It’s a privilege to be in the role of instructor for these workshops. We both learn hugely from each group. But one of the greatest privileges is to hear back from the photographers who attended and realize how our efforts are received. Here are a few responses from our June 2019 workshop in Bella Coola.

I’ve always believed that the best teachers are the ones who not only teach me new skills but expand my mind, prompting me to ask questions I didn’t know to ask before, and to seek my own answers using what I learned as a springboard to go further. Chris and Dennis are that kind of teacher. They are generous in sharing their knowledge with their students, so that you come away with an armload of new techniques and skills to make better pictures. But more importantly: their love of photography and all its possibilities is so infectious that you can’t help stretching yourself into a whole new realm of creativity that you couldn’t have imagined a week earlier! Thank you, Chris and Dennis, for truly helping me expand my creative vision. I’m excited to build on what I learned in the workshop and take the next steps in my photographic journey!

Avril

Chris and Dennis make a great team, each contributing to a whole that is more than the parts. Their willingness to help when needed and answer questions, yet leave us on our own to explore our own creative pursuits was the perfect combination. I would recommend this workshop to anyone wanting to explore and go deeper with their creative photography pursuits.

Kayla

When I signed up I thought it was to better express myself with “documentary” style shooting. So, when I realized it was more about truly being creative, I have to admit I wondered if I’d made a mistake (abstracts? Expressionism? Yikes!), as I didn’t think I was creative at all. But I am! I am so enjoying experimenting with multiple exposures now. I also used some of the tools we learned while photographing a rodeo the other day. Cool!
The workshop itself was fantastic – it was a good balance of tutorial/shooting/review. The “visual challenges” were spot on as they forced you to think and for some of us, to dig deep and find our creativity. Chris and Dennis are a great team – extremely knowledgable, fun, and always available for questions or extra coaching. They love the topic, and it shows.

Robyn

One of the participants at our recent Bella Coola workshop, Chris Wright, wrote about his experience on his blog. He includes 10 amazing pictures with a description of each. Have a look. And thanks, Chris, for the shout out.

A Creative Journey, by Chris Wright.

Photographic workshop on Gabriola Island inspires.

Earlier this month we completed our first workshop on Gabriola Island. It was a smash hit!

The island is beautiful, unique and filled with photographic opportunities. Our accommodations at The Haven were excellent. And our group of photographers broke through to seeing in new ways.

But as we discover over and over, it really doesn’t matter where you go to break through the barriers we all encounter to seeing. Creativity can happen anywhere, when we take the time to slow ourselves down and really see.

To get the full story, have a look at these two blog posts:

To be notified of future Develop Your Creative Vision workshop, click here.

My Thought Process in Image Making.

Recently, while walking my dog beside a small frozen lake near my house, I saw snow patterns on the ice. I immediately thought of the visual design possibilities, so I set a small photographic assignment for myself.

I’m going to take you through my ‘thought process’ as I approached my assignment.

Stage I. The Period of Imaginative Bliss.

My first perception was of lines, shapes, patterns, and divisions of space. The more intently I looked, the more elements I saw. There was colour, textures, movement, and the possibility to emphasize rhythm, harmony, and balance. This is the stage I find most exciting, as it all comes to life in my imagination. Within my inner world, the possibilities are endless, and the images I visualize are all masterpieces!

Stage II.  The Period of Photographic Reality.

This is the stage when I collect my physical tools (camera and lenses), and draw on my inventory of making 1000’s of images over the years. I go to work. At this point, knowledge of visual design and experience with one’s tools takes over. The very act of creating imagery is all-consuming. I enter a zone, exploring and experimenting with the various elements of composition. 

Similar to stage I, I also find this stage exciting, but rather than being in my imagination, I am now dealing with a reality.

Stage III.  The Period of Completion and Imaginative Loss. 

Eventually the weather changes, the ice melts, and the elements disappear. My photographic assignment is over, and I experience an actual sense of loss. I can’t go back to seek new compositions, use different tools, or camera techniques. 

There is, however, that rewarding sense of completion. I did the best that I could with the time, the knowledge, and the subject I had. I feel satisfied. It was an artistically rewarding experience. I learned from that experience, and I will take that new knowledge to my next photographic assignment.

In Retrospect:

In contemplating my entire assignment experience, the most challenging part is stage II. Although stage I is imaginatively exciting and mentally stimulating, stage II requires real action; physically getting your tools, going on location, and doing the work.  

Just as a painter must make that first brush stroke, we photographers must also make that first image. In the end, all artists must simply ‘do the work’. That’s the challenge of art.

All images were made ‘in-camera’ using single or multiple exposures combined with camera movement when desired. Editing is minimal, pertaining mostly to colour balance and contrast.

Story and photos by Chris Harris

After another week of pushing our photographic limits with a great group of people at Develop Your Creative Vision, we have two blog posts to share. These were written on our respective websites so the links to them are here. Congratulations to the amazing photographers who worked so hard in Bella Coola, June 2018.

Transformational! Seven Days in a Photographic Workshop Changes You!,
by Dennis

Our Tallheo Workshop:  A Week of Discovery and Creative Image-Making,
by Chris

And a few photos from Dennis’ camera during the same week, just for fun.

Have you tried making in-camera double exposures? It’s worth the effort.

A garden’s gate is combined with the flowers inside to create a new image.

I get to visit groups of photographers often and when I ask them if they’ve ever tried making a double exposure in their cameras, most have not. Many don’t even know if their camera has this feature. 

A double exposure simply refers to two images combined in one frame on your camera. The bonus is that you’ll often get a joyful surprise because the result may not be quite what you expected.

First, take a look through your camera’s shooting menu (or manual) and look for multiple exposures. Set it to two. If you have the choice of turning on Auto Gain, do it. This automatically adjusts the exposure of each image so that the final result is correctly exposed.

Then, plan which two images to combine. This can be the hardest part.  Here are three different ways to think about how to choose.

1. Combine related subjects.

In the image above, I was impressed with a beautifully made garden gate. I photographed the gate first and then some of the flowers inside.  Thinking of two related subjects simplifies the job of choosing what to combine. 

Here’s another example of two related subjects combined into one image. While visiting a seaside community on the Isle of Skye, I used the gull watching the scene from a roof top and the reflection of the village in the water.

 2. Add a texture layer.

Another way I like to make a double exposure is by adding a texture layer. Exploring the wonderful city of Edinburgh, I was drawn to the building with all its intricate features. But, with a plain blue sky, I felt it needed something more. So, the texture layer was simply the sidewalk at my feet. Suddenly, the addition of the texture changes the image completely.

In the image below, the headstone and flowers in an old cemetery received a layer of texture from a weathered stone nearby. 

3. Add an out of focus layer.

Here’s one more idea. Add a second layer that is out of focus. 

These beautiful Calla lilies were growing near a stone wall in Ireland. My first image was sharp and the second one, with the aperture wide open and the camera in the same position, was out of focus, creating the soft glow around the subject. This is based on the work of Michael Orton and his well known Orton Effect. This works best in soft light and can be used with many subjects.

This image was made at the Tallheo Guest Cannery. The first step was to create an ICM. The subject here is a pile of old fishnets, which have different colours for different seasons. The second layer is simply a nearby window frame.

Creating double exposures is one of the many valuable tools you can use to express yourself more effectively through photography. And of course, doing that is what our workshops are all about. Have a look at the Gallery page and see how many examples of double exposures you can find.

~ Dennis

Whenever I go for a walk, as I did in the above rainforest, I see the world around me as it is. The world as it is, however, is not necessarily based on realism, it is also based on imagination. That’s the reason for enjoying the arts and being an artist; to stimulate our senses and imagination.

As a photographic artist, as I visually absorb landscapes, I begin to imagine them differently. They become ‘mindscapes’. I see what is visual, then imagine what is invisible.

On this particular forest walk, I began to visualize the rainforest in ways that took me beyond realism. Below are some examples.

Artistic Interpretation I

I feel there is less and less call for images that depict the world as it is. We know what the Eiffel Tower looks like; do we need yet another look-alike photograph? Let’s try and go deeper, and try to express how we see the Eiffel Tower as no one has ever seen it before. We can do this as expressive photographic artists.

Artistic Interpretation II

When we study the history of painting, for example, we read about artists like Monet, Van Gogh, and Kandinsky who were courageous enough to break away from the establishment. They believed in their new work, they valued it, and they brought about tremendous change.  We too can become creative and expressive photographers.

Artistic Interpretation III

In our photographic workshops, we encourage photographers to take a broader perspective about the art form of photography and ourselves as artists. We encourage our participants to practice new ways of expression in order to communicate their visual narratives. We do this through illustrated talks, in the field art projects, and evaluation sessions.

Join us. It’s exciting!

~ Chris

The sun shone through the tress and created magical highlights as the snow flakes turned to water droplets.

Normally when snow falls in the Vancouver area, it’s quickly followed by rain. This winter day, however, it was followed by bright, beautiful sunshine. I found myself in a local park, busy with my camera.

I made a few photos that documented the beauty of the fresh snow in the park but really enjoyed working with my lenses wide open, creating soft, out of focus highlights in the background. 

The image above is my favourite. There’s only one thing in focus to give the viewer a clue to what is going on, an ice-encrusted twig. The circular highlights are water drops, falling from the trees as the sun melted the snow. The rich colours of the forest create the backdrop. 

This images illustrates what we try and help people accomplish in our Develop Your Creative Vision workshops. Find something that interests you, photograph it, and then photograph it again, differently, seeing beyond the literal.

If I had been a beginner photographer, I doubt that I would have found this image in the park. But, with experience and knowledge of the photographic tools available to me, as well as time and patience and a willingness to play, I came home with an image I just may want to hang on the wall. It reminds me of the joyful time I had when a Vancouver snowfall was blessed with sunbeams.

~ Dennis