Group B's Lake of the Woods Adventure!

Bernie's Big Bad Boat!

Irene, Bernie and Speedy

Every year, each group of students at PrairieView chooses a group photo. This photo is framed and displayed on the wall of PrairieView alumni. On Wednesday, May 18, Group B of the 2010-2011 class traveled out to Irene and her husband Bernie's beautiful cottage on an island in Lake of the Woods.

Our group had decided we wanted to do a photo on a boat, in formal wear, with a glass of champagne! We chose this setting through a group brainstorming session and after narrowing the choices down, Irene suggested we use her boat for a photo shoot on the lake.  Needless to say, we were all very excited about the adventure!

We could not have asked for a more perfect day. Clear blue skies, warm and sunny! We carpooled in Jen and Hayley's vans and Ross met us in Kenora shortly after we arrived. The drive out was uneventlful but beautiful nonetheless. I think I can speak for all of us and say it was nice to get out of the city and back to nature!

Irene and Bernie have been building their cottage for ten years, and are now enjoying the beautiful haven they have created. They were very gracious hosts, letting us use the boat for the photo, then the delicious BBQ of ‘choice’ wieners and icy cold beer! Some of the other highlights were: Bernie showing off his new dream boat, seeing the massive eagle nest, photographing seagulls and pelicans on Bird island, and cruising by some incredible cottages along the shores.

 

Their generosity to the group was humbling and it highlights one of the great blessings from this course; the amazing people I have met and worked with over the past 9 months.

Each person came to this course a unique individual. We are all here for different reasons, and we all have different paths ahead of us. For me, the course allows me to add professional photography services to my graphic design business, as well, to indulge my passion of macro, nature and landscape photography.

During the course, I have drawn inspiration from my classmates. Each is a unique, vibrant individual with a wonderful, creative vision. Some have inspired me with their dedication and courage in leaving their careers for something very different. Others have inspired me with the way they see and interpret the world around them. All of us learning together, encouraging each other to create better images, creates a synergy that invigorates me and re-affirms my decision to pursue this career.

 

For the past 12 years, I have been an ‘amateur’ photographer. I have taken various classes in photography, and I've joined an art gallery to sell some of my photographic art. When I found myself in a position to start my own business using my graphic design career and to take the diploma course, it truly was a dream come true!

This course has been a great challenge. I've had to stay very disciplined to meet tight deadlines, as well as to stretch my creativity for various assignments. I have discovered new avenues and styles of photography that I enjoy and I look forward to my career in portrait and wedding photography, as well, continuing to create photographic art.

Wherever my journey takes me, I will always remember this milestone, and the amazing experience this course has been. Especially the amazingly talented people I have come to know.

 

Macro Abstractions: A Photography Exhibition

AT 27: Before My Time

Cabbage Leaf (1931) by  Edward Weston

Homage to Weston's 'Cabbage Leaf' by Tara Craigon

For this assignment, there were many other amazing black and white photographs taken 'before my time' that I really liked, however, some of them were just not possible to recreate! I knew my choice of Edward Weston's 'Cabbage Leaf' from 1931, was going to be no easy feat, but it was actually more challenging to recreate than I thought!



This cabbage leaf is typical of Weston's vision, and typically beautiful. Isolated against a black background, it is the universal principle of ceaseless flux in nature in which Weston believed. I love the way he transformed this seemingly humble object. I feel this image is strong beacause at first glance, the viewer is not exactly sure of what they are looking at. Could it be flowing lava, the undulating grain of a desiccated cypress tree, seaweed writhing in the surf, the hair of his lover and muse or an aerial view of a landscape? The beautiful range of tones and richness and depth of texture is incredible.


Originally, this image was shot with black and white film and produced as a silver gelatin print. The richness and texture was difficult to emulate using the digital format. I perhaps purchased a different type of cabbage than he originally used as well. However, I do like the composition and increased amount of lines, shapes and texture in my version. The quality and direction of light is close but not exact. I often prefer to get even closer to a subject to abstract and transform so I have also attached three other images from the series.

Freeman Patterson - A Glimpse Through His Lens

For a recent school assignment, I was asked to compile a research project on a Photographer who has had a significant influence on their genre. I chose Freeman Patterson for many reasons. About 16 years ago when I purchased my first SLR and took my first photography course, Freeman Patterson was one of the nature photography masters that we were introduced to. Through this course at Photo Central, I met Glen who would soon become one of my best friends. We became photography 'buddies' and really enjoyed taking nature photographs together. We were greatly influenced by the work of Patterson and aspired to create images like his. We studied his books and attended one of his seminars when he visited Winnipeg around 1996 or 97. We were both very impressed – not only by his photographic presentation but by him as an individual, artist and teacher.

Since then, I have continued to develop my photographic skills in nature photography as well as other areas of the industry. I really enjoyed learning more about Freeman through this research project and have gained an even greater love and respect for his work and contributions to the world.

If you are interested in reading my essay, please click on the link below. You will need a password to open it, so please email me a request.

Freeman Patterson Research Essay

To see more of his images, please visit his website at www.freemanpatterson.com