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Dominic Boudreault describes himself as a motion photographer. Despite the fact he has no formal photography education he is considered one of the masters of the timelapse photography genre. His monumental work The City Limits is a testament to his skill and vision as a photographer and he has received due recognition. The work went viral, and hundreds upon hundreds of comments on his Vimeo account thank him for the work. Other impressive media mentions of note include appearances on MSNBC’s Today Show and CBC Radio. Boudreault not only utilizes the availability of new technologies for his self-initiated work, but also uses the forum of social media and social sharing sites to further his photographic career. His work gives new direction to what is possible with photography. Boudreault was born and raised in Quebec City. It was in the Quebec landscapes that he discovered his passion for imagery and photography. He was drawn to time-lapse photography because he felt it was the most accurate way for him to present his vision. His work shifts the nature of photography, as he aims to capture the pace, movement, and relationships of a city, rather than freezing the city in a specific moment. What led you to explore motion photography? With time-lapse photography you often see things that you don’t usually see with the naked eye — for example, the stars moving and the speed in which we live. From the top of buildings, as you see the numerous streets and heavy circulation, it can look a lot like a maze of ants. The first time I realized that, I was completely blown away. Since that first moment when I finished editing a clip, I was hooked. I needed to see more. Do you see motion photography as a relatively new genre? Yes, certainly. It has become a lot more popular in the last few years, first and foremost because of the lower cost of camera and computer equipment. Time lapse has existed for a long time but was not accessible to most hobbyists. But now, everybody with a digital camera and basic computer knowledge can attempt to make a time-lapse sequence. Also, I think that there is masterful work in time-lapse photography that has been done in recent years, like parts of the movie Baraka for example. I think it has inspired a lot of people, myself included. What is the background to City Limits? With The City Limits time-lapse video, I was trying to show the duality between city and nature. Time lapse was the perfect medium for this project. It allowed me to show cities like never before. I originally planned to visit one or two cities in Canada and in the northeast of the USA, but it quickly snowballed and I was finding myself completely obsessed by the project. I spent a lot of time doing research for this project and I think it helped me achieve my vision. I shot a lot at night because I find that cities become more alive, more magical at night. There are also a lot of bridges and water in the video. Bridges connect people to the big cities. Water shows that nature is a part of the big man-made cities. Everything is connected. That’s a part of what I wanted to express with this time-lapse piece, duality of nature and man. Were you astounded by the online response? I was really surprised about the reaction of people. The City Limits quickly went viral and I am very happy that my work touched so many people around the world. I think that people were intrigued because it shows ourselves in a way we don’t see every day. Any particular shots in City Limits that stand out? My favourite shot in The City Limits is at 2:38. It’s the shot of the oil tanker at sunset stumbling below the bridge. I say “stumbling” because you can notice the huge boat drifting from side to side. In real time you cannot see this happening but with time lapse you can observe little fascinating unknown details like this one. It was a very pleasant surprise. Any advice you can share with people starting out in photography? Not to sound cheesy, but the journey is the reward. You learn so much every time you go out and shoot. You also learn a lot in post-production every time you process a clip. I truly consider this an art form and, like every art form, you need to practice a lot to master it. The interest in Boudreault’s style of time-lapse photography is proof that photography is evolving, but there is just as much passion and interest surrounding the medium itself. Photography still has the ability to show us the world in a new way and this is very apparent in The City Limits. There may not be as many traditional photography jobs as there used to be, but Dominic Boudreault is an example of just how successful you can be if you are dedicated and involved in photography because you have something to share with the world. Check out more of Dominic's work at: dominicboudreault.com #cityscape #DominicBoudreault #aerialphotography #timelapse #cityphotography #motion #canadianphotographer #urbanphotography

What goes on inside a camera, and why does it have to be hidden from sunlight? These two questions motivated award-winning photographer Natasha V to begin exploring photography. Only when her experiments led to the destruction of several rolls of black and white film did Natasha begin to think of what was going on in front of the lens. She very much admired the photography of Diane Arbus and Irving Penn, so her first forays into photography were oriented toward portraits and photojournalism. At an early point in her career, she developed a series of photographs of well-worn shoes belonging to her family and neighbours. Each pair revealed so intimately the person who wore the shoes that she then realized the storytelling potential of still life photography. While she was studying Roman literature at a university in Sarajevo, Natasha completed a course in black and white photography with one of the best photojournalists in Bosnia. The course made her reflect on what she wanted from life, and when she moved to Canada in 1994, she entered and subsequently graduated from the photography program at Algonquin College in Ottawa. For Natasha, the primary criterion for choosing a project, either commercial or personal, is the team of people involved. With the assistance of a great passionate team, Natasha can make any ordinary project into an extraordinary art piece. Natasha has an extensive list of clients: Hudson’s Bay Company, TD Bank, Joe Fresh, Holt Renfrew, Murale, Bayview Village, Fashion, enRoute, Red UK, and InStyle. The majority of Natasha’s clients hire her because of her style and the quality of her work; they trust her to be involved in the creative process of the shoots. At the end of the day, it is important that everybody feels positive about the photograph that has been produced. After getting an assignment, Natasha spends time analyzing the technical and visual elements she might need and deciding on her approach to lighting and composition. Visualizing shoots is an important part of her preparation process, so that once she’s on set, she can start immediately. She acknowledges that she can plan up to a point, but so much can change at the shoot. Therefore, flexibility and quick thinking are crucial to the process. Some projects require extensive preparations, and Natasha will test the lighting or technical approach beforehand. However, creative projects are less planned. Natasha states, “There is an inspiration, an idea, and once I’m on set, things move and progress into a full story.” Natasha always starts with a vision of the photograph. She likens this mental picture to an internal mood board. She knows which light and angles she wants, and the feel of the shot. It’s a loose guideline, the framework of the idea. Then, when the team is on set, they all work together on perfecting the shot. As the photographer, Natasha has to know what the final image will look like and how to guide the shoot in that direction. Her process requires having a strong pre-conceived idea and an open mind that allows changes to happen on set. According to Natasha, there are no rules for creating a beautiful image. Composition must be instinctive even as one focuses on its various components. Colour is the introduction that sets the mood for the image and the story, either in a full blast or in subtle ways. Light has to be precise and occupies most of Natasha’s attention when she creates an image. Although light is important, it must also disappear from the image and never be perceived as the most significant element. When the light is clean, but not perfect, a still life image feels alive and credible. With more experience, Natasha finds that she tries less to shock with her images. Her style is evolving, and is now more sophisticated and maturely unique. If someone viewing one of her images has been moved to stop, look and think, then Natasha knows that she has succeeded in creating something special. Her work is about creating a meaningful and visually different story every time, not about mimicking current trends. For her, a truthful approach gets people’s attention. Some artists, new and experienced, have difficulty marketing themselves. Natasha admits that she is no exception. Although she may still feel self-conscious when showing her work, she really believes in what she is doing, which gives her the confidence to show her work and pursue her goals. Natasha partnered with her current agent when she was just starting out on her own. At that time, her different approach to still life photography, her attitude, and her passion got the agent’s attention. Besides having an agent, Natasha markets herself by using social media and other types of online promotions, and by maintaining a large network of personal contacts. Natasha’s approaches and images are not static. Natasha loves a good challenge and often steps outside the type of work that she is expected to produce. Fortunately, still life photography encompasses a broad spectrum of possibilities. There is no limit to the types of objects to photograph, so Natasha continually feels refreshed and engaged. Early questions that Natasha had about what makes a camera work have evolved into questions that guide any good storyteller. Natasha now asks, “Why am I telling this story?” and “Where does the story take place?” See more of Natasha's work at: www.natashav.com #NatashaV #womeninphotography #studiophotography #stilllifephotography #canadianphotographer

The street is the average person’s daily runway. It offers a unique setting for photographers to document the unfettered fashion of style enthusiasts. Photographer and creative designer Paul Melo seeks to capture individuality and authentic senses of style for his highly acclaimed street style blog, StyleQuotient. Melo launched StyleQuotient in the summer of 2009 to document and promote what he says was Vancouver’s lacking fashion scene: “I created this site to highlight and uncover the most stylish personalities gracing the streets, the most stylish places to see and experience, and the details that make it all worthwhile.” Melo decided to focus on style over trends, fashion, or celebrity, describing himself as a true street style photographer who captures people wearing real fashion in everyday life. While many photographers have jumped on the street fashion blog bandwagon, few have adhered to the quintessence of the genre. Melo says that, until recently, photographers would attend fashion shows to capture the loudest outfit on the street in the lead up to the show. He says, “That is not street style. Most of the high level ‘street fashion’ photographers have finally realized this and [this approach] is now becoming passé.” Melo is pleased that the street style bandwagon has lost a wheel. Melo finds inspiration on the street from real people in real life scenarios. He looks for that intangible element that catches his eye. “I never look for labels or costumes,” says Melo. “I walk through a neighbourhood and photograph that person who stands out amongst the crowd, usually because they shine in comparison to everyone else.” Having a fashion sense is something that’s personal and distinct says Melo, who believes that fashion is just one element of style: “Most people think style is about clothes, but it’s not. It’s not what you wear but how you wear it, how you accent it, how you present yourself.” He describes style as a subtle but clear distinction in quality and appreciates a well put together outfit as a mark of authentic individuality. Melo grew up in a stylish Portuguese-Canadian family; his parents instilled in him a sense of pride in appearance from a young age. Melo explains, “Dressing up was a show of respect and self-awareness. My father always wore a suit in his spare time, and my mom loved to take my sister and me shopping. I guess I developed a sense of style from very early on.” Melo believes style is in the details, which can be all it takes to transform an uninteresting outfit into something truly outstanding: “It is a thoughtful sign of consideration about oneself. It is simple but impactful.” Melo claims that details such as the addition of a bold pocket square or the right watch with a simple suit can augment a look, while the wrong accessories can sabotage an outfit — for example, bad sneakers paired with a beautiful dress. Though Melo chooses to focus on the street style of Vancouver, he has travelled to other countries to seek out unique street fashions for his blog. He claims some of the most styleconscious people can be found in Frankfurt, Germany; although he admits that he tends to gravitate towards more stylish neighbourhoods: “It’s tough to find a lot of style in the parking lots of the world’s rest stops, but you might. Every city has a place or neighbourhood where stylish people congregate.” Melo says these fashionable areas are considered the hip neighbourhoods today, but this was not always the case, as evidenced by the early street photographers. Although his images are mainly viewed today for inspiration on the latest fashions, Melo hopes they will one day be appreciated as a social document, like those of founding street photographers Fred Herzog and Vivian Maier. Though street fashion photography may seem a relatively new form of photography because of the many new photographers who have flocked to fashion blogs, the genre has been around since the end of the nineteenth century and is widely considered a kind of social documentary. Celebrated street photographers such as Herzog and Maier, who shot during the 1950s and 1960s, are known for their images of ordinary people and streetscapes mainly in the working class neighbourhoods or gritty downtown cores of cities like Vancouver and Chicago. Unlike his predecessors, who photographed with various film cameras on slide or negative film, Melo uses a Nikon D800 digital single-lens reflex camera with an 85mm f1.8 or 50mm f1.8 fixed lens to capture his street subjects. He prefers the former for its shallow depth of field, which allows him to blur the background and focus the attention on his subject. While Melo appreciates the convenience that shooting digital affords him, he takes the time to edit his images before posting them to his blog. “There is always something to distract on the street, be it a cigarette butt or oil stains on the asphalt or lint on a jacket,” says Melo. “I’m documenting and photographing style, not forensics.” He will remove any distractions in the image and apply a subtle softness to flatter his subjects and give the photographs a filmlike quality. While equipment and post-processing are an important part of the process, the method of shooting street style photography is equally as important in achieving the desired results. Melo uses gentle confidence to approach his subjects and gain their trust. He dresses well, is friendly and professional, and always initiates a photograph with a compliment. Melo’s photography went through a stylistic shift. He slowed down the shooting process, bringing some of his street subjects into the studio in order to capture their personalities in a more intimate setting. “I’m shooting more stripped down, simple portraits. Street style photography is very fast. Some interactions happen in a matter of seconds. You only have a moment to pick the perspective, frame them, relax them, and snap,” says Melo. “There is something special about photographing them again in a completely different setting with time to interact, get to know them, and see them in a new way.” StyleQuotient is a creative outlet that allows Melo to showcase style — something that is near and dear to his heart. Although he does not believe the world needs another fashion blog, his advice to would-be street style photographers is to pursue the genre if style is something they are truly passionate about. He says, “You have to have your own sense of style and have the eye for what is stylish and what is not. Also, approach it as a professional, not a hobbyist. The niche is already saturated.” Melo’s secret ingredient is a sense of style that he honours in everything he sets his sights on, be it photography or design, for every market. See more of Paul Melo's work at: www.paulmelo.com #PaulMelo #streetphotography #fashionphotography #portraitphotography #canadianphotographer #peoplephotography #urbanphotography #documentaryphotography

In a nondescript brick building off a quiet, tree-lined street in Toronto’s eclectic Leslieville is Sugino Studios. Inside, white walls and wood shelving frame the entryway into the bright, airy space where a photographer’s dream in camera equipment waits to create magic. Sugino Studios specializes in creating advertising motion and still images that used in ad campaigns. Day to day, the team quietly engineer images for companies such as Fido, Bell, Fisherman’s Friend, and Listerine. One of the artists behind the magic is Todd McLellan. He is an unassuming man with a casual air and an easy smile. In talking to him, it is not difficult to see how his passion defines his work. However, McLellan’s creative curiosity extends well beyond the advertising world. Born in Saskatoon, McLellan moved to Calgary to study design at the Alberta College of Art + Design. “My interest stemmed from a graphic arts program in high school. I was always drawing, creating logos, and airbrushing different designs.” It was in Calgary that he made the move from design into photography, and in his final year he accepted an internship at Sugino Studios in Toronto. When he graduated in 2002, McLellan returned to the studio for an assisting gig and was intent on gaining real-world experience. In 2006 he used that experience to open his own company, through which he created his evocative collection of stills titled Things Come Apart. This photo-based series uses the latest in Broncolor and Hasselblad equipment to capture the impossible moment between one breath and the next. With a flash duration of up to 1/14 000 of a second, the stills give the impression that time has stopped. The result is surreal, challenging us to puzzle through exactly how the image was photographed. While in some of the images mechanical objects such as typewriters, clocks and rotary-dial telephones have been meticulously taken apart and laid out in a fashion so orderly it borders on obsessive, other stills show those same objects floating in midair, each piece opposing another like a set of repellent magnets kept close for too long. The number of components is mind-blowing, and the viewer feels like a forensic scientist. Sitting across the table from McLellan, I couldn’t help but ask, “What’s the secret? How did you do it?” He considers for a moment, a visual artist trying to simplify his world into words: “We start by taking it all apart. Then we set up a platform above and a mesh below. The mesh is for catching the objects we drop. Midway through the drop I take the shot. Usually it takes more than once to get it right, so it’s really important to keep hold of all the pieces. We once lost a screw and an hour later we were still looking for it.” McLellan’s series isn’t limited to stills. In fact, his Things Come Apart collection includes a video called Apart Piano, which shows an old stand-up piano meeting an impressive end. “It was a donation from a church in west Toronto. They had decided it was too old and an electronic keyboard sounded better. I’m not sure if they knew what we were going to do with it.” What they did with it was catastrophic (for the piano). “We could have spent thousands of dollars and dozens of hours with rigs and trial runs, but the simplest thing to do was to grab a bunch of guys and hoist it up by hand, and then let it go off the ropes. It worked great. A little scary, but great.” Because they didn’t get the shot they wanted the first time, they dropped the piano onto the dusty wooden stage again. And again. They dropped it five times in total, the pieces themselves eventually shattering but not before the team was satisfied. “Working in motion is a bit of a learning curve from still photography. When you rely on post-production you can run into a lot of problems in motion. You can’t pop in the little ‘we’ll fix it in post’ phrase at the last minute.” McLellan spends a large amount of his time working on projects that involve motion. “I came into the industry at a time when digital was really taking off. Currently about half of my work is done using video, and there’s definitely a demand for more from our clients.” Interestingly, while there isn’t necessarily a different mindset associated with motion over still shots, the process is entirely different. “You can be working alone on stills, and there’s always the opportunity to edit the shot later. With motion, editing isn’t as much of an option. You can be shooting a thousand frames a second. Editing can easily add $100 000 to the project budget.” The timelines are also different. “I could shoot a still on Monday and see it on a billboard by Wednesday. The timelines are much faster.” This is because motion often involves a greater degree of post-production work that takes time. “Because of the cost and time implications, it really is important to ensure the team is working under one vision.” It had been over 12 years since McLellan made the move to Toronto and into photography. Originally only intending a short-term experience-driven residency, today he’s settled with a wife and two children. What’s next? McLellan continued to work on his collection of Things Come Apart and has recently been tempted by the donation of a Japanese-to-English translation typewriter. Photos from his series have also been published as a fine art book by Thames & Hudson. The book, titled Things Come Apart: A Tear Down Manual for Modern Living, has garnered worldwide recognition with releases in several different languages. Prints of the series are available through his website. Ironically, for the master of taking things apart, it certainly seems like things are all coming together. See more of Todd's work, including Apart Piano, at: www.toddmclellan.com #canadianphotography #stilllifephotography #ToddMcLellan #smashedstuff #studiophotography #fineartphotography #experimentation #OntarioPhotographer

The creative process for West Coast artist Margaretha Bootsma began primarily with clay and drawing. While photography was always a part of Bootsma’s artistic path, it significantly emerged as an integral partner in her emergence as a multi-faceted artist. In fact, photography is the conjunctive “and” of her artist’s statement: “Painting and photography; earthy, evocative transformative elements, such as metal, sand, wax, and photography.” “I consider the combined expression of painting and photography inseparable to my creative expression,” Bootsma states. “I use photography to introduce narrative into my work that can have multiple interpretations. The paint plays a supportive role in this. I like the tension between the photograph’s ‘realist’ version of a place and the organic application of paint that blurs or challenges this account.” The process of painting versus taking photographs entails two different approaches and philosophies for Bootsma, processes that evoke singular ways of thinking and feeling. Whereas photography involves more strategy, more attention to semantics such as detail around lighting, depth of field, framing, and time values, thus “referencing the intellect,” painting is more spontaneous, less calculated, and more adventurous, denoting for Bootsma “the emotional, intuitive body.” “Paint is handled in a spontaneous manner that engages the quality of accident or chance and evokes organic matter and earth phenomenon,” Bootsma states. She explains that this engagement of accident involves “not thinking about what one is doing … letting go of control and immersing oneself in the act of painting. Pouring paint onto a surface has infinite unexpected possibilities that allows for little control and for happy ‘accidents’ to occur. Scraping away or sanding a surface is similar in that one has to let go of the existing surface to reveal another. This way of working is an adventure. I am never sure what the outcome will be.” Bootsma cultivated her creative process by melding the crafts of photography and painting by utilizing experimentation, integration, and intuitive artistic vision. Through a series of steps, some specific and some intuitive in expression, she built her works on wood panels. “Prior to painting, the photographs are placed on various surfaces, and then, as another way to engage the element of chance, the surface is sanded randomly,” Bootsma says. “The marks left through the sanding process are emphasized with paint. The photographs are arranged in a constructed sequence to create a narrative that in reality does not exist. This construction questions notions of photography as an accurate record of reality. Painting on [the photograph’s] surface further blurs this distinction and permits the addition or elimination of elements depicted in the photo. In so doing, one reflects on the effect of photography on realist painting traditions and on the influence of painting on the tradition of photography.” The staccato marks as white noise remind Bootsma of an out-of-tune radio or a TV with poor reception, which in turn leads to the incessant electromagnetic noises inherent in our ubiquitous cell-phone, laptop, GPS world. Bootsma is interested in capturing groups of people or solitary individuals in the ocean or by the shores who are viewed at a distance. The people remain anonymous, and viewers are readily able to identify with their own experiences of water. Bootsma studied ceramics and drawing at Instituto Allende Mexico for a year, followed by the study of painting at Emily Carr College of Art and Design. She is inspired by colour field painters such as Helen Frankenthaler and Mark Rothko, as well as abstract expressionist painters Robert Rauschenberg and Jackson Pollock because of “their expressive use of ‘action painting’ and the utilization of accident in painting.” Rauschenberg’s use of found objects and photography also had a major effect on Bootsma’s work. “I think that my early affinity for the texture of clay also informed how I worked with textured surfaces in these early paintings,” Bootsma said. More of Margaretha Bootsma’s work can be found online on her website: www.margarethabootsma.com This article originally appeared in the Winter Issue in 2010. Bootsma passed in 2011 and was remembered by her friends and family in Vancouver, British Columbia at the Bau-Xi Gallery in 2011. #MargarethaBootsma #canadianphotography #fineartphotography #imagemanipulation #womeninphotography #experimentation

Travel photography has long provided a view of elusive cultures and landscapes around the world. Though we might not have stood outside the busy gates of Angkor Wat in Cambodia or walked the sandy beaches of Bali, photos allow us to appreciate these sites. However, while the locations may appear desirably exotic and enticing, travel photography comes with a unique and diverse set of challenges. Seeking out awe-inspiring vistas, surreal ruins where even the dark corners whisper of their epic history, or local mouth-watering specialties take time and effort. Besides the anxiety a photographer may face being in a foreign location, language barriers and customs can also prove challenging. Travel photography is in fact a combination of any number of different types of photography: landscape, portrait, food, fashion, etc. It often requires documentation of the site or events leading up to the moment captured, and while a landscape may set the scene, the portraits of the people within the landscape often bring that scene to life. Imagine you’re in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, where every breath of air smells just a little exotic. Imagine a golden bottle of whiskey. At the bottle’s base, a snake is coiled as though ready to strike, but a bartender is nonchalantly using it to pour you a drink. You lift your camera and take a shot that will later bring your friends and family into that moment, even if they have never traveled to Asia. That’s travel photography. Taylor Roades has made a career out of “exploring the world with a purpose.” She is a travel photographer based out of Guelph, Ontario. Roades travelled as a child; however, it was while she was volunteering in Uganda that her hobby turned into a passion. Her time there was eye-opening, confirming stories she’d heard about the poverty and health care challenges facing the people of that small African nation, and proving for her that moments experienced first-hand can add depth not otherwise understood from a distance. Roades found her calling as a photographer in university a short time later. While sitting at her laptop doing research, she came across a picture of a photographer taking a photo of a whale. “It was incredible,” she recalls, “and I remember sitting at my desk thinking about how I was going to tell my mom I wanted to be a photographer.” Since then, Roades has combined her love of travel with a passion for seeking out that perfect shot. Projects have brought her to remote corners of the planet, some questionable at best, but she’s found that it’s when she’s truly off the beaten track that the most fantastic opportunities arise. In such situations she has often used photography as a way to connect across a language barrier both with locals and with other photographers she has met along the way. Her career had most recently culminated into an exhibition, titled The Culture of Tourism. The Culture of Tourism is an evocative examination of the impact tourism has on communities around the world. Examples are taken from Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, the United States, Canada, and the Dominican Republic. The inspiration for the project originated while Roades was traveling in Thailand near the Myanmar border. While there, Roades learned tourists could pay to see tribal women who have stretched their necks using a series of metal rings. While this was done historically, the practice is no longer part of modern-day customs. However, because of demands driven by tourism in the region, the practice has been reintroduced. Girls are forced from a very young age to wear the rings, thus helping bring money into the community. This practice poses significant risks to the girls themselves, who cannot later remove the rings that now act in place of their vertebrae to support their heads. “It was like a human zoo,” Roades recalls. “I was stunned. There are both good and bad things that come with tourism, so it is really important to be aware of the ethics of traveling.” This thought planted the seed that grew into The Culture of Tourism. The project focuses on a collection of scenes that demonstrate the impact tourism has had globally. In an image from Bali, vendors sell racks of knock-off Ray-Bans to motorcyclists riding cheap rental bikes; while a photograph from Vietnam shows tourists tossing litter into a concrete crocodile pen in an effort to make the scaly amphibians move. One of the most striking shots is of a man holding a dozen diamond wedding rings strung together on a roll of black cloth. “I came across this man while walking along a beach in the Dominican Republic,” Roades says. “Every day he goes swimming along the beach with his metal detector, searching for rings tourists have lost. I was blown away when he pulled out his findings. Standing before me was a real-life treasure hunter, his job and his remuneration the direct result of the tourism industry.” Each image in the collection speaks to a different way in which the world has been changed by tourism. The exhibition challenges viewers to be more aware of the impact they have on the communities they visit. For aspiring travel photographers or travel addicts looking for that next perfect shot, Roades observed that, “having the best gear or a certain lens is not going to make or break your shot.” Instead, she recommends taking the gear you’re familiar with and spending the extra money on traveling longer. She says, “My best experiences involved taking the time to step out of my comfort zone, befriend locals, try new foods, wander into more remote areas, all while leaving my expectations behind.” Roades’ The Culture of Tourism exhibition appeared on display at several venues in Guelph, Ontario, and can now be found on her website. www.taylorroades.com This article previously appeared in our Winter Issue in 2013. Get it in PRINT - HERE #travelphotography #TaylorRoades #canadianphotography #womeninphotography #documentaryphotography #OntarioPhotographer

Robert Berdan is an award-winning, Calgary-based photographer who delights in photographing living creatures, from microorganisms to Canadian wildlife. When Berdan was a child, everything in nature fascinated him. He became obsessed with the microscope, and later wanted to take pictures of what he saw. At the age of 13, Berdan began experimenting with a cheap Kodak Instamatic Camera. Images from this first camera were unclear and he felt that with a better camera, he might be able to take better pictures, particularly of micro-organisms viewed through his microscope. Berdan purchased a Polaroid camera for about $70 to attach to his microscope, and it worked as advertised, but Polaroid film was expensive, and the prints were small and not particularly clear. After reading about single lens reflex (SLR) cameras with interchangeable lenses, he decided on an Olympus OM-1 for $300. With $100 that he saved, and help from his parents, he acquired the camera. His first pictures turned out better than expected and Berdan managed to get a couple of good shots from every roll of film. Berdan soon began to photograph everything around him, such as landscapes, plants, insects, and mammals, including his friends. For the first few years he owned only one lens, the basic 50mm f/1.8 standard lens that is good for low light and documentary-type images but not for wildlife. He attached the camera body with an adapter to his microscope and was able to capture images of mosquito larvae, rotifers, crystals, and other single-celled animals living in pond water. Some of these images he is still selling. Berdan now uses both Nikon and Canon digital cameras with lenses ranging from 8–1500mm. Together, the camera and the microscope directed him towards a career in cell biology and neuroscience research. Berdan earned a Ph.D. studying electrical synapses, also called gap junctions, an esoteric topic. He especially liked taking pictures with electron microscopes, fascinated with how living organisms function and grow. Later he acquired bigger lenses and photographed larger animals, from insects to grizzly bears, moose, and caribou. After three years of research at the University of Calgary and five years at the University of Alberta, Berdan felt a need to get out of the laboratory. He began to explore education, multimedia, and nature photography full time. He worked for a few years at the Calgary Science Centre before he started a business called Science & Art Multimedia. According to Berdan, both science and art have things in common, though they are different approaches to studying and seeing the world. In his opinion, photography is a tool that uses a combination of sciences, including optics and electronics, but the application of the camera and composition is an art created by photographers trying to see and capture images that inform, evoke emotions, and make people think. Therefore, photography is a fascinating duality of science and art. Berdan’s new business allows him to focus on technological developments taking place on the Internet, and to teach and pursue nature photography. Photography is also the best excuse Berdan has to spend more time outdoors surrounded by nature. He loves to travel and explore Canada, where there are places that are still rarely visited or photographed. Berdan’s favourite places to photograph in Canada so far are Alberta’s Rocky Mountains; the Badlands, including Red Rock Coulee and Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park; Waterton Lakes and Jasper National Parks; and the Carmanah Valley, with its giant ancient trees and the Great Bear Rainforest. Going north to Yellowknife, he loves to photograph the aurora borealis; even further north, on the tundra, he loves to chase migrating caribou in autumn. However, of all the things Berdan has photographed, the most exciting has been the aurora borealis as its multicoloured rays of light dance across the sky. Berdan has had memorable wildlife encounters. For example, he photographed a sow and a cub grizzly bear fishing for salmon on the Atnarko River in Bella Coola, British Columbia, while sitting only 15 metres away on the other side of the river. Another time, he encountered a grizzly bear while hiking on a trail in the Rockies. Fortunately, he made it back to his car without mishap. When Berdan called a park ranger so a warning sign could be posted, the ranger simply replied, “Oh, that grizzly bear ... he won’t hurt anyone.” Other special encounters include seeing a pod of orcas swim under the Mothership III, a boat where Berdan served as a photo guide, and watching a mountain lion next to the road in Waterton Lakes National Park. The cougar turned around and sat down for a minute to look at Berdan while Berdan took his picture from behind his jeep, and then lumbered away. Berdan can relive these amazing wildlife encounters anytime he wants by looking at the images he captured—except for the experience with the grizzly he met on the trail, that is: Berdan didn’t get any pictures of him, for obvious reasons. According to Berdan, a lot of people living in cities have lost a connection with nature. How many people today have seen the stars on a clear night, the Andromeda Galaxy, or the Milky Way? How many people have seen a grizzly bear, fox, wild wolf, or killer whale up close? Berdan tries to pursue these rare and special encounters in order to photograph and share them with others, in part to remind them that there are still places in this country where people can see them. These moments give Berdan a high but also a sense of humility and feelings of respect and wonder. Most of Berdan’s photography learning and inspiration came from reading and looking at photography books by Eliot Porter, Thomas Mangelsen, John Shaw, Freeman Patterson, Courtney Milne, Ansel Adams, Jim Brandenburg, and Richard Brown. Budd Watson, a photographer and shop owner in Midland, Ontario, was Berdan’s first mentor. Two inspirational Calgary photographers are Keith Logan, who taught Berdan how to operate a 4 × 5 camera and how to use masks in the darkroom, and friend and mentor Dr. Wayne Lynch. Berdan is also grateful that his parents bought him a microscope and a camera. Years later, his father developed an interest in photography and father and son try to travel and photograph together whenever they can. Recently, Berdan has developed a website called The Canadian Nature Photographer whose mission is to promote nature photography, show the beauty of Canada, and inspire others to take up nature photography. The website features the work of new and established photographers and has a major educational goal with free downloadable slides for teaching, online courses, galleries, movies, tutorials, and e-books on photography. Future projects will be to publish several books dealing with topics such as the aurora borealis, Canadian wildlife, Canadian landscapes, and the role of science and art in photography. Nature photography has helped Berdan appreciate his own life better and develop a greater respect for other living things. The camera is his excuse to get out and look, but the experience is often more meaningful than the picture — the picture is simply evidence that the photographer was there and can share the experience with others. www.canadiannaturephotographer.com This article originally appeared in our 'Creatures Great and Small' Spring/Summer Issue in 2013. See more in our PRINT issue - get it HERE. #wildlife #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #canadianphotography #animals #AlbertaPhotographer

Top tips for better DSLR pics Before you consider buying more gear to improve your photography, consider one of the key causes of poor quality images — camera shake. Camera shake is caused when the camera moves during an exposure. Factors that influence this include hand holding a camera, shutter speed, shutter release, focal length of lens, and mirror slap. Unless the camera is held perfectly steady during the time of the exposure, the resulting image will appear blurred. Using faster shutter speeds can minimize the effect of camera shake since it is easier to hold a camera steady for a shorter period of time than a longer one. Learn the Rule There is a rule regarding the slowest shutter speed one can reliably use before camera shake becomes an issue. A general guideline is to use the shutter speed that is the inverse of the effective focal length of the lens. For example, if you are shooting at a focal length of 50mm, the slowest “safe” speed for hand-held photography is 1/60 s (closest shutter speed to 1/50 s). If you are shooting with a 500mm telephoto lens, the “safe” speed is 1/500 s. A wide-angle lens of 20mm allows one to shoot hand-held at a speed of 1/20 s. Note that if you are not using a full-frame sensor, you will need to account for the sensor factor. An APS-C sensor has a factor of 1.5; so a 200mm lens has an effective focal length of 300mm (200 Å~ 1.5 = 300). Elite sports photographer Dave Holland knows the importance of creating tack-sharp images. His advice is to learn the basics of how to properly hold a camera. He says, “I see lots of people working their lens with their left hand on the side of the lens, palm down. The most stable position is palm up with your left arm anchored against your body.” As proof of this technique he suggests, “Look at biathletes (or any shooters). They always have their left hand under the rifle, palm up, and their left arm anchored against their body. This is by far the most stable standing position and it helps them hit targets 50m away — it will help you get sharper shots.” Tripod Tips One of the best investments you can make is the purchase of a tripod or other accessory designed to steady your camera. Realize that one tripod may not meet all of your needs. There will be trade-offs to consider. The kind of photography you do will help in narrowing your search. If you travel a lot, look for a light tripod. Those made of carbon fibre are the lightest available; they are also the most expensive. If you do macro photography, you might consider a tripod with an articulating arm that will allow you to get close to your subject. If you shoot outdoors in severe weather conditions, consider a heavier tripod or one that allows for adding additional weights, such as a beanbag, to the bottom of the centre column to provide added mass and stability. Tripods may not be appropriate in some situations. Consider the use of a monopod. Unlike the three legs of a tripod that take up a lot of ground space, the monopod has a very small footprint and is used close to your body. For smaller cameras there are miniature tripods that easily collapse to fit into a pocket. The versatile Gorillapod by Joby can be used as a standard mini-tripod or its flexible legs can be wrapped around objects for stability. Lens Tech Support Camera lenses with vibration reduction technology (VR, also known as image stabilization) allow for a two-stop reduction in shutter speed. If the “safe” speed was 1/125 s, with a VR lens one can safely shoot at 1/30 s. It is recommended that the VR feature be used only when shooting below the “safe” speed, as that is what the technology is designed for. Mirror-Up and Self-timer The act of pressing the shutter release with your finger can introduce camera vibration, as can the mirror moving in a DSLR (called “mirror slap”). Mirror slap can be eliminated by setting your camera to the “mirror up” position. Using the camera’s self-timer mode can also be used to avoid pressing the shutter with your finger. #phototips #HowTo #DSLR #motion

In Montreal, in a tiny, intimate studio barely big enough for all his cameras, photographer Eric Paré shapes light. Paré spent years doing typical studio work, but it was when he started experimenting with light sources such as bicycle LEDs, children’s toys, and a flashlight that he discovered he was able to shape light by hand and create a magical experience for himself and his subject. Through trial and error, he slowly increased the power of his flashlight and decreased his exposure time from 60 seconds to one second. And, he emphasizes, only one second. That is still the usual exposure time of his pictures. It took about two months from the time of Paré’s first light-painting picture for him to feel satisfied with the effect he was able to achieve. In his process, he became the shadow holding up the light, revealing his subject through precise movements, a technique which led to something very powerful in the images. Shooting in a tiny studio space has many constraints. A larger studio would afford Paré the possibility of using a longer lens and getting less distortion in the images. However, in his own small studio, he has discovered that using a wide-angle lens creates “crazy flares” that he is able to exploit in his images. Working away from his studio, Paré has one requirement: a black box (no windows, black-covered wall). Having a pitch-black room provides optimal results. Occasionally, Paré will go outside and shoot at night. It is harder outside to make himself invisible, but he likes to use natural landscapes when possible. Although he usually works on his own, Paré has had successful collaborations with others. He worked on a project for Fotolia with Mike Campau, a digital artist from Michigan. Their project was a great mix, as Campau was good at adding digital elements to the empty space in Paré’s pictures. The result was superb composition. Paré has also collaborated with Yanick Décarie, a body painter. He insisted that Décarie use only black and white paint. This restriction then allowed Paré to explore using colour during the photo shoot. Paré uses light-painting, bullet-time, and stop-motion photography techniques, which he describes as follows: “Light-painting is drawing with light while using a long exposure setting on the camera. Bullet-time is capturing a moment in 3-D by using many cameras. Stop-motion is achieved by taking multiple subsequent pictures of a moving subject and combining the sequence into a video. I mix the three techniques, which creates some sort of animation where we can travel in space (bullet time) and time (stop-motion). Using light-painting allows me to have a light that is very concentrated on the subject, thus making the surrounding cameras nearly invisible.” For single shots, Paré uses a Canon 5D3. For most of his recent work in 360 degrees, he uses a 32 Canon SL1, seven computers, metres of cables, and his own custom software. His lighting is simple: tactical lights (about 300 lumens) and a variety of coloured papers, gels, glass, and anything else that will create diffusion, reflection, or concentration of light. When Paré works in a 360-degree bullet-time environment, he gets the same pictures from many angles. Sometimes he picks out the best possible angles and leaves out the full 360-degree animation. He anticipates the day when this technology can be put into smartphones, enabling people to gather together and make bullet-time pictures for themselves. The technology hasn’t been developed yet, but he has created a mobile app called xangle (http://xangle.co) that people can use to make multi-angled pictures. One person presses the button on the app, and all the participants’ smartphone cameras are triggered at the same time. Then everyone receives all the pictures from all the phones and can create a mosaic by using the images. Paré uses the same technology when he installs cameras in live concerts, and people can trigger his cameras and instantly receive pictures from different angles at the same time, simultaneously being able to combine the images with their selfies. To demonstrate this technique, Paré offers a documentary online called LightSpin. For this project, he triggered 24 cameras more than 20 000 times, resulting in nearly half a million pictures. LightSpin was a deeply personal project. Although Paré is not a dancer, he explored a concept that, in essence, allowed him to perform pas de deux with a series of dancers. Everything was improvised, and he had to anticipate where each dancer was going. He held a light in his right hand and a remote control in his left. He had to gradually adapt the angle of his right arm to achieve smooth transitions. He triggered the cameras every two seconds, holding the exposure for one second. During that second, the dancer had to remain perfectly still to avoid being blurred. In the remaining second, the dancer made a slight move to the next pose. Dancer and photographer maintained a constant rhythm, and on very long sequences (200 pictures and sometimes more), they became so focused that their breathing became synchronized, not only with each other but with the sound of the camera shutters. Paré and the dancers made this project in total darkness and total silence in what he describes as an “ultra inspiring little circle.” Paré has a deep passion for his work, developed painstakingly and lovingly over time, and he provides online tutorials for others. People have suggested that he should protect his ideas and techniques with copyrights, but he disagrees. “Let’s share our passion, our knowledge and hope for the best, for all of us.” See more of Eric Paré's work at: ericpare.com #paintingwithlight #EricParé #canadianphotography #studiophotography #lightingtechniques #portraiture #portrait #experimentation

Ian Willms recalls his first visit to Detroit, Michigan, in 2005 as feeling like he “had just landed on the moon.” Drawn there by music, the underlying pulse of the city, Willms saw things that stayed with him. Memories of the people he encountered drew him back to Detroit from 2007 to 2010 to document his impressions by using his plastic Holga camera. At first sight, the images in the Detroit series feel like stepping back in time. At points both gritty and soft, these black and white photographs of unkempt yards, people, and buildings often reveal themselves as contemporary only through minute details such as modern cars and street furniture. The Holga’s quirks coalesce to create what Willms calls a “beautiful, surreal rendition of reality,” which gives his exploration into one of the largest and most impoverished cities in America a visual depth that goes beyond traditional street photography. Willms’ tentative interest in photography was encouraged when he won a camera in a photography contest as a teenager, and, like many, he began to use photography as a response to his surroundings. Inspired by the work of street photographers he found in the Life Library of Photography books, Willms attended the Loyalist College Photojournalism program in Belleville, Ontario, to learn the technical and practical skills needed to work at any major Canadian or international newspaper. While shooting with a Holga has its own mechanical challenges, street photography presents other trials, as photographers are often on their feet for hours, waiting for the Cartier-Bresson “decisive moment.” They must then gather the courage to photograph a stranger in that split second — something that Willms still struggles with. His education at Loyalist prepared him for the legal particularities around these kinds of images. Unless used commercially, Willms doesn’t need a model release; though, he notes, he does always try to be polite. Willms favours small, simple, 35mm film or full-frame digital cameras for his work and uses cameras like the Holga only when he has a good reason. Otherwise, he notes, with “all the apps that make your $600 cellphone into a $6 plastic camera,” it can quickly become contrived and meaningless. Willms approaches each project individually by choosing cameras and film type depending on the mood he’s trying to create. But he notes that the best tool for new street photographers isn’t fancy equipment. Instead, he suggests wearing practical shoes. While Willms’ freelance work as a photojournalist can be found in major Canadian newspapers such as the Globe and Mail, his personal work in series such as Detroit give Willms an alternative view of the streets based on observing and recording, as opposed to the more journalistic approach of uncovering and categorizing. Street photography, he says, is more of a question for the viewer, a layering of situation and meaning, while photojournalism is more about uncovering answers and understanding facts. Willms’ work ultimately blurs the lines between these two practices, offering the photojournalist’s meticulous understanding of truth and narrative to the more perceptive ruminations of street photography. In many of his images, Willms manages to perfectly capture the dichotomy between his two roles as both street photographer and photojournalist. He understands the photojournalist’s removed role as storyteller but simultaneously uses his involved, personal position as a street photographer to probe beyond the image’s didactic qualities to create poignant statements that speak to lived experience. See more of Ian's work at: www.ianwillms.com #streetphotography #IanWillms #urbanphotography #blackandwhite #canadianphotographer #peoplephotography #documentaryphotography #Holga #analogfilm #filmexploration