Business

Red Canoe in Algonquin - Click for larger

(Above image published in the Summer 2012 issue of ON Nature magazine)

It's not always the fun part, although I love getting paid for what I do. The business aspect of photography takes up the majority of our time. If it were just clicking the shutter this would be a very simple business. It is a lot of hard work and grueling hours at the computer. Phone calls, emails and dealing with clients can eat up your day. Not to mention, backups, processing and adding the captions, keywords and other metadata.

Labrador Iceberg - Click for larger

(Above image selected as Editors Choice, National Association of Photoshop Professionals June 21, 2012)

It's not why we got into this. It wasn’t for recognition or the money. It was for the shear joy of capturing a moment, a slice of time that inspires and shows the wonder of the world. But eventually, you have to sell to keep doing it. Publish or perish.

I remember the first time I had a nature image published. It was very exciting. I think I got $50 for it. It was a cow moose from Algonquin. That image is no longer in my database of images. I probably still have it somewhere but it is not as good as the moose images I have now. Still, it was the beginning and holds a special place in my memory. I'm still a regular contributor to that magazine 20 years later.

There is an energy that is released when you get published. It's validation and yes; it helps the ego although it is best to keep that in check. You must remember there are so many great images out there. I am just a very small part of a very large industry.

St. Lawrence River - Click for larger

(Above image published in the May 2012 issue of Canadian Geographic Travel magazine)

I often don’t get to see my published images. If they are sold by one of our many agencies, we get a quarterly statement and a cheque. The statement indicates what image sold, what rights where sold and how and where geographically it was used. It does not list the company or publication. So we rarely see most of our images in print. If we sell it directly to a client, we ask for copies. However many of our sales are through an agent.

Killarney Provincial Park - Click for larger

Many years ago, a photographer friend of mine saw the above image in the United Airlines in flight magazine. Photographers often read the credit line. He noticed my name and grabbed several copies for me. He knew it was very important to have examples of published work and I'm grateful that he sent them along.

We continue to establish new clients on our own:

Meadowlark - Click for larger

(Above image published in the October/November 2011 issue of National Wildlife magazine)

Getting and keeping new clients is what it is all about when it comes down to business. That takes time and hard work. There is no way around it.

Selling your work changes the dynamic of your photography. In some ways it takes some of the fun out of it. In other ways, it adds joy and a sense of accomplishment.

Dinosaur Provincial Park - Click for larger

(Above image published online at: National Geographic Travel Trip Ideas)

Whatever you do, there is a cycle. The cycle of photography is not really complete until you show the image somehow. Whether it is published or printed and hung on the wall, it all starts with your eye and what is in front of you.

After all these years, the process is still fun, challenging and rewarding.

The Law of Diminishing Returns

Lori kayaking by an iceberg - Click for larger

I have been coast to coast in Canada many times over the past 20 years. We have travelled in planes, trains, boats and automobiles. We have also travelled in canoes, kayaks and on foot. Some places we have even revisited over the years. Usually the first time is the most exciting. This year, Newfoundland felt like it had lost a bit of its shine. Maybe the bad weather had something to do with my perception. Although I think anyplace would have a difficult time living up to my expectations the second time round if my first visit was spectacular. Our first trip there we kayaked around icebergs and had caribou run past us. We were wide-eyed and smitten.

Caribou Cow and Calf - Click for larger

Ice Floes at La Scie, NL - Click for larger

There are very few places that hold that magic of a first visit. Lake Superior however, has never disappointed me.

Gargantua Rocks - Click for larger

Regardless of the weather, I always enjoy the north shore.

Sandpiper - Click for larger

After braving one of the wettest summers on the east coast in memory, Lori and I loaded up the canoe and headed to Lake Superior Provincial Park. We wanted to enjoy a bit of summer before returning to the daily grind. Waves crashing on the shore was all we could hear. It was so loud, we had to yell to communicate if we were more than 10 feet from each other. It was a little rough for canoeing so we didn’t go far. With little ambition for not much more than reading, swimming, and eating, we somehow filled our day nicely.

Red Sky over Lake Superior - Click for larger

I didn’t pick up the camera much during the week - only if the light was too good to ignore. I did do a little light painting with a big Maglight flashlight. It’s always fun to play and just shoot for the joy of it.

Gargantua Rocks - Click for larger

All in all, it was a great summer! Hope you had a good one too.

Off the “Rock” and into the Highlands

We had a good trip down to Burgeo, NL. This is one of the most beautiful places we have visited on Newfoundland. We had a good visit with Lori’s nephew Ben. I had hoped to see lots of Moose and Caribou but I think we were too late in the year. They must head up into the highlands to avoid the bugs. Burgeo is a small somewhat isolated community on the south shore of Newfoundland.

Sandbanks Provincial Park, NL - Click for larger

Cemetary, Sandbanks Provincial Park, NL - Click for larger

We did a few hikes and found orchids and some landscapes. Sandbanks Provincial Park is one of the highlights of this area.

Small Purple Fringed Orchid

We caught the ferry to the mainland at 5 am and slept in the lineup till 3:30. On the ferry we had a berth. This allowed us to get a bit more sleep, do some backups and charge some batteries.

When we landed, it was pouring rain. We headed to Cape Breton Highlands National Park and met up with our friend Adrien Veczan. Adrien is working for a newspaper in Halifax and had a few days off. We camped at Cheticamp and hiked the Skyline Trail.

Skyline Trail, Cape Breton - Click for larger

We saw lots of moose. It really is a lovely trail.

Bull Moose - Click for larger

Bull Moose - Click for larger

Adrien headed home the next day. Lori and I decided to stay a bit longer. We found lots of orchids and wildlife to photograph and the landscape is very dramatic.

Cabot Trail - Click for larger

Black Bear Cub - Click for larger

Coyote - Click for larger

Male Spruce Grouse - Click for larger

White Fringed Orchis - Click for larger

We are heading off tomorrow to the Sackville area of New Brunswick to look for shorebirds and then on to PEI. I think it will be difficult to top this part of our trip.

The Road to Bonavista

Cape Bonavista Lighthouse - Click for larger

The road to Bonavista is paved with good intentions. I set goals before every trip. This year I really wanted a good shot of the Cape Bonavista Lighthouse and a puffin in flight. Well one out of two ain’t bad. I shot over 600 frames of Puffins. They are like fat flying torpedoes. Even with the 1D Mark IV at 10 frames per second, getting one of these little guys sharp in the frame is tough.

Atlantic Puffin - Click for larger

I have a couple of images that are ok but since we will be here two more days I will keep trying for that perfect shot.

Elliston is the root cellar capital of the world. Who knew?

Root Cellar - Click for larger

It also has one of the best and most accessible puffin nesting sites that we have found.

Elliston Puffin Site - Click for larger

Atlantic Puffin Colony - Click for larger

We woke up to the sound of rain again this morning. It’s just one of those years here in the east: cold, damp and dark. The landscape in this area is wonderful. So when we had a bit of light last night we worked until it was gone.

Elliston Shoreline - Click for larger

Don't Be Shy

Lori photographing icebergs - Click for larger

You just have to say it upfront. Say what you want. Be clear, especially when you are dealing with a strong northern peninsula Newfoundland accent. We met a man in Ships Cove while we were sitting up high on a hill looking at icebergs. We hinted, we even told him that we didn’t have a boat but that we would sure love to go out and circle the big chunks of ice. We talked awhile. Then he wandered off. We talked to another man as we walked to the van. That man said, “He has a boat you know. He was just waiting for you to ask him to take you out”.
“Hmmm”, I said, “I even mentioned we wanted to go out. Maybe we didn’t understand his response.”
“Yes, he is hard to understand.” the second man said. He told us where he lived but by the time we got there the man with the boat was gone. The next morning we didn’t have great light but when a fisherman said to Lori, “Do you want to go out?” She pounced on him. Well not really but she made it obvious we were interested. I came back to the van and we settled on a price. We followed him to a dock and we were off. You really get a different sense of an iceberg from the water.

Icebergs - Click for larger

Icebergs - Click for larger

Icebergs - Click for larger

And speaking of not being shy, this fox walked over the hill on the path we were hiking the day before. He walked right past us and lay down in the sun.

Red Fox - Click for larger

I was able to approach quite close.

Red Fox - Click for larger

We have had very little light this trip so far. I shoot as much as I can but I’m getting a little tired of rain. I photographed this iceberg from shore on one of the few sunny days.

Iceberg - Click for larger

We are now heading further east. I hope the skies clear up a bit…

Looking

Scarecrow - Click for larger

It has taken me awhile to get into photography this trip. I haven’t really had much of a break since the winter holiday season. I guess too much work has taken its toll on my creativity. We are in the eastern part of Canada this year. I barely picked up the camera until we hit Newfoundland. Best not to push it. The images will look forced. Just have to keep looking and wait for it. I did get a few images along the way.

The Tablelands, NL - Click for larger

Fishing Boats - Click for larger

Point Riche Lighthouse - Click for larger

Just got to L’Anse aux Meadows and the icebergs started to roll in. Trouble is, so did the rain and fog. We did get a bit of light here the first evening and shot till it was gone.

Fishing boat and iceberg

Quirpon, NL - Click for larger

I think we will stick around here for a few days and see if the sky clears a bit. In the mean time, we will keep wandering and looking.

Creativity - Where Does it Come From?

Ideas for images come to me in the night. They come to me while I'm driving somewhere or doing something other than photography. Where does creativity come from? I'm not sure anyone knows. It comes through me and from me and when I least expect it. It's not something I can force or control. Sometimes I get a great idea when I'm stressed and under pressure, or sometimes when I'm bored and navel gazing. Whatever it is, it's the most wonderful feeling when you complete the cycle of a creative idea: capturing the image and then finally showing it. I hope to share with you through this blog, my creative journey.

Cape Spear Old Lighthouse (Digital Composite)

One fall I was under pressure to come up with an idea for an Xmas card. At the time, I was teaching image compositing at Seneca and was working on a class demonstration to turn a daylight image into night. The image was the old non-working lighthouse at Cape Spear in Newfoundland. I had just finished the image, complete with lights on, when this Xmas card crisis hit. The problem with using the lighthouse was that it was photographed in June. A winter image was needed. I looked for a snow scene with the light coming from the same direction as the lighthouse and found an image of snow drifts and grass from Manitoulin Island. I blended in this image but something was still missing. I needed a strong light source. For this I added a moon image from Northern Ontario. The final step was to add a blue tone to make it look like a cold night. It took about 48 seconds to come up with the idea but the whole process to create the image composite took about 48 hours. This was one of the first images we had posted with Getty.