Hibbs Cove 3

Yesterday I explained the approach I used when photographing the stage in Hibbs Cove but today I want to explain another. Since 2003, I use a digital SLR with a variety of lenses. If I am photographing a community and leave my car, knowing that I have to return to it, I use one lens while walking in one direction, then change lenses as I walk back.

As I walked towards the boats I had my 70-300 mm lens and didn't take one photo of the scene because I was anxious to see what, if anything remained of the stage I had photographed a few times over a 25 year span. Since there was nothing left of it, I photographed other stages, the sea, a couple of wild ducks and some quartz veins in the cliffs.

As I started to return to the car, I made the first image of the two boats. I liked the fact that the new boat had been purposely placed upon the older, weather-beaten boat. There was a nice contrast between the styles, ages and condition of these small boats.

I then changed to my 17-40mm lens because I wanted to make an image of the large pleasure cradt and small boat beside it. I made several mages of the two as I continued back towards the car. The wide lens also made it possible to capture the boats, fishing stage in the background and part of the Fisherman's Museum to the top right.

You can see by the sky that it remained quite overcast, but just as I was making the last image, the sun came out for just a few seconds and provided interesting lighting for the shot.

Hibbs Cove 2

The fishing stage in today's photos was there in 2001, but I don't remember it being there before that. I wandered up the hill and made several photos of the building and wooden structures (which resembed a small fish flake). Since Hibbs Cove (formerly called Hibbs Hole until the name was changed in the late 60s or early 70s) has a Fisherman's Museum, Porter House Museum, and Hibbs Hole School Museum nearby, I assume this structure was set up for tourists to view.

Today's images show my approach to photographing fishing stages and other subjects. First I take a wide shot of the scene, then compose closer views as I get nearer. When I am very near, I shoot even closer views including macro images, if I "see" the photos. As I approached that day I concentrated on the wooden platform and chose to use my 17- 40 mm lens, the widest lens I have. I knew that if I focused on the wood closest to me, everything in the image would be in focus. The last photo shows a view of Conception Bay in the background.

You will notice that the sky is quite overcast, which wasn't the best to capture well-exposed images, but I found the lighting interesting none-the-less. What you can't tell from the photos is that the temperature was -4°C (25°F) and I was bundled up with a winter parka and toque that covered my head and ears.

Hibbs Cove

A friend and I went on a photo trip to Hibb's Cove yesterday with the intention of photographing the remnants of a stage that has been falling down over the past several years. When we arrived, we discovered that there were none. I sent photos of that stage on Thursday, February 28, 2008 and you can check the photos and comments in the archives on my Blog - Photo of the Day Blog.

At the end of the road in this tiny town there used to be 4 small outbuildings which I have photographed in the past. Yesterday I discovered that 2 of them are no longer there. The first three photos were taken yesterday and the others were taken in 2001. If you look closely at the second photo you will see where one of the buildings once stood on the cliffs above Conception Bay.

Once again, these images illustrate that photographs document changes that occur in our world. Over a span of 8 years the fishing stage and several buildings that I have photographed previously have disappeared. Fortunately, there are photographs that show what it was like in the past.

People

Today I have chosen photos of fishermen in Newfoundland and Labrador. The first two photos were taken in 1979 near Triton, Notre Dame Bay. Merv Winsor, of Triton East, took me out in his boat while he pulled his lobster and cod traps. Coincidently, as I was scanning these images in mid-November, I heard the news that he had drowned after his boat capsized during a fishing trip . Merv was 62 years old.

The third photo was taken in Petty Harbour in 1982 and the fourth in Bauline in 2001. In the twenty years between these photos the northern cod stock, once one of the biggest fish stocks on the planet, were decimated and the cod fishery was closed. By 2001, the federal government had opened food fisheries for a few weeks during the summer. The fisherman in the second photo was happy to catch a meal of fresh fish!

In 1986, I photographed people and boats involved in the capelin fishery and the third image shows one of the crew watching a seine net as it is pulled aboard the boat by a hydraulic lift. When I scan the slides from that trip, I will share more with you. This photo was taken in Conception Bay as the thick fog was beginning to dissipate.

Active People

I hope all of you enjoyed Christmas Day with family and friends and I wish you all the best in the New Year.

As most of you know, January 1, 2010 will mark the 7th anniversary of my Photo of the Day. In 2006, I started posting to my Photo of the Day Blog and use it to archive my posts. Over the years, I have often asked for feedback regarding the format and content of my posts and have settled into sending 3 photos to my email lists and 5 to my Blog. Occasionally I upload a slide show in video format as well. I continue to choose photographic subjects and themes and try to include as much variety as possible. If you have suggestions or requests for photos, I will do my best to find appropriate images.

Today I chose photos of people involved in outdoor activities. The first photo was taken in Holyrood, Newfoundland on a cold winter day. I saw a few kids walking across the ice (which I considered unsafe) and stopped to capture a few images.

The second photo was taken in St. John's near Quidi Vidi Lake. I saw the small sailboats and racing shell and waited for the woman to walk into the scene before making the image. This area is a great place to capture images of people involved in physical activities.

I was photographing Northern Bay Sands on a foggy day when I saw a young woman walking along the sandy beach. I waited for her to pass the rocky shoreline before making this image. The last two photos were taken in Deer Lake.

Nativity 3

Merry Christmas Eve.

I hope you all have the day off and you enjoy the beginning of the holidays with family and friends. However, I know many people are working and even more will be going to "the store" because this is one of the busiest shopping days throughout the year.

Most of you have probably already finished preparations for Christmas Day - Christmas dinner with family and friends is the main part of Christmas in our home. It has become a personal tradition that after everyone has eaten and relaxed after dinner that I go for a walk in the woods. I started doing it to work off the delicious dinner instead of napping in the afternoon or early evening. I have been in the woods on Christmas Days during snowstorms, snow flurries, rain, and sun - just about every type of weather. One year it was 10°C (50°F) which is very warm for late December, as I walked through the woods.

Nativity 2

Here in Holyrood, rain has taken just about all the snow and the forecast shows no snow for the next three days. It looks like it will be a green Christmas with the temperatures hovering around 0°C (32°F) for the next 3 days.

This is Day 2 of the Nativity Series and the three are from Canada, Peru and USA. They are made from a variety of materials and are different sizes. The tag in the second image is the same size as the ones in others (around 1 inch in height) so you will have an idea of the actual size of the figures.
I realize many of you were on this list back in 2005 and 2006 when I shared many of the Nativity scenes and some of you may have seen them before. I am choosing this year's photos without going back to check which ones I sent before so I apologize if I send duplicates.

Nativity 1

I have had requests for images of Christmas, and since we are approaching Christmas Day, I plan to share photos of nativity scenes that I photographed in 2006. Each year the Basilica Museum in St. John's has a display of Nativity Scenes from around the world and I have photographed it three times. The scenes are made from a variety of materials and are from different countries around the world. Of course the artists have added their own interpretations of the Christmas Story which makes the display very interesting.

When I photographed these nativity scenes I used a tripod because of the low lighting in the large room. I also avoided using my flash unless it was absolutely necessary to capture the shot I wanted.

Houses

Today's photos were taken on the Cape Shore between Placentia and Branch on an overcast day in May 2004. A friend and I drove through all communities along the "shore" and made photographs of houses and scenery. The styles of the first two houses were almost identical and the third was similar. These are traditional, old-style houses that were built around the island in the 50s and 60s and probably before that. The last two images show different styles. You may have noticed from previous posts that houses in Newfoundland and Labrador are painted many different colours.

If you enjoy photos of houses around Newfoundland and Labrador, feel free to search my Blog where you will find many photos of Houses.

Books

As I walk through a church looking for photographs I see many books: bibles, hymn books, and, occasionally, old books that are no longer in use. I have photographed several interesting and old books in my travels.

The first photo this morning shows the wrinkled pages of an old book that must have gotten wet. The second image shows the same book but from a different angle and the third image shows the corner of one page. I thought that these images were interesting and could be used as a background in my series of DVDs on Christianity which were originally produced as a resource for the Grade 4-6 Religion Program in Newfoundland and Labrador. Click the link to find out more about the series - http://www.lanephotography.com/bible_quotes/christian_beliefs_and_principles_01/CHRISTIAN%20BELIEFS%20AND%20PRACTICES_01.htm