores. My assistant (son) and I were then cleared to execute the mission.

We stopped at a local convenience store and bought two bags of REGULAR potato chips and headed to the beach. I purchased regular flavored potato chips because that was part of my back-up plan. You see my assistant loves regular potato chips so if he got bored during the mission, he too could have some!

The Location

We found a location where cars are allowed on the beach and spotted a flock of poorman’s wildlife. When you think of wildlife you imagine tigers and grizzlies not seagulls. And when you think of wildlife photography lenses, a telephoto come to mind and not a wide angle lens, even less, a super-wide. So why not shoot seagulls with a super-wide angle lens? Neither are wildlife related.

The Calling

My assistant and I sat on the tailgate of my truck and began the operation by opening the first bag of potato chips. And just like the cracking sound of opening a cold can of beer in a locker room would get any man’s attention, every bird within a 10 mile radius heard that bag of potato chips pop open! Within seconds they were swarming around us and we were ready to execute.

The Setup

I got my brave assistant to hold a potato chip with his fingers as high up as he could and held my camera out about a foot away, under the chip. I rallied the gulls by throwing a few potato chips near our feet and into the air. They were as excited as I was the first day I set foot in B&H Photo in NYC. The gulls aggressively fought for the food and it didn’t take too long for the braver ones to start going after the potato chips in my assistant’s hand. I shot blindly (camera help out by my hand) and pointed the lens toward the bellies of the approaching birds.

The Pain

As the bag of chips emptied, the size of the potato chips got smaller, making my assistant’s little fingers more and more attractive to the gulls. Between each feeding/photo shoot my assistant checked to see if his throbbing fingers were still connected to his hand and began to complain. I felt like saying “Listen Trooper, when you enrolled in this regiment did you think we were going to wear Phentex slippers and take walks in the park????”

Then I realized that he was only 10 years old and that he was a real Trooper and had done an excellent job. So we called it quits and emptied the remaining potato chips on the ground for the birds to feast.

The Camera Settings.

At first I shot with a flash, and experimented with different shutters speeds. I soon realized that the birds were moving too fast and that I needed a very fast shutter speed, at least 1/2000. Although my camera can flash up to 1/8000, the exposures were not always what I expected. I opted to shoot without a flash and set the camera to 1/2000 and some at 1/4000 of a second in shutter priority. The action was very fast and focusing was taking too much time so I set the lens on manual focus and set it for the estimated distance.

The Result

The results were amazing. I managed to get many images that I had never imagined doing with my super-wide lens. And the exposure? My trusty Nikon D300 did an incredible job in Shutter priority at getting the perfect exposure almost every time. Minimal and in any PP was required.

The Second Bag

During operation Regular we only went through one bag of potato chips and kept the second one for a repeat performance later that evening. Unfortunately on the second go around the gulls were not cooperative but I did manage to get good images such this in-flight potato chip bite (not with the super-wide).

What luck?

At the end of our vacation as I quietly drove the 8 hrs journey back home my wife noticed my mind was elsewhere. She sked me "What are you thinking about?" We had been camping for 9 days and sleeping with our kids in the intimate confines of our camper trailer. It was a beautiful family vacation and not a honeymoon. Now we were heading back home and I could not stop thinking that I was finally going to get into some 'real' wildlife activity. Now I was not about to say this as both you and I know what her answer was going to be. So I told her, "I'm tired, I can't wait to be in bed tonight!", which was definitely true. She smiled and replied "Oh honey, you must be exhausted with all that driving but you are in luck! You will sleep well in our bed tonight, alone. The kid's have asked me to camp-out with them in their bedroom tonight!"

From the brighter side of darkroom,

Pierre

Who’s teaching who?

Where’s the wedding?
I don’t go to many weddings these days. I’m not sure if it’s because people don’t get married anymore or if it’s because they just don’t invite me but one thing's for sure, “Here comes the bride” played on the organ is a rare sound.

But when I finally get invited to a wedding, photographing the reception is always a challenge. By the time the Bride and Groom makes it back to the reception the people at the bar know me by name. And to make matters worse, there’s always one girl wearing a dress her boyfriend wishes she wouldn’t have bought which ends up distracting me.

Free Help
That’s why I decided to get an assistant to help out with the reception photography and who better than my 10 year old son. He was bored so I setup my camera for him and gave him a 2 minute lesson on operating the flash head for bounce lighting and off to the races he went. There he was lugging my D300 c/w MB-D10, lens, flash held by my faithful BlackRapid strap around his neck. He fired away and I didn’t see him most of the night. All I could see was the room light up every minute or so as if we were in a lightning storm.

Job well done
After filtering his 200 or so images he shot, surprisingly 130 were keepers. The composition or horizon was off on some and crop off center on others. But out of the 130 images there were many that were simply perfect in that he had captured the moments of the evening. (Luckily for me he didn’t capture all of them!) The image on this post is his. I simply cropped it and processed it.

Learning
Kids learn so much by observing and trying things out themselves. My son is well on his way of becoming an outstanding photographer and my daughter too for that matter. She has her own camera and manages to produce some very creative work. I don’t know what it is with her(and her friends) but she's stuck in this continuous self-portrait mode. Once she figures out that she can turn the camera around, she’ll discover a whole new world of photography.

My kids are not the only ones learning. After filtering my son’s images and being pleasantly surprised by his work, I realized that he too had taught me something. His tenacity, POV and spontaneity delivered the goods while I was busy checking the blueness of the Coors Lite mountain’s or on the dance floor trying to imitate a guy that can’t dance (which that I did very well!). So what did I learn? I learned I should have got him to shoot the reception too!

Now I can’t wait for him to learn Photoshop. When that happens I’ll be able to sit back and just be the director.

From the brighter side of the darkroom,

Pierre