Jan 31 2008
One of the regular Fotogeeks that comes along on our outings is Andreau. He has often mentioned how tricky it can be during the winter to get a good outside shot of Angus, his two-and-a-half-year-old Newfoundland Dog - he’s just so dark and black, and the snow is so bright and white.
During our last outing, we ran into a family of Newfoundland Dogs in Harbour Grace… and I feel his pain.
Jan 30 2008
More stuff from that house in Little Harbour.
You must be able to buy paint like that so you can faux-finish your walls… so why not your clapboard? :) 
I recall spending close to three months in the basement staining clapboard to cover the outside of this big b-jeazous house. “Don’t forget Kim, you have to do both sides!”
It looks better than vinyl, but it still doesn’t look as authentic as that old smooth high gloss stuff - you know, the type that paint would bake onto and flake off of two weeks after applying it.
Debbie Travis and Chester Dawe (sorry, Rona) should get together to create a new product. You could de-renovate all the newly vacant homes in a whole community - apply this magic Can O’ Flake and instantly… you’ve gone back 100 years!
Jan 29 2008
Does anyone else think that these highly saturated, overly colourful commercials that are currently running for Newfoundland tourism are more than just a little bit misleading?
The fact is, in the outport communities that I’ve visited lately (perhaps with just a single exception), the scourge of vinyl siding has totally taken over. It’s even creeping into the city (get your hot beverage first, that’s a long read).
The idea in a previous post of “appreciating the details” is something that I think more people need to do.
We’re loosing something in Newfoundland, and quite rapidly. While the provincial government is actively promoting a certain “look and feel”, the municipal governments are watching, helpless and broke, while it’s all covered in plastic.
Several years ago, I spent a few weeks in the Twilligate area. I was just starting out as a photographer, but I already knew it was a gold mine - there were old houses and history everywhere. When I went back last year to shoot it again, armed with a better camera and knowledge of how to use it, it was mostly gone. If one of those things that I had shot before wasn’t already torn down, it was covered in vinyl siding.
When we bought a house to renovate, it had already been chopped up and put in tupperware. Although it was an old home, it had been renovated so often that there was nothing remaining from the original construction - totally stripped clean of character. We did what we could - rebuilding with as many materials as would originally have been used while making the whole thing energy efficient underneath. Although it’s not within the city’s heritage area, the result is one of the better looking houses on the street, and a property that has tripled in value in five years.
My only hope now is that people have gone the “quick and dirty” route in attaching the vinyl - that they’ve “strapped out” the old to cover it with new. 
If that’s the case, it would be a relatively simple process of pealing back the plastic and scraping off the flakes before appling a new coat of paint. Sorta like the exterior equivalent of taking up the carpet and re-finishing the hardwood.
Hopefully all is not lost.
Jan 28 2008
Some shots from early yesterday morning. As we drove out the Bay de Verde Peninsula we were treated to an extended golden sunrise courtesy of a freaky combination fog, 
low lying clouds and surface water vapour.
There was a much smaller group on this excursion, and perhaps that was a good thing. I’m not sure how many people would have stuck with it when the temperature dipped down to -24C (as per the car’s in-dashboard thermometer). We had a well-bundled-up group, each with a good appreciation for the fact that the extreme cold presented us with the surface steam that “made” many of our shots.
Thankfully, the wind was light so, even right on the water, I’d estimate the wind chill didn’t get much below -30C. When there’s very little wind like this, direct sunlight can also make the air seem warmer than the actual temperature.
Jan 27 2008
These pictures were taken all over the place - somehow they worked together.
For some reason I don’t seem to do scenics anymore - I find myself looking at the elements that make a scene as opposed to the full setting. I do the same things with people in a way - I prefer to shoot close ups. Maybe it’s less cluttered, or maybe it’s because it’s so common to overlook the details.
That’s why I grew so excited with that discovery in Little Harbor. I didn’t get a good shot of the entire house but I carefully took pictures of it’s contents - oops.
We were actually turned on to Little Harbour by a friend who shot it years ago - way back in the film days. Bev said that it was good as a drive-by for a few scenics - she would never have thought that I’d find an old house to crawl into.
Hum, I’m feeling philosophical about this “elements” thought. It’s like looking at someone / something long enough to see what actually makes them who / what they are. If you look only at the polished package you never get to really appreciate the parts.
Jan 26 2008
When we stopped to take pictures in Lamaline, we were greeted by a curious home owner that told us the tide can come in as far as his house.
He said “It’s alright, it takes the snow back out with it”. So often, when the tide is at it’s height, his back yard can be completely submerged!
I though… “With waves that angry, I’d be wearing rubber boots to bed!”
Sorry - I’m tired, and it’s the best my brain can do right now.
PS. I’ve had to turn off Comments for a bit. We’re trying to strike the perfect balance between plugins and filtering to prevent comment spam courtesy of the robots that crawl the ‘net. Frequent visitors may have noticed that they’ve been hitting new posts lately.
Jan 25 2008
Some people may find this hard to believe, but it’s not easy to be “good at modeling”.
Would-be models come to me all the time. It’s a difficult game, riddled mostly with rejection… many know that going in. They are somewhat guarded with their expectations of course, and rightly so - they want to do a shoot for “no reason in particular”. They also expect the actual work to be easy though, and as we start, they’ll turn to me and say “What now?”
At that point, it becomes clear if the person has “it”. It’s much more than looking good - it’s almost intangible really - it takes an ability to act and be graceful. For example, I often find those with some sort of dance background have a running start.
Such was the case with Allison. She’s just 16, and heard about me through a friend at dance school. A few minutes into her first shoot, she was comfortable, amenable and immersed.
We’re already trying to figure out another shoot for her.
Jan 24 2008
These were taken over the last few days on the long, barren winding road that leads to Marystown from the TCH.
The temperature was -14C, but it felt like -22C with the high winds. As can be seen in the shot of the highway, the snow was behaving rather suspiciously - quietly slipping across the road - I just had to document it. I actually had to squat in the middle of the highway with a tripod as the minion watched for on-coming vehicles to get that.
Of course, I froze my arse off for all these shots.
The weather really changes at an alarming rate on the Newfoundland highways in winter. We arrived at our destination just as a snow storm broke, and it made getting around next to impossible. As we drove, we went from light to heavy rain, light to heavy snow, and the worst of all - blowing snow.
When you approach a drifting area with blowing snow, it can be a real treat. The danger is not so much the drifts - they’ll likely only be of an insignificant size anyway. The real problem is knowing what the vehicle in front of / behind you is doing. If can be a very sudden surprise if someone - anyone - decides to stop because they can’t see in a white-out.
After conditions worsened, we took a side trip into one of the many small communities - we had been slipping all over the place despite the studded tires and the snails pace at 40km / hour. 
We got back on the high road just behind the plow / sand truck and soon after called it a day.
When I finally got settled in at the computer, I looked out the window to see that the sky has cleared and there was a beautiful sunset. _sigh_
Jan 23 2008
Just a few treasures I found while poking around an abandoned house in Little Harbor…
Apparently the owner passed away so it was left to the community. There were plans to turn it into a heritage home, but as you can see, that’s not yet happened.
It was amazing to me what was just laying around this place… the ceiling was collapsing and the windows were beat out. Still, I saw books, china, family photos and (my favorite in the top right corner) a corset.
More from this community to come.