Through Each Others Eyes » You Can Sleep When You're Dead: Blog by Colleen Miniuk

February 2013 Print of the Month: 30% Off "Reflection at Moraine Lake" Prints!

Feb 072013

During February,I’m thrilled to be participating in the month-long “Alberta-Arizona: People and Places” exhibition at the Calgary Public Library in support of the prestigious “Exposure 2013 Photography Festival” in Alberta, Canada. Presented by the Calgary-based IRIS Photographic Society and Phoenix-based Through Each Others Eyes non-profit organizations, this photographic show features a mix of work from exchange photographers Peter Carroll, Royce Howland, Ken Ross and yours truly.

In celebration of this exciting inaugural show with IRIS and TEOE in Calgary, I’m pleased to share that one of our photographs currently on display at this exhibition, titled “Reflections at Moraine Lake” from Banff National Park, Alberta is our CMS Photography Print of the Month for February 2013!

Now thru February 28, 2013, visit our website and use coupon code FEB13POTM01 to receive 30% off any size or style of this print. As with each Print of the Month within the collection, in addition to your print, you’ll also receive a one-page write-up on the story behind the photograph, which will include specific location information, technical details, and photography tips.

If you’d like to see the print in person (and Calgary happens to be a close-by destination), be sure to stop by the Calgary Public Library! To learn more about this exhibition, please visit IRIS website at irisphotoalberta.ca/events/2013-events/exposure-2013-exhibit-calgary-public-library/.

CMS Photography: Favorite Photos From 2012

General 52 Responses »

Jan 022013

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
~Eleanor Roosevelt

Happy 2013 Everyone! A new year means a blank canvas on which to create new friendships, opportunities, and achievements! I hope you each have big dreams in mind, and perhaps even more importantly, I hope you follow them relentlessly and passionately so they all come true for you in the new year. After all, “you can sleep when you’re dead,” right?

Whew, what a year 2012 was for CMS Photography! Last year will go down as our busiest, most successful, and by far the most exciting year to date, with many countless “thank you’s” owed to you, as I could not do what I do without your continued support! I feel truly fortunate to be surrounded by so many inspiring, creative, and enthusiastic people.

Some major highlights for us from last year include (in no particular order):

Won 7 international book awards for our recently published guidebook, “Wild in Arizona: Photographing Arizona’s Wildflowers”
Wandered and relaxed (!) during my husband’s two-month sabbatical from his work
Traveled to Scotland, England, Alberta & British Columbia in Canada, California, Hawai’i, Maine, Montana (twice), Florida, Washington, Utah (multiple times), and to many excellent photogenic locales within Arizona in between!
Established and participated in the first ever cultural photography exchange and exhibition between Alberta and Arizona for the Through Each Other Eyes non-profit organization (which led to the recent creation of the IRIS Photographic Society of Alberta)
Served as a Featured/Keynote Speaker at the International Photographic Society of America (PSA) Annual Conference and the Cooperative Communicators Association (CCA) Institute
Saw friends and met lots of new people during numerous book signings, camera club presentations, and photography workshops
Selected as an Artist-in-Residence for Acadia National Park (…for the third time!!)
Published in the 2013 National Geographic and Arizona Highways calendars
Donated 100% of the profit from November print sales to Emmy’s Army to help my friend, Emily, beat childhood cancer
Started this blog!

And just when you think you can’t have any more wild fun, 2013 shows up!

Going into our sixth year as a full-time freelance photographer and writer, I couldn’t be any more pumped for the year to come, not just because of all the travel planned and the new projects we’ll announce throughout the year, but all the great times and awesome learning opportunities we’ll share together, whether that be during our upcoming Workshops and Presentations or simply out in the field sharing some light and good laughs.

But, before we start running down the 2013 street like a bat outta hell, though, I’d like to share my favorite 13 (a lucky number for the new year!) photos in celebration of a joyful 2012. For more inspiration, be sure to also head over to Jim Goldstein’s Blog, hes posted his traditional and ever-growing list of other photographers’ own favorites and best from 2012 for his “Blog Project: Your Best Photos from 2012.”

Here goes:

1. Winter’s Serenade, Death Valley National Park, California (January 2012)

Cottonball Marsh area along Salt Creek in Death Valley National Park, California, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

2. Walk the Line, Death Valley National Park, California (February 2012)

Cracked mud and stones in the Panamint Dry Lake in Death Valley National Park, California, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

3. Sunrise at Boulder Beach, Acadia National Park, Maine (June 2012)

er Beach and the Otter Cliffs, Acadia National Park, Maine, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

4. Bunchberry Dogwood, Acadia National Park, Maine (June 2012)

Bunchberry dogwood (Cornus canadensis) at Acadia National Park, Maine, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

5. The Totem Pole and Yei Bi Chei, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Arizona (June 2012)

The Totem Pole and Yei Bi Chei rock formations in Monument Valley Tribal Park, Arizona, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

6. The Colorado River Flexing its Muscle, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona (June 2012)

The sandstone cliffs of Marble Canyon reflect into waves in the Colorado River near Lee’s Ferry, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

7. The RCMP Musical Ride, 100th Anniversary of the Calgary Stampede, Calgary, Alberta, Canada (July 2012)

Abstract view of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Musical Ride during Stampede in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

8. Reach for the Sky, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona (August 2012)

Abstract sky pool pattern in Lake Powell, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

9. Autumn on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona (September 2012)

Gambel oak line the edge of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

10. Autumn Regeneration, Kaibab National Forest, Arizona (September 2012)

Abstract view of a regenerating burned forest during autumn in the Kaibab National Forest, Arizona, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

11. Mother Nature’s Ice Cream, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona (October 2012)

Striated bentonite clay beds in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order)

12. Spell of the Sea, The Big Island, Hawai’i (November 2012)

Waves and volcanic rock along the Puna Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

13. Winter Solstice Eve, Canyonlands National Park, Utah (December 2012)

Viewed from the Green River Overlook, the sun sets over Island in the Sky district in Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

Thank you for stopping by the “You Can Sleep When You’re Dead” blog! Let’s all make 2013 a year to remember!

~Colleen

Making the Image: "The RCMP Musical Ride"

Making the Image No Responses »

Nov 152012

The RCMP Musical Ride from the 2012 Calgary Stampede in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Prints available – click on photo to order!

I’d have to look it up in the rule books, but it’s potentially sacrilegious to visit Canada and NOT photograph the world-renowned Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Keeping this in mind as I prepared for my July 2012 visit to Alberta in support of the first Through Each Others Eyes Arizona-Alberta exchange, I naturally put photographing a Mountie in a flashy “Red Serge” uniform towards to the top of my shot list.

But it wasn’t just a portrait of these fine servicemen and women I was seeking. No, no, the photograph needed to tell an intriguing story about the RCMP. But what did that mean? Hmmmm….

After some pre-trip research, different ideas danced in my head until we arrived at the Calgary Stampede Stadium in July 2012. There, I had the honor of seeing my first RCMP Musical Ride during the 100th Anniversary of the Calgary Stampede, thanks to the efforts of our hosts and fellow photographers Peter Carroll, Royce Howland, and Kerry Smith.

To open this historic rodeo, thirty-plus RCMP members – each riding an elegant horse – flawlessly moved through an artistically choreographed series of formations and traditional movements within the dirt arena. With obviously much precision, skill, and teamwork, the galloping horses and straight-backed riders holding stately flags somehow didn’t get tangled!

As I clicked away with fast shutter speeds during the event, I couldn’t help but feel all my frames were too static. And there was absolutely nothing static about what I was experiencing!

Hastily, I visualized a new approach, one that would allow me to record the impressive formations but yet include a distinct sense of motion. Within seconds, I set my ISO to its slowest setting (ISO 50), spun my aperture dial to its smallest (f/36), and added a polarizing filter to the front of my 100-400mm lens to slow my shutter speed down as much as possible in the mid-day light. The result was 1/10^th of a second, which in my opinion seemed a little too fast to capture the sense of movement I desired for the scene.

I tried holding the camera still during the slower exposure while allowing the riders to create red streaks and patterns. Didn’t like it. I tried panning – a technique where you move the camera from left to right (or vice versa) – to help freeze the riders while blurring the background. Didn’t like it. I was quickly running out of tricks…and time!

Then, towards the end of the performance, the troop gathered into the “Dome” formation, where all the riders form a circle and then lower their flags into the center. Keeping my settings the same, I focused on a single rider in the front with my lens zoomed all the way out, then physically pulled the lens back during the 1/10^th of second exposure (referred to as a “zoom pull” or “lens pull.” You can also recreate this effect in Adobe Photoshop under Filter/Blur/Radial Blur).

Luckily, the combination of the slow shutter speed and zoom pull technique allowed me to capture more energy AND enough structure to provide much-needed context in this more abstract view of the RCMP Musical Ride. Though my visualizations evolved over time, I felt this perspective successfully told an intriguing story about the RCMP Musical Ride and decided to include this photograph as one of my 20 selected prints to display during the recent Through Each Others Eyes Exhibition at the Art Intersection Gallery in Gilbert, Arizona. (Exhibitions in Alberta, Canada coming your way in early 2013 – stay tuned for more details!)

Technical info: Canon 5DMII, 100-400mm lens at 285mm zoom-pulled, f/36 @ 1/10th of a second, polarizer, basic post-processing.

Making the Image: "Reflections at Moraine Lake"

Making the Image 4 Responses »

Oct 242012

“Wait, why are there so many stars out?” I murmured to myself as I stepped out of our Lake Louise-based hotel door and into the darkness.

Just a mere six hours before our 4 am wake-up call, Royce Howland and I had dashed around Banff National Park in his 4Runner, watching mammatus clouds form overhead as we chased violent, fast-moving thunderstorms whirling through the scenic valley. Serendipitously, we found ourselves capping off a thrilling evening with our cameras in the perfect position along the Bow River as the northern sky exploded into a fireball of color. After experiencing such a spectacular show by Mother Nature, we asked ourselves, “What would the morning bring?!”

As I peered at the speckled sky out the car window, my hopes for capturing moody storm clouds at Moraine Lake – our sunrise destination – disappeared as fast as the coffee did that morning…

Image #1: Though arguably half-asleep, I dragged my gear up the pathway to the top of the rock pile overlooking this gorgeous lake and found a high point to perch my camera. I started the morning with the classic, ho-hum, “everybody’s got it” composition as the sun broke through a small sliver of clouds on the eastern horizon. I normally try to avoid cliche shots, so what was my excuse for kicking off the shoot like this? I’ll take “Photography While You’re Still Half-Asleep” for $500, Alex! Jeopardy jokes aside, this image is definitely not what I wanted to say about this iconic place, but it served to get the creative juices flowing in what I considered to be less than desirable conditions...at o-dark-thirty…

Image #2: I needed some new ideas and inspiration – image #1 wasn’t going to cut it. Immediately after snapping this shot, I noticed a small canoe leaving the dock (located on the bottom right hand side of the frame in the image above). Since the broad landscape scene wasn’t evolving to my tastes, I hiked down the hill to see if I could record people interacting with nature instead. Seemed like an easy way to capture something different here! But as I approached the dock, I quickly acknowledged that finding people awake, active, and super excited about the papparazzi at 5 am is sometimes hard to come by…but there were lots of colorful canoes willing to pose for me! With the sun tucking behind another cloud, the subdued conditions afforded me more time to undauntedly play and practice different wide-angle compositions along the shoreline, including this one of the resting boats:

Image #2

Image #3: The diffused lighting helped the colors of the canoe stand out, but I was less than enthusiastic about the boring clear blue sky and the lack of direct lighting on the peaks in the background. Out they go! To help eliminate the sky and background, I switched to my telephoto lens and repositioned myself onto a bunch of boulders lining the lake near the dock.

By taking the unimportant elements out of the frame, I was able to then emphasize the canoes and the mirror-like reflection, which resulted in image #3 below (just as the sun peaked out again!):

Image #3

Image #4: My eyes widened with delight as I reviewed image #3 on my LCD – we’re getting warmer! (At least the compositions were; this Arizona-based desert rat froze to death out there. Just look at all that “weird” white stuff in the mountains!) The reflected provided much needed context about where I was photographing without having to include a background I didn’t like. That said, I felt the composition in image #3 was too tight, so I put my wide angle lens back on and stepped off and behind the rocks for a broader view to record image #4:

Image #4

Image #5: At this point, I felt a little like a character in the “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” story – image #3 felt too tight but image #4 felt too broad. I needed something “just right!” By adding foreground, the scene appeared to have more depth, but the rocks didn’t really add to the story I was trying to tell. The part I liked most fell right in the center of the composition of image #4, so I composed a little tighter with my wide angle zoom lens. And voila! Image #5 resulted and is the image I have selected to display in the 1st Through Each Others Eyes Arizona-Alberta Exhibition: (blog continues after photo)

Image #5: “Reflections at Moraine Lake” to be featured in the upcoming 1st Through Each Others Eyes Arizona-Alberta Exchange Exhibition

Now that you’ve seen a sneak peek of one of the images I recorded from my time in Canada, I hope you plan to join us for the Artist Reception on November 7 from 7-9 pm at the Art Intersection Gallery in Gilbert, Arizona to see not only my 19 remaining selections, but also how my Through Each Others Eyes travel partner Ken Ross interpreted Alberta differently than I did and how Alberta-based photographers Royce and Peter Carroll viewed Arizona during their 10-day stay during our cultural photography exchange. For more information about the exhibition and artist reception, please visit the TEOE website at www.teoe.org/?page_id=829.

And Then There Were 20: Tips for Editing and Self-Critiquing Your Photos

Photography Tips & Tricks 1 Response »

Oct 192012

Reflections of Calgary; Calgary, Alberta, Canada (Click on image to see larger; prints available!)

During my 10-day visit to Alberta, Canada last July to support the Through Each Others Eyes cultural photography exchange, my right pointer finger enthusiastically clicked the shutter over 4400 times. While it was thrilling at the time to blast away at seemingly anything and everything that caught my eye, it created a gi-normous pile o’pixels I must now wade through to select a mere 20 photographs to display for the upcoming exhibition. For the non-math majors in the crowd, that means picking out the top 0.5%! YIKES!

Out of the thousands of images we might capture during a photographic outing, how do we decide which ones to keep and which ones to throw out? No doubt, editing and critiquing our own photos can seem like an arduous quest – one that has no right or wrong answers – but here are some tips to help you identify your “keepers” in your collection:

Get organized. Invest in an image management software like Adobe Bridge, Adobe Lightroom, Apple Aperture, or the applications that arrived with your camera on a disc (e.g. Nikon Capture or Canon Digital Pro Photo) to help establish a centralized location to easily and consistently conduct your self-critique.
Bury your obvious screw-ups. We all got ‘em, but the world doesn’t need to know about ‘em! (Thank goodness we don’t track batting averages in photography!) Once you’ve downloaded your images into your chosen software, liberally use the delete key to immediately eliminate frames that are out of focus, badly composed, poorly lit, unintentionally overexposed, and severely underexposed.
Form a first impression. Scan your images quickly for “keepers.” Simply make a snap decision as to whether your eyes enjoy the photograph or not. Mark any frame you like (e.g. using the star rating in Adobe Bridge) to tag it for future in-depth analysis.
Whichever Way the Wind Blows; Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada (Click on image to see larger; prints available!)

Unplug your emotions. Like your mother told you growing up, first impressions aren’t always correct. After doing an initial evaluation, let your images “rest” for a day, a week, or even a few months to disconnect emotionally from your photographs. Once you’re back in the saddle, turn your flagged images upside-down so they are less recognizable to your brain and therefore less connected with your recollection of the influential experiences you had while making the shot.
Get out the butcher knife. Start hacking away on the technical aspects of your image. Does the scene convey a sense of depth through the chosen depth of field? Is the horizon level and positioned away from the middle of the rectangular box? Could you simplify the composition withou

t losing context? Is the light illuminating the subject matter and helping to create shape, depth, and contrast? Are there any overly bright areas or out of focus areas that are distracting to the eye?
Say something different. A technically-perfect image might feel boring and be ineffective in visually communicating your desired message. Viewers will react to your images if they contain subjects and stories that are clear, fresh, intriguing, emotionally-charged, or even controversial. Does your photograph showcase an unrepeatable moment? Does it convey a specific mood? Will your capture provoke thought, dig up memories, or spark new meaning with your viewers?
Taking It All In; Icefields Parkway, Alberta, Canada (Click on image to see larger; prints available!)

Remember, “To each their own.” What may be the “best” photo for one audience may not be for another so you might find yourself keeping different photos for differing purposes. For example, you may capture a pleasing iconic Grand Canyon shot good enough to hang on your wall because it reminds you of your last family vacation but not appropriate to send to a magazine who isn’t interested in publishing a story on the “big ditch” in the next 100 years.
Get a brutally honest second opinion. Once you’ve narrowed down your choices, hand your butcher knife to a trusted friend, family member, or photographer who will gladly use the blade on your work. Listening to others’ insights can help trigger new ideas and highlight aspects you might not have previously considered.

Valve at Nordegg Mine; Nordegg, Alberta, Canada (Click on image to see larger; prints available!)

While assessing your own work can be a time consuming, grueling task, being a harsh critic can help not only pick out the winners from your digital dump, but also refine your photographic techniques and polish your unique creative vision over time.

By using this process, my Alberta pixel pile yielded a 20-print story I can’t wait to share at my upcoming exhibition. And the images in this post did NOT make the cut (even though I like them!)! In my next blog post, I’ll give you a sneak peek into one photo that did!

If you’d like to see the other 19 I selected, as well as the photographs from my fellow Arizona-Alberta exchange partners-in-crime – Ken Ross, Peter Carroll, and Royce Howland – then please join us on November 7 from 7-9 pm at the Art Intersection Gallery in Gilbert, Arizona for our exhibition’s Artist Reception. For more information, please visit www.teoe.org/?page_id=829.

Filling the Space Between

General, Inspiration 2 Responses »

Oct 102012

Though I wouldn’t call myself an avid country music fan, one of my favorite artists is Paul Brandt from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. There’s a long list of uplifting songs I thoroughly enjoy, including “Didn’t Even See the Dust,” “What I Want to Be Remembered For,” and “Alberta Bound.” But there is one song he produced called the “Little Space Between” that always seems to tug at my heart strings. In case you haven’t heard it, the chorus suggests:

“Get ‘er done
Get to it
Cause there’s only one time through it
There’s only one thing we’re all heading for
It goes 1972 dash then
You leave your legacy
In that little space between.”

After spending this past weekend in Montana trying to fill that “little space between” with my husband, Craig and father-in-law, John, I was overwhelmingly stunned and saddened to hear that two friends and outstanding photographers had unexpectedly lost their lives. Last Friday, fellow Through Each Other’s Eyes (TEOE) photographer Paul O’Neill suffered a heart attack while recovering from his second brain surgery. On Saturday, the past President of the Himeji International Photographic Society (HIPS; TEOE’s partner organization in Japan), Taisei Kitamura lost his long battle with cancer.

I met Paul in 2006 upon becoming a member of TEOE. From the start, Paul always was eager to listen and encouraged my involvement, usually with a broad smile and sly sense of humor (which made it hard for me to say “no” to his task requests!). His passion for making the world a better place was evident in everything he did, as he used his talents as a photographer and videographer to help educate the community about valuing culture and valuing each other through his TEOE exchanges, his leadership role in the Lowell Elementary School project, and his grass-roots efforts to fight bullying in the community. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Margo, his two children, and his grandchild.

One of the photographs I captured of cherry blossoms and Himeji Castle during my 2006 TEOE exchange with Himeji, when I met Kitamura-san.

I had the pleasure of meeting Kitamura-san in 2007 during my first exchange with TEOE to Japan. Though HIPS photographers, Itsuko Azuma and Yasushi Ienaga, generously hosted fellow TEOE photographer, Art Holeman and me during the exchange, I vividly remember meeting with Kitamura-san at his gallery in downtown Himeji where we had the chance to admire print after print and book after book of the Himeji Castle and surrounding Hyogo Prefecture. I immediately thought, “He must certainly have THE most extensive and impressive collection of photographs of the Himeji Castle ever created!” He had photographed this world UNSECO site, which resided conveniently down the street from his gallery, from seemingly every angle, in every season, and in every light. May his wife and three daughters find some peace in this difficult time.

Through the tears, I find great comfort that both of these men filled their “little space between” with much joy, passion, and compassion. Both leave lasting legacies, which you can read more about in the moving tributes our TEOE President, Errol Zimmerman wrote about them: Paul’s tribute and Kitamura-san’s tribute.

As we now celebrate their glorious lives, I find myself asking and pondering, “Am I doing all I can to fill my space between?”

Are you doing all you can? What will you do with that space between the start and end dates of your life? Each of us has a different path but each of us has equal opportunity to create significant individual meaning with the time we have today. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not next year. RIGHT NOW. Tomorrow, next week, and next year might not come.

If you’d like some ideas and inspiration, take a minute to watch this video by Holstee: (If you are unable to see the video above, please visit the link directly at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSLVXt1iKCU)

Then, in celebration of Paul’s and Kitamura-san’s life, I’d encourage you to find one way – no matter how big or small – today to embrace the message it contains, “Life is short. Live your dream. Share your passion.” If you care to share, we’d love to hear what you did today to fill YOUR space in between in the comments.

Rest in peace, Paul and Kitamura-san. You’ll be missed.