With all of the bad things going on in the world, there are also plenty of good things happening. I’m trying my best to be optimistic and stay positive. Many of us flip through hundreds of photos a day, giving them the merest glance. I’m asking you to linger on this one a little longer, and think kind thoughts.
Friday roundup, May 12, 2017. Here are some things that caught my eye, and ear, on social media this week: #fbf
Music from Josh Tillman aka Father John Misty,
Meatloaf will give free concert in Toronto,
Taj Mahal performs with the amazing guitarist Jessie Ed Davis (1968),
Mystery photographer behind ‘lost photos of Barcelona’ discovered,
13 strange and beautiful Japanese islands you must visit,
New Brunswick roasts Ottawa for erroneously placing famous rocks in Nova Scotia,
German photographer captures everyday lives of refugees,
Diffusion photography festival in Wales
Here are some things that caught my eye, and ear, on social media this week: #fbf
What inspired Margaret Atwood to write The Handmaid’s Tale,
Stunning photos from Berlin photographer Markus Lehr
Taj Mahal “Leaving Trunk” (1968),
Representing Toronto in a single photograph,
Toronto’s Contact photography festival,
Bombay Sapphire gin recalled across Canada for containing too much alcohol,
Two-thirds of Canada’s electricity now comes from renewable energy
I have always thought of black and white photography as an abstract medium and colour photography as a psychological medium. American photographer Elliott Erwitt said, “With colour you describe; with black and white you interpret.” If it’s true that colour appeals to our emotions and leaves less to our imagination, then it makes sense for us to be judicious in using it.
This can have a lot to do with how the photo is framed—how much of a particular colour, or colours to leave in or crop out. When I view a scene, then, I look for ways to combine colours–for me, it’s about balance. Sometimes a tiny splash of red is enough to counteract a sea of green, or a little orange goes well with a lot of blue. There are no hard and fast rules here, but the conscious combining of colour is something to keep in mind when you’re out taking photos.
On Instagram there are dozens of filters to choose from, each giving the image a certain look, but it seems the most-used Instagram filter is “normal”–that is, roughly the colours our eye sees. And that’s good news for an old-school guy (like me!) who believes that colour is something to be observed, not added with a filter.
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“Autumn Playground” appears on Photo Vogue
Aerial photography has been practiced since Gaspard-Félix Tournachon, known as Nadar, photographed Paris from a hot air balloon in 1858. Drones are just the latest method of doing aerial photography. New Canadian regulations make recreational drone photography more difficult, and, in many cities, downright impossible. But taking photographs with a drone is considered commercial, as opposed to recreational, so different rules apply.
Transportation minister Marc Garneau pointed out in a CBC interview that “people who use drones for commercial, academic, or research reasons already have to get a special certificate, and most fly them safely.”
Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky uses helicopters and small aircraft for breathtaking aerial photographs that call attention to environmental issues. In China, he had a lot of problems with slow-moving bureaucracy and decided to experiment with a drone. In a story in the Telegraph, Burtynsky explained, “The whole process started from the question, ‘How can I stand where I want to stand and shoot from where I want to shoot, in a place where I can’t get up in the air?’”
Drone photography has many potential problems. Lucy Davies, writer of the Telegraph piece, pointed out, “Drone photographers are on the increase, but the number of people who are getting decent results from them remains low. There is a saying in the industry that every production company has a broken drone in the cupboard, which is fairly accurate. It’s not as easy as it looks.”
Additionally, there are all the security and privacy issues. Tiny drones already exist, and they are only likely to get smaller. Every time I read a drone story, I remember Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Slapstick, with miniaturized people zipping around undetectably.
Ultimately, it’s good to keep in mind that art is produced by people, not by machines.
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Phototip: If don’t have a drone to capture photos, try to find a high rise with a glass enclosed elevator.