Contrasts

[tbob]

I am retired and eventually, as in late spring, we are moving to the Okanagan Valley in southern British Columbia. Spent Xmas there. The weather was not cooperative for photography and besides I promised to spend it as family time. I did get out a few times to check things out in the new environment.

One thing that intrigued me was warmer moist air from the valley mixing with colder air aloft to form mist and frost. To explain; the floor of the valley, about 100 km long, is occupied by a series of lakes which stay open all year. The sides are formed by mountains. The moist air from the valley hits the colder air above to form clouds and mist. On a couple of days it was clear enough to get shots of the results (the other days it was either snowing or completely socked in).

This was just at dawn with moister air forming swirling clouds over the mountain as it mixed with the colder air



Just after a snow fall, so a combination of hoarfrost and snow on the rocks and trees of a cliff near the lake

[Manfred M]

Congratulations on joining the ranks of the retired!

I fully appreciate the uncooperative weather. I have not done a lot of the winter shooting I wanted to do so far this year as we have been subjected to rapid cycling of warm and cold days. Too much ice and not enough snow. Thank goodness for studio work.

The effects of the moisture in the air in these shots is quite dramatic and effective. I particularly like what is happening in the second image.

[Tom Barry]

Both shots are, in my opinion, excellent. So is your clear explanation of what produces the conditions that you photographed so well.

[tbob]

Congratulations on joining the ranks of the retired!

I fully appreciate the uncooperative weather. I have not done a lot of the winter shooting I wanted to do so far this year as we have been subjected to rapid cycling of warm and cold days. Too much ice and not enough snow. Thank goodness for studio work.

The effects of the moisture in the air in these shots is quite dramatic and effective. I particularly like what is happening in the second image.

Thanks Manfred The retired status may feel more real once we are free of trying to sell the equipment and building, still feels like work as we are going in every day.

I am glad you like the second image. I will pass this on to my wife (Trish) as I am trying to convince her I need (the want argument is getting nowhere) a longer lens. This was done at an effective 400mm using a 70-200mm with a 2X extender. Then cropped to one quarter of the frame for the final image. As you can see, I need at least a 600 mm lens. The logic is clear to me. She keeps bringing up silly things like " You can have one when you sell $16,000 worth of images".

Do not despair about the winter. You still have at least three months to get shots of snow!

[Donald]

I didn't realise that retiral was imminent. I note what you say about not quite feeling it yet, but it will suddenly dawn on you - you don't have to do that every day. And once you realise that ...........! My best wishes for a long, peaceful and satisfying retirement.

Tell your wife that your friend in Scotland says that you definitely need a long lens. He uses it all the time.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

These shots remind me of the days when I worked on a vineyard in Mendocino County. It was on a ridge that had a valley between it and the next set of hills that were on the ocean. During the summer, the fog would come in on the coast and bump up against that set of hills, finally spilling over and washing down into the valley only to disappear. You could almost tell what time it was by how far the fog advanced, cascading down the hillsides. Once the air cooled enough from the sun setting, you could feel the change as the fog no longer dissipated but rather 'stayed'. Seeing it come across the valley foretold of cooler weather for the rest of the day. Almost quitting time.
Nice shots, keep them coming, and welcome to the ranks of the retired.

[Manfred M]

She keeps bringing up silly things like " You can have one when you sell $16,000 worth of images

Hmm. It looks like our wives have been coming up with the same story behind our backs...

[Shadowman]

Nice atmospheric shots.

[RichB]

It's nice to see Okanagan photos. I was also there over Christmas time and got my camera out for the first time in a long while. I think it's an amazing place to shoot.

[tbob]

It's nice to see Okanagan photos. I was also there over Christmas time and got my camera out for the first time in a long while. I think it's an amazing place to shoot.

Post some of your images, I would love to see what you did. A new environment for me, very used to the prairie so the limited sight lines and amount of irrelevant background stuff is something I will have to work with. As well. I am not used to the number of people, traffic and limited access to sites. Generally spoiled rotten here where I can go almost anywhere and be alone. And access to private property is not much of a problem as long as I am on foot and do not cross cultivated or in crop fields.

[RichB]

I'm from the UK so I'm not at all used to the space in the prairie. I was visiting my other half's family who live in Kelowna. These are a couple of photos from the lake side there. I didn't spend much time with the camera as it was a family visit but I definitely will next time I go back.

[Donald]

A new environment for me, very used to the prairie so the limited sight lines and amount of irrelevant background stuff is something I will have to work with.

I think I have written before, but .... because the prairie would be a completely new environment for me, I would love to have the opportunity to work in it. The idea of being, "... where I can go almost anywhere and be alone", would be wonderful.

[DanK]

Here is a decent 600mm lens. And another, and a better version of the second. so you might be able to get away with selling only $1,000 of images. Speaking for myself, I have only $1,000 to go.

I looked at all three of these lenses when I decided I needed something longer than 200mm. I ended up getting the Canon 200-400. It's a better lens, but that isn't the main reason I bought it. I bought it because it focuses much closer, which is important for some of the work I do. If it hadn't been for that, I probably would have bought one of these three, two of which are far cheaper than what I ended up buying.

Based on these first images, I don't think you are going to have difficulty making a photographic adjustment to the new environment. These are both excellent and interesting images. I lived in the Northwest (I know, in Canada you wouldn't call that location the northwest, but you get my reference) for a few years, and I think it is a wonderful environment for photography. The landscapes are spectacular and endlessly varying, and there are far more low-humidity days than here in the east.

As for retirement: enjoy! I'm less than 6 months from retirement myself. I haven't entirely figured out what I will be doing, but a lot more photography is going to be part of it. I just bought myself a larger-format printer that uses archival inks--I got a phenomenal deal on a Canon Prograf 1000--and I think I may actually try to make a dent in that $1,000.

[Manfred M]

The idea of being, "... where I can go almost anywhere and be alone", would be wonderful.

Much of Canada, outside of the major urban corridor is like that (generally referred to as the 700 mile long Quebec City - Windsor Corridor; where about half of Canada's population lives). I used to spend a lot of time in the Prairies in Canada on business, but primarily in the cities (Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and less time in Regina and Saskatoon), but for the most part that was before I got back into "serious photography", so I have very little photographic to show for the months I spend there.

That being said, Trevor's images of old barns and fences suggests part of the problem in photographing that landscape. The photographer needs something other than the flat landscape or gently rolling hill to make the pictures interesting. The iconic prairie images of wooden grain elevators and railway sidings are long gone, unfortunately. I've been planning a drive across the prairies for a number of years now, but have never quite been able to fit that into my schedule. I guess I'm still too busy seeing remote parts of the world...

Part of the reason I have been concentrating on portraiture is that I have become convinced that when I do the trip, I am going to need a solid mix of landscape photography, urban landscape (the small prairie towns) and shots of the people living there to get a good photo essay.

I think I have written before, but .... because the prairie would be a completely new environment for me, I would love to have the opportunity to work in it.

I still remember my first business trip to Regina and being able to see the horizon from my second floor hotel room. If you ever do make the trip, I suggest you might want to start off in Calgary because that would also throw the Candian Rockies into the mix, should you get to the point where you overdose on the prairies. The mountain parks in the area, like Banff and Jasper, are UNESCO World Heritage sites...

[LePetomane]

Trevor, congratulations on your retirement. Last Friday was my final day of work. My timing was perfect.

[rpcrowe]

Congratulations to Trevor and Paul David on your well-earned retirement...

I guess that I retired three times. The first time was after 32 years in the Navy but, I began working in an addiction treatment facility the week after my retirement. I really didn't plan it that way, the job came along much faster than I expected.

My second retirement was from addiction counseling and my wife and I crunched the numbers and realized that if we increased the numbers of the Maltese dogs we were breeding and showing and with my Social Security, I would not be earning any less if I quit my job and devoted myself to the care of our dogs. We bought a different home and we were quite happy for a while.

Then we decided to forsake breeding dogs and devote ourselves full time to our dog rescue efforts. My wife retired from her job as a professor of nursing and we have been rescuing dogs ever since. Luckily, we have the financial means to be quite comfortable.

Come to think of it... I have just changed occupations and have never really retired. But, we both get a lot of satisfaction out of what we are doing and plan to continue as long as we are physically and mentally able...

[tbob]

I think I have written before, but .... because the prairie would be a completely new environment for me, I would love to have the opportunity to work in it. The idea of being, "... where I can go almost anywhere and be alone", would be wonderful.

As Manfred said, in the vast majority of Canada you can be alone and go anywhere with no problems. Unfortunately the Okanagan Valley is not one of those areas. I suppose too many people using/abusing the land and water, but I am not used to so many nontrespassing and private property signs in areas I would take to be open access.

[tbob]

Congratulations to Trevor and Paul David on your well-earned retirement...

I guess that I retired three times. The first time was after 32 years in the Navy but, I began working in an addiction treatment facility the week after my retirement. I really didn't plan it that way, the job came along much faster than I expected.

My second retirement was from addiction counseling and my wife and I crunched the numbers and realized that if we increased the numbers of the Maltese dogs we were breeding and showing and with my Social Security, I would not be earning any less if I quit my job and devoted myself to the care of our dogs. We bought a different home and we were quite happy for a while.

Then we decided to forsake breeding dogs and devote ourselves full time to our dog rescue efforts. My wife retired from her job as a professor of nursing and we have been rescuing dogs ever since. Luckily, we have the financial means to be quite comfortable.

Come to think of it... I have just changed occupations and have never really retired. But, we both get a lot of satisfaction out of what we are doing and plan to continue as long as we are physically and mentally able...

I plan to keep my options open. No working for a one year and then see how I feel about doing a two or three month stint every year at the local SPCA hospital.