Tag: <span>Nova Scotia</span>

Published February 28, 2017 by

The winter blues are not so bad

colour, winter blues, landscape, snow,
 Newport, NS; 2015                         © Avard Woolaver

The winter blues are not so bad; they calm the mind and aid in concentration. And according to one study of Instagram posts, “mostly-blue images receive 24 percent more likes than photos with high concentrations of reds and oranges.”

Colour psychology is widely used in advertising and marketing and it’s something to consider when you are out taking photos. According to Wikipedia, “Many marketers see color as an important part of marketing because color can be used to influence consumers’ emotions and perceptions of goods and services. Research shows that warm colors tended to attract spontaneous purchasers, despite cooler colors being more favorable.”

One of the pioneers of colour photography was Ernst Haas. He used techniques like shallow depth of field, selective focus, and blurred motion to create evocative, metaphorical works. His colour work was based on keen observation, or “dreaming with open eyes.”

“You become things, you become an atmosphere, and if you become it, which means you incorporate it within you, you can also give it back. You can put this feeling into a picture. A painter can do it. And a musician can do it and I think a photographer can do that too and that I would call the dreaming with open eyes.” – Ernst Haas

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Photo tip: Taking photos at midday when the colour temperature is high (about 5500k) produces blue results as does shooting just before dark. You can also play around with the white balance setting on your camera. The tungsten setting will give a nice blue hue in daylight conditions.

Colour Landscape Light Photography

Avard Woolaver colour colour field landscape minimalism Nova Scotia photography winter

Published February 24, 2017 by

Wabi-sabi and worn out street signs

wrong way, sign, wabi-sabi, Kentville, Nova Scotia,
Kentville, Nova Scotia;  2006    © Avard Woolaver

Wabi-sabi is a Japanese concept that roughly translates to “imperfect beauty.” It’s an aesthetic that comes from Buddhist teaching; it describes a beauty that’s imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete.

Though there is something appealing about fresh new things wrapped in plastic, we often prefer old, worn-out things. I think of my old LPs with their crackle and pops; my t-shirts from Japan in the 1980’s; a faded hockey team photo from 1972; a baseball glove from 1987. You have your own long list, I’m sure.

Lots of times you may find yourself seeking this wabi-sabi aspect in your photographs. It’s something I do often in my photography–preferring to shoot a run-down street sign over a shiny new one. The lyric I’ve seen most often invoked in discussing wabi-sabi is from “Anthem” by Leonard Cohen: “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”

There could be many interpretations of the faded “wrong way” sign in the photo above: this is the wrong way to maintain a street sign, or it’s just a sign of the times. It might as well say, “Nothing lasts forever.”

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Photo tip: Juxtaposition can lead to visual interest. Try including an object in the foreground that seems incongruous with the rest of the scene.

Colour Documentary New Topographics Photography Social Landscape

Avard Woolaver decay Kentville new topographics Nova Scotia sign social landscape wabi sabi

Published February 23, 2017 by

Scale can be deceiving in photographs

scale, photography, Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia,
Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia, 2010   © Avard Woolaver

Scale can be deceiving in photographs, and sometimes it intended to be that way. A photograph can be both fact and fiction, both a document and a lie. It may contain numerous narratives that spring from our imagination. It can be staged or manipulated in Photoshop, yet still be a document. These days the line between fact and fiction has become blurred.

According to photographer Martin Parr, “Most of the photographs in your paper, unless they are hard news, are lies. Fashion pictures show people looking glamorous. Travel pictures show a place looking at its best, nothing to do with the reality. In the cookery pages, the food always looks amazing, right? Most of the pictures we consume are propaganda.”

My photography has always been rooted in the documentary tradition–I’m not one for manipulation, or post-production. Most everything is achieved by where I stand and when I take the photo–(light is a crucial component as well). But sometimes I aim to take photos that are ambiguous. They look like manipulated photos, yet they are not. Using scale is one way to achieve this sense of ambiguity.

This photo was taken in Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia,–a place that is both beautiful and surreal. The rocks in the frame are actually much smaller than the house, but you may disagree!

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Photo tip:  Scale provides a frame of reference. A person or object is often put in the frame as a reference point. Try creating tension by including an object of unknown size in the frame.

Black and White Documentary New Topographics Observation Photography Social Landscape

Avard Woolaver black and white documentary house Nova Scotia Peggys Cove rocks scale

Published February 20, 2017 by

Astronaut Chris Hadfield performs with Symphony Nova Scotia

Chris Hadfield, Symphony Nova Scotia,
Chris Hadfield with Symphony Nova Scotia, Halifax, NS, 2017        photo © Avard Woolaver

 

“Through his 21 years as an astronaut, three space flights, 2600 orbits of Earth, Colonel Chris Hadfield has become a worldwide sensation, harnessing the power of social media to make outer space accessible to millions and infusing a sense of wonder into our collective consciousness not felt since humanity first walked on the moon. He has been called the most famous astronaut since Neil Armstrong.”

-from the Symphony Nova Scotia program notes about Chris Hadfield’s “Symphony in Space” event with the symphony at Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, Halifax.

You can’t help but be amazed by Chris Hadfield. He has been a test pilot, engineer, astronaut; first Canadian to walk in space; commander of the International Space Station. And he is an accomplished singer-songwriter.  It seems as if there is nothing he doesn’t excel at.

As he performed his songs and told numerous stories, you heard a warm, articulate man sharing his experiences with the audience–so modest and down to earth. The symphonic backdrop was a wonderful complement to his songs, some of which were co-written by his son, Evan, and his brother, Dave. There was also “Is Somebody Singing,” written with Ed Robertson of the Barenaked Ladies, as well as version of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” with lyrics modified “so the astronaut doesn’t die.” Hadfield was happy that his music hero gave his blessing to the song before his death.

Perhaps the most entertaining song of the concert came during the encore, when Hadfield sang “In Canada”—a sing-along number filled with in-jokes about what it is to be Canadian. “We pronounce the letter ‘R’ like we’re pirates on a ship. We’ll drive two thousand miles, on a summer camping trip,”

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Photo tip: According to Hadfield, when taking photos in space you get the best results shooting straight down at Earth, even though your eye may be constantly drawn to the horizon.

 

Colour Documentary Photography Social Landscape

2017 Avard Woolaver Canada Chris Hadfield concert February Halifax Nova Scotia photography Symphony Nova Scotia

Published February 9, 2017 by

Time to get a “storm combo” and some “storm chips”

Chickenburger Restaurant, Storm Combo, Bedford, NS,
Bedford, NS; 2017              © Avard Woolaver

The term “storm chips” was coined in 2014 by  CBC radio host Stephanie Domet. It refers to people stocking up on potato chips and other snacks in advance of a snow storm.

Rebecca Rupp writes, “What most of us do buy in the face of impending blizzard is usually not what we should buy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has an extensive list of supplies to have on hand for winter weather, which includes canned goods, crackers, dried fruit, infant food and formula (should there be a baby in the house), and bottled water. Other what-to-buy-for-a-blizzard lists recommend such sturdy, non-perishable items as peanut butter, canned soup and chili, beans, trail mix, canned tuna, and protein bars. In the event of awful weather, the consensus is, it’s a good idea to have on hand a supply of low-maintenance stuff that you don’t have to cook.”

We get our share of winter storms here in the Maritimes and storm chips have become a phenomenon. New Brunswick company Covered Bridge has even come out with a flavour called Storm Chips.  So I wasn’t surprised to see a sign advertising a Storm Combo. There is a big winter storm coming tonight–time to get a good “storm book” and some “storm coffee.”

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Photo tip: Wet pavement at night is great for colourful reflections. You can also get things like traffic lights or signs reflected in puddles.

Colour Documentary Light Photography Social Landscape

Avard Woolaver Bedford Canon Rebel T3 night Nova Scotia storm chips winter