It’s funny how you can live in a place for years (8 in my case), yet never explore parts of it, even though they are smack in your face!! Well, I did just that on a recent visit to Montreal and skipped over to le Parc Jean Drapeau as I wanted to catch the sunset. Whether the sun has actually set that day, I couldn’t confirm for sure as it sank behind a massive bank of clouds. One can only assume so given the darkness that soon covered up the place. No sunset, no problem. I had my plan B, which frankly, and I knew (really I did, or at least that’s the official line), was going to be more fun than the aforementioned plan A. You see, there was this cool steel statue standing behind me, and I just knew that once those big spots surrounding it would be turned on, the whole thing would take on a new life of its own. The only problem was, the spots never came on! No lights, no problem! You can always count on street lights for some fill light, you combine that with a sturdy tripod and 30-60″ exposures and you are set. Dusk and articifial lights are truly a match made in heaven…I’ll let you be the judge.

And this is about 10 minutes later. I just love how a subtle change in light, gives a completely different look.

So here I am on my workshop, teaching that you don’t always have to trust or even care about your metering. You can choose to under or overexpose subjects just because. So with that in mind, we are on location and I am out and about giving tips and tricks to my participants, completely oblivious to my own teachings, when one of them surprises me with an image of this location which I had never envisaged, but which stems directly of that very element I was teaching. So it is without shame that I admit that the following image was completely inspired by Hagen, whose pictures you will see in my next post.

This is the image I would have shot otherwise:

Now, I want to put a disclaimer out there before I start. These accounts are unsolicited and only recount my own experience. I am getting no compensation or endorsement from either manufacturer quoted below.

No later than yesterday, I responded to a tweet from @thinkTANKphoto and told them how I absolutely loved their Shape Shifter bag (reviewed here and here, and which you can buy here). Then in a private conversation with them, I mentioned how my hip belt had fallen off some time ago and that I wanted to purchase one. In no time, my query was transferred to a thinkTank Photo product specialist who asked a couple of questions and immediately shipped me a full hip belt replacement free of charge. No questions asked. What more can I ask for? So kudos to Simon and Chris at thinkTank photo!

Now, let’s jump a few weeks back. My fairly new Acratech ballhead clamp seemed to be loosening up from time to time, but I didn’t do much about it. That is until my camera fell off and hit the ground and water! Very unhappy Younes! Now this is a ballhead I only ever heard great things about. It’s beautifully built, extra light, solid as a rock and extremely precise. I mentioned my unfortunate accident to a photographer friend of mine who insisted I contact Acratech as they are also well known for their excellent customer service. So I did. And all I can say is: WOW. I wrote my email on Sunday evening, by Monday I had a response from Acratech. They offered to replace my ballhead immediately, no questions asked. Now, how can I work without a ballhead until my new ballhead arrives, you ask? Well, I asked the same. Don’t you worry I was told. Hold on to your current ballhead. Wait until you receive the new one, then you can send us the old one. Again, no questions asked. Before I knew it, my brand spanking new ballhead was on board, and this time works just like advertised. Absolutely brilliant piece of machinery that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone (more info on Acratech can be found here). Again, a big thank you to the Acratech team for their terrific service.

Anyone out there with similar experiences?

On the plus side, the exercise allowed me to clean up my archives, catch up on some post-processing, but most pleasantly to uncover some forgotten or unknown keepers. It was not all futile. This particular shot was taken on the edge of the frozen Ottawa river at the end of last winter. It’s a macro shot that represents and area about 2-3 inches long. KIDS: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. A few minutes after taking this shot I found myself at the bottom of the river, gasping for air and trying desperately to save my gear, and mostly myself…

Most people hate November, cuz, well it sucks, but also, cuz all the colours have left, the trees look like crap and …it’s friggin’ cold. While I could hardly argue against this sort of feelings, I have to say that the more I look at it the more I see new opportunities during this dreaded month. Last week I probably saw the two best sunsets of the year, and missed both (if you don’t believe me, check it out for yourselves: #1 here; #2, here). But I also have tons of ideas on more intimate compositions that this month’s weather and look suits perfectly, now if I only could go out and do that…hopefully soon, may be this week-end if my buddy Justin is onboard (I know he always is).

In the meantime here is a shot I took last week-end. It is not a composite or a multiple exposure. This is the shot as I took it. I was waiting for sunset only to realise that the full moon was rising behind me. Nikon D700, 70-300VR at 200mm, ISO320, f/13 and 1/20s.