Still catching up on the last couple of week’s work. Admin, filing and office wok is not my favourite!

CanGeo work is in. They were smiling – always good news.

This weekend will be relaxed, workwise – writing my latest edition of Exposed! for release next week is all that’s on the books.

February & March is my favourite time of year. There is generally good snow for outdoor fun and it’s usually warmer (I say as it is a balmy -20C today!). But it’s a tough time of year – outdoor hockey season gets threatened by the higher and hotter sun so I am hoping to play a little outdoor hockey.

Enjoy your weekend wherever you are:

City of Ottawa Rink: Outdoor Hockey Fun!

Normally, I don’t like the idea of procrastination, but occasionally I fall prey to it’s clutches. I have been looking at some new computer hardware for weeks  – on the brink of buying… but not.Running a small business can cause worry – lots of money goes out and there is occasionally a nagging demon – “… will the money continue to come in?” The business has done well and continues to do so but the little fear demons can creep in at any time! My Creative Business Seminar explores common pitfalls and sound, simple strategies for any creative business!Anyway, I procrastinated. I checked Apple’s site again this week and they announced their new line-up of machines on Tuesday – which meant the hardware I wanted was reduced by 20%. Yippee! This was no time for procrastination and I “just did it” – thanks Nike advertisers.This week has been full of tying up loose ends related to bigger projects – not much actual photo taking this week. So for your viewing pleasure I include a snowboarding photo of mine at from ChelseaGallery.ca. It was shot on a fantastic Kodak film HIE – Infrared slide film – hence the wild hues!  

It’s that time of the month when I start thinking of writing my monthly newsletter – ‘Exposed!‘ It’s a fun part of my work. I am not a trained writer so when I started writing I searched for editorial help! I discovered Daphne Gray-Grant, the “publication coach”. She has been very, very helpful. Her weekly newsletter lands in my mailbox every Tuesday. It is excellent.’Exposed!’ covers anything from archiving photos to night shooting techniques to  demystifying the histogram. It also includes notices about upcoming courses and workshops. This month I am leaning towards an article on copyright and the ‘value of photos’. You can sign up to receive my photo e-Newsletter at the top, right of my newsletter page.What would you like to hear about in future editions of ‘Exposed!’? Take care,Harry 

Last year I started a group called “Working Creatives” for people working in the creative fields (as opposed to people pursuing their creative passion or hobby). Many creatively employed people work in vacuums with little day to day contact with the outside world! This group brings together working photographers, graphic designers, film makers, commercial artists, illustrators, etc. about once a month to see new products & ideas, network and socialize.  There are almost 100 people on the list with 10-25 coming out for the meetings. It’s a bit of extra work for me but fun and well worth the effort.Tonight is a semi-social event – a “show and tell” where members show off some new work. It’s a good opportunity to test some creative ideas, get inspired and force yourself (as I found!) to produce something new and different.In the fall I bought some fabulous new software – Corel Painter – that I want to use to produce some of my work at Chelsea Gallery. I was inspired by Claudia Salguero‘s Painter work and the work of other Corel Painter Masters. However, I have not really explored the software until tonight’s Working Creatives deadline started looming.I transformed a fond self portrait canoe photo that I shot years ago and used that as a basis for my Painter work – see the results below. I am happy with my first attempt and want to develop my Painter skills from here!

Weekend is a funny term for Harry, Inc. It has a different pace than the weekday but, sometimes, there is still lots to get done for work, and this was one of those weekends. Remember that ice fishing assignment for Canadian Geographic? The photos needed editing, processing and preparation for delivery. Another project needed some attention to remove it from the backburner – its Tuesday deadline is fast approaching. So, while we still skied, watched a little Oscar and I played some outdoor hockey, I spent a significant chunk of time on the less glamourous side of the  photo world!I did get a photo from the writer, Bruce Gillespie, for the CanGeo story. He sent this picture of me phoning home during a beautiful day on Lake Nipissing, near Callander, Ontario.It is rare that I have a full day off but you will also regularly find me taking an ‘executive lunch’ on the Gatineau Park ski trails or taking some downtime when others are in rush hour. I like to make sure there is the right dose of fun and work.Back soon,H  

Ok, sometimes I should pay more attention to current events. I stepped outside Wednesday at 10pm and looked up. Instead of a regular full moon I saw a ball of fire in the sky. It was a lunar eclipse.I went inside and pulled out an available camera and tripod and caught these photos. There are three distinctly different photos exposed for differently lit parts of the moon – my students often hear “What are you exposing for?”They are not stock quality. If this was a stock shoot I would have prepared differently allowing more time for fine details – locking up the mirror, using a bigger lens and taking more care at making the tripod and camera absolutely, completely rock solid. Most are not as sharp as they should be for stock.  It was a fun discovery and a fun “blog assignment”. I thought my work day was more or less over but you just never know…Harry  

One of my recent students, Ariel, e-mailed me some ghostly portraits he captured on a Night Light Custom Course I did through his workplace. We were braving the cold of a ‘cool’ Canadian February evening on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. While we explored the opportunities available in low light conditions, Ariel captured me (yes that is my handsome mug) twice in the same frame – no photoshop magic here, beyond basic tidying, just good photography know-how: Creative photo techniques and a fast moving Harry were all that were needed for this ghostly night time wonder.For you history buffs I am posing with none other than Emily Murphy’s statue, one of the Famous Five who fought for the right for women to be declared ‘persons’ and, therefore, be eligible for political life in Canada’s Senate. 

Yes, as I said this morning, we skipped town for a bit of a getaway. I enjoy my work and taking time off is tough! We spent some time in the Laurentians, skiing, and then visited Montreal. It was short but fun!

We started in the Laurentians with two nights at L’Achillée Millefeuille – a B&B we discovered while cycling last summer. It’s pretty fantastic.

Our hosts, Claude and Monique, are gentle people and superb hosts. Their largest dog, Tofu, only has eyes for Claude and pulls at my heartstrings – I lost my Tigger 16 months ago.

We skied and ate well and departed for Montreal for a couple of days. We relaxed, window shopped, did a little urban hiking and I soaked up some culture at the Musée des Beaux Arts.

Last night we arrived back in Chelsea just in time for a short ski in the Gatineau Hills. As much as I enjoyed the getaway I was happy to be back at work – although I am playing catch-up!

Bye for now – tomorrow – ghostly portraits from a student.

Harry

Ok, ok, I admit it – we took off for a long weekend getaway! It’s not often I leave work completely  alone and go on holiday – but it happens. We were in the Laurentians and Montreal for 4 days of skiing, sleeping in, musée des beaux arts, a very good Coen Brothers film and good food. I even got to meet some new and old dog friends.A full report (avec les photos) later today.Harry  

I’m starting to look at getting a new camera for this blog — something that makes posting photos easier. I’m not looking for a Nikon D3 for this purpose, but more of a point-and-shoot.

I was just talking to Colin Rowe and he showed me his new 12 megapixel point-and-shoot that he’s bringing as a fun toy to accompany his “real” equipment on assignment to Africa. Pretty impressive. Simple. Small. Easy to pull out. And doesn’t scare people off.

What do you use as your fun toy camera? 

More details as they develop …