London by night

without a tripod!

Part 2 of my all too brief adventure in London, England with the fabulous Ana Pogacar.

Arriving in London Wednesday evening, after four days of a busy tradeshow, we really didn't have much of an itinerary planned. We made a feeble attempt to look through guide books Wednesday night, but ended up winging it Thursday anyway. And it turned out wonderfully.

We left our hotel without tripods on Thursday. The decision was not to carry the extra weight since the weather forecast was for rain, feeling we could always return for them if need be. We scouted our evening shoot location before noon, and found there was a nice almost flat perimeter wall that we could set cameras on so the decision to go tripodless stood. The rain let up in the afternoon so the fight against raindrops on lenses ended.

We arrived back on the south side of the Thames near the London Eye around 5 p.m., and a thick fog was rolling in.

The streets were busy with tourists, buskers and business people alike.

As the skies darkened we took up our positions along the wall, and got our shots of Westminster Bridge, Big Ben and the Parliament buildings.

And then we tried a new sport - long exposures (hand held, remember) including moving objects.

Ana at work (that's her on the right hand edge):

We spent quite a lot of time trying for the perfect panning shot, all the while being repeatedly approached by the creepiest panhandlers ever!

And once we were each satisfied with our result, we moved on, walking back toward Trafalgar Square in search of our evening meal, which was derailed by a spontaneous decision to take in a play! A late, very (very) good meal at Cafe Fiori, and one last stop for shots at the National Gallery.

I am pleasantly surprised by how many 'good' shots I got, in such a short time and in such poor shooting conditions. It really is amazing how much better photography is with another photographer, and I can't wait for another opportunity to do this kind of thing! Day 2 and 3 yet to come!

Happy Easter!

Johnston Canyon, Alberta

After a pleasant lunch at Chateau Lake Louise, we accepted the invitation to join some others at Johnston Canyon. I'd been to Johnston Canyon at least once before, but only in summer with the hoards of tourists. I remembered it as a narrow, deep tree lined canyon and was pretty worried about having any light at all. But we had tripods, and no other place in mind, so onward we did go. Boy am I glad we did. I must say that it is at least as pretty in winter, and no where near as crowded! I was surprised by the fact that the water was still not completely frozen over,

and mesmerized by the lovely glacial colors of the icicles on the canyon walls.

There were interesting detail shots to be had as well. I spotted the repeating shapes of the snow, ice and rocks in the open water.

The color of water contrasted beautifully against the canyon at the Lower Falls.

There is a small tunnel through the rock that takes you close up to the Lower Falls, and it is very much worth crouching through. This is a 2 shot hand held vertical pano, made after blending 3 exposures for each of the two shots.

(One of the guys with us took a shot from pretty much the same place, with his Android. It made me wonder why I'd carried my backpack and gear!)

The detail of the ice  and water running under it was really lovely.

We were running out of what little daylight there was, and so didn't explore the upper falls this trip. Next time! This is a definite must do (and easy to do) hike during the winter, should you find yourself in Banff National Park some day.

We ended our day with some warm refreshments at the Banff Springs. Beautiful setting, all gussied up for Christmas. Sadly, no photos as I left the camera in the car!

Tuesday Travelogue: Maui's East Side

Since winter has decided to stick around, I've decided to be distracted by a  few more views of marvelous Maui, beginning at Paia and traveling south.

Paia is the 'starting point' of the road to Hana, but we manage to do more than just stop here for road snacks. There are several nice boutiques and restaurants and it's pretty easy to while away several hours here. I mean, why rush? On our last visit we'd had a tip to eat at the Maui Flatbread Company, and were treated to some amazing thunderheads forming over the Iao Valley and the northern tip of the island.

Paia Bay from Lower Paia Park

On our 2011 trip, we started down the Road to Hana once again; we've started that trip previously, but the winding road had always gotten the best of our young children. Success at last!

Nua'ailua Bay

We stopped at both a Banana Bread and an Ice Cream (don't blink or you'll miss them!) stand on our way to  Wai'anapapa State Park, gorgeous views, black sand, and cave swimming.

The girl at the ice cream stand had advised us that it was perfectly fine to travel back to west Maui via the Piilani Highway (31) to  the Kula Highway, and so after stopping for lunch in Hana proper, we continued on through the most incredibly diverse bunch of ecosystems and spectacular scenery.

Haleakala ranchlands from Kalama Park Road

You can visit my Maui gallery for more great images. Keep watching this space on Tuesdays for more  travelogues!

Wintery Wednesday

This is what is happening in my world today. Much, much (much) too early.

Snow does often lend itself to some pretty photo ops though.

Hopefully this will be short lived, brief, a fleeting moment.

Wildlife Wednesday

It's #wildlifewednesday on Google+, so I decided to share this photo there.

Our yard is bordered on the south by a creek bed, with a well established tree stand. We are pretty close to the North Saskatchewan River, and before all the farm land was paved, we had a lot of wildlife around. This breeding pair of Great Horned Owls returns each winter, but I've never found a nest. I did, long ago, see one in the daylight along with a fledging owlet. Most encounters I've had have been silhouettes at dusk. This past January I caught sight of one of the owls on a tree top, and thought there might be enough light left to grab a few shots. I stood with camera pointed toward one, when the other flew to the next tree top. As I moved my camera toward her, this happened. It was all over before I knew it (poor girl!). The whole series is in this gallery.

Alberta Soccer U14, U16, U18 Road to Nationals

I am very excited to be the Official Photographer at the ASA Tier 1 Provincial Soccer Tournament in Edmonton. The tournament starts tomorrow afternoon, and I'm just putting the finishing touches on my booth and getting the gear all packed up!

I've taken photos at numerous ASA provincials before, as well as at two Youth Soccer Nationals competitions - I've had that great privilege because my son's team represented Alberta twice, at U16 (silver medalists) and again at U18 (gold medalists!) so I appreciate the time and commitment that the athletes have given to get here, and wish them all the best!!!! I understand the game and know how to anticipate play.

When I first ventured into Sport Photography, a mentor told me there were 4 key elements in a sport photo: Face, Action, Contact, Ball. The perfect sport photograph isn't necessarily of the ball going into the net or even of the shot that put it there. It's all about the expression on the players face, the look of determination or of joy they have from competing, the fierce face off between opponents, the big stretch  to reach the  bird or the perfect positioning that comes from years of training. Catching those moments is what I strive to do. Sports photography is all about anticipation, about predicting what will happen next and focusing in on that moment. I've been shooting sports for 10 years and would love to be your sports photographer.

I'll be uploading photos by game day and time, to the galleries here. By 'registering' you will be able to select your favorite photos, and those photos are added to your own personal gallery for further review, and of course to purchase prints or digital files!

Prints come from Bay Photo, and are of the highest quality, printed with true photographic processing on archival paper. We also offer digital files and several specialty products, such as prints on aluminum and will have samples on display at the tournament.

You can book photography in advance, to guarantee that your team or player has their photos taken during the tournament. With 36 teams/51 games this will be the only way to ensure coverage of your player!

See you tomorrow!

Introducing Windermere Studios

Welcome to Windermere Studios! As the tag line above says 'The new home of Ann McRae Photography'! It's taken me longer to get to the job of renaming and redesigning my home on the web than I would have liked, but progress is indeed happening.

I've had Fastline Media install one of their SmugMug Templates for me, and I'm very pleased with the result! Check out the new look of  the Windermere Studios website!!! Isn't it gorgeous? I'm not quite settled on the logo just yet.

I'm getting ready for the Alberta Soccer Association Tier 1 Provincials for U14, U16 and U18 boys and girls next week. I've got a great special offer in place if you pre-book team game photos. Sign up in advance and receive a $100 discount off of the tournament team coverage rate of $350. You'll find more details on the site, and can use this form for booking your shoot. I've been taking soccer action photos for over 10 years, and have photographed many provincial and national competitions. I'm really excited to be covering these games this year!

The garden here at Windermere Studio is looking pretty nice as well.

If you are considering family portraits or Christmas Card portraits, be sure to keep watching this space, and the studio Facebook page, for some great fall specials coming in September!

Please don't hesitate to send me a message if you would like to arrange some photography or have other questions for me!

2011 Favorites

2011 was an interesting year for me photography wise. I did far fewer paid shoots, far more donated portrait work, and far more photography just for me. My accountant might not consider that a success, but I have to say that I do. I've put together a gallery of my favorite personal shots from 2011.



I had a few photography goals. One was to photograph more of my city, one was to do more spontaneous photography, one was to seize the opportunity when presented. I think that the favorites demonstrate that. There are local shots, including local festivals, there are holiday shots, shots taken in the middle of the night on business trips, and also in the middle of the night on a night that the aurora decided to put on a show. The final shot in that gallery is among my favorites, and believe it or not is a photo taken with my iPhone camera and the amazing app just released by www.smugmug.com called Camera Awesome

I've got a growing gallery of Camera Awesome photos, and will put together a post about those as well, some day soon!

Photo of the month:April

2011 Alberta Highland Dance Provincial Championship

It is my pleasure to return as official photographer for the competition on April 30, 2011.

Photo of the month, January 2011

Ann McRae Photography is thrilled to be back as Official Photographer at the 2010 Highland Dance Provincial Championship and Open Competition. This year, we are offering three print packages at a 20% discount from the on line package price, if you pay for the package at the event.

The GOLD Package includes:
1 (10x15) print | 1 (8x12) print | 2 (5x7) prints | 4 (4x6) prints

The price for the individual prints totals $100. The Gold Package price for these same prints is $85.00 on line, and at the event an $85 print credit can be purchased for $70.

The SILVER Package includes:
1(8x12) print | 2 (5x7) prints | 2 (4x6) prints | 1 sheet of 8 wallets

The price for these prints is $60, when purchased individually. The package price, on line, is $50. At the event, purchase a $50 Print Credit for $42.00

The Highland Dance 10 pack includes 10 (4x6) prints, regular value of $50. The package price is $42.50 on line, and at the event a $42.50 print credit is available for $34.00.

Alberta Provincial Championship and Open Competition 2010 Galleries

SmugMugPro Coupons, Events, Packages

I love SmugMug. To paraphrase Victor Kiam, I love SmugMug so much I took a job with them!

I have used SmugMug to host my photos on line since January of 2004. I love the clean, beautiful display of my photos, I love the security of the on line back up and the ability to use password protection and watermarking for my photos. I love the customer service and responsiveness I experienced as a customer, and love being able to provide the same now that I am an employee.

But, in addition to being a SmugMug Support Hero, I am still a photographer trying to earn some income from this passion of mine! Do what you love and it won't feel like work, right?

Well, three new features released in the last few months have made it so much easier for me to do what I love and increase sales, so that I can keep doing what I love.

Coupons and Print Credits - a great way to encourage sales, for sure. Print Credits are a great tool for an event photographer to use. Pre-sell prints, or print packages at your event, provide the customer a print credit and then they are able to pick and choose the photos that they want from the convenience of their own home computer. As the photographer, you've made the sale. And you have made the customers life easier by eliminating the line up and wait for your on site displays.

Packages - a great tool to combine multiple print sizes into one price. Perfect for a sport photographer, to be able to give customers a predefined package at a great price, and simplify the customer's decision making process. With a SmugMug package, you can again presell it via a print credit, and then send your client a link to their proofs, for them to pick their favorite and make their purchase!

And speaking of customers picking favorites, well enter the event marketing tool and favorites. Give your customers special access to a gallery or group of galleries by creating an event for them. This will provide them with a tool to identify their favorite photos, place those into a virtual gallery to more easily compare and choose the right shots, and then let you know which choices they made! This is another tool to make your customers overall experience easier, better, less stressful and this will translate into more sales for you!

Bravo SmugMug on the release of these features. SmugMug Pro's - you must start using these features! You will be amazed by them, and how much nicer they make your customer experience!

SmugMug Easy Customizer

While I was lying awake last night, wanting to fall asleep, I planned out some changes to my SmugMug site. My site has needed a make over for a very long time, but when I was giving a tour of it to some other local photographers last night, this hit home very hard! I had different colors on different pages, different styles and overall a fairly unattractive mess.

I decided I wanted to maintain the color scheme I have always had, to keep some similarities with the old. I knew I needed consistency from page to page.

I work at helping people use their SmugMug sites, and have a pretty darned good knowledge of how things work. However, customization still scares the crapola out of me.

Easy Customizer to the rescue. This feature was released almost a year ago, but I had not used it, other than to be familiar enough with it to help folks on their sites! Well, let me tell you, it is amazing.

Once I knew the look that I wanted, I set about creating a background for my site in PS. I had already come up with a font for the logo when I made my last watermark, and of course wanted to keep my sunflower.

The rest was easy, and I have the basics accomplished in no time at all.

There will be some organizational changes to the galleries, and to what is public and what is not. But, I am most of the way there already - check it out:

http://www.annmcraephotography.ca/