Category: <span>Techniques</span>

Hardwood Lands, Nova Scotia, new topographics, photography as meditation,
Hardwood Lands, Nova Scotia, 2014 – © Avard Woolaver

Photography as Meditation was a presentation given by Avard Woolaver at the Universalist Unitarian Church of Halifax in July 2019.

Photography as Meditation

Taking photographs can give us a different perspective and a fresh way of seeing. More than that, however, photography can offer us unique ways to engage with the world around us. Whether we seek a new start, a satisfying sense of closure, or a novel way to meditate, using a camera can help us move forward.

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, dinosaurs, evolution, photography as meditation,
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, 2014 – © Avard Woolaver

I’ll start by reading a quote from American photographer Henry Wessel:

 “Part of it has to do with the discipline of being actively receptive. At the core of this receptivity is a process that might be called soft eyes. It is a physical sensation. You are not looking for something. You are open, receptive. At some point you are in front of something that you cannot ignore.”

For the most part, I take photographs of everyday life. I rarely go out of my way to take pictures. I’m content photographing the surroundings of where I happen to be. I’m interested in New Topographics—the human altered landscape—how human activity has changed the earth. I carry a camera everywhere I go, whether it’s a trip to the supermarket or a drive into Halifax to attend the Universalist Unitarian Church of Halifax.

Spiritual Centre, 2011 – © Avard Woolaver

This one is called Spiritual Centre—it’s the exterior of the minister’s office at UUCH. I displayed some photos in the Ballroom Gallery several years ago and this was Rev. Fran Dearman’s favourite one. She bought a copy and keeps it in her office.

One of the points of mindfulness is that we just observe what’s here with us now, without judgement. When we meditate, we try not to categorize or judge. We try not to say: this is good; this is bad.

Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2011 – © Avard Woolaver

When taking photos, we can also try not to categorize in similar terms. We don’t have to think in terms of judging, like: “This is pretty; this is ugly.” We can just think—”This is here.”

American photographer William Eggleston came up with the term The Democratic Forest—no subject matter is more or less important than another. A telephone pole is as valid as a lighthouse. There is poetry in the everyday.

Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2011 – © Avard Woolaver

This was taken at the corner of South Park and Sackville in Halifax. There seems to be music in the overhead wires.

Here is another quote from Henry Wessel: “In a still photograph you basically have two variables, where you stand and when you press the shutter. That’s all you have.”

When we’re taking photos, we have to give up control. Standing there holding your camera, it feels as if you’re the one in control. This is an illusion. You have to let go of the idea that you’re in charge of the people who’s picture you’re taking. If you’re outdoors, or by a window, you aren’t really controlling the light. It’s hard to control the movement of animals, or of traffic, or of crowds. Instead you have to just be there, ready for what unfolds.

Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2014 – © Avard Woolaver

This was taken on a cold and windy day skating on the Oval. Sometimes just getting a photo can be challenging. There is no controlling the wind and snow.

Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

Another aspect of mindfulness that tracks closely with photography is the need for patience. Life demands patience of us, but it’s up to us to develop it on our own. From where do we draw these needed stores of patience? Most of us have to learn it, through practice. And photography is great practice for that.

Sussex, New Brunswick, 2014 – © Avard Woolaver

We may have to wait for a car or cloud to come into the frame, for the sun to come out from behind a cloud, for someone to smile, or for the golden hour just before sunset. So often, it is worth the wait.

Self portrait with parents, 1982 – © Avard Woolaver

No one can predict the future, which means we don’t know the future implications of pictures we take. The unique quality of a photo is that it captures a moment in time. 

Often a family snapshot has unique value for us because it’s the only picture we have of a certain family member or special place. Taking photos helps us document things throughout our lives.

This was taken in a hotel room in Toronto in 1982. My parents were on a trip and stopped off in Toronto for a short visit. My father was 59 (about the same age I am now), my mother was 50, and I was 24. It’s such a wonderful moment captured in time. A good memory.

Toronto, Ontario, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

I took a lot of photographs in the 1980s, when I lived in Toronto, capturing street scenes and ordinary aspects of daily life that happened to catch my eye. I had no way to anticipate how significant they would seem 30 years later. They show things that no longer exist, even though it hasn’t been that long. Without necessarily trying to, I caught images of buildings, cars, fashions, gadgets that are no longer part of our world. Toronto’s entire skyline is utterly changed.

Toronto, Ontario, 1982 – © Avard Woolaver

A photo not only helps you remember what you were taking pictures of, but also can bring back memories of how you were feeling and what you were doing at the time you took the picture. That can be powerful to reflect on when you look at the picture. It might not be such a great photo, but you can say, “Oh, I remember that day.” You may recall who you were with, what was said, where you went afterwards to get a bite to eat. The picture brings back all these memories that accompany it.

Halifax, Museum of Natural History, photography as meditation,
Museum of Natural History, Nova Scotia, 2012 – © Avard Woolaver

This photo of my daughters, Lia and Jane, from 2012 brings back a wonderful day at the Museum of Natural History in Halifax.

And other times you look at a picture and have no recollection of it at all. You stare at a beach scene and you can only say, “Well, it looks like I must have gone to the beach that day.”

Toronto, Ontario, 1982 – © Avard Woolaver

For me, photography is all about observation—taking the time to notice the world around me. Growing up on a farm I spent a lot of time in the fields, looking at the landscape, the trees and the clouds. I was observing the world long before I had a camera to record these observations. It has taken me quite awhile to get back to that childhood state where there is no rush, where you can be patient and just let things happen. That’s what mindfulness is all about.

Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia 2017– © Avard Woolaver

The house is actually bigger than the rock!

I don’t get caught up too much in the technical aspects of fancy cameras and long lenses, or manipulation in Photoshop. And I use my camera mostly in automatic mode because it gives me more freedom to capture the moment. It has been said that the best camera is the one you have with you, and I believe that. Most people these days have smart phones with camera and video. This is a perfect tool – you don’t need an expensive camera to get worthy photos.

Amherst, Nova Scotia, 2013 – © Avard Woolaver

I took this photo in Amherst, Nova Scotia. After I got home and looked at it, I realized that it may have been the setting for Alex Colville’s 1954 painting “Horse and Train”.

Horse and Train, Alex Colville, 1954

Colville grew up in Amherst and later studied at nearby Mount Allison University in Sackville. This train line runs between Amherst and Sackville.

And now I’ll give you a few photo tips:

Try to include something in the foreground. It provides a point of interest and a sense of scale. This was the first photo tip my father gave me.

Grand Pre, Nova Scotia, 2011 – © Avard Woolaver

Think about a message. What does your photo say? For me, this one says: Nature Wins Every Time.

Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia, 2013 – © Avard Woolaver

Look for humorous or whimsical scenes. They can lighten the day.

Avonport, Nova Scotia, new topographics, photography as meditation,
Avonport, Nova Scotia, 2014 – © Avard Woolaver

Good light often means good photos. Taken on an overcast day, this photo wouldn’t be the same.

Wolfville, Nova Scotia, 2014 – © Avard Woolaver

And finally, when doing group photos, take many more photos than you think you need to because people blink!

UUCH Congregation, Halifax, Nova Scotia,
UUCH Congregation, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

People take photographs for all sorts of different reasons–and whatever those reasons are, it can be rewarding and worthwhile to document what’s happening to us and around us as we go about our daily lives. Taking photos with a relaxed mind and an open heart can be a profound and beautiful way for us to engage with the world and with one another.

Avard Woolaver, Long Pond, Windsor, Nova Scotia, Birthplace of Hockey, Long Pond Heritage Classic, hockey,
Long Pond, Nova Scotia, 2016 – © Avard Woolaver

Thank you.

Blogging Observation Photography Techniques

Newport, Nova Scotia, 2019, 50 mm lens, nifty fifty,
Newport, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

Recently I have been using only my 50 mm lens and it has brought about a significant change in how I take photos. Yes, I’m loving my nifty fifty! Two weeks ago when my trusty zoom lens bit the dust, I put on my seldom used 50 mm lens. It’s the only other lens I own, so the decision was out of necessity. See the blog post: Getting back to the 50 mm lens.

I was expecting it to be a compromise–I would use the lens for a few days, then buy another zoom lens. But the more I used the nifty fifty, the more I grew to love it. At first everything seemed too tight (I’m more used to the range of vision of a 35mm lens). I was presented with a narrower view and had to make the best with how to frame it. Then it became a challenge. I got used to how far I had to be away from a subject or scene to get optimal framing. It started to feel natural. Also, the lens is sharper than the zoom.

As there is no zoom to contend with, I can take photos more quickly and efficiently. In short, it’s a liberating experience. I notice different things and see the world in a new way. It takes me back to my days in Toronto doing street photography with a Rollei 35–a tiny camera with a fixed 40 mm lens. One camera, one lens. There’s something to be said for simplicity.

If you have a 50 mm lens that you never use, I urge you to give it a try. You may be surprised at the results. Here are some recent photos taken with the nifty fifty.

Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2019, 50 mm lens, nifty fifty,
Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

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Bedford, Nova Scotia, 2019, winter, snow,
Bedford, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

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Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2019,
Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

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Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2019, nifty fifty
Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

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Newport, Nova Scotia, 2019
Newport, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

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Newport, Nova Scotia, 2019, winter, snow,
Newport, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

Blogging Photography Techniques

April Fools Day, photo tricks, forced perspective,
Stay Posted, Newport, NS; 2011     © Avard Woolaver             

April Fool’s Day is approaching, and if you are thinking of a trick for your kids or grandchildren, you can do it with photo tricks. This can be done in several ways, but perhaps the most fun is the use of forced perspective—a way photographers use optical illusions to make an object appear farther away, closer, larger, or smaller than it actually is.

This is going to go over best with really young children. You can set up a shot to make the child look bigger or smaller than an object in the frame, and give it to the kid to “fool Grandma” or “fool Dad.” It takes a tiny bit of pre-planning but isn’t much work, and doing it creates a warm memory you share with the child.

You might want to use familiar objects that are part of the child’s everyday world—a stuffed toy, a porch railing, your car—for instance, you can set up a shot so that the child seems to be balancing the car on one upturned hand.

Photo manipulation and trick photography has been present since the beginning of the photographic medium in the 1800s. In 2012, an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York showed how photographers long before the digital era regularly employed techniques of manipulation in their work. Mia Fineman, assistant curator of photography at the Met, told PBS, “Fake decapitation was the LOLcats of the 19th century.”

Photo tip: For successful forced perspective shots, use a tripod; use a wide-angle lens, and an aperture to keep subjects in focus (f16 of f22). If you want to force perspective to create an illusion of size then use two subjects that are universally recognized–the palm of a hand and a car, or a fence post and a skier.

“Stay Posted” is from the series: Wish You Were Here

Colour Documentary Observation Photography Techniques