So, there's this newfie.... OK, its a cheesy way to start a blog. However, there really was a newfie. My friend Dwayne took me out for a birthday dinner, and on the way home we spent a few hours chasing the Aurora. It wasn't too much of a stretch-Dwayne is a shooter, too and he needed little persuasion.
So, has anyone else spent much time trying to capture this incredible sight? We get it a lot up here in the north country. I guess it must be the same kind of feeling that storm chasers get, but I can't get enough of these amazing lights.
I made a series of shots back in the fall of last year, with a drilling rig and the aurora behind it. It was a huge hit, especially for the guys on who's rig the picture was taken. The drilling contractor even bought the rights to a few of the shots so they could put it on their website.
Just to be clear, the pictures are a long exposure, and you won't see anything similar unless you are able to get miles away from any light noise and can set up for a motion-free, 30 sec exposure. I typically shoot at around 30 seconds with a moderate aperture of f/8.0 or so.If you have a decent camera, you can get your ISO up to that 800+ mark and still get useable shots. Well, useable to me, anyway. You may disagree...

For my friend Audry, who is just starting to chase the light...you go, girl.

Work has been pretty effective at curtailing any shooting lately, but the other night I was able to slip away for a bit prior to sunset, and came across a nice sized herd of Bull Elk. 11 bulls in this herd, and another herd of cows nearby with probably 80+. The bulls were probably 400yds away, so the shots aren't the clearest they could be, but it doesn't make the animals any less impressive. You gotta love the golden hour!

Well, what a crazy month this has been. For those of you not in the know, we bought a building in Rimbey. We took possession exactly 6 days prior to the first photo course we are running and it's been a runaway ever since. I won't dwell on the move or the studio(suffice it to say that it is now the coolest studio in central Alberta, my loving wife has the store she always dreamed of, and Jodi has the "spa-iest"

reflexology spa that ever there was) as that will be the subject of many a post in the months to come.

For now, I will try to concentrate on the impending spring coming to the Peace Country. I have been lucky enough to be working with a fellow whom I'm proud to say I've helped re-discover his love of shooting. It's somewhat of a nice change to have someone around who has such a passion for photography. There's the added bonus of all the questions he asks, too. I think the single best thing we can do as photographers is to pass on what little we know to others that are eager to learn. Want to know how much(or how little) you know about your subject? try teaching a course. Formally or just talking with a buddy, it is amazing how much it will build your skills by passing them on to another.

So, we come to the explanation for today's post-"the thing". Said friend asked me for a critique on an image this afternoon-a close up of a twisted jumble of rusted metal that defies description. I looked at the image, and promptly asked him if it was "that.... thing ...the thing they burn the pipeline waste in"( I have probably 30 or so shots of the same item in my library over the last few years-there's just something about it...)

He confirmed that it was, and we launched into a discussion on the impact of derelicts and machinery in photography, etc, etc. 

The point is, creative-minded people tend to see things differently. For example, probably 250+ men and women a day drive past this "thing" and see nothing. But two photography-inclined people independently saw something here that warranted being captured.

And I have no idea why, but when others see the photo, they say "that's so cool", or "neat shot", so I guess we're doing something right!!