A change in Blogger URL - http://brian-douglas.blogspot.com/

I was finding that my initial blog URL was quite long and frustrating to share and for people to write down and/or remember. Since my name without a dash was taken and as I have just learned Blogger will not delete peoples accounts for inactivity I have decided on the below URL to replace this one:

http://brian-douglas.blogspot.com/

I have transferred all my previous posts here and this is where I will post new entries. I cannot delete this URL so if you are here please go to:

http://brian-douglas.blogspot.com/

Thanks,
Brian.

Kitchener; Downtown on Day 1 of the Waterloo Region Skills Competition

Between the painted lines

Every year the Waterloo Region Public & Catholic Board participate in a skills competition. They have competitions in everything from cabinet making to hair dressing to my person favourite, photography. I was lucky enough to be one of two co-chairs this year. I had the opportunity to help with some of the initial planning, helping select the theme and today watch 20 students from the Public Board take, edit and print photos which they all hope will land them in one of the top 3 spots.

The theme this year: Take a picture that tells a story. The day broke down as follows: 


830-10: Walk around downtown Kitchener taking pictures and creating their interpretation of the theme
1030-1230: Create and print a contact sheet of their 20 best pictures and edit their best image and print it as an 8 x 10

The Stag Shop Smokes

130-230: Attempt to replicate the alterations of a stock image. This was fused with brief personal interviews and followed by feedback. 


It was great to watch the students move through this process and to see the results of the efforts. I am looking forward to see what tomorrow will bring. But, I had no intentions of letting the students have all the fun!


Although I kept the theme in mind I was more interested in experimenting with Hoya Circular Polarizing Filter. 


I have been reading more about filters lately and have had this filter since December. I never took the time to use it so decided that today was as good as any other day. 

No Filter

With Filter

I don't often see dramatic changes on my LCD screen but I noticed this difference. It also 'told the story' of the Stag Shop which caught fire on Sunday. I couldn't believe that it was still smoking when I arrived.

It is still on my lens and when I head back out tomorrow with the Catholic Board I plan to test it out as soon as I head out and before my hands freeze!

Where the neon sign once read...

Until tomorrow...

RMS Factory - Kitchener, Ontario

On March 20, 2011 I was invited along with a number of other photographers to photograph the RMS Factory in Kitchener. From what I know of the factory it was established in 1917 and had custom machinery to make various automotive parts as well as tires.

Sadly the Kitchener plant is now closed and, at some point, the building will be demolished. March 20 was a last opportunity to capture the building and preserve a piece of its history.

As you all know I love photographing factories and have been trying to capture as many of them as I can in the Kitchener-Waterloo area so was happy when this invitation was extended to me.   



Cobble Stone Floor - made from wood blocks

Photography in low light situations is never easy. Any photography guide you read is going to say virtually the same thing I am about to say: 

1. Use a tripod. There is nothing worse than uploading your photos and finding that they are blurry.
2. A remote trigger or what I often your camera’s self-timer are helpful tools. Reducing camera shake during longer-exposures is crucial to avoid blurry results. It is even worse when you are using a tripod to steady the camera but it shakes when you snap the picture
3. Have fun and be creative. There can be a lot of interesting things to photograph so take your, think your pictures through and decide what you are hoping to achieve.

Safety Glasses - TTV



First Aid

I want to give thank you to Cathy from the BOX Art Show for setting this up. Check out the site here: http://www.boxartshow.ca/ and to the owners of RMS Factory for granting us full access to all corners of your wonderful space.

The March break comes to an end.

I am sad to report that the March break is officially over. With that said though, it was a good week off. Overall the weather was pleasent and I was able to get out almost everyday to take some pictures as I hoped. I didn't make it to all the locations I was hoping to explore but that is okay. They are not going anywhere.

Here are a few pictures from a walk I took around Waterloo Park:



Trunks




A small ice ledge

I will be posting again either later today or tomorrow pictures from the RMS Factory in Kitchener that I had the honour of exploring yesterday (March 21) along with about 16 other photographers.

With nothing to show for it...

I drove out to Guelph this morning hoping to photograph the old prison. When I arrive Security informed me that I would have to get special permission. I was hoping it would be as simple as a phone call but unfortunately it will be a little more involved. At the end of the day I came home with nothing to show for my drive but this panorama.

I decided to play a bit with this picture and each stitch has been edited differently. Let me know what your thoughts are on the end results.

And a note to anyone interested in experimenting with panorama photography - make sure you switch to manual mode otherwise you can end up with drastically different colours as you take each overlapping image.

I am hoping that the weather forecast for the rest of the week is wrong otherwise my March Break photography may end here.

Sheave Tower - Just outside Kitchener

Today was the first day of my week off and the weather didn't let me down! It is my intention to get out at least once everyday this week to some locations I have been wanting to explore.


I have two main goals this week:


1. Enjoy my time shooting
2. Work on and/explore landscape photography

Cracked Bridge

This morning I arrived at Sheave Tower around 830. I was worried I'd miss the morning light but the sun didn't let me down. A great little spot for anyone who hasn't checked it out. It was also the perfect place to work on my landscape photography. Being the only one there was a nice treat too!

In the reflection

Although the Tower is a great structure to photograph I found myself drawn to the sound of the water. I have always enjoyed slowing the shutter speed to capture the movement of the water.

Rushing

Another element in photography I have always enjoyed are Black and White landscapes. Maybe it is because I started photography with black and white film. Whatever it is, I want to use more black and white as I work on my landscapes this week.

Stump

I am excited to get back out tomorrow. They are still calling for sun and that is all I can ask for. The rest of the week though...

Show scheduled for June!

I am pleased to announce that in June I will be displaying some pieces from Forlorn Factories; Found Beauty in Kitchener’s Industrial Landscape at Kava Bean Commons in Kitchener. It is located at 24 Guakel St. 

More details to come!

Website is undergoing some changes

I've decided to give my website another transformation. It is a work in progress so bare with me while I struggle through its creation and the kinks that may occur in the process.

And to help us all feel a bit warmer I found this picture I took in August. Enjoy the snow they say is coming and fingers crossed for a snow day!

Vote for me! Sustainable Waterloo

I have entered a contest with Sustainable Waterloo and now it is time to vote! You can only vote 2 times per category. My pictures are in Natural Environment and Sustainable Behaviour.


Here are the images below to help you pick them out:


Natural Environment:

Sustainable Behaviour:

 Thanks in advance to everyone who takes the time to vote!

The Lang Tannery - My opportunity to go back and photograph the finished product

My major photography project for about a year and a half now has been photographing and documenting the transitions of the old factories in Kitchener. 

It started with the Lang Tannery and it is where I had the honour of re-visiting to re-photograph the spaces as they are now. 

For this post I wanted to show some of my original shots to contrast how far the Lang Tannery has come. Go check it out and visit Balzac's; I highly recommend their hot chocolate.

'The 'B' Pillar' was in an interesting state of transition my first time back to the Tannery in September 2010. The image on the right is what the space looked like originally. The picture on the left is what it looked like in September. Had it not been for that 'B', I wouldn't have recognized that space.

Although different angles, the above picture is now a very bright and open space that leads into a courtyard. It is part of the Hub.

The picture below is also in this space. It overlooks the picture above. 

These two pictures also show the contrast of the old and the new. Both pictures were in the Hub.



The New Tannery Lobby

This is a picture of the new lobby. I was looking down from the third floor to capture this one. In a future post I will add another shot of the lobby so that its size/height can be truly appreciated. 

Desire 2 Learn Lobby area



The Second Floor in transition


The front of the building looks quite different now. But, they have kept a lot of the original character and elements. Here is a before and after.

Before the new lobby

 This was the only picture I could find with the new lobby. It is an HDR taken from the roof of the Pharmacy Building.

Landscapes

I wanted to add a few landscape shots from Cuba that stood out for me. I love landscape photography and consider it an on-going learning process for me. I am hoping to spend some time this year working on this skill. Thoughts, ideas and feedback will be welcome!

 'We Bend'

'The shade protects us'

When I was taking this image I wanted a nice, evenly exposed image. I have a couple that were closer to that but I didn't like them quite as much. I liked the silhouetted lounge chairs and bright sky in this one though. 

 'The bird takes flight'

When I was thinking about this picture I was hoping to capture a larger wave crashing over the rocks. I wanted to the spray. Instead I got a Turkey Vulture taking flight to avoid the coming waves.

  'Path on a farm'

The resort we stayed at offered two walks around the area. We were pretty secluded and surrounded primarily by farm land and the locals who lived on those farms. These walks were a bit strange. I couldn't decide if they were exploitive to the locals or the tourists. 

'Peacock' 

The walks were the same time each day so the locals were ready at the roadside with their handmade hats, wallets, fruit, etc. Even stranger though was the first farm we visited. The lighting was bad so I could get a picture but, they had a smaller alligator for the viewing pleasure of tourists as well as some large tree rat in a cage. 

'Hung on the line'

They were enjoyable walks though. I got some great pictures and that is always what I hope for. 

I was speaking to a friend and fellow photographer last week and we joked about how, regardless of what we are doing (driving, at our real jobs, etc), we are always looking around us with the eye of a photographer. It was what I was looking forward to most about going to Cuba. Warmer weather and the ocean were a strong sell too.

This will end the Cuba posts. I will shift to the work I was doing before the holidays and the new projects that are to come. 

Havana Continued

I wanted one more blog related to Havana because I enjoyed it so much and feel that I came home with some great pictures. This collection is a combination old Old Havana (above: When old and new Collide) and New Havana (below: Pink arch way). 


When we arrived in New Havana I was expecting to find a city that was somewhat newer in appearance. More modern I suppose. I was not expecting to find what I imagined Old Havana to look like; worn. Seeing New Havana made me think that old Havana was going to be so run down. To my surprise it was the exact opposite.

From what I heard the guide say (I was more focused on taking pictures and not on the tour), Old Havana has been designated a heritage site meaning, lots of money is going towards restoring it. This is the reason it is in such good shape compared to New Havana. 

'Cathedral next to the houses'

'We watched the streets'

'Drive Away'

This final picture was taken in the parking lot of a market. Our tour guide kept referring to this wonderful market we will finish the day at. I was expecting a large outdoor market bustling with locals. It was nothing like that. It was indoors and appears to have been created specifically for tourists. 

I cropped this picture slightly to remove as much of the bus as I could. In Photoshop I used Nik Software to add a filter that gave the picture a more vintage feel. 

I don't do a lot of manipulation. Some adjustments to colour and contrast were the only other edits to the other pictures in this post. But, the next couple of posts will shift from Havana to some landscapes and visits to local farms where I can show a few before/after images so the differences can be compared.

Brian.

First post; A trip to Cuba

Welcome to my new (and first) Blog. I've never had a Blog before but thought it may be interesting to give it a try.  It is a new year, I have a new blog and a new way to share my photography. Don't forget to visit my website as well at: www.bdouglasphotography.com 



I recently returned from a family trip to Cuba where there were many great places for a photographer. Here is a small collection from the trip.

I knew before leaving that there would be classic cars everywhere. 


This was taken TTV with my Kodak Brownie. I think it was a great way to bring out the vintage quality of the car.

Our day trip to Havana was the photographic highlight of the trip. I couldn't have asked for better contrasts: old, weathered and worn  architecture brightly painted.


Laundry hanging from balconies was a very common site as well.

While walking through old Havana we came across what appeared to be an old train yard. There were quite a few engines and passenger cars on the lot.


Had it not been fenced off I am sure it would have been a great spot for more pictures.

This is a panoramic shot of Havana taken from a defensive wall built a long time ago. I stitched about 7 images together to create this one. I am enjoying the process of creating panoramic images. I have done several in the past of the interior of factory floors and exteriors of buildings but nothing like this. I think it turned out well. I hope I found and edited any stitch lines.