Moments in Time

• By admin

There’s a major municipal construction project underway in my neighbourhood. Lots of traffic delays, and strange noises during the night. A hundred-year-old bridge is being replaced and the new pieces are going up while the old pieces are coming down. It’s a game of dominos to keep the traffic moving while the construction continues.

We’re into the final stages that involve the erection of a massive arch to suspend the bridge over a major highway and a wide creek. Temporary structures are holding the bridge while the arch is built, piece by piece during the night with the roadways temporarily closed.

I wanted a photo of the bridge to convey the grandeur of the project. Finding the correct vantage point was the challenge and I thought about it over several weeks. As a morning runner, I explore the streets of our town as I plod around on my workouts. Finally, I realized where a path I knew might put me and my camera into the correct position.

So here’s the shot. I think the vantage point is perfect, and so was my timing. I was setting up at sunset, just before the road closures as the crane was moving into position to swing another piece of the arch into position.

One of my photographer friends says, “Photography is all about chasing the light.” He’s correct, but the chase often results in the discovery of a unique perspective.

The Best Camera

• By admin

 

What’s the best camera? The one you have with you!

As a photographer, I’m always agonizing about how much camera equipment to carry with me. You want it all, but that’s usually impractical, so there has to be a selection determined by the shoot, the time and the place.

Fortunately the huge improvement in the iPhone over the past five years means that we always have a camera with us. And if you have seen the iPhone commercials, you know that the iPhone can produce some very good photos, and videos, and panoramas. It’s absolutely amazing.

I amazed myself last weekend while riding on the Toronto ferry. There was the skyline of Toronto in all its glory from a vantage point that was perfect. Didn’t have a Nikon with a wide lens, so pulled out the iPhone and voila, an immediate capture of a great image.

It is possible to capture great photos without a bag full of equipment. The place, the lighting and the view are still more important than the equipment you might use to capture the moment.