Jay Scott Photography

Purple Poochie

One of my postponed shots was of Kiwi after her latest grooming. She has taken to sitting on the back of the couch with her chin resting on the half-wall.

Teaming Up with the Cyclones

Last evening I went to the Saskatoon Field House to meet with the Cyclones wheelchair road and track racing team. What a nice bunch of people. I had already met a few of them in the past and one of them I know quite well. Angie has met a number of them through her work. It was really nice to have a chat, watch them practice and try to get them excited about some of the ideas I have for photographs for their team.

I am glad that I took the initiative to offer some photographic services to them. Whether it is making new friends, just providing a service for some people that would benefit from my photography or the motivation to get out somewhere new that might actually encourage exercise beyond weight lifting in front of this monitor, it was definitely a positive outing. There was nothing holding me back from shooting last evening but I did not bring any of my lighting gear and, to be perfectly honest, I could definitely use more practice shooting action. I can make all kinds of excuses about being disabled and having paralyzed hands but I don’t think they would be very good excuses so I will simply practice.

As much as I love flash photography I know that it does prevent me from practicing maneuvers such as panning and other techniques that require some physical skill. It is not that learning the lighting techniques that I have learned are not a skill but it is where I have chosen to focus my efforts and I do not regret that choice.

Since these people meet so frequently I am going to try to stop in as early as this coming Thursday evening, set up a small on location studio and get them to pop over for a couple of shots. As much as I can verbally describe to them what I have in mind, a good photograph will speak far more than a thousand words.

It appears to be exactly the opportunity that I was looking for and it is not that I was trying to be shy or lazy but I was not sure where to offer my efforts where they would be needed and appreciated. If you have or know of any not-for-profit or low-budget organizations that could benefit from some photographic services let me know or send them my way. As I have pictures worth posting I will definitely share them with you.

Pink Vial

Using the same lighting technique as yesterday, but with a bit of sunlight reflected back at the front to bring out the edges of the vial’s angles, I took these at the same time as the glasses. This vial was given to Angie by her grandmother.

I know these two are almost identical, but the sunlight refracted off the stopper but was only visible in the reflection. Caught my eye as interesting.

Low Key Drinking Conveyances

This is the first time I’ve used this low key lighting technique. It started as a learning experience but the results were postworthy.

Lull? Peak? Crossroad? Milestone?

Winter is on its way out and I can definitely feel the spring fever beginning to build. Since today was my last post of the zoo photographs from last season, and the snow is melting outside, I’m starting to get anxious for clear sidewalks and pathways so I can get back to the zoo and down by the river with ease. To my pleasure, I have not felt restricted as much as some winters about getting out this year. I felt as though I have kept fairly busy working on projects that included some photography, photography technology, endless reading of photography education and photographers’ websites, a few geeky projects and miscellaneous other work. However, I am not sure, beyond exercise and photography based outings, where I should direct the majority of my efforts at this point.

A few years ago I taught some photography lessons to a student and enjoy the experience very much. I had begun to revamp the lessons to be less camera specific and revised into something I would be more willing to call my work. It was not that it was of poor quality but I wrote them as though I were speaking directly to the student, slang and all. I would not do that if it were something to be distributed amongst larger numbers. Since I am self-taught in photography I honestly felt as though my writings could very likely be incomplete and I would not even know it. I know that there is obviously good information in what I wrote but I fear there are unknown omissions.

Knowing that there are endless, quality, free, websites with information from photographers far more experienced than I, I would not be so bold as to try to publish, or make money from, what I wrote. There is the possibility that I could use it as a framework to teach in a more one on one, personalized manner. This is where I begin to need your help.

Do you think this would be feasible and if so where and in what form could I do this that would be effective, appreciated and worth the effort?

That was option one. Option two is something far grander in scale. In a past series of conversations with Courtney Milne I was encouraged to speak about patience because of the things that I’ve experienced in my life and the times where I required a high level of patience. He expressed to me that it was a virtue he valued greatly and used the example of how many times a scene can change just by the changing of light from the moving of the sun or clouds from one minute to the next. He told me that whenever he would speak to groups he would express the importance of patience and how it influenced his photography but nobody quite seem to grasp what he meant. He thought that through my life experiences I may have greater effectiveness conveying the importance and value of patience to people.

The skeleton of such a book in a semi-biography form is written. I do not doubt my writing ability, and would greatly appreciate a skilled editor should I finish such a book, but I’m not entirely certain that I could make something that would be effective all on its own. (No hints or signs of fear or hesitation as to which way to go in this rambling collection of thoughts, is there?) What I would like to do is to supplement my writings with my photographs. There are a number of snapshots and pictures that came perfect the first time but I would never consider those my best work. The piece I am most fond of took days to plan and a few hours to execute. I am talking about Midnight Rose. From purchasing the roses at just the right time so they would open perfectly before the full moon, to setting up the four different light sources on stands, resting on lawn chairs and clamped to the deck railing, gelled appropriately and ready to go exactly when the moon was in the right position so that I can get the angle I needed from my limited height variability in this wheelchair it will take a lot of effort for something to bump this photograph out of first place of my work in my mind. This is the situation for most of my favorite pieces simply because of the effort I knew went into it to make it perfect without correcting flaws later on in Photoshop.

My question is simply this: Would a book of this nature be interesting to you? Would you value one page with a photograph and the opposite with a portion of my story as it pertains to my life, with a subtle focus on the patience required in specified situations I have been through? Do you have any other suggestions or thoughts for option number two?

I am not certain what option number three is but it may take the shape of actively seeking people or groups in the need of some professional photographs. Most likely these would be not for profit or an organization of that nature. After seeing the screening of Invisible Children at the University of Saskatchewan Wednesday evening I began to wonder if they needed photographs of local group members for any purpose. Perhaps there are athletes or members of the Saskatchewan Wheelchair Sports Association in need of unique photographs to promote themselves. These are the ideas I have so far but would welcome your suggestions and feedback.

I know that comments on my website are quite rare but I know that you, my readers, are out there. Over 7000 of you visit every month and I appreciate it. I would also be really thankful if you could give me your brief feedback on this post. I know that it was long despite my efforts to not be long-winded but I encourage you, anonymously or not, to drop me your thoughts.

Thank you!

Jay

Saskatoon Zoo & Forestry Farm 2009 – Post 45

It was very interesting to visit this place so frequently during the year to watch the changes. The spring was quite disappointing and I hope next year will bring better blooms and butterflies.

This concludes my best photos from trips to the zoo and forestry farm. Some were sorted into the Fauna or Flora categories earlier in the year as I processed my favourites.

Some of these include:

Lavender and Orange Cups

Standing Out

and

White

Saskatoon Zoo & Forestry Farm 2009 – Post 44

Saskatoon Zoo & Forestry Farm 2009 – Post 43

Saskatoon Zoo & Forestry Farm 2009 – Post 42

They certainly grew up a lot this year from the 4 month old cubs they were when they arrived.

Saskatoon Zoo & Forestry Farm 2009 – Post 41

These are the little cougar cubs from earlier in the year. Half grown up.

This was one of the confrontational stances from a dispute over a bone I spoke about a few days ago. He had calmed down for the most part but was still asserting himself over the other one for the bone.

Up From the Muck

Simply new work with water. I still have goals I want to achieve with water, but this look is something I’ve been trying to capture.

These last two just jumped back at the camera.

Pink & Blue Orb

Using a new technique I’ve discovered I was able to begin to cause a transparent effect similar to “Grandma’s Reading Chair”. As I refine it I’ll have more, obvious, examples for you in the future.

Saskatoon Zoo & Forestry Farm 2009 – Post 40

Saskatoon Zoo & Forestry Farm 2009 – Post 39

It’s not as clear as I hoped, but the rooster was sitting on the fence watching the wolves. I found it ironic and wondered what might have happened had the fence not been there. Maybe that bird would have been a wolf’s lunch or maybe they would have come over to play with me. I’ve seen the zoo staff playing with the wolves before and they look like big dogs more than anything. An encounter later in the year proved otherwise to me when the wolves were standing off against each other over a bone. The growls they made were fierce reminders of their wild nature. Our little Kiwi growls when we play, but they are definitely playful when compared to what I heard last November.

In five days you will see a shot from the standoff, but I hope, once I invest in my next camera body with HD video, I can capture a video clip, with sound, of events like that and the bugles of a caribou in heat as seen the today’s third photo.

Saskatoon Zoo & Forestry Farm 2009 – Post 38