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Everything is Coming Up Yellow

Jamie Johnson — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:47:41 +0000

A beautiful sunny morning in July, and a great chance to shoot a theme. The idea was yellow, though I was not anticipating the bees or the finches.

Fun In The Details

Jamie Johnson — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 01:53:50 +0000

A visit to Britannia Beach in Ottawa hoping to photograph kite surfers, by chance turned up a group of British car enthusiasts showing off their vehicles. It was too crowded to do full shots of the cars, so I had some fun with closeups on parts of the vehicles.

Timing is everything

Jamie Johnson — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 13:00:00 +0000

One of my favourite things to shoot are air shows. I have literally thousands of images, some of them I am very happy with.

Over the long weekend in July, the Gatineau Air Show hosted by Vintage Wings of Canada took place, and the star attraction was the Canadian Forces Snowbirds.

The shots that I love to try and get because they are the hardest, are the crossing shots where two aircraft fly by each other at more than 1000kph. This show has 6 crossing patterns, and I managed to get 5 of them. I am normally happy with one, so this event was a great success for me.

How Much Equipment to Bring?

Jamie Johnson — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:07:28 +0000

At an RA Photo Club Nature shoot, the debate was how much equipment to carry on the event. I opted to leave tripod in the car since I was hoping to get shots of the black terns. I managed to get few nice shots of a damsel fly on a spider web. The hand held shots turned out better than I expected.

So, Its Your First Time?

Jamie Johnson — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:51:57 +0000

On the boat over to the the Bonaventure Island Migratory Bird Reserve, I was in the middle of snapping away photos with my long lens, when a member of the crew asked, "So, its your first time?"

I was not sure how he knew, yet he was right.

Once we got to the island, the reason was clear. I was busily trying to get photos of birds at 50m, when once we got to the island, they were within 10m.

The lesson learned, again, ask the locals where the best spots are.

On Location Lighting

Jamie Johnson — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:01:50 +0000

While I have used studio lights a lot, this was my first attempt at using studio lights on location (at the Smiths Falls Water Treatment Plant). With only one light, it made for simple lighting scenarios, and I was pretty happy with the results. Next time, two lights?

Should You Shoot in the Rain?

Jamie Johnson — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:58:16 +0000

Even with gear that is suppose to be weather sealed, it is tough to get out in the rain to shoot. An opportunity with some wonderful folks who are medieval re-enactors came along, and the only place to shoot was in the rain. The water on the blade, the hair and in the material all made for a more interesting photo. The water on the lens might not have, however I am claiming that as a stylistic choice. Maybe an umbrella for me next time.

Look Up, Way Up

Jamie Johnson — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:09:05 +0000

The weekend of 'Doors Open Toronto' I had a chance to get into some places that I would not have ordinarily. In doing the shoot, I took some advice from Scott Bourne, and looked in new places, this time up.

Pan and Snap

Jamie Johnson — Mon, 24 May 2010 18:51:41 +0000

Last year at the Luskville Dragway all my shots were done a 1/1,000 sec with some great frozen action shots. This year, I switched to 1/125 sec and got much faster shots.

Spring time in Ottawa, and the birds are busy

Jamie Johnson — Thu, 20 May 2010 13:00:00 +0000

It is that time of year for the birds and the bugs, so naturally it time to take a few photos. The geese have eggs, the kill deer want to have some eggs, and the gulls and red wing black birds are eating the insect hatches.