Learning as I go!

I tried to stay out as long as I could last night. I even brought my own chair! I prepared a little better for the expected cold temperatures by bundling up like like I was about to march to the north pole. I thought it would be enough. 

Nope. It wasn't.

I'm not sure if it was when I couldn't feel my feet or when I discovered I was covered in frost that made me want to pack it in. 

I went back to Peggy's Cove again. I have big plans in the new year to get further out of the city for better star trails. You can really notice the light pollution from Halifax and as you can also see, Peggy's is a little too close to the airport. 

In the photo below, you can see how the clouds affected the quality of the star trails. Check out the bottom right corer. This was the Orion constellation. The really bright star coming up behind the rock is the Sirius star. I painted the rocks in the foreground with a flash light! 

Continuing With Star Trails

Star trail photography seems to have slapped me in the face! It combines everything I love about photography and yet I've only just begun! Planning for this type of shoot is very important. You have to choose your composition carefully because once you start you could be locked in for hours. Nothing should move. This photo below was taken last night. It combines twenty seven different exposures and spans one hour and 45 minutes. I used google sky maps on my cell phone to help me locate the north star during daylight. Locating the north star is important to help give me an idea of what the end star trail will look like. Because the earth is rotating on its axis, the north star will stay in the same place while all the other stars will look like they are rotating around it.  

The only thing I would do differently is dress warmer and bring a chair! Hope you enjoy.

Light Painting

With the sun setting at such an early time, (4:40pm), it makes light painting and star trail photography a little easier. I set out last night to try and capture a great image of star trails and combine a little light painting. This photo below is a series of multiple photos "stacked" on top of each other to show the moving stars. I haven't spent a lot of time exploring this type of photography but this is the start of something you can expect from me. The tree was illuminated by a flashlight. 

The moon is in it's first quarter and was quite bright last night so the stars do not appear as bright as they would during a new moon. Regardless, it requires patience but it's so cool to set up your camera, let it do it's thing and spend a few hours star gazing. Reminds me of all those nights as a kid laying on the front lawn!

Duncan's Cove : HDR

I love the coast of Nova Scotia! This was my second time hiking Duncan's Cove which is really just a path that follows the coast. If you're from this area, check it out. It's awesome. Pack a picnic and just watch the waves. Love this place!

Peggy's Cove : HDR

I just entered this photo in HDR One's photo contest. If you like it help me out by voting for me. 

Contest ends Oct 20th. Wish me luck!

Kenzie + Alex: Halifax Wedding

Saturday was an amazing day to get married, especially on the Tall Ship Silva. Kenzie and Alex had such a perfect wedding with great weather, friends, family, short speeches...oh did I say that out loud? The staff on the Silva were amazing, the food was even better.

I was so happy to be a part of their day. Kenzie's family has an amazing history with the Dingle Park area so naturally we headed there for photos before heading to the ship. With three different wedding parties all trying to get to the Dingle, we did a little juggling with our time but in the end it all worked out. 

There was a moment during the photos that I think Kenzie will remember forever when we stopped in front of the house her grandfather was born in and asked the kind person living there if we could take a photo in front of the house. Thank you to that wonderful person who truly made Kenzie's day!!! (Sorry Kenzie, I'm holding that one back!)

Hope you two enjoy these photos. Thanks again Kenzie and Alex, I hope your wedding was everything you wanted it to be!

 

 

Fire In The Sky

I set out yesterday evening to take photos of the Peggy's Cove Lighthouse. I was expecting a great sunset and figured Peggy's Cove would be the perfect place to be. What a let down that plan was! The lighthouse is undergoing a new paint job so it's very ugly right now. The only thing worse then a lighthouse without paint is remembering you read an article about it a few days ago! 

So, I took a few shots of the surrounding area but made my way back to Terence Bay. I wasn't there for very long when the sunset became intense. 

Here's one of the shots. This is an HDR, (High Dynamic Range), image. I've merged three different exposures of the same scene. It's the first one that I've done for my landscape images and I'm having fun learning and playing.

Comments are always welcome. 

Driftwood Beach

I've been editing so many wedding photos over the past week that I found myself missing fresh air. I have had such a busy summer, (not that I'm complaining), and I've realized I may not get back here this year. This is one of my favourite places in Nova Scotia. Along with many other beaches here in NS, Driftwood Beach is amazing and well worth the visit. It's found in Advocate at the entrance to Cape Chignecto Provincial Park. One of the best place to view a sunset! 

Okay, back to the wedding photos...

Kenzie and Alex - Engagement Session

It was really important for Kenzie and Alex to have their engagement photos taken on Conrad Beach.  We've spent weeks trying to juggle our schedules around the weather and it finally came together yesterday evening! Conrad Beach is where the big proposal happened so it holds great meaning in their relationship. To say Alex felt very awkward at first is an understatement but as the shoot went on it all started happening naturally. Duke was awesome too!

We'll be shooting their wedding on the Silva later in August which is going to be awesome! Besides sailing, I can't think of anything else I'd rather do! These are a few from our shoot!

Epic Dartmouth 2012

Even though I anxiously awaited the Epic Dartmouth race for months, charged batteries, cleaned lenses, packed and re-packed gear, nothing could have prepared me for the epic heat that hit us on July 1st. Most days I would fall into a fit of rage and do anything to escape the heat, but witnessing the inspiring and amazing efforts of the triathletes pushing their bodies to the extreme made me forget all about it.

I loved every minute of it and I'm so happy to have captured this wonderful event. I'm already looking forward to playing a much larger role for next years race. I would like to thank my new friends Margo, who took me in a kayak helping me capture some of my favorite photos for the day, as well as Clarence for his patience and awesome experience on his motorcycle allowing me to get some great cycling shots!

So, no fireworks for me this year but it was the best Canada Day I've ever had. 

Congrats to everyone who played a role in making this race happen, especially the athletes who battled the heat. Tim, it truly was Epic. Congrats!

Check out more of the photos on my website.

Rina Martin from Bathurst, NB exits the water.

Sahyne Brennan from Baileyville, ME

Peter Hill from Bundang-Gu, SE

John Gillis biking for the "Vitesse" team.

Chad Robertson biking for "The Old Farts" team. 

Steve Saunders from Blockhouse, NS

Terri Waldron looking awesome on bike course.

Brigette Sabourin from Halifax, NS

Kenneth Mitton from Dieppe, NB

Joseph Shipley from Dieppe, NB

Stacy Chesnutt had the fastest overall run time for both men and women.

Lisa Kek from Saint John, NB checking her time during the run course

Kathryn Wilson exits Shubie Park with one lap to go

Pierre Laforest crosses the finish line as the top male in the Epic Distance

Shawn Lewis from Beaver Bank, NS crosses the finish line as the winner of the Iron Distance 

Mark Campbell from Halifax, NS crossing the finish to take second in the men's Iron Distance 

Shawn answering questions from the media

Chantal Beam from Quispamsis, NB wins the female Iron Distance