ISSUE # 07 * OCTOBER 2013
www.northernlandscape.org
NORTHERN LANDSCAPE
HAVING COFFEE WITH KERNUAK THIS IS (HI)STORY! AN AUSIE TRAVELS THROUGH CANADA I FEATURED WORK
NORTHERN WINDS: ICELAND’S POST-CRISIS ECONOMY
PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIAL GOOD BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY THE BIG CHALLENGE
COVER
Mist over Loch Leven by Kernuak Dawn view of Loch Leven (Glen Coe), Scotland, with Eilean Munde (Isle of the Dead) in the foreground, as mist rolls in from the direction of Kinlochleven. Canon 5D MkIII Canon 24mm f/1.4 MkII f/11, 1/5th sec
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FROM THE EDITOR Hello everyone and welcome weather you are a new visitor or a regular one. This month I have assembled the magazine in a little bit different way, I hope you will like it. All the articles and sections are still here, they just changed place and got a bit different aspect. Do let me know what do you think of it, don’t be shy!
Editor Chief
Time is passing by almost at the speed of light and this is already October, can you believe it? In a blink of an eye we will be celebrating one year! I am preparing a small surprise to all of you, hope all goes well and hope you will enjoy it. I will be unveiling more about this in the next numbers...
João Figueiredo
But now it is time for you to enjoy some amazing photography. Turn the page and just enjoy! Your host João Figueiredo
João Figueiredo
Test readers João Figueiredo
Graphic Artist Tutorials by João Figueiredo
Web site www.northernlandscape.org
E-mail contact info@northernlandscape.org
Featured artist Kernuak
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INDEX 02 About the cover 03 From the editor & technical data 06 Northern winds - Iceland’s post-Crisis economy 10 September features ~ Pure nature 44 NLM photo tutorial #7 - Good Black and White photography 52 September features ~ Man touched 68 This is (hi)story! ~ An Ausie travels through Canada I 92 September features ~ Man made 92 The BIG Challenge ~ September 108 Having coffee with Kernuak + his Featured works 114 Northern Landscape: Some facts 119 Back cover artist 120 Back cover 4 • Northern Landscape Magazine
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Norden winds
Iceland’s post-Crisis economy Iceland’s post-Crisis economy: A myth or a miracle? Icelandic voters recently ejected its post-Crisis government – a government that successfully avoided economic collapse when the odds were stacked against it. The new government comprises the same parties that were originally responsible for the Crisis. What’s going on? This column argues that this switch is, in fact, logical given the outgoing government’s mishandling of the economy and their deference towards foreign creditors.
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hen the Global Crisis struck in September 2008, all eyes were on the US (Eichengreen and Baldwin 2008). Iceland, however, was the first country to really suffer. Its three major banks collapsed in the same week in October 2008, and it became the first developed country to request assistance from the IMF in 30 years. GDP fell 65% in euro terms, many companies went bankrupt and others moved abroad. At the time, a third of the population considered emigration as a good option (Danielsson 2008).
and 2010. The exchange rate of the Icelandic currency is firmly in the hand of the central bank since the country operates under strict capital controls (see Arnason and Danielsson 2011). Iceland is facing significant balance of payment problems. These will get worse over the coming years because large amounts of money owned by foreign entities are trapped in Iceland by the capital controls. When this money leaves the exchange rate is likely to fall. In spite of this, the exchange rate appreciated sharply in the run-up to the elections, reaching a peak right before the voting date. This temporarily stimulated the economy and held down inflation. Since the election, the currency has been falling.
Since then, Iceland’s economic recovery has been hailed as a miracle, especially by foreign commentators. It is therefore baffling to many that the Icelanders just voted out the government ...Iceland’s economic recovresponsible for the ery has been hailed as a post-Crisis recovery, miracle, especially by forreturning the parties responsible for the pre- eign commentators. It is Crisis boom and bust therefore baffling to many to power. What’s going that the Icelanders just on?
voted out the government responsible for the postCrisis recovery, returning the parties responsible for the pre-Crisis boom and bust to power. What’s going on?...
By first sight, the Icelandic economy looks to be doing surprisingly well. Inflation is 3%, unemployment is 5%, and the government budget is almost balanced. The currency stable and the economy grew 1.6% last year. The government is seen to have dealt firmly with foreign creditors and not bailed out its banks. Domestic creditors and the welfare system have supposedly been protected. Based on this record, the government could be expected to be the most popular in Europe. So why did it get voted out? The positive economic statistics hide a multitude of sins, relating to government policies in the run-up to elections and bad economic management. OECD (2013) finds that Iceland suffered the worst percentage change in household market income between 2007
There are other indications of future inflation, for example public sector wages have been rising in recent months. Based on past history, the most likely response of the Icelandic government will be to inflate away the impact of the salary increases.
Moreover, the national accounts that indicate a nearly balanced budget do not hold up to scrutiny. The recent slowdown in economic activity has reduced government revenue while actual and promised expenditures in the months before the election increased. Meanwhile, official statistics systematically exclude one-off items such as the continuous support for the government housing fund and unfunded pension liabilities. When those are included, the fiscal position of the government is precarious. The main long-run economic problem facing Iceland is its low and falling investment rate. Before the crisis, Iceland invested at the same rate as the rest of Europe, around 21% of GDP. Last year, the Icelandic investment
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rates fell to 14% of GDP, the fifth lowest in Europe. This is set to worsen. The Central Bank forecasts private-sector investment will fall 23% this year, whilst overall investment may fall by 9%. Investment has been held back by three main factors: 1) Capital controls. 2) Political views on investment. 3) Tax policy.
intervened in individual investment choices. Investment is also affected by the tax regime. Tax rates in Iceland, not surprisingly, have increased following the Crisis. Moreover, the tax regime has changed frequently, thus increasing the uncertainty for potential investors. This tax risk significantly contributes to low investment rates. The outgoing government consistently maintained that it ringfenced the welfare system and protected the poorest in society. The Icelanders do not perceive it that way. After all, the OECD (2013) finds that market income inequality rose considerably in Iceland.
Following its crisis in the fall of 2008, the government, the Central Bank and the IMF considered capital controls necessary because of the large amounts of money held by carry traders – this exceeded 40% of GDP. The authorities felt capital controls The controls were meant were necessary to pre- to be temporary – a few vent the money from leaving, causing the weeks at most. Years later, exchange rate to col- they are still present today, lapse. and getting stronger. The
controls led to a collapse in
The welfare system has borne the brunt of the government’s economic policies. The pension system has been raided, especially affecting those with low pensions. Perhaps 1% of the population is dependent on charities for food. The health system has been scaled back, with copayments increasing sharply. These policies have hit the poorest especially hard.
The controls were meant to be temporary investment for the very sim– a few weeks at most. ple reason that any potenYears later, they are still tial investor is worried about present today, and getting stronger. The con- being locked in an unstable trols led to a collapse currency controlled by a in investment for the less than competent govvery simple reason that Loans available to ernment any potential investor Icelandic households is worried about being have traditionally been locked in an unstable currency controlled by inflation indexed or linked to foreign cura less than competent government. Those rencies. This meant that the post-Crisis debt with the ability to invest have preferred to burden increased sharply for many housekeep their options open by keeping their holds. Iceland has seen significant debt funds liquid. relief, primarily because the courts have declared foreign-currency link loans to be Investment has also been held back by illegal. This however has mostly benefitted political interference in economic policy. The the wealthiest parts of society. outgoing government was composed of two parties: left-of-centre Social Democrats and The main reason why the Icelanders voted the left-wing Green Party (the latest incarna- out their government was its deference tion of the Soviet-leaning Communist Party). towards foreign creditors. Iceland came The government has been overtly hostile to under significant pressure from the IMF to private-sector investment – especially for- accommodate foreign creditors, and the eign direct investment. They have frequently government gave in.
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The most important dispute with foreign creditors is related to Icesave (see Danielsson 2010). Whilst an overwhelming majority of the population strongly opposed the Icesave settlement which cost Iceland 40% of its GDP, the government pressed ahead.
how poorly governed Iceland has been since its crisis.
In addition, when resolving claims by foreign creditors to the remaining assets of the banking system, the government has handed the domestic banks to foreign vulture funds. Meanwhile, it has been accommodating to foreign creditors seeking to repatriate funds locked in Iceland because of the capital controls.
1) Implements sensible pro-growth policies. 2) Firmly opposes EU membership. 3) Takes a firm line against foreign creditors.
All of these policies were vocally opposed by voters. In the election campaign, foreign creditor friendliness was a major issue, and it is no wonder that the one party that most strongly opposed the Icesave deal – and the one that took the firmest position against foreign creditors – has emerged as the biggest victor in the election.
The voters opted for the same centre-right parties responsible for the pre-crisis boom. They want a government that:
All while working to lift capital controls and further integrating Iceland into the world economy. The Icelanders elected the new government because they have more trust in their ability to deliver on this list than did its left-of-centre predecessor.
While it is surprising to many foreign observers that the Icelanders have chosen to return to the status quo ex ante, it is logical given
ARTICLE BY JON DANIELSSON FROM WWW.VOXEU.ORG USED UNDER THE FAIR USE TERMS
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Septembe pure lands
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er features scape 99 FEATURES 30 DAYS
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Brandsjivet waterfall - Norway~ ~Arie Koene
distant hills~ ~Stuart Mcguire 12 • Northern Landscape Magazine
Sunflowers~ ~Paul Richards
Golitha Falls~ ~Paul Richards
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Godafoss~ ~Juro Kovacik
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Sandwood Bay~ ~derekbeattie
Sandwood Bay~ ~derekbeattie
Loch Linnhe~ ~kalaryder
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Sango Sands~ ~derekbeattie
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Sandwood Bay~ ~derekbeattie
Bow River 1~ ~Charles Kosina
Breaking Wave~ ~Kasia-D
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Little Langdale~ ~Stephen Knowles
Emerald Lake~ ~Yukondick 18 • Northern Landscape Magazine
The Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye~ ~derekbeattie
Rock~ ~Kat Simmons
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Foot of Bear Glacier~ ~Yukondick
Buttermere (Panorama) ~ ~Stephen Knowles
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Buachaille Etive Mor~ ~Paul Messenger
Highwood panorama III~ ~zumi
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Foot of the glacier~ ~zumi
Idyllic Dream~ ~John Dunbar
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In The Woods~ ~John Dunbar
Trail under mountain~ ~zumi
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Heavens Of Glory~ ~sundawg7
Morning on Elterwater~ ~John Dunbar 24 • Northern Landscape Magazine
Shadowy Highwood II ~ ~zumi
Fjord twilight~ ~zumi
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The Old Man of Storr (Scotland)~ ~Stuart Blance
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Glaciers and tarns II~ ~zumi
Fall Hits The Talkeetna’s~ ~Rick & Deb Larson
Spirit Island 2~ ~Charles Kosina Northern Landscape Magazine • 27
Stream Of Dream~ ~Evelina Kremsdorf
Sutherland storm~ ~Justin Foulkes
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Golden bog~ ~Remo Savisaar
Talkeetna Mountain’s ~ Panoramic~ ~Rick & Deb Larson
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A Cool Mountain Stream~ ~VoluntaryRanger
Loch Morlich~ ~VoluntaryRanger 30 • Northern Landscape Magazine
Port Nis Water~ ~kalaryder
Dusk Mood~ ~Kasia-D
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Arethusa creek and peaks~ ~zumi
The Lairig Ghru~ ~VoluntaryRanger 32 • Northern Landscape Magazine
Sunlight’s Reach~ ~John Dunbar
So Green are the Valleys~ ~Kat Simmons Northern Landscape Magazine • 33
The Kissing Tree~ ~Stephen Knowles
Faraway Places~ ~Roxanne Persson
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Pyramid Mountain Reflection~ ~Charles Kosina
Mountain of snow~ ~zumi Northern Landscape Magazine • 35
Kilmartin Tumulus~ ~Ian Mac
Loch Enich Re-visited~ ~VoluntaryRanger 36 • Northern Landscape Magazine
Lochan Na Stainge~ ~Jeanie
Glen Feshie Views~ ~VoluntaryRanger
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STOCK ~ Fall Reaches Towards The Chugach~ ~Rick & Deb Larson
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Lochan Na h’Achlaise~ ~Jeanie
Misty Blue~ ~Jeanie
Grasmoor~ ~Stephen Knowles
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Chasing the Light~ ~Jeanie
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A Double Rainbow~ ~SunDwn
Elbow falls view~ ~zumi
Skibotn~ ~SunDwn
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River Brathay Dawn~ ~John Dunbar
twighlight rays~ ~Stuart Mcguire 42 • Northern Landscape Magazine
Braeriach From The West~ ~VoluntaryRanger
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NLM PHOTO T
GOOD BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY It seems that Black and White photography was never threatened by the new technologies that came into our world: both color film and digital technology. But how is it after all? Is this just all about a Photoshop filter or an option on the camera or are there any secrets? Come with me and I will tell you some tricks that you can use to produce the best results when trying to do Black and White photography... 44 • Northern Landscape Magazine
TUTORIAL #7
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S
hooting B&W is really not that complicated but for some of us it might be a headache due to lack of some knowledge or “strength” to get bothered to try until we get it right. I will take care of that right here in this tutorial!
In fact, it es never about fixing bad shots!! It is about creating something from scratch, even if sometimes the first intent is never to create a B&W. Let’s start with this then, reasons to shoot in B&W:
Many others of us also think that there is no point in shooting in B&W since there is color! But many of us also think “What is the point in shooting color when you have B&W?”. The point here is that one does not cancel the other, both have it’s time and place. The point of doing B&W photography is that you can achieve results that with color you will never be able to do! Sometimes you will even get astonishing results with shots that you though lost due to bad lightning, contrast, or “not good composition”...
B&W photography is a very versatile method of photographing. It fits everything: Portraits, landscapes, cityscapes, architecture, nature, etc. It is also a medium that adapts to all lighting situations, even if you make critical mistakes when managing your lightning. On the other hand, color photography often works best on sunny days or in studios while low light makes a black and white image look moody and artistic!
For most of the B&W photographers, shooting in B&W is not just about fixing bad shots. In fact, it es never about fixing bad shots!! It is about creating something from scratch, even if sometimes the first intent is never to create a B&W. Let’s start with this then, reasons to shoot in B&W:
REASONS FOR SHOOTING IN B&W Shooting B&W is really not that complicated but for some of us it might be a headache due to lack of some knowledge or “strength” to get bothered to try until we get it right. I will take care of that right here in this tutorial! Many others of us also think that there is no point in shooting in B&W since there is color! But many of us also think “What is the point in shooting color when you have B&W?”. The point here is that one does not cancel the other, both have it’s time and place. The point of doing B&W photography is that you can achieve results that with color you will never be able to do! Sometimes you will even get astonishing results with shots that you though lost due to bad lightning, contrast, or “not good composition”... For most of the B&W photographers, shooting in B&W is not just about fixing bad shots.
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Colors have another downside when compared to B&W: They can be distracting in some images and can take the focus away from your subject. This will require more time editing the shot on the computer (correcting the colors) instead of more time photographing... Shooting in B&W can make the subject speak for itself. It’s stripped and honest.
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Black and White can sound very boring, but the fact is that there are so many shades and tones in between that you can achieve! You can express so much with B&W that color does not allow you to due to its war between different colors and for you eye’s attention...
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Like I said before, creating in B&W is half way to get... artistic! It is almost like comparing vinyl with CD... B&W images can be strong, high contrast and powerful or they can be so soft, gentle and subtle. Convinced? You don’t need to be! This is not an attempt to convince you, it is merely a presentation of some reasons why you should give B&W photography a try. This is most of all a personal debate and only you can decide what to do. I can only give you some different perspective...
MATERIAL YOU WILL NEED:
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A camera. Really? You don’t say so?...
This is not obligatory at all but I would really advise you to use some camera that shoots in RAW. If you do have one but can’t shoot in RAW, whatever the reason is, I would also advise you to start doing it! If you don’t have a camera that shoots in RAW, not to worry, you can still follow this tut but you won’t have so much control over the final result as someone that shoots in RAW...
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A computer with some software for photo editing is also advisable though not obligatory since you can allways configure your camera to shoot in B&W - not advisable though, and this tutorial will not be so much directed to those who do so... In this tutorial I am showing a B&W that I did with Adobe Photoshop CC which is not much different then Lightroom or another Adobe Photoshop version...
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Like always, there are like a trillion different ways to do stuff, but in this tutorial we will not use filters. In the real world you could also buy some filters and achieve some nice results, but seriously, why should you be spending money on filters when they can get broken or scratched and you could be spending that same money in some decent software for image editing and get an infinite number of results that you can’t achieve with a couple of filters? The decision is yours...
GETTING YOUR HANDS DIRTY!
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I am going to start by repeting myself: Shoot in RAW!! You have so many reasons to do it (see previous tutorials) but most of all, you will be gaining a much bigger control in the post production phase of converting
your color images into black and white! If your camera does not allow you to shoot in RAW, well then you will have a lot more work in achieving the same results, if you will ever achieve the same results, at least with the same quality.
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You may want to shoot in color. Why you ask, what is the point? Well, this might sound ridiculous, especially if you shoot in RAW (because if you shoot in RAW you can still convert your shot into color without loosing any data or damaging the photo) but trust me, this is a good tip! Though camera manufacturers are constantly adding plug-ins to cameras (frames plug-ins, sepia plug-ins, B&W plug-ins, etc), it still doesn’t compensate to use them because you are making all your creative decisions at the time of the shot (without having cooling your mind and let the whole process go “mature”) and in most cases, shooting in these modes means you cannot recover full colored shots (shooting in JPG). Many people can argue that this implies more time editing on the computer, but remember that this way (JPG photographers) you will be able to keep both versions of the shot in case you want! Plus, you will have a different point of view when building up your B&W, which is a clear advantage towards people who go B&W straight from the beginning.
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This might not be a surprise to you, but you should shoot in a very low ISO. Many of you already do it, but many of you also might not be doing it due to the wish of creating a grainy effect! Fear not! Those kind of effects can always be added later on when processing the photo! And then, once again, you can always save a version for each: clean one and grainy one. Otherwise you will have forever a “destroyed” photo that cannot be used in anything else...
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Use the “bad days” for photograph to take some nice B&W! In other words, when those dark days come, instead of siting at home and moan about the poor light for photography, use that as an advantage for taking some great B&W shots! Some of the very best B&W shots have a very low light or contrast. It makes them moody... Besides, clouds look awesome on B&W shots, it gives them personality and a great texture!
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When you are editing your shots, play a bit around with the curves. It might happen that during the conversion (which is a very much standard process that some programmer coded for some standard action and not for your photo in specific!) some of the main objects of your composition traveled to a second or third plan. Bring them back in action by playing with the color levels and curves. This will work outstandingly if you shoot in RAW. If you shoot in JPG, prepare to fight a tough war and lose it because even if you get satisfied with the results, you will never get rid of chromatic aberrations...
CONCLUSION: There are a lot more things you can do, like increase contrast, lighten background and so on, but we would never end this tutorial. The point is that there are no rules about this! You are pretty much free to do anything you want to! These things I am talking about are only tips in order to achieve the best results, but the fact is that each photograph is a photograph and that means that there are different paths and goals for each photograph that will be converted into B&W. In the end of the day, you can start with this tutorial, but the final decisions are always yours! Feel free to try and upload your results into the group!
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FINAL RESULT!
WANT TO SEND US YOUR TUTORIAL?
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US TO:
INFO@NORTHERNLANDSCAPE.ORG Northern Landscape Magazine • 51
Septembe man touch D
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er features hed 99 FEATURES 30 DAYS
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Road~ ~Juro Kovacik
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Boathouse by the Loch~ ~derekbeattie
Distant Peak.~ ~Mbland
Islay: The Surfer~ ~Kasia-D Northern Landscape Magazine • 55
September Morning II~ ~John Dunbar
Dyrholaey~ ~Juro Kovacik 56 • Northern Landscape Magazine
Early Morning on the Thames~ ~Ludwig Wagner
Hardknott Pass~ ~Stephen Knowles
Stalker Sunset~ ~Jeanie
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The Three Sisters~ ~Paul Messenger
cloud trail~ ~Stuart Mcguire
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View From the Bluff IV~ ~Kathleen M. Daley
Islay: Port Ellen Lighthouse~ ~Kasia-D
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Kynance Cove, Cornwall~ ~Ludwig Wagner
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Into the fields~ ~PhotosByHealy
After the Storm~ ~Ludwig Wagner
Making Hay~ ~PhotosByHealy
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Evening at Krokavatnet~ ~Algot Kristoffer Peterson
Admiring Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada~ ~Gerda Grice
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The Lairig Ghru & Braeriach~ ~VoluntaryRanger
Winter Sunset~ ~Ludwig Wagner Northern Landscape Magazine • 63
Malye Karely~ ~Sampsa Hyväri
Llandudno Beach~ ~Kat Simmons
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CROSS ON THE HILL..~ ~johnrace
ALNMOUTH...NORTHUMBERLAND. UK.~ ~johnrace Northern Landscape Magazine
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Warm days~ ~MarianBendeth
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This is (h
CHARLES KOSINA GENTLY DECIDED TO TAKE US WITH HIM ON HIS HOLIDAYS. REA ABOUT THE BEAUTIFUL WESTERN CANADA THROUGH AN AUSTRALIAN MAN’S EY 68 • Northern Landscape Magazine
hi)story!
AD AND SEE ALL YES...
Here is the beautiful adventure of an Australian man who fel in love with Canada but not its coffee... Northern Landscape Magazine • 69
W
hy Canada? Some time back we put our names down for a photographic tour of Montana and Wyoming in September, this year. This tour is led by two Australian professional photographers whom we know well. And last year, Alyson and I came to BC and Alberta for about 3 weeks in July. Alyson was so taken by the place that she suggested we should tack on a week or so in front of the photo tour. Well, once we went through all the places we wished to go to, the “week or so” somehow expanded to three and a half weeks. There are two main ways of planning overseas travel. One is to go to a travel agent and tell them where we would like to go. They organize everything, the flights, hotel, travel and other incidentals. Tours are often by train or coach. But there are major drawbacks. Firstly, the tours are mostly along well worn tourist trails. The coaches stop at viewpoints along the way where you have maybe 15 minutes to snap as many photos as possible, all the time competing with others all trying to do the same. And there could be hundreds as often several coaches will arrive at the same time. Setting up a tripod and waiting for the right light is just not on. Then there is accommodation, usually in expensive and overpriced hotels on top of which you have to buy all meals at restaurants.
sive. Travelling in August is peak season for much of BC and Alberta, so all booking had to be done and paid for well in advance. This turned out to be beneficial for another reason. Early this year the Australian Dollar was buying about CAD1.05, but since then the value has declined and it is currently worth only about 95c. As with all travel, there are always days when the weather does not co-operate and this was certainly the case in the early part of the trip. On days like that, the photography can be very bland and boring, so I am omitting some from those days. However, it is amazing what can be done to some second rate photos using NIK Viveza 2 software. This is available as a 15 day trial and is relatively inexpensive. It comes as a plug-in for Photoshop and other programs. In this first part I will cover our journey which started on Vancouver Island, and will take it through to Jasper in Alberta.
BUTCHART GARDENS These gardens are located on Vancouver Island not far north of Victoria, which is the capital of British Columbia. They were started in 1904, and if you Google them you can get all the history.
Not our way at all. We planned our route and chose suitable accommodation along the way; mostly self catering so we could cook our own meals most of the time. And by hiring a car we can divert off the main roads and away from the tourist hordes.
It was a beautiful sunny day and as a result the gardens were swarming with hordes and hordes of people. Now people are the anathema of landscape photographers! How can you take decent photos with them constantly getting in the way, or spoiling a perfectly good composition by their very presence? Have a look at the photo of the Sunken Garden, not a single person present in it. Those who have a reasonable knowledge of Photoshop techniques should be able to work out how I did it.
All this planning does take a lot of time, weeks in fact. Using sites like Tripadvisor we could pick out the best places to stay, and more importantly those to avoid! And some of those are often the most expen-
We spent about 7 hours in the gardens by which time we were exhausted. There was a fireworks display in the evening which we thought we may stay for, but if as the time approached, busloads more people
Thirdly, you are tied to a fixed schedule which may require very early starts.
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BUTCHART GARDENS
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arrived, there would have been many thousands there. The thought of fighting our way through the traffic at the end did not bear considering, so we made our escape a good hour before fireworks started.
an interesting road across a low range of mountains. Along the way we stopped at the Little Qualicum Falls. These are small by Canadian standards and consist of a series of falls joined by rapids. Overcast day, so had to up the ISO and use a tripod. Nothing spectacular but well worth the visit.
VICTORIA The most famous building in this city would have to be the Empress Hotel. We only stayed a short time in the city so photographic opportunities were somewhat limited. The next stop was an overnight stay in Parksville, part way up the east coast of Vancouver Island.
PARKSVILLE TO UCLUELET
PARKSVILLE TO UCLUELET The trip to Ucluelet from Parksville is along an interesting road across a low range of mountains. Along the way we stopped at the Little Qualicum Falls. These are small by Canadian standards and consist of a series of falls joined by rapids. Overcast day, so had to up the ISO and use a tripod. Nothing spectacular but well worth the visit.
The trip to Ucluelet from Parksville is along
LIGHTHOUSE NEAR VICTORIA
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EMPRESS HOTEL, VICTORIA
UCLUELET
WHISTLER
This is a small town on the west coast of the island. We particularly wanted to visit this area because it is renowned for wild seas of the Pacific Ocean. There is but water for thousands of kilometers till the next country, Japan. But it turned out the ocean was absolutely dead flat, the biggest wave may have been 10 Cm!
The town of Whistler is a famous all year round resort, especially noted for its skiing. It was the site of many events in the 2010 Winter Olympics. The Peak to Peak Gondola joins the two mountains and takes only 11 minutes to travel from one to the other. I have been on this gondola many times in my ski trips there, but Alyson had never seen it. But as fate would have it, the bad weather that we copped on Vancouver Island seemed to follow us, and it was overcast and rained. There was no point going up there to see nothing much else but fog. At least I have included a photo from last February to show what it looks like.
REST OF VANCOUVER ISLAND Two days were spent at Comox, a town half way up the east coast of the island. When we were there last year, we drove up to Mt Washington, which is only about a half hour drive away. And it poured with rain! So we thought we would repeat the exercise this time round. Do I need to tell you what the weather was like? Oh well, maybe another time.
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LITTLE QUALICUM FALLS
WHISTLER TO CLINTON This is one of the most scenic roads we have been on. We did it in the opposite direction last year and were determined to do it again. North of Whistler the road travels through Pemberton and then through the towering Coastal Range with glaciers on many mountains. It then descends into the Fraser River gorge at Lillooet. The transition from the forested slopes to the semi-arid region is dramatic. Semi-arid as it is in the rain shadow of the mountains, but it has the mighty Fraser
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River that has carved out this deep valley. We met the Fraser River a number more times as it winds its tortuous route through the Province down to the ocean at
Vancouver. Part way along this road is a long and skinny Anderson Lake and it is there that the logjam provided some intriguing photography.
LITTLE QUALICUM FALLS
FITZSIMMONS CREEK, WHISTLER Northern Landscape Magazine • 75
NORTH OF PEMBERTON
LOG JAM AT ANDERSON LAKE
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CLEARWATER Clearwater is a small town in the Thomson River Valley. It is right next to the Wells Gray Provincial Park. We had two reasons for stopping here. Firstly it reduced the driving distance to our next stop at Valemount. Also it is close to two waterfalls within the park. The first of these, the Spahats Creek Falls, we visited last year, and these are fairly close to Clearwater. These falls are 60 meters tall and although the water flow is not all that high, they have carved a spectacular gorge. The much bigger Helmcken Falls are about 50 km north of Clearwater. They are on the Murtle River and at 141 meters tall, are the fourth highest falls in Canada. The day of our visit was yet another overcast day, but this did not diminish from the spectacle of either of these falls.
Nevertheless, it was mainly sunny to make for good photography. Close to Mt Robson and on the south side of the Yellowhead Highway are the only two waterfalls on the mighty Fraser River. These are the Rearguard Falls and the upstream ones are the Overlander Falls. In terms of height they hardly rate. But despite the fact that they are not all that far from the source of the Fraser River, there is an impressive volume of water. In the close up of the Overlander Falls my shutter speed was 1/500 second to illustrate my earlier comments about waterfall photography.
Now while we are talking about waterfalls, let me say a few words to my approach to waterfall photography. There is a current fashion to use a long exposure to create a “silky water” effect. I regard this as a worn out cliché, it may be suitable for a very small waterfall, but is quite inappropriate for the powerful falls that we have photographed. I prefer an exposure time of 1/50 sec or faster, in some cases down to 1/1000 second when there is good light. This captures the detail in the water, and looks far more realistic than the “cotton wool” images that are so prevalent in much of the waterfall photography we see today.
MOUNT ROBSON AND FRASER RIVER WATERFALLS This is the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies. At 3,954 meters and a prominence of 2,829 meters it certainly stands out from the surroundings. Clearly visible on its flanks are sizable glaciers. Not so clearly visible is the summit. There are relatively few days in the year when the summit is clear of cloud, and we did not have one of these days!
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FRASER RIVER CANYON NORTH OF LILLOOET
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HELMCKEN FALLS
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SPAHATS CREEK FALLS
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MT ROBSON
MT ROBSON GLACIER Northern Landscape Magazine • 81
REARGUARD FALLS
REARGUARD FALLS DETAIL
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OVERLANDER FALLS
OVERLANDER FALLS Northern Landscape Magazine • 83
PATRICIA LAKE AND PYRAMID LAKE When we visited Jasper in July last year we stayed on Connaught St, which is a main through road. This was a bad choice! The railway shunting yard is just the other side of the road, and the freight trains do not stop overnight! Furthermore, it was in a heat wave, and with no air conditioning, the windows had to be open. Needless to say, with the shunting freight trains and heat, we had little sleep during the nights. This time we chose to stay for three nights in a cabin at Patricia Lake – hang the expense! This is a beautiful setting about 5 km out of town and being right next to the lake early morning photos were easy to take. This is the best time of the day as the surface can be mirror smooth as you can see on the photo. Yes, I have it perfectly symmetrical top to bottom
but I like to break the rules when it suits me. Patricia Lake is notable for its involvement during WW2 with Project Habbakuk, a plan to build an unsinkable aircraft carrier from an ice-based composite material termed “Pykrete”. Have a look at Wikipedia for a description of this bizarre and ill-fated project. Not far from Patricia Lake is Pyramid Lake, so called as it has as a backdrop Pyramid Mountain which is 2,766 meters high. There is far more tourist activity at this lake and it is extremely popular for boating and fishing. With the spectacular setting and the fine weather it was hard not to keep shooting photo after photo. There are so many angles and views it is indeed a photographers’ paradise.
PATRICIA LAKE REFLECTIONS
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CANOES AT PATRICIA LAKE
PYRAMID MOUNTAIN ABOVE PATRICIA LAKE
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PYRAMID MOUNTAIN
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MALIGNE LAKE AND SPIRIT ISLAND The trip to Maligne Lake and Spirit Island is one of the highlights of any trip to the Canadian Rockies. The lake is located about 50 km south of Jasper, and on the way you can also visit Maligne Canyon. This is a deep canyon with a number of waterfalls, and well worth spending an hour at. The cruise to Spirit Island takes about 40 minutes and the lake is in a box canyon with mountains on either side. Many of those above 3000 m have glaciers down their sides. We chose the last cruise that leaves at 5 pm to get the lowest possible sun angle for our photos. Once you get to the jetty at Spirit Island, there is only about 15 minutes to take as many photos as possible. So it pays to get off the boat quickly and first run up to the higher viewpoint to get the best position. We took many photos with different lenses, zooms and exposures. Fortunately we had a beautiful sunny day, so that photos could be taken at ISO 100 or 200 and short exposure
times. Tripods were not really necessary, and besides, there was not enough time to set up a tripod! Once we got the iconic photos from the high viewpoint, we went down to lake level and took more photos at more unusual angles. I should point out that the island is not really an island. Most of the time the water level is such that there is a spit of land that joins the “island” to the lake shore. But when we visited there in July last year, the level was particularly high, and it was truly an island. Care has to be taken on the road to Jasper as there is wildlife crossing the road. Cariboo were once quite common, but their population has been diminishing over the years. We were told that there were only six left in the Maligne Lake area. The previous year the population was sixteen, but ten had been wiped out by an avalanche in the winter. Sadly, the number remaining is probably too low a genetic pool to be self sustaining. With luck you may also see some deer or if very lucky, a bear. We were not lucky!
MALIGNE LAKE BOATHOUSE
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GLACIER ABOVE MALIGNE LAKE
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SPIRIT ISLAND
SPIRIT ISLAND
HALF WAY THROUGH JOURNEY So that covers our journey to Jasper which was about half way through our trip. In the next issue I hope to continue this as we headed down the Icefields Parkway towards Lake Louise and Banff and then in a loop through Golden, Revelstoke, Kelowna, Hope and back to Vancouver.
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PHOTOGRAPHY AND TEXT BY CHARLES KOSINA WANT TO SEND US A STORY ABOUT YOUR LOCAL STORIES? MAIL US TO: INFO@NORTHERNLANDSCAPE.ORG Northern Landscape Magazine • 91
Septembe man made D
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er features e 99 FEATURES 30 DAYS
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Stockton Locks in February~ ~Avril Harris
Eilean Donan Castle - The Wall ~ ~Stuart Blance
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Ightham Mote~ ~Ludwig Wagner
Pendennis Castle, Falmouth~ ~Ludwig Wagner
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Callanai on a Friday~ ~kalaryder
Sligachan Bridge~ ~derekbeattie 96 • Northern Landscape Magazine
Ever Enchanted~ ~Evelina Kremsdorf
Misty Dawning in Algonquin Park~ ~Gerda Grice Northern Landscape Magazine • 97
Alice and Challenger~ ~Avril Harris
Cromer Pier Storm~ ~Avril Harris
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Au Petit Hôtel - Quebec~ ~Yannik Hay
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THE BIG CHALLEN
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NGE ~ SEPTEMBER
27 ENTRIES 63 VOTES 1 WINNER
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4 DAYS FOR VOTING
KERNUAK
MIST OVER LOCH LEVEN
WHERE THE MOUNTAINS MEET THE SKY EVELINA KREMSDORF 102 • Northern Landscape Magazine
8 VOTES
12 VOTES
The BIG top ten
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COUNTRY LANE WITH VIEW OF STOODLEY PIKE
SEPTEMBER MORNING II
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DAVID BARKER
JOHN DUNBAR
7 VOTES
7 VOTES
EILEAN GLAS LIGHTHOUSE
ISLAY: THE SURVIVOR
HEBRIDESLIGHT
KASIA-D
6 VOTES
5 VOTES
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THE KISSING TREE
INTO THE FIELDS
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STEPHEN KNOWLES
PHOTOSBYHEALY
5 VOTES
5 VOTES
THE PARK ROAD - DENALI NATIONAL PARK - ALASKA HARRY SNOWDEN
PYRAMID MOUNTAIN REFLECTION
4 VOTES
CHARLES KOSINA
4 VOTES
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KERNUAK
T
Featured artist
his month we have had a smashing victory. Kernuak won the challenge with 12 votes, 4 more than the second place! Apparently, there was no chance for anyone else, this was taken ever since the beginning... Easy peasy... Congratulations on this one!!
We travel therefore to the UK to have some coffee (or tea with scones??) with our winner who goes by the name of Richard. Let’s see what does he have in for us...
# When did you join Redbubble? July 2008.
# What can you tell us about yourself?
Not much to say really, a fairly typical man in my mid-forties. By day, I’m a Biomedical Scientist in a microbiology laboratory. In the past, I spent almost three years performing research in Norway and Greece.
# How does photography fit in your life? And where do you want to get with it?
It’s been a difficult time for me in the past 8 or 9 months, with a lot of stresses at work. Also, I felt that I was getting the same type of shots from the same locations, so I had a bit of a creative slump. As a result, I have taken a lot less photos than in previous years and haven’t done any wildlife photography for almost 12 months and little landscape photography, the two main areas of interest for me. Ironically though, I have done more portrait photography than I have ever done, mainly because of the local camera club and have surprised myself by enjoying it. The last mammoth shoot, involving 33 people one evening at a place called Hestercombe Gardens has opened new avenues for me and I hope to start providing some portraiture for sale as a result. Part of me would like to make more of a career out of photography, but I would be afraid of losing the enjoyment I get from it and would be unlikely to be able to make a living from it.
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INTERVIEW
Having coffee with Kernuak + his Featured works Northern Landscape Magazine • 109
# What photographic gear do you have?
I have Canon gear and my setup is based on my main interests, wildlife and landscape. I have two bodies, a 5D MkIII and a 7D, along with a 300mm f/2.8 L IS, 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS MkII, 135mm f/2 L, 100mm macro, 50mm f/1.4 and 24mm f/1.4 L MkII. I also have a secondhand EOS 3 and keep meaning to use up my Fuji Velvia. The few accessories I have, include a couple of flashes (580 EX MkII and an old Metz 45) and a Lee filter set. The most recent addition is a Singh-Ray reverse grad filter, which I missed since upgrading to the Lee system.
# How does it feel to win our BIG CHALLENGE and have such a feature on our monthly magazine?
To be honest, it was a bit of a surprise, partly, because I’d forgotten I’d entered, but also, I haven’t won many challenges and some groups seem to favour the same people regardless of the quality of the shot, so I never have very high expectations when I enter a challenge. In many ways, this is probably my biggest win. I have won a couple of challenges in bigger groups, but this is the first time that I’ve had this sort of feature and this degree of exposure.
# Tell us about the winning shot!
It was one of those rare unplanned shots. I was on my way back from the northeast of Scotland, near to Inverness and as usual, I stopped off in Glen Coe on the way back. However, my usual stopover was full up, so I ended up staying on the banks of Loch Leven instead. The previous couple of days, I’d spent exploring the area, so from that point of view, I had done some planning and scouting (which meant I knew the best viewpoint to get to quickly), but apart from the previous night, the weather wasn’t favourable. The previous morning, I’d got up early for some dawn shots, but the lighting was uninspiring, so I went back to bed. This particular morning, I was drivining back home, via the Lake District, so I didn’t get up early and decided to have a relaxing breakfast, before the drive. The breakfast room looked out over Loch Leven and as I was finishing off, the mist rolled in. I quickly finished off, went back to my room, got the gear together and rushed off to the vantage point with a single body and a couple of lenses and filters. This was the result (I took several shots with different amoutns of mist).
# Describe us how would your perfect photo be!
I’m not sure there is such a thing. The perfect photo is the one that meets the needs or desires at the time and varies according to mood. I think one that captures the scene as I saw it and tells a story to any viewers or makes them feel like they are there is about as close as you can get. If I enjoy it and a number of viewers enjoy looking at it, then I am happy.
# Any other thoughts that you want to put out there?
I’ve never been overly ambitious, but I have had ambitions at work, like many people. However, I think over the past few months, I’ve come to realise, there are many more important things in life. I think it’s important to find love and friendship and I’ve been lucky enough to find someone I would consider to be the friend of a lifetime, the type of friendship that I will probably not find again.
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SUNLIT RIVER COE
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MIST OVER LOCH LEVEN BY KERNUAK THE WINNER OF OUR BIG CHALLENGE ~ SEPTEMBER
WANT TO BE FEATURED? DON’T LOSE OUR NEXT BIG CHALLENGE!
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Northern La Some facts
Belarus - An unknown co
O
fficially called “Republic of Belarus”, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk but other major cities include Brest, Hrodna (Grodno), Homiel (Gomel), Mahilyow (Mogilev) and Vitsebsk (Vitebsk). Over forty percent of its
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207,600 square kilometres (80,200 sq mi) is forested, and its strongest economic sectors are service industries and manufacturing. Until the 20th century, the lands of modern-day Belarus belonged to several countries, including the Principality of Polotsk, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish– Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian
Location of Belarus in Europe (dark green)
andscape -
ountry to many Empire. In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, Belarus became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union and was renamed as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR). Much of the borders of Belarus took their modern shape in 1939 when some lands of the Second Polish Republic were incorporated into it after the Soviet invasion of Poland and were finalized after World War II. The nation and its territory were devastated in World War II, during which Belarus lost about a third of its population and more than half of its economic resources. The republic was redeveloped in the post-war years. In 1945, the Belorussian SSR became a founding member of the United Nations, along with the Soviet Union
and the Ukrainian SSR. The parliament of the republic declared the sovereignty of Belarus on 27 July 1990, and during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Belarus declared independence on 25 August 1991. Alexander Lukashenko has been the country’s president since 1994. Despite objections from Western governments, Lukashenko has continued Sovietera policies, such as state ownership of the economy. According to some organizations and countries, elections have been unfair, and political opponents have been violently suppressed.
Flag of Belarus is a modification of the 1951 flag used while the country was a republic of the Soviet Union Northern Landscape Magazine • 115
In 2000, Belarus and Russia signed a treaty for greater cooperation, with some hints of forming a Union State. Despite its proximity to the rest of Europe and the West, Belarus’ Democracy Index rating continuously ranks the lowest in Europe, and the country is labelled as “Not Free” by Freedom House and “Repressed” in the Index of Economic Freedom. For this reason, the country is often referred to as the ‘Last Dictatorship in Europe’. According to statistics, over 70% of Belarus’s population of 9.49 million resides in urban areas. More than 80% of the population is ethnic Belarusian, with sizable minorities of Russians, Poles and Ukrainians. Since a referendum in 1995, the country has had two official languages: Belarusian and Russian. The Constitution of Belarus does not declare an official religion, although the primary religion in the country is Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The second most popular, Roman Catholicism, has a much smaller following, although both Orthodox and Catholic versions of Christmas and Easter are celebrated as national holidays.
The national emblem of Belarus features a ribbon in the colors of the national flag, a map of Belarus, wheat ears and a red star.
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IMAGES FROM WIKIPEDIA
WANT TO SEND US YOUR FACTS? MAIL US TO: INFO@NORTHERNLANDSCAPE.ORG
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Back cover artist
E
velina Kremsdorf is a truly talented photographer that makes part of our community. I remember that I had to stalk her moths ago to join our group. I know I should not take any party on anyone, but the fact is that when I saw her artwork I got a bit obsessed in having her joining our marvelous group, which she did a while after, which made me really glad. I hope you feel like home Evelina!. I went to check out Evelina’s profile page and in the middle of her endless list of gear I manage to find out some personal info: “Born and raised in Ukraine, I’ve been a New Yorker for half of my life. I’m an addicted photographer and a huge ice hockey fan. Hope you enjoy my art as much as I enjoy creating it! Any comments/feedbacks/suggestions are greatly appreciated! And please don’t be afraid to critique – it’s a learning process!”.
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NORTHERN LANDSCAPE ISSUE # 07 * OCTOBER 2013
www.northernlandscape.org
WHERE THE MOUNTAINS MEET THE SKY Canon EOS 7D Sigma 10-20mm Shot on March 16, 2013
NORTHERN LANDSCAPE MAGAZINE - ISSUE #7 OCTOBER 2013