canadian camera magazine fall 2013

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CAPA 2013 Digital Competition • Club News •Competitions Chasing Dragonflies • Photographing Hot Air Balloons Flyover British Columbia's Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Much more "cool" than "fool" OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC ART FALL 2013 • $9.95

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One of the most important vehicles for keeping members informed and connected is CAPA's quarterly magazine, Canadian Camera. Our 40-plus page publication is a quality magazine containing original work by CAPA members. It features thoughtful articles about many aspects of photography, accompanied by a selection of fine photographs that are a tribute to the multifaceted interests of CAPA members

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Canadian Camera Magazine Fall 2013

CAPA 2013 Digital Competition • Club News •CompetitionsChasing Dragonflies • Photographing Hot Air BalloonsFlyover British Columbia's Cariboo Chilcotin CoastMuch more "cool" than "fool"

O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i O n O f t h e c a n a d i a n a s s O c i a t i O n f O r P h O t O g r a P h i c a r t

fall 2013 • $9.95

Page 2: Canadian Camera Magazine Fall 2013

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Page 3: Canadian Camera Magazine Fall 2013

Canadian Camera - 1

Sheena WilkieEditor-in-chiEf

14220 71 Ave.Surrey BC V3W 2L1

E-mail: [email protected] Shapka

Publishing Editor

Jozef VanVeenenArt dirEctor

E-mail: [email protected] Partington AdvErtising MAnAgEr

E-mail: [email protected]

canadian caMera (issn1206-3401) is published quarterly by the canadian association for Photographic art, box 357, logan lake bc V0K 1W0. no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written permission of the publisher and author. all photographic rights remain with the photographer. Opinions expressed are those of the individual contributors.

articles and photographic portfolios are welcomed from all caPa members. all articles and low resolution photographs should be submitted to canadian caMera, c/o the editor-in-chief at editor-in-chief@ capacanada.ca.canadian caMera reserves the unrestricted right to edit, crop and comment editorially on all submitted material.

subscriPtiOns: canadian caMera is distributed automatically to caPa members. individual copies are available for $9.95. library subscriptions cost $35.00 for four issues.

for further information, contact caPa national headquarters,

box 357, logan lake bc V0K 1W0.tel.: 1-250-523-2378

E-mail: [email protected] Mail Publication

agreement #1665081

Printed in Canada by

w w w . c a p a c a n a d a . c a

Rick Shapka 2 Message from the President

Sheena Wilkie 4 Phototalk

5 CaPa 2013 annual Digital Competition

6 CaPa News

7 Club News

8 CaPa Competitions

Christian Autotte 12 Chasing Dragonflies

John Zimmerman 18 Photographing Hot air Balloons

Chris Harris 24 flyover British Columbia's Cariboo Chilcotin Coast

Dr. John W. Chardine 32 Much more "cool" than "fool"

Ralph Milton 36 The Camera Wars

36 CaPa New Members

The CoverAutumn Dreams by Kasandra spronson

caPa is a fiaP-affiliated organization.

ContentsVol. 14, No. 3 • Fall 2013

Page 4: Canadian Camera Magazine Fall 2013

Founded in 1968, CAPA is a non-profit organization for photographers,

including amateurs, professionals, camera clubs, and anyone interested

in photography. The aims of CAPA are to promote good photography as an

art form in Canada, and to provide useful information for photographers.

CAPA ac complishes this through interaction with individuals and member camera clubs and by distributing slide sets, evaluating photographs, running

competitions, and publishing the quarterly Canadian Camera. CAPA also sponsors Canadian Camera Conference, a bi-annual summer

weekend of field trips and seminars held in a different city every other year.

CAPA is a member of the Fédération Internationale de l’Art

Photographique (FIAP).

CAPAOfficers & national council Members

Messagefrom the presidentRick Shapka

My second “thank you” goes to the committee members o f the Photo F r e d e r i c t o n , C a n a d i a n C a m e r a Conference who worked for the better part of two years to bring all CAPA members the opportunity to attend a t e r r i f i c b i l ingua l confe rence in Fredericton the end of June. On behalf of the CAPA board, I wish to extend my sincere thanks to Michiko, her committee members and the volunteers who made the conference a success for all those who were able to attend. There will be a full report on the conference in the next edition of Canadian Camera.

At the conclusion of the 2013 Canadian Camera Conference, Larry Breitkreutz, our Pacific Zone Director, announced plans for the Canadian Camera Expo. Our next conference will be held in Vancouver, July 31st - August 2nd 2015. Larry’s Pacific Zone committee is busy now with the preparations for a terrific event on the West Coast. Mark it on your calendar of CAPA photo events not to be missed.

As I take on my role as President of CAPA for the next two years, I hope you wi l l see , and appreciate some improvements to membership value the Board has been working on for the last year or so. As many members know, we have conducted two member surveys which provided the board with good information about what our members

CAPA OFFICERSPRESIDENT

rick shapka, fcaPa VICE PRESIDENT

sheena Wilkie, fcaPa SECRETARY

Michael breakey, fcaPa TREASURER

len suchan, fcaPa PAST PRESIDENT

Jacques s. Mailloux, hon. fcaPa

CAPA DIRECTORSATLANTIC ZONE

leo allainQUEBEC ZONEalbert limogesONTARIO ZONE

rod triderPRAIRIE ZONE

harvey brink PACIFIC ZONE

larry breitkreutz, fcaPaDIRECTOR OF

PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGINGdr. bob ito, hon. fcaPa

DIRECTOR, EDUCATION AND MEMBERSHIP

allen bargen, hon. fcaPa DIRECTOR OF COMPETITIONS

Virginia stranaghan

MEMBERSHIP COORDINATORcaPa Membership

phone 1.250.523.2378 c/o lee smith box 357, logan lake, bc V0K 1W0

e-mail: [email protected]: www.capacanada.ca

2 - Canadian Camera

Many members will recall from Jacques Mailloux’s column in our summer edition, Jacques’s 2nd term as President is com-plete. On behalf of all caPa members, i wish to thank Jacques for his tremendously dedi-cated service to caPa during some trying personal circumstances. Jacques came back to lead the organization for a second term, when he could have been enjoying his time doing many other things photographic! to a great volunteer, “thank you”!

think the organization does well, not so well, and what they would like to have as part of their membership package.

The full results from the recent survey will be posted on the website, and a summary will be in the next edition of Canadian Camera. There was a tremendous response from members invited to complete the survey, with an overall response rate touching 53%. Thanks to those who took their time to respond.

From these survey results, one of the board objectives is to add more value to your CAPA membership. In addition we need to recruit more members, and photo clubs interested in promoting the ‘art of photography’. Why? Most volunteer organizations, including CAPA need to grow to remain successful and vibrant. Most of us have been impacted by the tremendous growth, and exponential change to our image-making world caused by the technology of digital photography. To continue to improve our services to members, including more educational offerings, better photo competitions, a more responsive website, a high quality Canadian Camera, and more sponsor’s offer ings, we need to broaden our membership base across the country.

We are a volunteer driven organization, run by dedicated people across the country. CAPA exists for the members, where members volunteer to do the

rob

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Page 5: Canadian Camera Magazine Fall 2013

Canadian Camera - 3

necessary work to offer our programs to you. If you have thought about volunteering for any CAPA position, please contact me, or any one of the directors. That is how we all began in the organization! Please consider devoting some time to enhance your membership experience. You will be pleased by the good friendships that develop and positive feelings you receive from your involvement.

A significant benefit of belonging to CAPA includes meeting new people, and making good friends. After our Fredericton conference I traveled beautiful Cape Breton Island

with four good friends from across Canada, all of whom I met through my involvement with CAPA. It was a delightfully scenic trip with many stories shared, lots of images made, with the occasional lobster dinner and drink included. East coast hospitality was at its best for us! Contact some of your CAPA photo friends to plan a shoot somewhere this fall season. g

Sincerely,Rick Shapka, FCAPAPresident

caPa Members… We need submissions for upcoming issues. Canadian Camera is YOur magazine! We welcome your articles, news items, portfolios and reviews. We do reserve the right to accept or reject material as we see fit. We will make every effort to achieve a balance of views, subject matter and geographical representation of our members. so please, submit an article about that last photo trip you took or that last nice lens you pur-chased. You never know, you might just get your name in print.

SubmiSSion of ArticleS, PortfolioS And newS itemS

How to send material• Please write your article in Ms Word

format, plain or rich text;• You may send your article and low res

photos by email to [email protected];

• high resolution photos can also be submitted by ftP (instructions available upon request);

• Please don’t format the text of your article. no bold, underline, bullets, indenting, or special characters;

• Photos must be JPg format;• do not resize, final photos must be full

resolution;• if photos are scanned cMYK is

preferable to rgb;• Photos must have simple descriptive

filenames and include the photographer's name, e.g. susan_brown_barn_swallow.jpg;

• We may not use all of the photos you submit;

• Your article should not contain notes about where to place a photo;

• Your article should not contain wording specific to a photo;

• You may list your files and suggested captions after the text of your article;

• Please include your phone number, e-mail address and caPa membership

number.

when to send it

You may submit an article any time but for time sensitive material our submis-sions deadlines are:

• Winter Issue Oct. 1st• Spring Issue Jan. 10• Summer Issue April 10• Fall Issue July 10

submitting an article and having it accepted does not mean it will come out in the next issue.

where to send itcanadian camera c/o sheena Wilkie, editor-in-chief e-mail: [email protected]

Have a mirrorless camera and a bunch of great old glass?We have the adapters for you.

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Page 6: Canadian Camera Magazine Fall 2013

4 - Canadian Camera

phototalkSheena wilkie, Editor-in-chief

“For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return” - Leonardo da Vinci

Humans have always been fascinated by flight so it is no coincidence that photographers feel compelled, whether on the ground or in the air, to capture the sense and wonder of flight, of man and bird. In this issue we are thrilled to share with you four unique perspectives of flight.

Chris Harris in the air sees the land through fresh eyes; rocks, trees, water, all become elements in his distinctive tapestry. John Chardine shares with us the wondrous natural choreography of birds. Overcoming his fear of heights, John Zimmerman soars above the landscape to give us an exceptional view of hot air balloons. And Christian Autotte, using focus stacking, allows us a glimpse of dragonflies that is pure magic.

So as we fly into fall I hope you enjoy these wonderful photographers and consider finding your own photographic perspective of flight. g

Sheena Wilkie, FCAPAwww.phototalk.ca

in Photoshop, when the document, tool, filter, task is not responding as you expect it should here is a list of common problems that might be causing you to pull your hair out.

You're not seeing of effect of your work:• You are on the wrong layer. check which layer you are working on by identifying which

one is highlighted, and to see which layer you need by turning layers on and off.• You have your layer mode in the layers palette set to something other than normal.• You have your tool mode set to something other than normal.• You have the tool opacity set to less than 100%• You have the layer opacity set to less than 100%• You have an active selection you can't see - ctrl d to deselect• You are working on a separate layer and don't have the tool set to sample all layers

Photoshop isn't behaving as it should:• Your brush suddenly becomes a cross-hair - turn off all caps• Your options are greyed out and unavailable - decrease the image bits in image Mode

and or make sure you have a photo open• check to make sure you aren't in Quick Mask• cannot save as a jpg - change from 16 bit to 8 bit in image Mode

quicktips

Page 7: Canadian Camera Magazine Fall 2013

Canadian Camera - 5

• sony aneX-6lb 16.1MP interchangeable lens digital camera w/16-50 Zoom lens

• lowepro Photo hatchback 22l aW camera bag

• Vanguard alta Pro 263ab tripod Kit• ePsOn stylus Photo r3000 inkjet

Printer • $100 gift certificate towards your

own blurb Photo book • adobe One-Year creative cloud

Membership

• sony aneX-5rlb 16.1MP interchangeable lens digital camera w/16-50 Zoom lens

• lowepro urban Photo sling 150 camera bag (black)

• aurora 34” White shoot-thru umbrella

• ePsOn Professional Media Paper• $100 gift certificate towards your

own blurb Photo book• adobe One-Year creative cloud

Membership

• sony cyber-shot dscWX300b 18.2MP digital camera w/20x Optical Zoom

• lowepro event Messenger 100 camera bag (mica)

• epson artisan 1430 inkjet Printer• $100 gift certificate towards your

own blurb Photo book• adobe One-Year creative cloud

Membership

For all the details and to submit your entry please visit our website at www.capacanada.ca/capa-2013-annual-digital-competition

Enter the CAPA 2013 Annual Digital

Competition Now!Two categories

artistic Portrait – Organic architecture

this competition is open to caPa individual and family members only, who are permanent canadian residents.

1st PrizE

2nd PrizE

3rd PrizE

ten additional participants will receive a prestigious caPa honour award, with a $25 gift certificate towards a blurb Photo book

EVENT SPONSORS

Our deep gratitude and appreciation go to our sponsors for their support: sony of canada; adobe systems canada; epson canada; blurb canada; dayMen canada; amplis foto

Our thanks and appreciation go to John elliott of the ra Photo club, in Ottawa, for the creation and integration of the online submission system to the caPa Website.

www.capacanada.ca/capa-2013-annual-digital-competition

Page 8: Canadian Camera Magazine Fall 2013

6 - Canadian Camera

PUT YOUr AD iN THiS SPACE

You can reach new customers with your ad in Canadian

Camera. Your message will be seen by serious photographers

across canada at a reduced ‘Members Only’ price of $50.00 (B&W) per issue.

Contact: [email protected]

cAPA members

CAPA News

CAPA HONOUrS 2012 - 2013in recognition of their photographic achievement and photographic service to the canadian association for Photographic art, the honours committee and the chair, Val davison, are pleased to confer caPa honours to the following recipients.

ASSociAte fellowSHiP Honour, AcAPA

Francois ClerouxcaPa Member

Raymond GoddardcaPa Member

fellowSHiP Honour, fcAPA

Eileen DepeelcaPa archivist

Tracey HarpercaPa Member

Judy Highamformer caPa competitions chair

Ed HighamcaPa Member

Sheena WilkiecaPa editor-in-chief

diStinGuiSHed SerVice HonourS AwArd

Presented by the caPa board to deserving individuals for lifetime service to canadian photography

Freeman Patterson

Dr. Bob Ito, hon. fcaPa

certificAte of Honour for SerVice to cAPA

Larry Easton, fcaPa

Toronto Camera Clubthe toronto camera club presents the 120th toronto international salon of Photography. there are several categories, Pictorial, nature, Photojournalism and both projected digital and prints. submission closing date is november 08, 2013 at mid-night, (gMt -5). Public presentations will be held on January 26th, 2014 at 2:00pm and January 27th, 2014 at 8:00pm. for more information and entry information please visit our website at www.torontocamera-club.com/salon

ToronTo • Mississauga • oTTawa • Calgary • EdMonTon • www.visTEk.Ca

The fabulously successful Travel Angel II

tripod kit is now even better. Here’s

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The Travel Angel II takes wing.

Benro’s V-Series ballhead offers exceptional quality

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Page 9: Canadian Camera Magazine Fall 2013

Canadian Camera - 7

Club News

Annual Greeting Card and Note Card Competition – submission deadline November 15

this is an invitation to all individual and family members to enter the card competition this fall. the deadline for card submission is november 15. each member can enter up to 4 cards in each of the 2 categories, note cards and greeting cards, to a total of 8 entries per person.

note cards are blank inside – greeting cards have text or verse inside. Minimum size (folded) 3x4” to a maximum size of 5.75 x 8.5”. cards may be handmade using heavy card-stock or may be purchased from an art/photo supply store.

full details are provided on the caPa website www.capa-canada.ca – under the section “competition guide” or type in the “search” box on the home page, the words “card competition” and you should go right to the information you need. if you need clarification or more information please email [email protected]

CAPA Excellence in Photography medals: Dave Barcroft - Sarnia Photographic Club dave has been a club member since 2009. he was awarded this medal as the individual whose images received the highest aggre-gate score in the caPa judging for clubs. Tom Jeary - GRIPS Camera Club. tom has been a member of griPs since 2006 and immediately became a very active member. he served as treasurer for 3 years and has hosted griPs competition judging sessions in his home, served as co-chair of a print display, and has designed and built the club's name tag boxed and print display box which is used dur-ing the judging of prints, as well as assisting in many other areas.

tom has also consistently demonstrated excellence as a photographer in both digital and print categories and has been awarded Photographer of the Year at griPs, as well as best Print Photographer. tom is a very affable, caring member of the griPs camera club.

The North Shore Photographic Societythe north shore challenge—described as “the premier photo-graphic event in Western canada”—will celebrate its 30th year with a new format. the 2014 competition will be open to indi-viduals as well as to clubs.

individual photographers will be able to submit entries to the challenge by registering on-line for a nominal fee and uploading 1– 3 images. a panel of qualified judges will pre-screen these entries and select at most one image from each photographer to be entered in the challenge. up to 120 photographs from individual photographers will be chosen as challenge entries, to compete for prestigious caPa medals awarded to the top three images in the show.

caPa-member photo clubs from bc and the Yukon will also participate in the challenge as always, except that each club will submit 6 images rather than 10. approximately 180 images sub-mitted by clubs will be included in the competition.

the challenge, hosted by the north shore Photographic society, will take place March 8, 2014 at West Vancouver’s Kay Meek centre for the Performing arts. Watch for details about challenge 2014 to be posted on the nsPs website at www.nsps.ca by Oct. 1, 2013.

Page 10: Canadian Camera Magazine Fall 2013

8 - Canadian Camera

2013 cAPA Post card competition – for individual and family members the caPa Post card competition received many interesting and creative submissions this year. thank you to the judges: betty andres, betty davis and Pamela Joe Mcfarlane for giving of their time and expertise to judge these cards. thank you too, to corel for provid-ing the prize for the winning card – corel Paintshop Pro X5 – ultimate.

“northern light” by Kas stone of Ontario

“Hellebore” – Carol Coleman of BC “stupa” – Jaliya rasaputra of Ontario

The winning card was: “Northern Light” by Kas stone of Ontario Honourable Mentions (in no particular order) “Stupa” – Jaliya rasaputra of Ontario“Bare Bones” – Kas stone of Ontario“Built to Last” – Kas stone of Ontario“January Morning” – Kas stone of Ontario“Abandoned Wagon” – carol coleman of bc“Hellebore” – carol coleman of bc“Rufous Hummingbird” – lauren nicholl of bc“Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel” – bob hawkins of Ontario“Airborne” – bob hawkins of Ontario

all of the winners have received a certificate for their images and Kas stone received the corel software for “northern light”. congratulations to all. thank you to all photographers who entered the competition – i hope that you will enter the note card and greeting card competition in november, 2013 and the Post card competition in May, 2014. for information, please check out the caPa site – just type in “card competitions” in the “search” box or send me an email. Carol Coleman, Chairexhibition-standards, [email protected]

CAPA Competitions

Page 11: Canadian Camera Magazine Fall 2013

Canadian Camera - 9

“abandoned Wagon” – carol coleman of bc

“golden Mantled ground squirrel” – bob hawkins of Ontario

“rufous hummingbird” – lauren nicholl of bc

“bare bones” – Kas stone of Ontario

“airborne” – bob hawkins of Ontario

“January Morning” – Kas stone of Ontario

“built to last” – Kas stone of Ontario

CAPA Competitions

Page 12: Canadian Camera Magazine Fall 2013

10 - Canadian Camera

CAPA Competitions

cAPA AV competition Projectionist: Mike fellhauerScore Keeper: anthony schatzkyHost club: toronto camera club

sandy bell, trillium Photo clubandy lamm, donMills camera club Kas stone, etobicoke camera club

Total essays: 13 (8 Other, 5 travel)

Other Essay Awards1st, gold Medal, 264- dr. Mr. President, ann alimi, toronto, On2nd silver Meda, 232 - eastern state Penitentiary, Virgina stanaghan, beamsville, On3rd, bronze Medal, 230 - Positive attitude required, heather bashow, Odessa, OnTravel Essay Awards1st, gold Medal, 266 – Mystical huangshan, theodore lo, london, On2nd, silver Medal, 262 – franklin island, london camera club, london, On3rd, bronze Medal, 237 – Venice beyond the tourists, Maggie sale, guelph, OnBest of Showdr. Mr. President, ann alimi, toronto, On

NOTESeveryone enjoyed judging and watching all the shows. Judging was 3 ½ hours long. the deliberation for the best of show decision was lengthy because the two top essays were of different nature and were difficult to pick. although “huangshan” had stunning pho-tography, the judge’s final decision was that due to the well developed and produced storyline of “dr. Mr. President”.

1st, gold Medal, 264- dr. Mr. President, ann alimi, toronto, On

2nd silver Meda, 232 - eastern state Penitentiary, Virgina stanaghan, beamsville, On

3rd, bronze Medal, 237 – Venice beyond the tourists, Maggie sale, guelph, On

1st, gold Medal, 266 – Mystical huangshan, theodore lo, london, On

Jeffrey Wu

3rd, bronze Medal, 230 - Positive attitude required, heather bashow,

Odessa, On

2nd, silver Medal, 262 – franklin island, london camera club, london, On

Page 13: Canadian Camera Magazine Fall 2013

Canadian Camera - 11

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Page 14: Canadian Camera Magazine Fall 2013

12 - Canadian Camera

Chasing DragonfliesBy Christian autotte www.christianautotte.zenfolio.com

Page 15: Canadian Camera Magazine Fall 2013

Canadian Camera - 13

Of all the insects with which we share this planet my favourite has to be dragonflies. They are perfectly harmless, in spite of certain myths pretending that they are capable of taking your eyes out with a quick jab of their “dart”. They conquered the sky in their endless chase of other flying insects long before the dinosaur era. Their endless chase continues to this day, as they devour thousands of mosquitoes every day.

Dragonflies are choice targets for any and all photographers. For the beginners, they have the good habit of landing on the same perch time and again. It is then possible to make decent portraits with macro lenses in the 90mm to 150mm range. Another approach is to use a set of extension tubes with a regular telephoto lens. I regularly put my 100-400mm on tubes to shoot dragonflies. The advantage is not only to be able to shoot from a certain distance but also to get a narrow field of view to eliminate an uninteresting background. An

Needless to say, they are not blind! To get really close try to limit your movements; move slowly, stay as low to the ground as possible, and make sure not to throw your shadow on the insect. I often take one or two safety shots from a certain distance before moving in closer for the real tight portraits. Dragonflies prefer sunlight and warmth; a cool day will slow down their metabolism, which can be an advantage to the photographer.

Close-up portraits are usually done hand-held. Cumbersome and slow to set up, the tripod is usually left behind for those shots. It is then advantageous to use a flash. The brightness and brevity of flash reduces the risks of motion blur. I have spent years and shot thousands of close-ups with a standard flash mounted on a bracket. More recently I have moved on to twin flash dedicated to macro photography. While less polyvalent

additional advantage to the longer lens is to compress the perspective, which often creates interesting effects with reflections on water or with background vegetation.

Insects are like any other living creatures: some are wild and tend to keep their distance, other are more sociable, even to the point on landing on the photographer’s shoulder! With those a photographer can try to get frame filling images. A dragonfly head is dominated by a huge pair of compound eyes that easily covers more than half of the available space.

Page 16: Canadian Camera Magazine Fall 2013

14 - Canadian Camera

(and more expensive) the twin flash is more transportable and easier to use in the field.

A technique that I use regularly while shooting dragonflies with a flash is a method of polarizing the light in order to obtain cross-polarization. Polarizing filters exist in the form of pellicle that can be cut to size and then fixed on the flash head. Once that is done we look at the flash through a lens, itself equipped with a regular polarizer. While turning that second polarizer we eventually see the flash head turning black. The two polarizers are now cross-polarized. The resulting pictures are often dramatic: all bothersome reflections are eliminated and the colours become more saturated.

Dragonflies have four wings and they know how to use them. Those looking for a new challenge can try to shoot them in flight. Don’t expect quick and easy success. To date, my best pictures were done at the end of a sunny day with

a telephoto lens. The dragonflies were often hovering, which gave me a second or two to take aim. Working in autofocus and shooting in continuous drive at eight frames a second, I shot about a hundred shots to get only two satisfying ones.

The next step demands the use of a light barrier or light trigger; when the light beam (infrared or laser) is broken by a passing insect it automatically triggers the camera. One would think that capturing good images of flying insects then is relatively easy, but that would be forgetting the speed and erratic flying pattern of most insects. Let’s say that a light trigger can increase the chances of success. The insect must first pass through the light beam. Next, it must have an interesting position. Finally, we must stop its motion. To do that we normally use one or more powerful flashes; it is then the short burst of light and not the shutter speed of the camera that will stop the insect’s motion.

To get the insect to pass through the light beam we can try to anticipate its flight plan. For example, dragonflies often land on the same perch. We could then position the light barrier so that the dragonfly passes through it on its way to land. Another method, which I’m trying to use at the moment, consists of making the light trigger more mobile. I have mounted my unit, along with the camera and a flash, on a support from the company Shape. The whole assembly is rigid, solid, while remaining light enough to be easily hand held. By chasing flying insects I have managed a few times to place them in the beam and take their photo.

Even if some insects are considered “prettier”, like butterflies and some beetles, it remains that by their colors, habits, and beauty, dragonflies will always remain my favourites…

Page 17: Canadian Camera Magazine Fall 2013

Canadian Camera - 15

En Chassant La Libellule

de tous les insectes avec lesquels nous partageons cette planète mes favoris sont les libellules. Elles sont parfaite-ment inoffensives, malgré certains mythes qui préten-dent qu’elles peuvent crever les yeux d’un coup de leur « dard »… Elles conquirent le ciel pour y poursuivre d’autres insectes volants bien avant l’ère des dinosaures. Elles continuent leur chasse de nos jours, dévorant des milliers de moustiques chaque jour.

Les libellules constituent des cibles de choix pour les photographes de tout acabit. Pour les débutants, elles ont la bonne habitude de se percher régulièrement au même endroit. On peut alors en faire de bons portraits avec des téléobjectifs macro du genre 90 à 150mm, ou encore en montant un téléobjectif régulier sur un jeu de tubes d’extension. J’utilise régulièrement mon 100-400 et mes tubes pour photographier des libellules. L’avantage n’est pas seulement de pouvoir travailler à une certaine distance, mais aussi de limiter le champ de vision et ainsi éliminer un fond qui manque d’intérêt. Autre avantage : le téléobjectif « compresse » la perspective, ce qui permet souvent de créer des effets intéressants avec des reflets sur l’eau ou la végétation de l’arrière-plan.

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Les insectes sont comme tous les autres êtres vivants : certains sont sauvages et difficile d’approche alors que d’autres sont plus sociables, allant même jusqu'à se poser sur les épaules du photographe! Avec ces dernières on peut tenter de passer aux gros plans. La tête des libellules est dominée par une paire d’yeux composés énormes qui couvrent facilement la moitié de l’espace disponible. Autrement dit, les libellules ne sont pas aveugles! Pour les approcher au plus près veuillez à limiter vos mouvements; bougez lentement, restez le plus bas possible et évitez de projeter votre ombre sur l’insecte. Je prends souvent deux ou trois clichés de « sécurité » à une certaine distance avant de me rapprocher un peu plus.

Les libellules préfèrent le soleil et la chaleur; une journée fraîche ralentit leur métabolisme, ce qui est tout à l’avantage du photographe.

Les plans rapprochés sont général-ement réalisés à main levée. Encombrant et lent à positionner, le trépied sera souvent laissé de côté. On favorise alors la prise de vue au flash. La puissance et la brièveté de son éclair réduit les risques de flou créés par le mouvement. J’ai réalisé beaucoup de gros plans avec des flashs cobra montés sur bras articulé. Plus récemment je travaille également avec un flash double dédié à la macrophotographie. Bien que moins polyvalent (et plus coûteux), ce dernier est plus transportable et plus facile à utiliser sur le terrain.

Une technique que j’utilise régulière-ment lorsque je photographie des libellules au flash consiste à en polariser la lumière pour ainsi obtenir de la « cross-polarisation ». Des filtres polarisants existent sous forme de pellicule que l’on peut découper à la dimension désirée pour ensuite les fixer sur la fenêtre du flash. On regarde ensuite le flash à travers un objectif, lui-même équipé d’un polariseur. En tournant le polariseur de l’objectif on voit éventuellement celui monté sur le flash tourner au noir. Les deux sont maintenant « cross-polarisé ». Le résultat sur les photos est souvent dramatique : toutes les réflexions gênantes ont disparues.

Les libellules ont quatre ailes et elles savent s’en servir. Ceux qui

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cherchent un défi peuvent tenter de les photographier en vol. Il ne faut surtout pas s’attendre à un succès facile. À ce jour, ma meilleure photo fut réalisée en fin de journée au téléobjectif. Les libellules faisaient souvent du sur-place, de qui me donnait une seconde ou deux pour viser. Travaillant en mise au point automatique et en rafale à huit images seconde, j’ai réalisé une centaine de photos dont seulement deux se sont révélées satisfaisantes.

L’étape suivante demande l’utilisation d’une barrière lumineuse : lorsque son rayon lumineux (infrarouge ou laser) est interrompu, il déclenche automatiquement l’appareil. On pourrait s’imaginer que capturer des insectes en vol devient alors chose facile, mais c’est sans tenir compte de la rapidité et du vol erratique des sujets. Disons que la barrière lumineuse augmente les chances de succès. Il faut au départ que l’insecte passe dans le rayon lumineux. Ensuite, il doit avoir une position intéressante. Finalement, il faut arrêter son mouvement. Pour ce faire on ajoute généralement un ou plusieurs flashs assez puissants; c’est alors la brièveté de l’éclair et non la vitesse d’obturation de l’appareil qui arrête le mouvement de l’insecte.

Pour faire passer l’insecte dans le rayon lumineux on peut tenter d’anticiper son plan de vol. Par exemple, les libellules viennent souvent se poser sur la même perche. On pourrait alors placer la barrière de sorte qu’elles en coupent le rayon en venant se percher. Une autre méthode que je tente d’utiliser présentement, consiste à rendre la barrière plus mobile. J’ai monté barrière, appareil et flash sur un support de la compagnie Shape. Le tout est rigide et solide tout en demeurant assez léger pour être tenu à la main. En « chassant » les insectes en vol j’arrive parfois à les placer dans le faisceau lumineux pour en prendre une photo.

Même si certains insectes sont considérés comme étant plus « jolis », comme les papillons et certains coléoptères, il reste que par leurs couleurs, leur vivacité, leurs habitudes et leur beauté, les libellules demeureront toujours mes favoris… g

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Photographing Hot Air BalloonsBy John Zimmerman www.johnzimmermanphotography.ca

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i have been photographing the Hot air Balloon Festival in St. Jean sur Richelieu, Quebec for 10 years. Every time i see the 125 bal-loons in the air it is always a pleasing sight. You have the regular shaped balloons in their many colors and then you have the spe-cial shaped ones that are just remarkable.

I have a real fear of heights. I can’t climb a small ladder to change a light bulb without shaking. One day during the festival I had an insane moment where I agreed to take an early morning flight to get the true experience. Getting up at 3:00 am for the 40 minute drive to the takeoff area gave me time to reconsider, but I decided I should go

through with it. When the pilot of the “Tweety Bird” balloon told me to get into the basket my heart started to pound and I climbed in holding onto my two Canon bodies with my 70-200mm and my 24-70mm lenses attached. We started to climb. I think we must have been 10 feet in the air when I thought I could still jump off. But I didn’t, I stayed on

and had the most amazing experience of my life.

I think we climbed to 1800 feet and just floated along over small lakes, forests and farmers’ fields. It was so quiet and peaceful. It took me a few minutes before I could start using my cameras because even with image stabilization I was just trembling too much. I calmed down and started firing off shot after shot. Before I knew it the pilot told me we were descending into a farmer’s field for our landing after a 40 minute flight that to me felt like 10 minutes. I got into the crouch position trying to protect my cameras from any type of rough landing.

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The landing was so smooth that I was hooked on ballooning. I have since gone up another 6 times. Those flights were always in the early evening. At that time you take off from the festival site which

is at an airfield. As you lift off you can see the many thousands of people that come to see the balloons and take part in the carnival atmosphere. My highest flight to date has been 5000 ft. I have

gone through some rough landings but luckily have not damaged any equipment or myself. I still can’t climb a ladder comfortably to change that light bulb but my wife has figured out why I am

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able to go up in a balloon and overcome my fear. She says that I can do things that I would normally not do as long as I have a camera in front of my face. I think she could be onto something.

Photographing the balloons can be tricky at times. If you are out on the field you have to know wind direction so that you can position yourself to use the light to your advantage. Then there is a timing

factor to try and get as little overlap as possible of the balloons. When shooting in flight it works best if you are towards the back of the pack so that once again you use the light to your advantage. If

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you are in the front of the pack, you are usually shooting into the light.

Once I get home, I start the process of viewing my images. I start off with Photo Mechanic to tag the ones I want

to work on. I open the chosen images in Camera Raw where I make very few adjustments, like using the graduated filter since I don’t use any filters on my lenses. Then it’s onto Photoshop

where I usually use actions made by either Nik Software or by Guy Gowan to further develop the image. Once those adjustments are made I usually watermark the photos before sending

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them to Bridge where in the tools section I have an application made by Doctor Russell Brown (Image Processor Pro) where I resize the images depending on where I will use them.

Some of my photos taken at the festival have won some awards. I have had a few presented on the Kodak billboard in Times Square and others printed in ballooning magazines.

If you ever get a chance to experience a flight in a hot air balloon, try it -- you might find it an experience of a lifetime! g

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Flyover British Columbia's Cariboo Chilcotin Coast An Aviation LegacyBy Chris Harris www.chrisharris.com

Have a dream, take a chance, and work like hell. That's my motto.

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full-time professional freelance photography and independent publishing came, after a lifetime of documenting adventures, and using photographs to market a wilderness tour business for 20 years. since 1990 i have photo-graphed and published 12 books based on my two passions of exploring and photographing new country in central british columbia.

In 2007, at the launch of Spirit in the Grass; the Cariboo Chilcotin’s Forgotten Landscape in 100 Mile House, the seed for Flyover was planted when Nick Christianson introduced himself as a retired pilot who would love to be of assistance if I ever required it. I was already photographing my next book Motherstone; British Columbia’s Volcanic Plateau, so I thanked him and filed that information away. Then in 2010, while launching Motherstone, three other pilots introduced themselves, each offering the same invitation. The dream of photographing the whole Cariboo Chilcotin Coast from an aerial perspective soon crystallized, and Flyover was born.

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It occurred to me, just before taking off on my first flight for the project, that one impediment to the project might be that I had never photographed from the air. This paled, however, in the face of the fact that I am a very poor flyer

in small planes, and was looking at the humiliating effects of air sickness.

Which camera bodies should I use, what lenses, what shutter speeds are best, and at what elevation should I fly? Undaunted, I prepared two camera

bodies with 70-200mm and 24-105mm lenses, swallowed two airsickness pills, and I was off on a new book adventure.

As in landscape photography, my challenge shooting from the air was to capture the spirit of the land through

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form, texture, and pattern. My first revelation was the importance of the horizon line. Including the horizon in the image of Mero Crater yields a documentary image which provides context and answers questions such

as 'what' and 'where'. One sees the crater with an understanding of the surrounding volcanic landscape within the Itcha Mountains.

By excluding the horizon, however, I begin to lose context for the greater

landscape and the image becomes more abstract. With a reduced sense of scale, emphasis is placed on the elements of form, texture, and pattern. The questions of 'what' and 'where' become more difficult to answer. I love

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the sense of mystery and wonderment in this image, my interpretations of a reality; highly abstract yet profoundly documentary.

Another approach I used on this assignment was to take away all labels

from familiar subjects. On one flight over a large area of nondescript forest I spotted a power line stretching for miles toward the horizon. Who wants to take a photograph of a power line? However, with 'photographic

eyes' , I saw a powerful oblique line, two triangles on either side and a rectangle across the top. Juxtaposition of these elements of line and form gave me an effective composition.

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The search for elements of visual design while flying is challenging, especially from higher elevations where the landscape below is so vast. There is also the element of speed where compositions change by the second. On

one occasion while flying over ranch lands in an ultralight, I asked my pilot to fly low and slow. By recognizing the rhythm and repetition of lines, I was able to create one of my favourite compositions.

My most technically challenging, yet successful, creation was the image I made of an Air Tractor 802. These crop dusters were spraying the Interior Douglas fir forests for western spruce budworms. My helicopter pilot had

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worked on this spray project for years, and being a keen photographer, he asked me if I would like to shoot one of the planes from directly above. Knowing this would give me an unusual perspective, I jumped on his idea.

With the agility of a hummingbird, we rose high above the projected path of the 802. The pilot hovered and tilted his helicopter, giving me a clear view of the forest far below. As we waited for the plane, I had several very quick decisions to make. The plane would be travelling at 200kms/hr. and I wanted to render the plane tack sharp. I raised the ISO to 1600 and shutter speed to 1/800 sec. The aperture was f-8. My hope was that this aperture would throw the forest below slightly out of focus for a more artistic look. My final decision was how to focus. I elected to pre-set the focus manually. With my shutter release finger

at the ready, I waited for that precise moment. Half a second delay would put the plane to the left of centre and the composition would be lost. It was a high adrenalin moment but I was very pleased with the result.

The most important image of all, the book cover, required both technical knowledge and artistic vision. Because the book was to be about pilots and spectacular landscapes, I visualized flying over

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the iconic Chilko Lake in the Coast Mountains. Flying in a helicopter enabled me to include the pilot as well as the vista out the front, rather than the side view offered by a fixed wing plane.

When I realized I had the perfect location for the image, I found myself facing the sun, with strong directional light reflecting directly at my lens. There was only one way to solve my dilemma; switch to HDR photography.

I made three quick setting adjustments to my camera: high speed continuous shooting, auto-exposure bracketing set to three exposures at 3 f-stops apart, and manual focus. Placing the sun behind the windshield's rib, I composed and fired. This captured the entire range of light values; from the reflected sunlight to the details on the dashboard dials. Post processing with Photomatix and Photoshop yielded the final result.

Overall, I made twenty-five flights in helicopters, ultralights, fixed wing, and float planes with 20 different pilots. Needing 400 book-quality images from which to choose the final 125, equates to 16 winners per flight. That was my challenge, but by having a dream, taking a chance, and working like hell, I was able, together with a number of very talented close friends, to publish my 12th book, Flyover. g

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Much more “cool” than “fool”By Dr. John W. Chardinewww.chardinephoto.com

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a fresh, salty breeze is blowing from the north and birds are turning into the wind on their final approach to the colony, and the place they call home. Most have bills-full of yellow-brown seaweed to provide a fresh lin-ing to their nests and a buffer for the precious egg contained therein. for some the algae seem to block a full view of what is ahead! eyes swing forward, chameleon-like, to provide the binocular-vision so necessary for an uneventful landing. Wing flaps (secondary feathers) are now down and the landing gear (feet) extracted from the feathers behind, toes and tail fanned as air-brakes. Just before touch-down, the descending flight line takes an abrupt upturn as the angle of attack of the wings steepens. Wings flap furiously to bring ground speed down to zero. look down now to view the landing site and possible hazards, then drop to the ground with a deep thud. Quickly defend yourself from attacking neighbours before settling down to greet your partner at the nest or feed your chick.

This rigmarole is a necessary but hazardous part of the life of the beautiful Northern Gannet, the largest seabird living in the North Atlantic. Necessary because seabirds, by definition, feed and live at sea but have to come to land to breed, and

hazardous, well, because landing a flying object safely is just that, and doing so in amongst a field of rapier-bills makes it doubly so.

I spent some years of my career as a conservation scientist working with gannets and am an avid photographer

of the species. When you get to know them like I have you realise that they are very “cool” birds in so many respects, and not the “fool” suggested by their French name “Fou de Bassan”- “Fool of Bass (Rock). (The term “fool” has been frequently applied to seabirds because of their apparent tameness and reluctance to protect themselves in colonies. Bass Rock is their “home” colony off the east coast of Scotland).

In this article I want to explore this iconic member of Canadian seabird avifauna as a photographic subject, and prime you for your first or next photographic visit to a one of their breeding sites.

Northern Gannets breed in Europe and eastern Canada. Pairs nest in dense aggregations called colonies on the coast or on offshore islands. In Canada there are only six of these- three in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and three in eastern Newfoundland. Birds typically arrive at the colonies from their wintering

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areas in south-eastern US marine waters in March and stay all summer until October. They need a lot of time to establish partnerships, mate, build a nest, lay the single egg, and raise the chick to fledging. I work and photograph at two main colonies, Cape St. Mary’s in Newfoundland and Bonaventure Island in Québec. Both have in common, easy accessibility, and are protected as provincial parks. There are few places in the world easier to access and better view and photograph the species than

at these locations. As Canadians we are very lucky!

Big, bold and brash, Northern Gannets provide virtually endless photographic opportunities. A first visit to a gannet colony causes sensory overload with a carpet of evenly-spaced, off-white birds with yellow heads laid before you, all croaking their characteristic call and smelling the way seabirds smell!

The first thing I look for in a photographic day-trip to a gannet colony is overcast conditions with

nice, even l ight. That way, the dynamic range of the bright off-white feathers on the one hand, and the shadow areas are not too great and the result will be a beautifully-lit subject. Shoot as early and as late in the day as you can for a lower sun-angle. A challenge in colonies packed with birds is obtaining pleasing backgrounds for your subject. More often than not you have chosen a great individual to photograph only to find that the background contains one or more birds with their heads cut off! Really look and study the situation. If possible move around and try different angles, and be aware of what else is in the frame other than the subject. “Get low” by laying down on the ground a little below eye level of the bird, or try to find a location in the colony where the birds are a little above you and you can place a pleasing sky behind them.

Look to capture behaviours and activity which add interest and excitement to your images. Try to render head-to-toe portraits of single birds or pairs, or go in tight for a close, intimate portrait of the spectacular gannet face.

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And don’t forget landscape vistas of the colony using your wide-angle lens. Blurs are fun to try, and play with!

I started this article by describing a gannet returning to its nest site in the colony. This situation provides unpara l le led opportunit ies for capturing gannets in flight. Modern-day technology like autofocus has opened up this exciting mode of wildlife photography to all of us. Ideal conditions have a moderate to stiff breeze coming from the same general direction as the sun, with bright, overcast conditions. With the sun and wind at your back, well-lit birds will be flying towards you, into the wind. Use a 70-200 zoom lens or fixed focal length of 200mm to 400mm. Set your autofocus to continuous tracking (Canon- AI Servo, Nikon- AF-C), with the centre focus point set- this is usually the most sensitive one. Try to keep the focus point on the eye of the bird as it flies towards or by you, and let the depth of field take care of the rest. As backgrounds change while tracking a bird, you will want to use manual exposure mode so that subject exposure remains optimal. Set your

ISO to a level you are comfortable with, your aperture to almost wide-open, and shutter speed to something faster than 1/1000s, so that your subject is exposed well but subject highlights are not blown (clipped). A fast shutter speed should be your top priority. Under bright conditions, settings of 1/1600s to 1/2500s, f/5.6 at ISO 400 or 800 are usually possible. Set your image stabilizer on and to the mode best for panning. I hand-hold shorter focal length lenses and tripod-mount heavier ones for comfort

during long shoots. A good gimbal tripod head works terrifically well for tracking birds in flight.

Please consider visiting one of the Canada’s accessible gannet colonies- either Cape St. Mary’s, on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland or Bonaventure Island, near Percé on the Gaspé Peninsula in Québec. Whether amateur or professional, you will be rewarded with photographic bounty limited only by your imagination, and either way it will change your life! g

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Atlantic Zone david aldridge, ns

asta antoft, nsnicola cassidy, nbclub c/O bill curry,

sou'west nova scotia Photography

guild, nsgerry curry, ns

club c/O lisa garnett, Ossekeag camera

club, nbWilliam P. gendron,

nbPaul heyman, ns

Jacques nadeau, nbPamela nadeau, nb

Joe szostak, ns

Ontario Zone henry brynkusKaren elstoneben roffelsenJohn schuman

Martha schumaniris holder

Prairie Zone fiona cai, abdale Perry, ab

Pacific Zonedave beach

Michele broadfootKayla butts

david cristofoliPeter daviesKaren ewalddale hemm

anthony Keenrobert Mccuaig

sandra Peterssuzanne schneider

Kristin stusiakrick Wautier

Donations to CAPAcharles diltz

The Camera WarsBy Ralph Milton

Our photo club meetings always begin with a greeting to newcomers. "tell us your name and what got you here," says President Jim. sometimes, when

the newcomers respond by mentioning the camera they use, there are cheers from about a third of the club. Muted and respectful, but cheers none-the-less. and muted groans from another third. the last third? i'll get to them in a minute.

nobody’s done a census so i can't offer num-bers. but there's a friendly rivalry between the nikon and canon users, both of which claim their instruments are vastly, demonstrably supe-rior.

it's like the low-voltage sparks that fly between Pc and apple users. a friend, who knows more about computers than is decent, says "apple isn't a computer system. it's a religion." this friend, you may have guessed, is an evangelical Pc believer. another friend is a born-again apple user. he speaks in deeply spiritual tones. st. stephen, in his theology, is the late steve Jobs. he would mortgage his mother to buy the latest iPad.

apples and Pcs, canons and nikons, carry enough sophisticated science to fly a space-craft to Mars. choices between their prod-ucts should be made on the basis of measurable criteria and pure logic. right? Wrong! Well, maybe they should be but they're not. scientific criteria and logic have nothing to do with it.

like canadian politics. harper looks like your uncle. trudeau has great hair. Mulcair looks sincere. none of which has anything to do with their qualifications to lead a country, but that's the basis on which many of us vote.

OK, i'll come clean. i shoot with a nikon. i made that choice after consulting with a professional photographer friend in toronto.

"What about canons," i asked. "i have no idea," she said. "My prof in school used a nikon so i use a nikon." and how did that prof come to that decision? Maybe my choice can be traced way back to 1917 when my mother was a teenager -- when the Japanese company was founded and someone decided that the greek "nike"

(which means "victory") would make a great name for a camera.

anyway, i took my photographer friend's word for it. now, several years later, i have assorted do-dads and gizmos and glass related to that choice. i've never had a canon in my hands, so how would i know which is better? but i pro-claim the superiority of nikons because to do otherwise would mean i had made a stupid choice. that may be the truth, but there's no way i'm admitting it!

so i have a suggestion for caPa. let's reorganize all photo clubs and put the canon connoisseurs on one side of the meeting room and the nikon gnostics on the other, the way they separated men and women in very tra-ditional churches and synagogues. then we'd know the good guys from the bad guys. We'd know who were the real photographers, i.e. the ones using our brand of camera!

about that remaining third? they're the ones with the point 'n shoot cameras. We'd tolerate them. Photographers are, after all, very nice

people. We live clean, shower regularly and eat a hearty low-fat breakfast.

but the point 'n shooters would have to stay at the back of the hall. that's because they have that bemused look on their faces, as if they know something the rest of us don't know. When we explain why we haul around our heavy, high-tech cameras and bazooka lenses, they give us a sympathetic smile. Which is not what we want! We want to be admired! We must be great photographers. look at all our gear!

One of those point 'n shoot people had the audacity to get rave reviews and high marks from a judge for a photo she took on a camera bought for a buck at a garage sale! indecent! immoral!

she would never have gotten such a beautiful photo if she'd done it properly. With a real camera! and she doesn't even own Photoshop! What is this world coming to?

Dr. Ralph Milton is a retired writer and communications guru who is a member of COPS (Central Okanagan Photographic Society) in Kelowna, BC.

fAll 2013 cAPA new memberS

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ToronTo • Mississauga • oTTawa • Calgary • EdMonTon www.visTEk.Ca

Photo | vidEo | digiTal | salEs | rEnTals | sErviCE

Great shots like the one above by our good friend Benjamin Von Wong don’t just happen. You know yourself it takes detailed planning, a setup using the proper gear, and a willingness to do whatever it takes – like waiting patiently for the right light – to get the shot.

All of which explains why visionary artists like Von Wong like to frequent Vistek. By providing an incomparable selection of photo and video gear along with the ability to consult with Vistek sales pros, we offer a shopping experience like no other store.

Beyond a massive selection of Nikon and Canon DSLRs and lenses, you’ll find a selection of photo accessories that, for any given shot, often make all the difference in the world.

For example, we carry a wide range of products specifically geared to shooting outdoors, including a huge selection of telephoto lenses, incredibly light yet sturdy tripods, gimbal heads, portable lighting gear, hands-free camera harnesses and holsters, waterproof housings, plus an absolutely stunning array of photo backpacks.

In fact, the deeper you delve into a Vistek showroom, the quicker you’ll realize that we’re the one store for you. At Vistek, you know you’re going to get the products and service you want and deserve. Because we’ll do whatever it takes to make certain you do.

Whatever it takes.Photo courtesy of Benjamin Von Wong (www.vonwong.com)

in collaboration with Realm Pictures U.K.

Vistek_CC_Fall_2013_Full.indd 1 2013-07-19 2:46 PM