Mark's Photo Workshops

Is it the place that’s so fantastic, or is it your photograph of the place that’s amazing? I’ve often asked:  Are you taking a picture of a pretty flower, or are you making a pretty picture of any flower? Where you are right now could be the most fantastic place on earth.  If you picture it that way.   [Update:  examples] At Valerie’s request, I took 15 minutes and walked out along my street, in the rain, to find examples of just how fantastic it looks around here.  The idea is to “photograph what is right in front of you”, and make use of composition rules and assorted photograph techniques and equipment to make whatever you find into images of beauty. (Editor’s note:  Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder, but I tried my best in the wet conditions, without a tripod, to find scenes worthy of photographing – making “beautiful” pictures of my local environment, rather than resorting to driving to a “beautiful” park or place and taking ...

Well, the weather turned out beautifully – not to cold, and only the briefest bit of drizzle – for the “After Dark in the Garden” class at the Toronto Botanical Gardens last night. We had fun playing in the dark with long exposures, flashlights, sparklers and tripods.  The lesson is:  get to know your camera buttons before you go outside at night. Here’s a few of my results.  If anyone from the class wants to share one or two I’d be happy to post them here too. Some flowers and grasses, illuminated only by flashlight: Then we moved on to the larger garden, and tried some landscapes with flashlights.  Here’s the scene “as is”: (and here’s the same scene with some editing magic:) Then we sent out the volunteers to paint the bridge with lights: Notes:  these are shutter speeds of 10 to 30 seconds, on a tripod.