New summer workshops in Enderby, BC!

Learn to take better pictures in the beautiful North Okanagan! Join me for another round of Camera Basics and Field Instruction in Enderby, BC this July! You can get all the information here. Camera Basics (theory-based) happens on Thursday, July 19th (6-8pm) and the Field Instruction happens Saturday, July 21st (times to be determined). Sign up for both for only $100 (taxes included)! There’s only space for 10 participants, so contact me to book at (250) 838-6195 or at darren@darrenrobinsonphotography.com

Photography Workshops in Enderby, BC!

Hi all, due to much demand in the Shuswap and North Okanagan for quality photography workshops in the area, I have put together some sessions to be held this month in beautiful Enderby, BC! Whether you’re just learning about photography, or you just need some professional tips to truly inspire and elevate your imagery, these workshops are fun, and affordable!

Please click here to download the PDF which outlines the dates, prices and workshop descriptors! Book your spot now by emailing me at darren@darrenrobinsonphotography.com or by calling (250) 838-6195. Hurry, space is limited!

Introducing the Purcells!

Well I’ve been talking about this for quite some time now and I am now very excited to announce it’s a GO! Join me this BC Day long weekend and vastly improve your knowledge of photography in one of the most iconic (and secluded) mountain playgrounds in the world – The Purcell Mountains.

Through Discover BC Photo Tours, come discover BC as you unleash your creative and technical savvy in one extraordinary wilderness landscape. Let the unmistakable Mt Sir Donald be your backdrop as you explore this vast mountain wilderness through your camera. This is considered the very centre of where the Columbia, Selkirk and Purcell ranges meet, so if you yearn for the mountains, this is undoubtedly your workshop!

Get up close and personal as we shoot some amazing waterfalls, mountain streams, forests, fiery meadows of indian paintbrush, fireweed and western pasque flowers and so much more! The grassy meadows of the area allow for some really great opportunities to see and shoot wildlife such as elk, moose, caribou, whitetail deer, black and grizzly bears, and mountain goats. With over sixty-three species of birds identified in the area, your bound to return home with some amazing stories to match the breathtaking imagery you’ll get to show off.

But don’t think for a second that just because we’re in the middle of nowhere (or everywhere!), doesn’t mean we’re sleeping in tents and sharing cans of pork ‘n beans after our field shoots. No, no, the incredibly astounding Purcell Mountain Lodge will be our headquarters for the long weekend. Luxurious mountaintop accommodations coupled with delectable meals using organic ingredients (all included in the workshop rate I might add), means that we can solely focus on the task at hand; vastly improving your photography!

Image provided by Purcell Mountain Lodge

All weekend long we’ll cover topics such as camera basics, lighting, exposure, composition, depth of field, essential gear, patterns and textures, creative approaches, working with subjects, landscape essentials, impactful portraiture, architectural photography, lightpainting and other in camera effects, post-processing and more!

To access the Lodge we will depart from Golden on August 3rd via helicopter! The flight is 15 minutes long and will take us over incredible mountain peaks and ancient glaciers, before dropping us off at the Lodge to begin our weekend of learning and exploring. Because participants will likely need accommodations in Golden on August 2nd (flight leaves typically between 8-9 AM), I am waiting on some discounted one-night rates exclusive to us. Before booking your Golden pre-night stay, be sure to ask me who to book with!

Also, if you plan to get new gear before our workshop, make sure you visit The Camera Store in Calgary, personally, I wouldn’t dream of going anywhere else for my photographic needs.

And I would also like to welcome the newest sponsor Experience the Mountain Parks! EMP is a fantastic resource for anyone wanting information on visiting the mountain parks of BC and Alberta. Publisher Bob Harris is not only responsible for creating this useful and beautiful guide, he is just a fantastic person and I am so happy to welcome him and CMI Publishing as an event sponsor!

The workshop takes place August 3, 4 and 5 and there is a maximum of 8 spots available! Booking deadline is April 30th, 2012!

To view the complete details and prices in PDF form, click here! You do not want to miss out on this workshop! Email me at darren@darrenrobinsonphotography.com or call (250) 838-6195.

Oh, I cannot wait for this one!

The Multiplier Effect

Late last fall I discovered the technique of “multiplicity.” Multiplicity is the common term for imagery that combines multiple exposures into one image. The effect is not only extraordinarily fun to create, but it also generates the wow factor from those that see it done well. I’ve had much fun coming up with multiplicity concepts since then and the more I attempt these, the quicker the process becomes. Below is the result of my first attempt, I like to call it “The Party”.

After seeing the results (and response) from the image, I was hooked. With my beautiful wife and gorgeous little girls away on a house hunting trip, this was the perfect way to keep myself busy for the weekend. As such, other multiplicity concepts were born. For my second attempt, I took the project to the back yard for more canvas space. Setting my camera on the tripod and the shutter on self-timer, I went to work. This time, I wanted to combine two new effects I discovered into one concept; multiplicity and levitation. The “me” being lifted into the sky was achieved by jumping off of an outdoor hot tub, over and over again, until I got the flying image I wanted. Took about 30 takes to get it (remember, I was on self-timer!). Man were my legs sore the next day. Then, in post, I simply “erased” the hot tub. For more information on levitation photography, see the end of this post.

The next day, I attempted another back yard riot. The original concept was supposed to be “Greens” vs. “Oranges”, but shortly after creating the image, I realized I forgot to change my shirt for one of the guys playing cards in the foreground. Nonetheless, it was great to practice the technique.

I had so much fun with multiplicity that weekend, that I showed up bright and early to work on Monday to attempt another one (I worked out of the Powell River Visitor Centre, so it only seemed right to have myselves helping….well, myselves).

Now that I was quite comfortable with the technique I decided to try some shots using my beautiful daughters as models. First up was my youngest, who wanted nothing more than to show off her Halloween ladybug costume.

Then my oldest daughter, who, by the way, came up with most of the poses herself.

A good six weeks or so passed before I attempted another multiplicity, but the next concept was always on my mind. It was time for another “Party.” This time, I wanted my lovely wife to be a part of the concept. I wanted her to be “surrounded” by a handful of Darrens. I am more than certain that for her sometimes this conceptual scene seems all too real 🙂

I now have many family and friends asking me to create their own multiplicity images. Who am I to say no? These last two were taken just this last weekend during a visit to Merritt to visit my family. The first one is of my darling niece, and her many personalities.

And last, but in no way least, my nephew showcasing his hysterical sense of humour.

I have many multiplicity concepts brewing in my brain on how I can take this to the next level. Stay tuned as I work them out in my many heads.

To see how this effect is accomplished, watch this video here.

For a tutorial on levitation photography, click here.

Discover BC Photo Tours announces new People & Places workshops in Kelowna

My good friend and business partner, Kelly Funk and I have completed our 2012 Kelowna workshop schedule and we think you’re going to like it!  The theme of the workshops is: ‘People & Places’.  We’re offering 3 dates for each theme, for your convenience. The workshops are a full day and all the details can be seen on by clicking here. We’re very excited about these and we hope you will be too. We welcome all levels of photographers to explore their creative visions while perfecting any technical issues. Space is limited so be sure to book for your preferred dates early!

Mount Robson Workshop a Huge Success

I just got back from our 3 day workshop in Mount Robson Provincial Park as part of the Discover BC Photo Tours workshop series. Twelve enthusiastic participants joined fellow instructor Kelly Funk and myself in one of the most picturesque destinations in British Columbia. For the most part, the weather cooperated. A few hours of rain challenged us on Saturday morning and again on Sunday afternoon, but the clouds and fog made for some dramatic scenes. And the saturation from the rain added to the impact.

A good time was certainly had by all, starting with an awesome wine and cheese welcome, made possible by Tourism Valemount. Silvio and Jennifer went above and beyond in helping to make this workshop a hit, providing the transportation to and from field locations throughout the entire weekend!

Friday night also included classroom style instruction on Camera Basics, Lighting, Exposure and Creative Compositions. The group was just itching to get out onto the trail the next day.

Saturday included trekking up the Berg Lake trail to Kinney Lake.

Along the way participants were offered further instruction on vertical panning, shooting lifestyle imagery, shooting water, shooting stitched panoramas and using filters. On Saturday night the group was shown how to use long exposures to turn truck tail lights into streaming beams of awesomeness tunneling towards a clouded Mt Robson. It was the perfect ending to a great day of instruction and shooting.

Sunday arrived and the weather was rather subdued, borderline flat; the perfect conditions to be shooting Rearguard Falls.

The group spread out almost immediately to find their vision and create their scenes. It was really fun to see the creative energy surface and it was here that we stressed the importance of filters when shooting waterfalls and high contrast scenes. Just when it seemed like we had exhausted the location, two rafting groups decided to hit the water and give us an opportunity to instruct on action/lifestyle photography.

After lunch on Sunday the rain started in. The group voted and we opted to use this time to stay inside and instruct on a critical element in image creation; post-processing. Here we covered topics like work flow, using Photoshop, shooting RAW, clone-stamping, highlight recovery, colour matching and outputting. This was very well received and Kelly and I have decided to make this a regular part of our workshop curriculum.

Monday was an optional day and most of the participants stuck around for the added day. We used this time to head up to White Falls along the Berg Lake trail. We were available to the group for any questions along the way, but we made a conscious decision to let them put their newly acquired knowledge to work. I look forward to seeing the shots produced by our participants.

If you want to join us on an upcoming workshop, click here to see what’s coming up for 2012. We are currently working on adding more workshops throughout BC for summer and fall of next year.

Discover BC Photo Tours launches new website

Discover BC Photo Tours (a joint venture between Darren Robinson Photography and Kelly Funk – Natural Wonders Photography) is proud to announce the launch of its new website www.bcphototours.com. Our mission is to foster an environment conducive to learning photography, both artistically and technically. By fusing together dynamic small group learning with optimal one-on-one instruction, participants are sure to notice a dramatic improvement in their imagery whatever their skill level. Through our workshops, we strive  to bring the classroom to life by introducing participants to some of the most iconic and breathtaking locations in British Columbia.

We’d like to thank Powell River based designers Massive Graphic for putting together such a captivating site. Please check it out and stay tuned as we release details on our Wells Grey Provincial Park workshop in March 2012!

Also, be sure to become a Facebook fan of Darren Robinson Photography by clicking here.

 

Inspired By Nature Workshops – Change of Dates

Due to the rapid loss of daylight during the fall season (and to appease many schedules), the dates of the last two workshops in the Inspired By Nature fall workshop series have been moved. The new dates can be accessed here. There is still space left for both October workshops (The Magic of Water, and Intimate Sunshine Coast), so contact me at darren@darrenrobinsonphotography to book or find out more about the two Saturday afternoon sessions.

Texada lightpainting experiment

We just got back from a family holiday on Texada Island, where we stayed for three amazing nights at Shelter Point, spending our time exploring Shingle Beach, Heisholt Lake, Gillies Bay and more.

Shingle Beach on Texada Island

It didn’t take long for the magic of the island to spark creativity amongst the family. We decided to set up down on the beach and try our hand at some unique lightpainting ideas. Long exposures, the faint light and deep colour of dusk, a few flashlights and whole lot of energy, helped us to create the images below.

Although we generated some great shots the first night, we were bursting with ideas for our second night of lightpainting. Everyone wanted to get in the action this time, despite the strange looks from other campers who had no idea why we were waving flashlights around in frantic fashion.

It was on the third night that we started to really refine our technique. I conceptualized a shot of a lightpainted car parked atop the log. After pressing the shutter on self-timer (45 seond exposure) I quickly ran behind the log and painted (with a regular flashlight) what I wanted my car-of-light to look like. I was quite happy with the outcome, but wasn’t finished despite the rapid loss of available dusk light. I employed the help of my neice and nephew for the grand finale. My nephew was tasked with lightpainting his sister, while I lightpainted a car around her. This was the last shot taken in a very successful (and a whole lot of fun) lightpainting experiment at one of the most beautiful spots on BC’s Sunshine Coast. If you want to learn more about lightpainting, be sure to check out our upcoming workshop in Mount Robson. I’ll bring the flashlights 🙂

Focus shifts to Mount Robson in September

Oh, the weather was glorious for the Coast in Focus Photography workshop last weekend here on the Upper Sunshine Coast of BC. Although the group was a smaller one (in numbers, not collective height :)), an amazing time was had by all the participants. Some of the locations changed this year, which worked out incredibly well given that this was our first year of the workshop without rain. Most notably was our visit on Sunday to Heisholt Lake (Quarry Lake) on Texada Island. The group seemed rather keen to make this amazing locale the grand finale shoot of the weekend. I am very excited to see some of the imagery produced by the workshop participants.

But now, we put Coast in Focus behind us and get ready for our Mount Robson Photography Workshop in September! This one is filling up quickly, so if you are interested in improving your imagery through professional (and experiential) instruction, be sure to book your spot soon! Kelly Funk and I will also have details coming fairly soon on our newest workshop for 2012….the incredible Purcell Mountains 🙂 Stay tuned.

Coast in Focus participant sets her focus on the Palm Beach tidal pools

Sweetwater Creek was the location for our water shoot

Sea Fair was on - great opportunity for creative scenes like this 30 second exposure

We took advantage of some unreal cloud formations that looked like jellyfish - how fitting!

 

 

Sunday's Heisholt Lake shoot was the perfect ending to a great weekend of learning

 

Participant Gabe joined me in an 80 ft plunge into the lake to finish off the weekend