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.

I set out again last night seeking another opportunity to photograph the stars. It called for a clear sky but just as the sun was setting the clouds came rolling in. It's something you kind of get used too when living here in Atlantic Canada. This image was a 30 second exposure and the rocks were illuminated with a flash light. 

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!