THE SEARCH FOR SUBJECTS

What is the difference between a photographer and a picture taker? With so many images online and camera phones everywhere you look, there seems to be a blurred line that differentiates between the two. Set up an Instagram account or a website, add the word photography to your name and all of a sudden you’re a photographer! Really?
For me, there are a number of things that put someone in the ‘photographer’ category. Just as having a tool belt doesn’t make you a carpenter, a paintbrush an artist, or a frying pan a chef, having a camera doesn’t make someone a photographer. So what does? In my view, it boils down to a search. A search to make imagery with impact and emotion.
In the next few posts, beginning with this one, I will outline a few things that photographers are on the lookout for to create visually appealing work. Today: the search for subjects……
In landscape photography a person may travel the globe in search of interesting subject matter. Obviously this isn’t an absolute necessity as beauty can often be found in our own backyard. But that being said, it would be very rare for a casual picture taker to put forth too much effort to get a photograph.
A photographer will search online for potential locations. They will organize holidays and trips just so they can acquire a particular shot. They will travel to areas and scout out specific locations and return later to capture an image. This will take time and expense. Picture takers generally will not go to these lengths. 
The photograph above personally illustrates this point. When planning a family trip to Scotland, I researched ahead of time locations that would lend itself to interesting subject matter. Castles were one of the first things that came to my mind. Upon arriving at Tantallon Castle on the east coast we obviously had to look around and do the tourist thing which included checking out the visitor center. While there I noticed a book that displayed a shot of the castle that was not possible to achieve on the castle grounds. I asked how I would be able to view the castle from this angle and now it was on!
Driving further down the coast we went off the beaten path, through a farmers property, fed a pound coin to an electric gate, down to a small area to park the car. Following old wooden steps we descended down to the sandy, rocky coast with the vast ocean in front of us. Where was the castle? Hiking further up the coast, the castle finally came into view and the search for my subject was over. While the kids made castles in the sand I concentrated on achieving an interesting composition of my own castle.
Did this take time? Absolutely. Expense? A pound coin at minimum. Effort? We had no idea where we were going or where we would end up but it was a mini adventure. I’m not so sure a casual picture taker would do this. Most likely they would stay on the highway, pull over, roll down the window, take a quick snapshot and continue on their way. But if you can relate to this little story, then in my estimation anyways, you have taken the first step to becoming a photographer. Thanks for looking!

We all do it. Some are discreet and others not so much. Little boys do it for entertainment. In some cultures it is considered rude and in others it is a sign of appreciation. Burping. A normal and natural response of the body to expel excess air from the stomach. People may have differing views on the degree of offense taken when in the vicinity of a loud, relieving belch by another person. But the words ‘rude’ and ‘offensive’ are the last things that come to mind when the nearest star to our planet suffers from indigestion and releases a belch of cosmic proportions. No, when the sun burps, all we think about is beauty and awe. Why? Because the result is an amazing display of glowing colors dancing in the night sky. The northern lights!
A quick lesson at Google University explains how this happens. Storms on the sun send charged solar particles through space, some of which are intercepted by Earth. These particles are deflected by earths magnetic shield as a protection for life on the planet. But around the poles, this shield is weaker and some of the particles enter our atmosphere and collide with atoms and molecules. This collision causes the atoms and molecules of oxygen, nitrogen etc. to become ‘excited’ and during this process they release a particle of light or photon. The varying colors of this display depends upon which gases in the atmosphere are being affected. If the charged solar particles are interacting with oxygen the color produced is green. If you see blues or reds then most likely it was nitrogen. This is by no means a detailed, scientific explanation but it gives us an idea as to what causes this amazing light show.
While I appreciate the reason behind the aurora, as a photographer, I am more interested in capturing its beauty to share with others. A few nights ago, one of the best displays in years was witnessed across the country. When I was alerted to the event by Aurorawatch early in the evening, I knew I was in for a late night. I still haven’t caught up on my sleep! But it was worth it!
Below are a few images from that night. So to the sun I have this message: Burp! Burp long and hard! It doesn’t bother me one bit!

      “Got…to…get….up………….got …to.” I have repeated those words in my head numerous times during the darkest part of the morning, trying to convince myself to leave the comfort of a warm bed, for the chance to capture images of the night sky. Every time I have this internal back and forth debate with myself, I can’t help but think of the old Spiderman cartoons on TV when I was a kid. I’m pretty sure there was an episode when Spidey was struggling to return to his feet after he was knocked out, and uttering the above words, he willed himself up to defeat the villain. The Lizard, Dr. Octopus and Mysterio had no chance when the Webcrawler was motivated.
      Staying out late, getting up early. Sunset, sunrise. Why does the best light happen at the most inopportune time? Why does the Milkyway galaxy only show up at night, (which I happen to believe  is the best time for sleeping btw)? Aurora borealis, Perseid meteor showers? Yep, all at night, in the dark, when it’s colder……..and scarier. Super human powers would definitely come in handy when I battle that villain in my head, Lazy Photographer Man, who makes pretty convincing arguments that are anti- get up and pro- stay in bed.

      Actually, when you think about it, being a motivated night sky photographer mimics superhero exploits in a number of ways. Much like Superman, a landscape photographer has to be ready at all times. Supe always had his tights and cape on, even under his suit as his alter ego, Clark Kent. Running to the nearest telephone booth when trouble called, he would start to rip his shirt off, displaying a bold ‘S’. So quick to respond, he risked revealing his true identity before he even found a telephone booth. That guy cared. I wished I cared that much about the northern lights.
       Batman did most of his work at night. Sitting in his bat cave, he would scan Gotham City with the most up to date technology to locate crime in action. He was no Joker. Night time was the best time for fighting crime simply because that’s when most crime happened. Smart guy. The Dark Knights of photography are not much different. Computers, tablets and digital devices of all kinds are tuned in to aurora watch websites that give alerts. Scanning weather forecasts and patterns to plan the best place and time to find the action. Downloading the best night sky apps to see where the stars are positioned at any given time. Add in the photography equipment itself and we are talking Bruce Wayne money here.

      I don’t know how many times while I’m relaxing with a cup of tea, watching Youtube videos on how to get the best out of your landscape photography, when my wife yells downstairs: “There’s some pretty crazy light out there!” “Those clouds are pretty impressive!” “Looks like a storm is coming!” Doesn’t she realize I’m trying to improve my photography! She’s like Batman sitting on the edge of a tall city building, looking for the bat signal reflecting off a cloud.
     I need to work on my superhero attitude. The northern lights may be green, but it’s not Kryptonite. Superheros can’t afford to be lazy. Usually, crime happens while the world sleeps. So do stars, galaxies, meteors, planets and auroras. If I want to create images from the astro-photography world then I better be Astroboy and get my astro out of bed!
      “Got…to …get…up………got…to!”  Remember those words. Remember Spidey. And remember his day job.

       I can’t believe how long it has been since I have posted. My apologies to the hundreds of faithful followers of this blog. Alright, lets be serious. I know there are only a handful of you out there that visit from time to time, and I really do appreciate the time you take to visit and comment. Hopefully I won’t let as much time pass between posts in the future.
      Over this past winter and spring, I haven’t been out photographing as much as I would like. But I did manage to take the camera out a few times and over the next few posts, I will try to share with you some of the images I came up with.
      Over the last few winters, I have been wanting to shoot at Abraham Lake near Nordegg, Alberta. It is famous for its ice bubbles that form when methane gas from decaying matter becomes trapped in the ice. It is about a 2-1/2 hour drive for me to get there, and after getting skunked the previous winter, I had to try again.
     As usual, I was hoping for a great sunset to add drama to the scene but unfortunately, shortly after I arrived, the weather started to roll in. It may have stolen the light but the clouds did add to the moody atmosphere. The wind was impressive. I had crampons on my boots which is definitely a must. Without these it would have been impossible to set up to take pictures. The wind would literally blow you across the ice if you didn’t have these sharp cleats digging into the frozen water.
     What made this outing even more special was bumping into a couple of other photographers who had come all the way from Texas to shoot, not only this frozen lake, but many other amazing sights in the Alberta Rockies. It reminded me how fortunate I am to live so close to tremendous scenery. Hope you enjoy a few of the scenes I managed to capture and, as always, thanks for looking!