douglas farmer photography

Spanish Banks Vancouver Sunset Feb 14 2012

2012-02-17T18:23:00.001-08:00

Spanish Banks Vancouver Sunset Feb 14 2012, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

Cool-Warm-Cool. Nature once again proving that two extremes can beautifully co-exist.

Power Sunset English Bay Vancouver Feb 15 2012

2012-02-16T18:17:00.001-08:00

Power Sunset English Bay Vancouver Feb 15 2012, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

We had a pretty spectacular sunset Feb 15 2012 here in Vancouver and this is the first of the series. A very impressionistic treatment which goes counter to my goal for this year - crisp, sharp, low noise, low ISO, etc. But ... whatever. Resolutions are partially meant to be broken in an emergency right? :)

Sirrus Sleeping In the Winter Sun Feb 04 2012

2012-02-05T14:11:00.001-08:00

Sirrus Sleeping In the Winter Sun Feb 04.jpg, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

A nice warm shot of one of my cats snoozing in the winter sunshine. HDR treatment via Photomatix Pro 4.1 and then post processed in Capture NX/2.

Paul and Sophie Winterton Dec 25 2011

2011-12-26T18:25:00.001-08:00

Paul and Sophie Dec 25 2011.jpg, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

Paul invited me over for Chistmas Dinner yesterday (it rocked) and while the bird 'relaxed' after being cooked we took Sophie for a walk right at sunset and the time of 'Maglic Light'. Super long shadows. Warm tonnes. Slow shooting but lots of bouncing light.

Shot on an iPhone 4 and post processed in Capture NX/2.

English Bay Foggy Moonset Dec 09 2011

2011-12-09T09:28:00.001-08:00

English Bay Foggy Moonset Dec 09 2011, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

A very slow and multi-image exposure followed by High Dynamic Range processing of a very pretty moonset over English Bay Vancouver on December 9 2011. With the temperature hovering around -5'C the atmospheric clarity added a nice punch. Capturing the star trails was a complete and unexpected bonus.

Impression English Bay Sunrise Dec 09 2011

2011-12-09T09:11:00.001-08:00

Impression English Bay Sunrise Dec 09 2011, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

With thanks for the inspiration to Claude Monet and his 1872 work - Impression Sunrise.

Frontal Interface Vancouver BC Nov 04 2011.jpg

2011-11-09T18:11:00.001-08:00

Frontal Interface Vancouver BC Nov 04 2011.jpg, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

Being on the west coast of North America we get some fairly impressive weather. And while we often gripe, grumble and otherwise get cranky over the endless wet weather systems (to the point we refer to where we live as the 'Wet Coast') days like last Friday and this approaching front system more than make up for. In particular went treated to a goodly dose of Hight Dynamic Range awesomeness.

Storm Front Sept 24 2011 IR HDR tonemapped.jpg

2011-09-24T12:03:00.001-07:00

Storm Front Sept 24 2011 IR HDR tonemapped.jpg, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

Vancouver's Kitsilano region looking west towards the Gulf Islands as a very moist Pacific frontal system rolls in from the north west. With a wind warning (60 to 90 km/hr) in effect as the system approachs it's time to batten down the hatches. Taken in Infra Red light and processed as a High Dynamic Range image.

Aug 24 2011 Sunset 02.jpg

2011-08-26T17:49:00.001-07:00

Aug 24 2011 Sunset 02.jpg, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

An understated but none the less powerful sunset over English Bay Vancouver August 24th 2011. The highlights on the clouds right above the sun as she set really pulled me in. God painting with light. :)

Curls July 29 2011 HDR.jpg

2011-08-11T19:20:00.001-07:00

Curls July 29 2011 HDR.jpg, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

Curls

Manotick Jul 29 2011 09 Maggie 01.jpg

2011-08-11T17:42:00.001-07:00

Manotick Jul 29 2011 09 Maggie 01.jpg, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

Here's Maggie. A very affectionate 4 or so year old tabby who not only reminds me of my first cat Jennifer but also one who has a cat's dream job. Keeping my sister's backyard clear of rodents (big and small) and keeping the local sparrow gene pool clear of the more moronic in the flock who think a big ball of orange, black and white fur nestled in the grass with tail flicking back and forth is not a .... err ... "risk".

Lost Lagoon Hyperfocal 05 Jul 19 2011

2011-07-19T16:34:00.001-07:00

Lost Lagoon Hyperfocal 05 Jul 19 2011, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

One of my favorite points along the trail that surrounds Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park. I've set the shooting location as close as I can to ground zero for this photo. This shot was taken in Infra Red light and post processed in High Dynamic Range using Photomatix Pro. I used the hyperfocal focusing technique (aka maximum depth of field) to get both the foreground and background as close to focus as possible. And "Yes" - there is an iPhone app to compute the hyperfocal settings for most brands of DSLRs and their lenses. Look for PhotoCalc in the iTunes app store.

The $50.38 Photo - Sunset Beach Macro 08 July 14 2011

2011-07-19T11:08:00.001-07:00

The $50.38 Photo - Sunset Beach Macro 08 July 14 2011, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

Each year one or two photos I capture wind up capturing me and remind me that as photographers what we do, in essence, is act as a conduit for a moment in time. We use our camera to record the moments so we can then share them with others.

We are not the moment just it's custodian.

This was a moment in time one hazy summer day on a beach in Vancouver made all the more 'real' thanks to High Dynamic Range photography (Photomatix Pro) and me being in the right place, at the right time with the right equipment and a solid understanding of depth-of-field. A captured moment perfect enough for me to blow $50.38 to get a 24"x36" foam core mounted version for my living room.

Sunset Beach Macro 07 July 14 2011

2011-07-18T11:00:00.001-07:00

Sunset Beach Macro 07 July 14 2011, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

An HDR macro of budding flowers on Sunset Beach in Vancouver. Macro photography never ceases to amaze me it what it can reveal. A very "Alice in Wonderland" feel to this one.

Teasels Just Past Bloom

2011-07-17T16:32:00.001-07:00

Teasels just past bloom, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

Post processed via SnapSeed for the iPad. What I'd call the "Harry Potter School of Photo Post Processing" - pure freakin' magic.

Sunset Beach Macro 16 July 14 2011

2011-07-17T16:29:00.001-07:00

Sunset Beach Macro 16 July 14 2011, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

One of my favorite flowers at Sunset Beach in downtown Vancouver. I've gone through my National Audubon Society field guide to west coast wild flowers but (currently) I've no idea what this cute little collection of seed pods waiting to burst forth is called.

HDR by Photomatix Pro, Sharpenning by Capture NX/2

Sunset Beach Macro 15 July 14 2011 - Wild Blue Teasel

2011-07-16T15:35:00.001-07:00

Sunset Beach Macro 15 July 14 2011 - Wild Blue Teasel, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

Here's a collection of wild teasels a few weeks past bloom at Sunset Beach Vancouver. While the moist spring and summer has been a constant source of disgruntle for us humans I'm pretty certain the local flowers have the reverse opinion.

Summer Raindrops 01 July 14 2011.jpg

2011-07-15T19:01:00.001-07:00

Summer Raindrops 01 July 14 2011.jpg, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

This is one of those photos you can get lost in so be careful. :) Taken during a break in the clouds of Vancouver's bummersummer. Grrrr. On the upside though the macro water drop photo-ops are numerous.

VancouverDoug's photostream

2011-06-17T18:18:00.001-07:00

VancouverDoug's photostream on Flickr.

A flash from the recent past - the Vancouver Sun held on Sunday April 17 2011. A great day for a run and with nice big puffy clouds hugging the north shore mountains a great morning for infra red photography was well.

If you look close enough you'll notice that all of the thousands of runners (nearly 50,000 in total that day) are all dressed in white. No Vancouver is not a cult city demanding it's citzens all wear the same clothing (except during Stanley Cup finals when the Canucks are playing). The mob of drones down below is an artifact of IR photography. Clothes reflect all infra red light and as such appear white and semi translucent. Creepy but cute in a cute creepy sort of way.

Reno View IR HDR with snapseed

2011-06-13T19:39:00.001-07:00

Reno View IR HDR with snapseed, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

Here's a bit of vintage processing on a 21st century image - infra red and high dynamic range photography combined then processed, on my iPad no less, with a new bit of software called snap seed. I expect in 2-3 years I'll being doing a lot of post production on the iPad.

West End IR HDR Jun 3 2011

2011-06-12T17:27:00.001-07:00

West End IR HDR Jun 3 2011 01.jpg, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

Vancouver's West End caught in the razor sharpness of infra red light. Thanks to the extended visual range of High Dynamic Range photography the shadow of one of the few clouds in the sky can be seen over the city.

Vancouver Downtown Jun 07 2011 HDR Diana 06

2011-06-12T14:10:00.001-07:00

Vancouver Downtown Jun 07 2011 HDR Diana 06, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

A collection of heritage homes on Pacfic St, downtown Vancouver, just around sunset on June 7 2011. Shot using a Diana lens and HDR. I really like this combination of photographic treatments - the fuzziness of the Diana lens mingled with the hyper-sharpness and color saturation of High Dynamic Range processing. The Ansel Adams inside however wants to throttle me. :)

Vancouver Downtown Jun 07 2011 HDR Diana 06

2011-06-12T14:09:00.001-07:00

Vancouver Downtown Jun 07 2011 HDR Diana 06, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

Vancouver Pacific and Burrard June 04 2011 IRHDR

2011-06-06T10:29:00.001-07:00

Vancouver Pacific and Burrard June 04 2011 IRHDR, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

Here's a shot of the intersection of Pacific and Burrard streets in the frosty cool glow of infra red light. The clarity of High Dynamic Range Infra Red shots never ceases to amaze me. Since IR light is less sensitive to distortion due to water in the air the shots that use this process have an almost "scale model" feel to them. In the top right corner you can see Mt. Baker off in the distance. Mt Baker National Park is roughly 150 km from downtown Vancouver (as the crow flies).

Wall Centre Vancouver at Sunrise June 05 2011 HDR

2011-06-05T13:20:00.001-07:00

Wall Centre Vancouver at Sunrise June 05 2011 HDR, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

The morning after the night before, in this case the night of the Vancouver Canuck's nerve wracking 3 to 2 win over the Boston Bruins (11 seconds into overtime no less) the city was treated to a soft and gentle sunrise. For the one Canuck's fan in the city concious and mentally sharp enough at 5:00 AM to shoot a collection of HDR sequences (me) it was worth it - as was going back to bed to sleep for another 3 hours. :)

Here's one of Vancouver's signature buildings - the Wall Centre - framed in the warm glow of a late spring sunrise.