My Blog

What I Did For My Summer Holidays

Life

I remember being a kid and going back to school in September and on the first day, the teacher would always ask us to stand and talk about what we did for the summer. Coming from an immigrant family with limited funds, I had no fascinating stories to tell about far-flung destinations visited, or summer camps that I attended, or even the new bike I had received and rode endlessly. For us, it was about playing outside, with friends, and when it was too hot, being lazy and hanging out down by Lake Ontario or at the local splash pad.

That trend has continued for me into adulthood. I don’t travel in the summer, except locally. I don’t own a vacation home or RV or trailer. Instead, I make the most of my suburban home, creating a peaceful garden oasis with outdoor seating, a pond, bird feeding stations and perennials. I love it and it serves me well.

This year, I decided I needed to do the same inside, modernizing and updating the visible surfaces (ceilings, walls, floors) with new materials and colours. For most of the summer, my house was awash with contractors, and I was living in the basement, eagerly awaiting for the changes to be completed. Why would I post about this on a photography blog? Because I found the artistic choices made for the inside of my home are very much related to my current aesthetic as a photographer. Find out how.

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For Sale – Maybe?

Life, My Community, Photography

As you get older, the possessions you have collected over your life begin to be less important. Some naturally wear out, some become obsolete, and some you just lose interest in. I’ve been on a decluttering kick for more than a year as I approach the end of my 7th decade, and it has been remarkably refreshing. It’s an odd sense of starting over, of zeroing in on what’s most important. For the most part, I’ve felt very good with the choices made.

What has surprised me though is how difficult it is to re-home camera equipment and accessories. The consumer market is changing and has changed significantly. It’s been frustrating to declutter these items. Find out what I have tried and what success I have had. It might surprise you…

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Creative Ideas at the Creative Lab

Artistic Ideas, Expertise, Learning, Photography, Portraits

Yesterday, I dropped by the Canon Creative Lab in Mississauga where they were hosting Image Wonderland. This was an event showcasing Canon gear (of course), along with a number of sets with models and high end props (including a vintage Cadillac) where you could try out the gear. I’ve never been to one of these, and honestly did not know what to expect.

I’ve been a Canon fan-girl forever, and we were also encouraged to bring our own cameras and shoot away. Images could also be printed through the onsite Canon Print Shop for free, although this was confined to 4×6 prints for walk-ins, and 11×17 prints if you submitted them ahead of time. And there was a series of talks given by Canon Ambassadors, including Irene Rudnyk, Sal Balaji and Steve Russell.

What did I see and experience at the event? Read on…

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Warblers, Warblers Everywhere

Nature, Photography, travel

I’ve just returned from a few days away. Where? To the heart of songbird migration in my province of Ontario, Canada – Point Pelee National Park, situated at the most southern land tip of our great country. Four days away, immersed in nature, woodlands, lakeshore walks and the cacophony of songbirds returning to start families. It was absolutely amazing. See the images at the end of this post.

Timing is everything for these trips and yet you often have to plan months in advance to ensure you can find accommodation at your chosen time. The annual Point Pelee Bird Festival is an incredible event, where bird lovers from all over the world gather to look up through binoculars or camera lenses or both to welcome the returning hoards of songbirds and to experience those amazing songs.

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What Does It Mean To Be A Professional?

Career, Expertise, Life, Photography

I had an interesting experience recently, as all home owners do. I had to hire someone to do some repairs on the house. I also took the opportunity to do some upgrades as well. The specifics don’t matter, but the quality of work does. The company I hired boldly advertised their services as delivered by highly trained, professional technicians. I hear that phrasing a lot, especially from those selling services, including photography, with the latter usually accompanied by the words “award-winning” as well. Of course it started me thinking of a blog topic, What does “professional” actually mean? Read on.

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Why Edit Your Photographs?

Artistic Ideas, Photography, Tools

Frankly, it’s a question I’ve never thought about. Ever since I starting shooting digitally, and ever since I became aware of software available to edit, I’ve edited. But I’m preparing a short talk for a group of hobbyist photographers and I’ve discovered that some of them don’t edit, have never edited and have never considered editing. I find that fascinating. We will talk more about why they don’t edit in a bit.

There is a long standing debate about in-camera skills vs. post-processing skills. From the early days of photography, and rightly so, it was decisions about framing, composition, exposure, and using natural light and shadow properly that determined the end result. I agree with that perspective and continue to refine my skills in-camera. But artists being artists, more options were discovered for adding a unique look, a mood or an effect to that end result. Today, the options can be almost endless, including AI driven editing technologies. So let’s explore that a bit further.

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Learning Something New is Hard

Architecture, Fine Art, Learning, Photography

My last blog mentioned my recent trip to Los Angeles for a photography workshop that focused on presenting architectural elements as abstracts. It’s a very unique style of presentation, and as it turns out, not one that I am really comfortable with. Some results are great, like the one below. But most, not so much.

The Slide

There seem to be three reasons for this. Find out what they are and why I was surprised by them.

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LA Calling!

Architecture, Fine Art, Photography, travel

I find it astonishing that I can wake up in one city one day and wake up in another city 4,100km (2,600 miles) away the next day. I am one generation removed from the generation that invented gas-powered passenger flight. Yet I am able to go to the airport, hop a plane, and be in a new universe in just hours.

I did that recently, travelling by plane from Toronto to Los Angeles. I was there to attend a photography workshop, hosted by Angie McMonigal, a wonderful architectural photographer who specializes in abstract captures of architecture. Many of the photographers I’m drawn to now come from technical or science backgrounds and Angie does too. Her focus on details is exceptional, opening up a whole new way of seeing. But it’s her artistry that is stunning.

Angie is way ahead of me and has already published a look at our session, which you can access above, along with her images from the event.

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When Life Gets in the Way of Art

Architecture, Life, Photography, travel

First, Happy Flag Day! To all my Canadian readers, we show the flag with pride today – first unveiled 60 years ago. Proud of the flag – and so very proud to be a Canadian!

As you read this, I’m in the final planning stages of a trip – to Los Angeles. Will be joining an avid group of hobbyist architectural photographers to try creating abstracts with this unusual source subject. A new twist for me on a typically formal subject, usually captured with full facades, straight lines and predictable angles. These images will be tilted, twisted and perhaps even distorted. It should be fascinating. I’ll report on the outcome separately, but I wanted to take note of a few unexpected considerations in my planning. Not life imitating art or vice-versa, but rather life getting in the way of art.

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Opening Your Mind on Opening Night

Artistic Ideas, Fine Art, My Community, Photography

I’ve had the opportunity over the past few months to visit several galleries where photography exhibitions had opened. These openings were in no way related to each other: one showed historical/documentary work, one showed the natural world and one showed artistic creations supported by artificial intelligence. In two cases, the artist or curator was available to discuss the work as I wandered through it. Each was a wonderful journey. Let me telll you why.

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