Gary Friedman of the Friedman Archives High-impact Photography Seminars is coming to Gibsons for the June 29/30 weekend for a 2-day course that will take every beginning – or frustrated – photographer and walk through the steps that made the images of the ‘original kodachrome photographers’ possible, regardless of modern technology advances like do-everything-for-you cameras and endless retouching/editing programs (Photoshop CS6 is my post-shoot drug of choice).

Gary is a well-established Photographic Professional, with a stock photography business, The Friedman Archives, where images covering a wide variety of locations and subjects can be licensed for use on and offline. He has written a number of Ebooks of best practices for specific cameras, and around topics like color calibration, high dynamic range (HDR) imaging, photographing sports in low light… just to name a few. He is also the Associate Editor of the magazine Cameracraft, a brand-agnostic publication revisiting the habits and techniques of great photographers new and old.

Oh, and he once was a rocket scientist for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he patented the image authentication system for high-end digital cameras from Canon and Nikon… and was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for building the world’s smallest telephone in 1980, before cell phones or even cordless phones were available.

True or False? The more expansive the camera, the better the pictures are.
FALSE. Whatever camera you have is the camera you want. You can get the pictures you want from that camera, without Photoshop.

Back to the two-day workshop…

There’s no denying cameras of today are fantastically, epically easier to use for better baseline quality, right out of the box, than the cameras I grew up using in journalism school. But what IS different is skill level and the understanding of the basics of photography that needs to be present before the camera is pointed at the subject to achieve optimal results.

A lot of us just point and shoot and live with the results. That’s no longer good enough for me, and I’ve signed up and would love to have some other Coasties come for a great couple of days.

Photography Workshop Day One

The seminar is spread over two days. Day one is “The Creative Class” for humans. It covers

• What the Kodachrome shooters knew about high-impact images (hint: they never needed Photoshop!)
• The compositional secrets of the National Geographic photographers
• How to “see” light like the Hollywood Cinematographers do, and make the most of available  light
• Compositional rules derived from the world of art
• The difference between snapshots and photographs (and why both are important)
• How to add drama to your images with wireless flash (with live demonstrations)
• The secrets to outstanding travel photography
• Making the most of available light
• In-class exercises for creativity and composition
• How your exposure meter thinks (or “Why can’t the camera just make it look the way I see it?”)
• Color balance and Human Perception
• The “inner game” mindsets used by all the photographic masters
• The noise about noise
• A practical “zen” approach to compelling images without having to get bogged down in technical stuff

Photography Workshop Day Two

Day two is “The Technical Stuff”:

•  The four variables of exposure, explained intuitively.
• The three types of metering, and which ones are actually useful.
• The RAW vs. JPG dilemma explained without religious ferver
• How to avoid horrific .jpg compression artifacts
• The surprising tradeoffs between P, A, S, and M modes.
• Balancing ambient light with flash
• What’s a Histogram, and why you should care
• The important problem of print vs. screen resolution
• The only eight Post-processing functions I use
• How to cut through haze
• How to clean dirty windows
• Saving Lenin with Curves
• Make Stuff Go Away
• Recommended Unsharp Mask values
• Expanding Dynamic Range using RAW.

What I really like is I can bring my own camera and work through accomplishing what I need to without getting caught in endless menu loops on the back, and practice changing settings for common types of photos I tend to take, such as wildlife, people in public places, product photography, and sports/activities.

I love the idea that I can choose a GOAL for a photo or series of photos, and then work with my camera and settings to capture those specific images, instead of what I currently do – shoot copious 4 frames a second images and try to do through volume what can be done through purposeful setup.

So whether you capture images for work, for pleasure, for family, or for social sharing, this seminar will help you take your photography to the next level, which in my case is less ARGGHHHHHS.

There are a number of testimonials on Gary’s site for the workshops, and you can also register for the June 29 & 30 Gibsons course as well.

Gary Friedman’s High-Impact Photography Seminar
JUNE 29 & 30
ERIC CARDINALL HALL, GIBSONS
930 Chamberlin Road, West Howe Sound
9:00am – 5:30 pm

COST: $125 per day, per person.

It’s a great visual to the diversity of this unique festival in the Gumboot Nation, and there’s free shuttles between the venues! The cost is only $5 for a wristband, available from any of the venues and is good for all venues and daytime music performances, film festival show, art shows and bus transportation between venues. What a DEAL. There are also nighttime Ticketed Events – all are $15 at the door or you can pre-book your tickets at MELOMania in Roberts Creek.

NIGHT TIME ROBERTS CREEK ARTS FESTIVAL EVENTS ARE:

Friday May 17 7-10pm: Goldmoss Gallery Festival Opening, featuring The Boom Booms Saturday May 18 9pm – 1am: Dreamberry Studios ($15 in advance, $20 at the door) Sunday May 19: Strait Sound

ROBERTS CREEK ARTS FESTIVAL VENUES:

• Strait Sound
• Goldmoss Gallery
• Gumboot Cafe
• Heritage Hall
• This is It
• Nico Spacecraft
• Molten Spirit Glass
• ArtBarn
• Lotfive Sound
• Dreamberry

At the time, one of our scruffy friends was staying in the little cabin that used to be just steps from the beach – if you look around closely you may see old footings or bare patches where it once stood. It was full of spiders and birds nests, and with the laughter of friends and the witticisms ringing out over the water well after moonrise. So this park has had a special place in my Sunshine Coast life.

The park encompasses more than is immediately visibile at the foot of the laneway in the park proper. There is a wide beach that sports some lovely sand on low tides; most of the time the rounded rocks and driftwood are the foundation for scrabbling walks along the shore.

There is a wide path that heads northeast away from the interpretive centre and good old-fashioned outhouse. This path will take you past a beautiful marsh and pond – glimpses are available from footpaths cut into the brush – where a heron rookery and beaver dams are the most dominant creatures. But stay awhile and you’ll see bald eagles, mergansers, common loons, kingfishers, red-winged blackbirds, hummingbirds, all manner of thrushes and nuthatches… along with the commoners like seagulls, ravens, crows, and robins.

Up at the entrance to the park and across Redrooffs Road is the Triangle Lake and Colvin Creek trail system, and the entire park covers a huge 142 hectares!

There is also the Sargeant Bay Society, a not-for-profit non-government organization and they work to “protect the habitat of the bay, its watershed and the neighbouring wetlands”. The Society web site is a HUGE resource about Sargeant Bay, with detailed maps, a history of how it came to be, and incredibly detailed information about the unique features in the park. There are also regularly issued newsletters.

If you enjoy the Park, or just wish to support a great cause, please consider volunteering or donating to the Society.

CAN YOU CAMP?

According to BC Parks, this is a day-use picnicking and hiking area only and no camping is permitted, but I’ve seen a kayak or two hauled up on the beach and a tiny tent up on the edge of the main footpath, but I won’t tell if you don’t. I’m not going to tell some poor sucker paddling up close to dark he’s got to keep going.

DOGS. THERE, I SAID IT OUT LOUD.

The other sticky point is DOGS. The park rule is dogs on leashes only, and not on the beach. This is a must-observe during peak months; no one wants a slobbery or wet dog crashing into their picnic or quiet time with a good book!

I have multiple dogs and frequently see a great many people in the park with dogs. The basic etiquette we all follow is:

• visit when the park is quiet
• leave unfriendly or badly behaved dogs at home or on-leash (some people tie a yellow flag on a lead if their dog tends to fight with other dogs as a warning to leave room when passing)
• I can’t emphasize this enough: BRING CLEANUP BAGS AND TAKE IT WITH YOU. I know your dog has such little poops it hardly counts, but look what happened to Amsterdam, where you couldn’t step 6 inches without putting your foot in it. And for big dog owners… really??? Nothing is going to get dogs banished faster than irresponsible, gross owners who literally don’t give a…
• don’t let your dog terrorize the birds, ducks, or animals in the park. This is a nesting area that is a sanctuary for the animals and birds in it.
• this one is purely voluntary, but leave balls with holes in them at home. You may say, ‘duh’, but the popular Chucker has a ‘whistling’ ball and if it goes in the water it goes right to the bottom! I speak from experience.
• do NOT let your dogs wander on to private property at any point along park boundaries. Some folks really don’t like it and it upsets the whole beach vibe when the neighbours are cranked up. Trust me. What, I should keep my dog under control at all times? Puh-lease. Actually, I totally agree with them but Mr. Muttonchop got away on me when we were loading kayaks on the car, and bingo! I hate wrecking someone’s day.

SARGEANT BAY IN PHOTOS

All photos are copyright Bigpacific.com 2013. You may use them only with permission from Bigpacific.com – email me for information.
(ps I love to see them shared with credit to Laurie McConnell/Bigpacific and link to bigpacific.com for community and not-for-profit purposes, but any other use must be arranged. Be mindful of karma!)

Click on them to view in a lightbox; press esc to close.

Suncoaster Race Results | Mach Chicken Race Results

Map courtesy of http://sunshinecoaster.net/

I was not surprised to see Magnus Manson take the 15-16 yr old male age category – Magnus is a highly competitive Sunshine Coast rider sponsored by Dunbar Cycles, and also won the Sunshine Coast Mountain Bike Film Competition in 2012. He spends his shop time at high school building complex aerial camera track systems for the beautiful overhead photography common to great mountain biking films. Hilariously, I bought Magnus’ electronic drum kit for my 50th birthday and he used the cash towards a new helmet. All because his mom and I crossed paths doing the hot lunch program at the Sechelt high school. (Filed under ‘it’s a small world’ stories.)

One of my youngest daughter’s classmates showed up in the photos and I couldn’t help but think how hard it would be as a mom to witness the log jumps, missed turns, collisions and overall spectacular wipeouts that are a part of any mountain biker’s history. And it’s no protection having only daughters; half of the riders I saw at the race end point were women and girls who had raced earlier.

What it did look like was a total blast. If I had disability insurance that covered that kind of potential calamity – or substantial savings for self-insurance – I might even give it a whirl! At least it makes for a great spectator sport, with full-on auditory of whistles blowing along the route to alert fans and timekeepers of an incoming rider, the cheers of trailsiders yelling out encouragement, and the cow bells at the finish line.

Just like the Olympics, but Sunshine Coast style. Just the way we like it. Booyah!

Click on any of the images below to load them in larger formats.

The Gumboot Nation is known for its earthy charms – the Gumboot Cafe & Restaurant, Gumboot Garden, organic sorbets, health food store, plant sales, Elphinstone Rock & Gem’s delightful attic of crystals and stones, MELOmania music store, Inside Passage woodworking school, fiddlers – and is guaranteed to draw folks no matter what the event.

Yesterday the crowds came out for Earth Day 2013 to enjoy a beautiful if windy afternoon all along the bridge and walkways leading to the pier entrance. When I arrived hula dancers were performing to the delight of onlookers, and guests were noshing on everything from salmon candy to gluten-free baking to flatbread pizza.

The annual Sunshine Coast Ride to Work folks were there tuning up bikes, Elphinstone Logging Focus was educating around the Dakota Bowl Cedar Forests protection efforts, and local artisans, photographers and jewelers shared their talents under mixed sun/cloudy skies.

Roberts Creek is the community on the Sunshine Coast that best reflects the diversity of cultures, people, and politics of the region. The inclusivity that shines out of all events in ‘the Creek’ makes it a must-visit-often destination, whether you live here or just love to visit.

If you missed it, remember there are two additional events centred around Roberts Creek still to come… the Annual Painting of the Mandala in July, and Creek Daze in August. See you there!

For more information about Roberts Creek BC, please visit Bigpacific.com’s Roberts Creek pages.

My breath may be fogging in the mornings, precipitation may be swinging from light mist to torrential downpour, and I’ve still got the gumboots and sweaters in the hall closet, but my favorite trees in Sechelt tell me that true spring – and even summer – is coming.

These exuberant superhero trees, ornamental chestnuts (I think!), go from zero foliage to leaves the size of your head it seems like overnight! I swear if I stand still enough I will see them grow right before my eyes. They provide lovely shade when the temperatures eventually do climb, shelter from the rain, interesting pmail stopovers for dogs, and generally just beautify the downtown.

Their counterparts in this tiny park that turns the corner from Wharf into Teredo are the stately and reserve acacias. They cling to the austerity of winter like ancient ballerinas, willowy thin with lined bark and branches spindling up towards the sky, only allowing foliage to grow – grudgingly – around late June. It always happens when I’ve given up hope that they’ve survived, as if they’re deciduatingly dressing to spite me!

The other glorious side of spring – arriving when you least expect them – are the rainbows, like this one I drove through on Saturday.

So pshaw, I say to the changeable spring skies of the Sunshine Coast… Act II is just around the corner, and here’s mud in your eye!

Each year a different ‘twist’ is thrown in the mix… as an example, in 2012 screws were not permitted. Aiyaiyai.

Youth racers also have their own event after building boats at the high school shop to prepare for the date.

Check out the April Tools web site for slideshows and videos of past events, and here’s my fave. It’s even more delicious when it’s someone you know!

Rain or shine you can expect expletives, banged up thumbs, wet derrieres, and a raucously good time. $160 per team entry fee for this classic Pender Harbour event.

I will be attending as a spectator for the ‘glory mile’ of the afternoon races, having no building skills of any kind! However, I am an excellent laugher.

FOR FAMILIES:

Boats are available to row or paddle around the Harbour for free so you can watch the haphazardly hilarious race from your own secure vessel. Eats and drinks will be available by the dock, and at the friendly cafes and takeout vendors in Madeira Park only steps away.

Tuwanek is the definition of ‘sleepy’ as hamlets go. Residents love the area for the semi-bush surroundings – it’s very wild considering the easy road accessibility and proximity to the main boating channel of Sechelt Inlet. Sailboats swing at anchor, canoes, kayaks and rowboats festoon the beaches and rocky shores, and gulls and shorebirds poke along the shore, adding their voices to the sound of the breeze in the trees and the stays clinking on boats.

The community of Tuwanek is made up of work-at-homers, retirees, and a number of accommodation businesses. Historically there has been divided opinion about the proliferation of short term rentals, which range from tiny wooden cottages to a shoreside behemoth that sleeps 20.

My take is that non-tourism business residents offer a cautious welcome to guests in the community if they come with a spirit that respects the sleepy nature of this micro-community, and with a desire to fit in rather than dominate. It’s a testament to Tuwanek that often people who visit for a vacation later relocate and join the hamlet’s stewards in protecting this unique part of the Sunshine Coast.

Activities in Tuwanek

Tuwanek is the jumping off point for Sechelt Inlet adventures by kayak – kayaks can be rented just up the road at Lamb’s Bay at Pedals and Paddles Kayak and Paddleboard Rentals – or put in at Lamb’s Bay beach access in Tuwanek or at the road’s terminus near Tuwanek Trail (Tuwanek Spit). If you are going out on the water, make sure you are in a legal space to leave your vehicle; if going out overnight or for a multi-night exploration of the Sechelt Inlet Marine Parks system, it’s best to park at Pedals and Paddles and pay the nominal launch/parking fee.

Tuwanek is also home to great dive sites ranging from beginner to intermediate. Between the shoreline and Lamb Island the sandy bottom and relatively shallow depth makes for a great beginner dive with plenty to look at. For more skilled divers, the HMS Chaudiere is the first Destroyer Escort to be sunk as an artificial reef in BC, back on December 5, 1995. A deep dive, it is strongly recommended to have a Chaudiere expert diver along on any visits to this impressive reef with multiple entry and exit points. (Review: http://www.best-scuba-diving-vacations-in-british-columbia.com/chaudiere.html)

Here’s a great video of diving the Chaudiere:

Tuwanek is dog-friendly for well-socialized and obedient dogs, and masters who carry cleanup bags. Do NOT allow pets on to private property and DO clean up, whether above or below tide line on the beaches. I mean, ewww, I shouldn’t have to tell you that, right?

Map to Tuwanek:

View Larger Map

There are 10 of them scattered throughout the site, placed on specific pages.

Find all ten pages where a creature appears, fill out the form below and you are entered into the contest!

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES:
MARCH 29 NOON PDT, 2013

PRIZE SPONSORS:

Moon Dance Vacation Rentals Pender Harbour – 2 Night Getaway

Moon Dance Perch and Moon Dance Cabin are secluded water view and waterfront retreats on the beautiful tidal basin of Oyster Bay, in Pender Harbour on the Sunshine Coast. Explore local trails, read a book or watch eagles and ravens fish at high tide.

http://www.moondance.travel

Halfmoon Sea Kayaks Sunshine Coast – Intro to Kayaking for Two or Kayak Rental for Two

Ocean Kayak Rentals, lessons and tour company. providing new and experienced sea kayakers with high quality, reliable kayaks and gear, attentive service and a safe and unforgettable kayak experience.

http://www.halfmoonseakayaks.com

Bad Dog Design Inc. Web Design, Social Media, Portal Development – Sony E-Reader with WiFi.

Bad Dog Design: Seriously Fun, Always Professional Web Engagement Since 1997. Offering affordable and professional web design, social media setup and management, and portal development for communities real and virtual.

http://www.baddogdesign.com

Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives – “Rough and Ready Times: The History of Port Mellon” Book

The Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives presents the history of the Sunshine Coast and its inhabitants.  We have two floors of exhibits to explore as well as a resource room, reference library, and extensive archives with over 9,000 photographs and documents. The Museum is situated in the heart of Gibsons Landing, 10 minutes from the BC Ferries terminal in Langdale. We are wheelchair accessible & accommodate group tours by appointment.

http://www.sunshinecoastmuseum.ca

FROM THE SUNSHINE COAST MUSEUM & ARCHIVES

 *Moon Dance 2 Night Getaway and Halfmoon Sea Kayaks Intro to Kayaking for 2 must be used in April, 2013. Please be sure to indicate whether you are able to use or gift those two prizes. Prizes may not be resold and may only be transferred with the approval and involvement of the sponsoring business.

ENTRY FORM

[gravityform id=1 name=BigpacificRedesign Contest Entry]

Gibsons PKN #5 is happening Friday, March 15th at 8pm at the Arts Building, 464 South Fletcher in Gibsons. Admission is $10 at the door. Doors open at 7:30 and  the last three shows have been sell outs.

For more information see www.artsbuilding.org