Monday, February 28, 2022
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR PPOC MEMBERSHIP
Submitted by Kathryn Gardner As I write this installment from my cozy couch in the BC interior two weeks ago, it is minus twelve degrees outside with nighttime temperatures dipping down into the -20°’s. The driveway has been plowed more times in the past week than the entire winter last year, and we are settling in for an extended period of cold. Now I can hear our members in the “real cold” parts of Canada guffawing! “Minus twenty!” you say, “that’s a balmy-day walk in the park!” But for us in the temperate zone, negative double-digits is a time for hunkering down with hot cocoa and a good book. May I suggest you trade that book for an afternoon on-line with PPOC, and become familiar with all the things you can do with your membership?
Monday, February 14, 2022
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY FROM WPC TEAM CANADA
Submitted by Mona D'Amours in honour of World Photographic Cup WPC Co-Captains, Jillian Chateauneuf, BC; Gerald David, AB and WPC Team Canada, Top 10 Finalists in the World, Deborah MacEwen, SK; Louis-Philippe Provost, QC; Michelle Valberg, ON. I approached this outstanding group of leaders in photography to write a news story for Valentine's Day which is all about LOVE. We will do anything for love, and that is so true in photography. Take the time to enjoy the gallery of all images selected to represent WPC Team Canada 2022. Follow our camera lens which will be focused on Deborah, Louis-Philippe, and Michelle who have shared, not only their WPC images, but two of their own personal favourites. Their images are magical, but their stories are compelling. They really are about LOVE!
Sunday, January 30, 2022
WHY PPOC PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE AMONG THE BEST IN THE WORLD
Submitted by Mona D’Amours in collaboration with PPOC member Christian Redermayer who has been recognized with prestigious international awards in the past two years for his photography at International Image Challenge IIC, USA; Wedding & Portrait Europe Awards WPE, France; Epson International Pano Awards, Australia; International Photography Awards IPA USA; Tokyo International Foto Awards, Japan; Monochrome Awards, International black and white photography, and Monovision Photography Awards, leading black and white photography Magazine Awards. Discover why he has reached top awards in all these competitions, and why he was named Commercial Photographer of the Year by International Image Challenge IIC 2021. We begin with his architectural and product illustration Gold Medal awards with IIC. Be inspired by all the winners of Master Photographers International Image Challenge IIC promotional video.
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
TIPS FOR FOREST AND FOLIAGE PHOTOGRAPHY
Submitted by Dave Hutchison I have been photographing and exploring the forest on Vancouver Island for over ten years. Like any genre within photography, there are some tips and tricks that are valuable for the getting the best possible images from the forest.
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
TIPS FOR LONG EXPOSURE PHOTOGRAPHY - THE ART OF SEEING WHAT YOU CAN'T SEE
Submitted by Dave Hutchison Over the past six years, I have produced dozens of long exposure seascape images in part to living minutes from the BC coast on Vancouver Island. There are lots of applications for long exposure photography to communicate motion, drama, and just something that is artistic. The subject could be clouds passing through mountain passes, people in a busy courtyard, car headlights in a traffic circle and the list goes on. My specialty within Long Exposure Photography is seascapes.
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
ACCREDITATION GIVES YOU WINGS - MARK LAURIE
Submitted by Mona D’Amours in collaboration with Mark Laurie: I was intrigued by Mark who has 37 accreditations. Since I struggled with accreditations, I wanted to know his secret. How did he do it? Why did he do it? What were the benefits? When I approached him, I wanted an S.O.S. plan, Secrets, Opportunities, Success with accreditation.
Monday, October 4, 2021
WORLD PHOTOGRAPHIC CUP (WPC) - WHAT IS IT, AND HOW CAN IT HELP YOU?
Submitted by Gerald (Gerry) David In 2019, I was approached with the unique opportunity to be Team Captain for the team that Canada enters into the World Photographic Cup. I didn’t know anything about it, but the person who approached me had an enthusiasm that was rather infectious. Maybe it was the delta variant of enthusiasm. So I agreed to be part of it, with help. And that is how I became Co-Captain of Team Canada! Joining me on my journey was the inimitable Jillian Chateauneuf, well known to many at PPOC. You can call us Gerr-illian.
Friday, September 24, 2021
WHAT'S IN YOUR BAG?
Submitted by Gerald (Gerry) David Photographers think about this a lot. As a matter of fact, I have lists of what needs to be in my bag for different types of off-site sessions. I can usually remember everything important without the list… and then I get dust on my lens. And I forgot the cleaning kit. Or I find a cat hair on my sensor. And I forgot my blower. You get the idea. I did the same thing as a musician. Lists. They work.
Tuesday, September 7, 2021
DON'T BRING YOUR CAMERA
Submitted by Mona D’Amours. Summer is over. Back to school. Lessons to learn. NEVER BRING A CAMERA if you go white water rafting. I survived Class 5 rapids on the Thompson River, BC after our zodiac flipped on the "Frog" August 15, 2021. I was trapped under the boat with no air pocket. The only man beside me who was also caught under the zodiac, but had an air pocket, grabbed my life jacket. We were both swept underwater by the rapids, and ended up 50 metres away from the zodiac. That was the longest 6 seconds of my life. Feeling helpless underwater with rapids swirling in all directions was terrifying even though I was a lifeguard and qualified scuba diver in my youth. My buddy and I held on to our oars, and tried to swim to our zodiac, but couldn’t. The current was too strong. We had no choice, but to succumb to the rapids until we were pulled on board by a motorized zodiac further downstream. Without the rescue, I wouldn’t be here writing this story since I would have been swallowed up by 18 rapids. It was the perfect storm with low water levels exposing more rocks than normal, compounded by the heat wave, drought conditions, and fierce winds that literally flipped the boat upside down, not once, but almost twice.
