Please join me on my new blog!

Hello,

I have started a new blog - Please join me at www.lauratucker.com/blog

Terrace Mountain Fire Flares Up

I happened to have my "fun camera" with me yesterday when I went for a hike to the beach at Knox Mountain. Here are some images of the incredible smoke billowing above Okanagan Lake. My thoughts are with the thousands of people who had to leave their homes just after being allowed to return on Thursday.

Finding Inspiration at Home

Thirty-five years ago, a family tradition was born. The first Archer Family Barbecue was held in July 1974. My grandfather, Syd Archer had one brother, Vern Archer. Earlier that year, Vern and his wife Pat had lost their youngest child, Mary, as a result of a brain injury that followed a bicycle accident. I was just seven at the time, but I remember the sadness and sense of loss that swept my family. That summer, the “Syd Archers” and the “Vern Archers” decided that it was important to spend time together and the first AFB was held. The family that grieved together wanted to play together. Year in and year out, the mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and cousins gathered to celebrate. Eventually, the next generation was included and my second cousins and I got to know each other. When we lost my cousin Paul in a car accident several years ago, my generation experienced the strengthening of family ties that our parents and grandparents had before us.
The AFB is typically scheduled around Canada Day. Every year politics, religion and sport are the topic of sometimes heated discussion, but nothing is more interesting to members of the clan than what everyone has been up to in the year(s) gone by. I don’t know when the awards started, but every year they are passed from one illustrious achiever to another. The much-coveted awards include: The Golden Bedpan, Martha Moose (formerly Marty Moose), Macho Mark and the Miscellaneous Mike Awards. This year, my cousin Martha and I took the pursuit of excellence to a new level – we lobbied online from Australia and Kelowna. While it does seem that in order to have an award named after you the honoree’s name must start with M, the most revered awards are named after our patriarchs, Syd Archer and Vern Archer.
This year the Vern Archer award went to a very special group of people who have been tested this year. Just before Easter, my cousin Mary Archer had a horrific accident in the hospital. Following minor surgery, she fell and incurred a brain injury. Pregnant at the time, she was kept alive to nurture the new life inside. Weeks went by, and no news was good news as the focus was entirely on the survival of the baby. Mary’s partner Bob, her parents Paul and Heather and her brother Alastair have been tireless in their determination and support for the baby and for Mary, whose job it seemed to give life before letting go of her own.
At some point long after life support would have been withdrawn had she not been pregnant, things started to change – quickly and dramatically. Mary began to respond to voices and then people. Despite countless medications, tubes and a tracheotomy, she began to speak. The doctors were stunned – death was no longer a foregone conclusion. On June 25, Isabella was born, healthy and beautiful. Tonight, as Isabella, her father Bob, grandparents Paul and Heather, uncle Ali and Mary, in absentia, accepted their award, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
One of the laws of the Universe, the Law of Polarity states that for negative there is a positive. Where there is grief, there is joy. Where there is suffering, there is healing. Where there is life, there is death. Well, not exactly, this time. The road to recovery will be challenging, but something tells me that Mary will make good on the promise she made to her Dad today. She’ll be at the Archer Family Barbecue next year to claim her own award. Since her name starts with an M, I propose a new award be added to the roster – The Mighty Mary.

Laura (Syd Archer) Tucker
Toronto, July 18, 2009

Sometimes, there are no words....

Crater Lake

I often catch myself wondering how different geographic and geologic formations are made. On this trip I have driven through desert, ancient flood planes and have marveled at the reach of the Ponderosa Pine. I had seen pictures of Crater Lake, but I was unprepared for how mind-blowing Crater Lake would be!

The crater was created by a volcanic eruption over ten times the size of Mount St Helen billions of years ago. The smaller volcano in the middle of the lake followed. Talk about a "power spot"! Dizzy with altitude and surprised by my brief return to winter, I was racing with storm clouds behind me to create these images.

Note to self: revisit in August when the trails are sure to be open and open skies will create the glacier teal waters!

Kelowna, BC to Yakima, WA!

Day One of the Practical Mysticism road trip was awesome! Here are a few pictures I took on the way. It was hot, hot, hot! I found out why sandals are not such a great idea in the desert and had the chance to break in my new cowboy boots and hat. Not only do they protect your feet from thorny desert stuff, cowboy boots are cooler and easier to drive in than hiking boots. "Go figure," thought the city girl...







It was a great day for the road warrior! There is nothing I enjoy more than going somewhere I've never been and seeing something I've never seen. It has been a long time since my camera called me. Fortunately, I found flow today, the first day out.

Late Spring Surprise

One of the best things about being a photographer is occasionally having the opportunity to capture something that you don't usually see. Last Wednesday morning was one of those days. The nights had been hovering just below freezing and this field on Glenmore Road was a visual treat! As I was driving along, the shock of white in the field drew my attention. I doubled back before I realized that I did not have my SLR camera with me. I had brought it into the house the night before.

My point and shoot camera just wasn't going to cut it this time. I checked my odometer - I was only 8 km from home. I thought I might get a similar sight the next morning, but the little voice in my head said "go home and get the camera".
Am I ever glad I listened! The next morning the irrigation had moved further from the fence and it hasn't dipped below freezing since. This was truly a unique start to the day.

Welcome Me Back!

It has been a very introspective time since I last wrote. Some quick thoughts before I move forward:

I'm not into blogging unless I've got something to say...
I'm still a fair weather photographer - bring on Spring!
Perhaps I'd be more motivated to work on images if I didn't have to wait for my 3 year old laptop to chug along in Photoshop.
Perhaps I'd be more motivated to blog if I didn't lose the connection and lose everything I'd written the last 2 times I dedicated some time to it. Time to upgrade some equipment before I lose my patience.
I'm doing some research and deciding whether or not it's time to cross over and buy a Mac, particularly now that it runs Windows simultaneously. If anyone techie has anything to say, I'd like to hear from you in the comments section.


Moving right along, for those of you who are wondering where I've "been" the last couple of months, I'll fill you in as best I can. I had written this all before I lost my entry, and now have no idea where to begin again!

I seem to be on 5 year cycles of re-inventing myself. As I begin this cycle, I am certain that my next step is to pull all the disparate things I do into one cohesive package. I'm summarizing - it's taken me 2 months to come to this conclusion! I haven’t got the faintest idea how I’m going to do it, but I’m tired of pulling myself in several different directions at the same time. Between consulting, the photography I want to do, the teaching I want to do, the relationships I want to have, the lifestyle I envision for myself – I am spreading myself too thin. So, without losing any momentum, I am planning to consolidate. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ll never reach my full potential if I keep trying to be all things to all people.

Pop culture and pop psychology is playing a small role in this voyage of discovery. Thanks to The Secret, I’ll be seeing Jack Canfield here in Kelowna next Monday, and attending a course with James Ray in San Francisco at the end of June. I cringe at the thought of being identified with a trend. It is my nature to be counter-culture. I accept that what's popular to some has made me aware of people and resources that would have been out of my grasp without the exposure these teachers are receiving. Nothing is more attractive to me now than learning from leaders in their field among other like-minded individuals. I am happy that I don’t have to do it all alone.

So, I’m still going to blog, and of course there will still be photographs to illustrate. As a part of pulling it all together, I’m going to take you along for the ride.

Finding Joy in the "Little Things"

Where did 2007 go, especially the last month?!? I'm back to wish everyone Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2008. I have named this year's Christmas image "Little Things" to celebrate how small gestures and tiniest details can have a tremendous impact on the big picture.

I have always been attentive to detail. As an outdoor photographer, sometimes the greatest challenge is to isolate meaningful detail within a chaotic environment. Nature has its own grand plan, but to capture and communicate, within a two dimensional frame, the essence of a place, brings me joy. When other people get excited by one of my images, it multiplies that feeling tenfold.

I'm excited about a lot these days. I've had a great year, capped off by the trip to Utah and a couple of recent developments on both the home and work front. I will be taking time over the holidays to enjoy the company of friends and family. I am under no illusion that this will be a restful couple of weeks, but I hope to carve out some time to work on a few photo projects. Watch for some updates to my main website www.lauratucker.com and some news about upcoming workshop opportunities.

Until then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Something Unexpected

There are so many things about this image taken along Scenic Byway 12 that are unexpected that I just had to get online and post it. First, the moment itself was an unexpected delight. We were driving from Capitol Reef National Park en route to Zion, when everything came together all at once. It was one of those highway corners that no doubt causes people to exclaim with joy any time of day. What we were given was a spectacular sunrise. It was exhilarating, working with the light and against time, as this magic light is fleeting.

The experience of reviewing my images that night was significantly less exhilarating. How was it possible to kill one of the most spectacular sunrises I had ever witnessed? Well, that was then and this is now. I'm reviewing my images to select a "Top 20" to show before a presentation tonight. This imaged beckoned to me, asking for some attention. After a few tweaks and a crop, it now represents that morning's glorious display. It's amazing what a little time can do with both the memory of an event and the objectivity of my eye.

The Solitary Tree

My eye is always drawn to The Solitary Tree. It speaks to me in many different ways. Often, the tree is just on the outside of a community of trees - a forest that provides shelter. This tree is perched on top of a cliff, exposed to the elements. Its position is not precarious. It's getting everything it needs to survive. The universe is open to the tree - it adds character to the tree as the years go by and provides space for the tree to grow. Over the years, the wind may twist the tree and leave tracks of time on its exterior, but the basic character of the tree is unchanged. As everything changes with time, the ground may eventually erode from underneath this tree, causing it to shift its position in the world in order to thrive.

Today I am this tree.

Henrieville, Utah

Driving from Bryce Canyon to Escalante, my attention was grabbed by this abandoned corner store in Henrieville, Utah. I'm pretty sure the Coca-Cola sign had everything to do with my attraction to this site. My dad worked for Coke most of his adult life, and I spent my high school summers working at the Coca-Cola office in Toronto. I looked up Henrieville online tonight to see what I could learn. Its population in 2000 was 159, and the population of its zip code 84736 in 2007 is 961 according to another site I found. In either case, Henrieville is truly a small western town.


After days of shooting the "grand landscape" at Bryce Canyon, it was a lot of fun to settle in and work at closer range at this site. In fact, I noticed that I was feeling quite refreshed after an hour or so of shooting; I was exercising different visual muscles.


Texture is one of my favourite subjects. Narrowing my vision to the details of a structure gives me the opportunity to express my vision by creating abstract images. Sometimes I the feedback I receive when I show my images is that I made something out of nothing. The first couple of times I heard this comment, I wondered if it was derogatory. It may have been, but I also think that making something out of nothing is a defining characteristic of photography as art. What does a photographer do? We go out into the world, beyond the creature comforts of a studio, and bring home a vision of the world that is uniquely our own.....on a good day, anyways!

Zion National Park

After the relative isolation of Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks, entering Zion came as a bit of a culture shock. Located about 150 miles north-east of Las Vegas, Zion is more accessible than the previous parks and towns we visited. A few years ago, the main canyon was so over-run with vehicle traffic that a shuttle system was implemented to reduce smog and the headache of not being able to find parking in the canyon. The up side of the increase in human traffic was the corresponding increase in the amenities and restaurants in Springdale. (Check out The Spotted Dog restaurant if you're ever in town. The owner had fabulous taste in the kitchen and the photographic art hanging throughout the dining rooms.) There's always an up side!

I took this picture on our way into Zion for the first time. We had stopped at the side of the road to gawk at the magnificent canyon walls. There is no denying it - drastically different from the other parks we had visited, Zion is a knock-out in it's own right. I had been fighting to make "nature" images, trying to crop out any sign of people and our trappings. I remember turning around and leaning on my tripod, gazing to look at the way the sky was mimicking the crest of the canyon wall. I envisioned the shot from the other side of the vehicles, but I was either too tired or lazy to make the walk. So I thought, "I'll just take a grab shot" to show what it was like.

Looking through the camera mounted on my tripod, I started composing the image. I tried to go over the cars, but that didn't work. Then I gave in and started to work the cars in to the image. Once I had the shot lined up, it made me laugh out loud. Before I had realized it happened, the vehicles had become an integral part of the image. It wasn't a grab shot after all, this image was telling a story.

Who Else Thinks This is Funny?

Another one thanks to "The Fun Camera"....Sign on the Best Western outside of Zion National Park..... (W)ho makes the pies???

Click on the picture if you need to see a slightly larger version :)

P.S. We've reached a milestone - over 1000 visitors since the inception of the blog - a milestone!

The Fun Camera

Just before leaving Kelowna for Utah, I made a last minute purchase - "The Fun Camera". For months I have been berating myself for not having a small digital camera I can take anywhere with me. Hiking The Chief this summer without a single picture to capture the experience must have pushed me over the edge. I also knew that for all the times Beth and I have traveled together, we have no pictures of ourselves - photographers are much happier BEHIND the camera. So, with just enough time to charge a battery before heading to the airport, I picked one up.

After a crash course on the plane to Calgary, The Fun Camera has been a terrific addition to my Canon arsenal. I made many images that I would not have made the time for otherwise, including gems like the one above. I re-discovered old skills like how to "point-and-shoot", and developed new skills like holding the camera steady with my arms extended and how to take a self portrait with one arm extended. This last skill is not to be under-rated - it's not easy to take a flattering self portrait. In fact I'd say it's impossible. But here's one of Beth and I after climbing out of Spooky Canyon. For having had a nose to nose encounter with a rattlesnake and having lost the desert trail back up out of the canyon, I'd say we look pretty good!


I'm on my way home from a very windy Las Vegas in the morning. However, I will continue to blog about the trip in order once I've had a chance to review my images from Capitol Reef and Zion National Parks.

Spooky Canyon

For my first visit to a slot canyon, everything about the trip to Spooky Canyon was a delight. After receiving the tip to go to this more remote slot canyon where there would be fewer interruptions, we set out from Escalante and followed Hole in the Rock Road to our destination. The hike down the canyon was steep, with a couple of scary moments - a couple of mind over matter slopes and a rattlesnake at the bottom of the gorge, but it was worth bringing all the gear for this beautiful canyon.


Despite its name, Spooky Canyon was incredibly peaceful. The narrowest passage was about 10 inches wide, requiring dragging equipment and crawling into corners when there were passers-by.


After the long hot hike down into the canyon, the cool air of the hidden slot was refreshing. The light was reflecting off the walls, creating patterns and textures to die for. It is easy to see why so many photographers become addicted to these beautiful crevasses in the earth's crust.

Bryce Canyon, Utah

Hello from Bryce Canyon, Utah! I'm posting this image as a teaser, and to let my family and friends know I'm safe, sound and having a great time. I'll be back tonight to write after another day of shooting. Happy trails.....

....Well, I'm back. After a couple of long shooting days at Bryce Canyon National Park, I'm ready to reflect on some of what I've seen. Bryce is located between 8000 and 9000 feet. The air is cooler and thinner up here! Yesterday we got up before sunrise and headed out in the dark to Sunset Point. Having arrived after dark the night before, I had only other photographers' images to help me imagine what might appear before my eyes.

The first morning, Beth and I were the first to arrive, and we successfully staked out the best vantage point at Sunset Point. The canyon at sunrise did not disappoint. As the sun edged its way up due east, it gradually illuminated the canyon, revealing it in all its splendour. All around the bowl of the rim were the hundreds, if not thousands, of hoodoos that form The Silent City, carved in the rock over thousands of years. It is truly spectacular.

The mornings were cold, but it was well worth getting up early. This morning we chose Inspiration Point, and enjoyed a short hike along the Rim Trail wearing headlights to guide us in the dark. It was quite a sensation, knowing the canyon was just a few steps to the right. Once settled for sunrise, I realized we were walking along the top of the hoodoos of the future.

Bryce Canyon is not easy to photograph! At least not without feeling like an imitator. There are images of Bryce Canyon everywhere. Regardless of wanting to "make it my own", these hoodoos are a magnet for the camera. After getting this out of my system, some of my favourite images don't show the canyon at all!

View from Knox Mountain

Happy Thanksgiving from Kelowna! I'll be heading out with my camera a little later on this beautiful day. These images were taken a couple of weeks ago from Knox Mountain, just minutes from my home. I'm looking south over Okanagan Lake towards Peachland. In the background is Okanagan Mountain Park, which burned in the fires of 2003. In the foreground of the top image is part of downtown Kelowna, including The Grand Resort and Hotel, and Prospera Place where the Kelowna Rockets play and concerts are held. I'm looking forward to seeing Michael Buble there in January.



In the second image, another prominent Kelowna landmark is in view - the lumber mill. The mill is at the base of Knox Mountain. I like that you can see one of the houseboats at the bottom left that populate the bay, just beyond the mill. The day was relatively cool, but must have been good for sailing as the boats were certainly out. The last thing to notice is the new bridge that is under construction. Kelowna is an ever-changing cityscape. It has to be to accommodate the rapid growth as more and more people make this their principal and second residence.


The final image here was taken by swinging my camera around to the right, just in time to catch this woman running one of the trails with her dog. I'm dying to get out there today, so that's all folks! Happy Thanksgiving :)

Harvest

As September draws to a close, the Okanagan Valley is at the height of the harvest season. The hay is cut and in bales, and the trees in the orchards are heavy with fruit. The Fall Wine Festival started on Friday, and runs through to next weekend. I read in the paper that it is the only wine festival in North America that takes place at during the harvest of the grapes. I bought some coronation grapes at a fruit stand along the highway today and they are absolutely delicious - like candy on a vine.



These images were taken last week along Glenmore Road. I have driven by these fields several times, wishing I had a few minutes to stop when the sun was low in the sky. I got my chance and had a lot of fun playing with the light on the field. I love shooting backlit scenes like this. They are challenging, because the sun has to be kept out of the lens to avoid lens flare. But it is worth it, because the light and the textures can be quite dramatic. I am very satisfied with all three of these images, particularly the one below - the field is iridescent, a golden green that glows. I like the way the line and texture flows. creating the glow of the end of a late summer's day. Seen in an abstraction like this, it is easy to understand where the phrase "the fabric of the land" originated.

Can't see the railway for the trees....

After such a long gap between entries, I feel I must apologize for the delay. I have been across the country and back to a wedding in Toronto, among other things. Art Walk was a wonderful experience. I learned lots, and enjoyed the company of many other artists in the Okanagan Valley. This was one of the first public showings of my work and it was a real joy to watch the expression on people's faces when they saw my work. I'm looking forward to participating again next year. Last week I delivered three large art prints to "State of the Art" gallery on Bayview Ave in Toronto. The images I selected were seasonal - Osoyoos in Winter (Winter Wonderland), Change of Season and Red Embrace from the galleries at www.lauratucker.com. They look great enlarged to 30x45 and printed on canvas!

The image I chose for this blog entry is one of my favourites. The colours have not reached their peak across the country just yet. In fact, I'll be in Utah around the time they peak this year, photographing autumn in Zion, Bryce Canyon and other US national parks. I couldn't help but celebrate when I heard how strong the Canadian dollar is. Although it's bad for the BC economy, I'm selfishly hoping it holds on for a few weeks.

Anyways, this photograph reminds me of a poster of a watercolour painting I bought as a second year university student, many moons ago. I never loved its colours (it was in tones of pinks and greys), but I did love its texture. A couple of years ago I was in Sundridge, Ontario for a wedding over Thanksgiving. I spent a half day photographing the autumn colours. Although we have mountains and water here in British Columbia, there is nothing like the autumn colours in Eastern Canada. That year was particularly brilliant.

The colour and texture epitomize my style of photography, but there is something else I like - is it an image of a forest, or is the main subject less obvious - the railway running through the forest? There are no perfectly straight horizontal lines in nature. I am shooting across a rail bed. Thank goodness the wind was perfectly still. To get that depth of field using a telephoto lens would have required the shutter to be open for quite some time. The combination of things that have to go right to get an image like this is exactly what I love about outdoor photography, and what so many people fail to appreciate. There are no accidents.

First, you have to get there. Second, you have to know what tools to use to capture what is in you mind's eye. Next, the conditions have to be right. Then, you compose and deliberately create. I'm looking forward to an autumn full of creating this year.