Owner: PhotoZan URL:http://photozan.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 10:52:34 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: An Art Photography Blog. Sometime with a purpose, sometimes without. I aim to post a photograph a day, but I don't always manage that. It's like the joke about the guy who caught a store owner closing his shop.
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Over the top HDR 2008-03-07 22:01:00 Ok, Ok this is too much but I am playing with the HDR options just to see what I can get. I actually like the dramatic effect that is in this image, but I agree it is over the top!
Because Art Cannot Exist Without Conscience 2008-03-06 20:20:00 We would all like to compartmentalize our lives into separate chapters. One for work, another for art, another for family etc... Somehow in this process, we draw curtains around intransigent realities that refuse to blend in normalcy. If we were to give these realities the weight that they deserve on a human level, the rest of the our lives may not function as well.For instance, we all know that our governments turn a blind eye to torture. That unjust wars are being waged, that innocent people are dying every day in Gaza, Jerusalem, Baghdad and East L.A. That children in Africa are living a reality that non of us want to even imagine. If we were to allow these horrible deeds to take their just value in our conscience, our everyday lives would not be "normal". So we draw the curtain. We wat
Van-HDR-couver 2008-03-05 22:47:00 I haven't been able to do a lot of photo-shoots in the past few weeks, but here is what I have been up to. This is my first tentative attempt at an HDR (High Dynamic Range) image. It's a fun option and I really need to learn how to use it to madvantage as a process.
Sun rise over Vancouver 2008-02-24 14:50:00 Canon EOS 30D; Shutter Speed 1/1250Sec.; Aperture Value F8.0; ISO Speed 400; Focal Length 120.0 mm Read more:Vancouver
Coal Harbor, Vancouver, BC. 2008-02-17 15:23:00 Sunset over Coal Harbor
on the edge of Stanley park. Canon EOS 30D; Shutter Speed 1/60Sec.; Aperture Value F9.0; ISO Speed 400; Focal Length 135.0 mm Read more:Vancouver
Steam Clock at Gas Town, Vancouver 2008-02-16 10:38:00 Canon EOS 30D; Shutter Speed 1/20Sec.; Aperture Value F8.0; ISO Speed 1600; Focal Length 28.0 mm Back from a week in rainy Vancouver
. I have passed by this steam clock several times and always thought I need to capture the mood of this place on a rainy day. This was the time. Although this was taken at high ISO, I don't think it takes away from it, but you be the judge! Read more:Steam
, Clock
Alberta - The sad lands! 2008-02-09 16:52:00 Alberta has the notoriety of having a "clipper" named after it. It is indeed a cold place in winter, but it also sports a constant flow of Chinooks that keep at least the lower part of it warm... some of the time.The skies of Alberta are beautiful. Wide and unobstructed looking east across the plains, and framed by a line of mountains to the west. It is a breathe-taking part of this lovely land we call Canada.But Alberta is dying. The oil companies and the industries that spring around them are killing the land. Alberta is dying. There is nothing uglier to see than a human feeding frenzy; the orgy of environmental destruction, greed and mad plunder. Alberta is indeed a sad beauty. Read more:Alberta
, lands
Peggy's Cove Lighthouse - revisted 2008-02-09 13:08:00 A good shot is worth working on until you are fully satisfied. I went back and worked on this one after discussing it with a few friends and trying things out. Here is the final and I am VERY satisfied with it.By cropping out the road and most of the close rocks, I took away elements that were not adding to the value of the picture and also managed to lower the horizon putting the lighthouse and the lady at a rule of thirds focal point. I know I am self congratulating on this one, but I like it a lot! :) Read more:Peggy
, Lighthouse
Lighthouse At Peggy's Cove 2008-02-03 11:50:00 So what is a reasonable amount of post processing? At what level does an image go from a processed photograph to graphic art? Many purists would suggest that any post processing is a sin. Those same people do not consider that when they send their photos to a lab for printing, some post processing is being done by the lab itself! Moreover, when you choose pre-set camera settings on a digital camera (portrait/Indoor/Cloudy/Sports/etc...), these are post processing that the camera computer does to the image before it saves it. So what is the limit?In this post I am showing a before and after image of the lighthouse at Peggy
's Cove. The photograph was taken in a lull between showers. Everyone came out to take pictures then and as you can see the scene was crowded. My vision was not that. I w Read more:Lighthouse
Fishing Boats At Peggy's Cove 2008-02-02 17:22:00 Peggy's Cove again. I should have spent the day there. There is so much to see and photograph in that little village, it is worth an outing on its own. Someday I hope to organize a painters and photographers trip there. A worthy expedition! Read more:Peggy
, Fishing
, Boats
Peggy's Cove B&B 2008-02-01 19:05:00 Last year's trip to Halifax, dispite the rainy weather, yeilded a nice crop of photographs. I am still savoring them. Bringing them out one at a time, like one would do with a box of good chocolates. Here is one from Peggy
's Cove. The house in the middle (only the bottom third of it is showing) is Peggy's Cove Bed And Breakfast. Now that is a place to stay!
Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, BC. 2008-01-29 21:46:00 I went back through my files and picked up a photograph that I took a couple of years ago when I first visited Victoria BC. I had heard so much about the city and its beauty and it did not disappoint me at all.Then I decided to take a walk in Beacon
Hill Park. And I understood why this is the best kept secret in all of Canada. Everyone who has been to Victoria has seen the beauty of the harbor and enjoyed a cup of tea at the Empress... well that is a must! But few have taken the time to walk South of the downtown core and delve into the real beauty of Beacon Hill Park.Here is a taste of it:
One more for the road 2008-01-27 10:04:00 I know, I know. I said I would stop posting these industrial shots, but this one was so colourful and it begged to be seen! So here it is. The last one. I promise. ((fingers crossed behind my back)) Canon EOS 30D; Shutter Speed 1/125Sec.; Aperture Value F13; ISO Speed 125; Focal Length 53.0 mm
Story of my life! 2008-01-26 11:12:00 Rima Sent me this and it is such a wonderful YouTube song!
5 More From The Hamilton Monster to End The Industrial Week 2008-01-25 21:53:00 Ok So these will be the last set from the Hamilton
shoot. I have a few more that I like and intend to work on, but I am sure I am taxing some of my readers with the industrial theme. So with the end of the week, we will close the book on the smoke stacks and move on to something different. Read more:Monster
, Industrial
Dhalia, Orton effect. 2008-01-23 21:03:00 Ok. I really didn't feel like working on another industrial image tonight. So here is a shot of a Dhalia that I took a while back. I wanted to try the "Orton
" effect
on something and I figured it won't work on a smoke stack, but it might on a flower. Hope you like it! Canon PowerShot A80; Shutter Speed 1/500Sec.; Aperture Value F3.5; Focal Length 7.8 mm
Coils and Sheets 2008-01-22 20:26:00 Canon EOS 30D; Shutter Speed 1/90Sec.; Aperture Value F6.7; ISO Speed 125; Focal Length 135.0 mmCanon EOS 30D; Shutter Speed 1/125Sec.; Aperture Value F13; ISO Speed 125; Focal Length 125.0 mm Read more:Sheets
Two more 2008-01-21 19:39:00 Two more that I finished working on.I am afraid I am going to bore all of you with these industrial shots for the rest of the week! Tim has also indicated that he has not had enough of the Hamilton Monster, so we might be going back there again!!! Canon EOS 30D; Shutter Speed 1/180Sec.; Aperture Value F6.7; ISO Speed 125; Focal Length 50.0 mmCanon EOS 30D; Shutter Speed 1/350Sec.; Aperture Value F6.7; ISO Speed 125; Focal Length 109.0 mm
Horizontal Smoke 2008-01-20 15:35:00 Canon EOS 30D; Shutter Speed 1/180Sec.; Aperture Value F13; ISO Speed 125; Focal Length 28.0 mm Read more:Horizontal
, Smoke
Rusty Hull 2008-01-20 10:01:00 There were many cargo ships docked at the Steel mill in Hamilton, but this one caught my eye. The rusty lower hull contrasted very nicely with the mat black of the rest of it.The directional lines all pointing to the lower left (or upper right if you wish) are giving me some trouble from a composition perspective, but I hope the vignetting that I did will take care of that. Canon EOS 30D; Shutter Speed 1/500Sec.; Aperture Value F6.7; ISO Speed 125; Focal Length 53.0 mm
Hamilton Monster 2 (US Steel - Formerly Stelco) 2008-01-19 20:08:00 I am so excited about these shots that I just had to post another one tonight. Tim and I started shooting there at 7:30am and ended our expedition at about 9:30. That is half the story though. We were braving a bone breaking windchill and winds that would have knocked our cameras and tripods into the water had we not been holding on to them for dear life. Many of the shots I took in early light came out blurred because the tripod was no match for the wind. You can see the steep angle of the smoke coming from the mill. That should give you an indication of the gusts we faced. Why would we do something like that you ask? Ummm. Donno!Canon EOS 30D; Shutter Speed 1/125Sec.; Aperture Value F6.7; ISO Speed 125; Focal Length 60.0 mm Read more:Hamilton
, Monster
, Steel
, Formerly
Hamilton Monster 1 2008-01-19 17:16:00 I went on a photo shoot with a fellow photographer today. We started out early (6:45) and as we got in the car, the snow started falling. It looked like we were in for yet another weekend of gray clouds and snow. Things took a turn for the better as we headed out of town and for the first time in many weeks, we finally got a wonderful bright and sunny day. Our destination was Hamilton
. The home of a monster steel mill. One of those responsible for a large percentage of global warming. The area is a complex of several mills and many many steel junk yards filled with twisted metal and ugly metal junk. Perfect for photographing don't you think? I took over 130 shots today. Enough to keep this blog going for a while I guess. I will be posting a few that I like in the next few days. Meanwhile, Read more:Monster
So Ansel Didn't Use Photoshop... 2008-01-15 20:49:00 I ran across these notes diagram of Ansel Adams of his work flow for printing "Clearing Winter Storm". If you follow the notes, you will see that he was planning how much time to expose the paper in different areas in seconds of course. So the +10 is 10 seconds over the normal exposure, while the +2 is 2 seconds over exposure. Your basic dodge and burn if you will.This is perhaps the best example of how to plan your curves and levels layers in Photoshop
. If Ansel were alive today, his portfolio would have been much larger and he would owe it all to the speed and ease of use of photoshop. A print that would have taken him a few days to perfect and tons of paper and chemicals to boot, would have been done in a single day and would have saved him a lot of paper and used no hazardous chemicals
Cathédrale Marie-Reine-Du-Monde 2008-03-21 22:07:00 Spent a week in Montreal with the family. They were on spring break vacation, but I was working! *sigh*I did have a day to go out and take some pictures though. Here is one of a Cathedral in the heart of Montreal that I just love. Read more:Marie
Winter, last look 2008-04-23 21:04:00 Canon EOS 30D; Shutter Speed 1/400Sec.; Aperture Value F13; Speed 160;Lens EF28-135mm; f/3.5-5.6 IS USM; Focal Length 47.0 mm
Hard Drive / Hard Times 2008-05-05 17:31:00 Just a quick note to say my Hard Drve is dead and with it went all my work (past, present and future) I'm not going to worry about it now. All to say I may be away for a while from this blog until I figure out what to do. Read more:Times
, Hard Times
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