05-09-2013

End MS 93 – Polson Montana

 

My Uncle Greg is a man on a mission to End MS.

Currently there is no cure for Multiple Sclerosis, but Greg is committed to changing that.  A few years ago now I did some photographs of Greg for the promotion of one of his MS fundraisers, some of you may remember these photos.  One of the photographs we took was under a perfectly clear blue sky, where Greg stood with his bike on the shores of Patricia Lake in Jasper and on a sign at his side he declared his bold mission; ‘I Will End MS’.  That day is very clear in my memory, and I’m happy to see that photograph on his poster for his latest journey.  Just as I did that day, today I see a man with not only the drive and determination, but the strength and ability to tackle such a mission.  Friends, family, and supporters have been following his efforts for a number of years now, and his progress is astounding.  Every year he manages to step it up.  I took this little excerpt from his MS Fundraising page;

‘My name is Greg Van Tighem, the Fire Chief in Jasper Alberta, I am an MS Ambassador, a top fundraiser in the Hinton MS Bike Tour and I am on a mission to help End MS.

In the past 7 years I have raised over $145,000.00 through numerous fundraiser initiatives such as, barbeques, carwashes, e-mail campaigns, farmers markets, bake sales, bottle drives, raffles, auctions etc’

This month Greg is on the most ambitious endeavor yet (‘yet’ being a key word).  Greg is cycling from the southern USA all the way to Northern Alberta.  From Wickenburg, Arizona, Greg is ridign his bike the whole length of Highway 93, ending in his hometown of Jasper, Alberta.  His adventures are plenty, and he is making swift work of the many miles between his start and finish point.  You can follow his travels either on his Facebook page, or his blog.  He is aiming to raise $93,000 for the Multiple Sclerosis Society, so if you have some change to spare toss it his way!

Last night I was catching up on his journey and saw that he was on the shores of the beautiful Flathead Lake in Polson, Montana.  I had a great time  in Polson a few years ago when I was hitch-hiking from Reno home to Canmore.  I thought I would share a couple photos from the area.  The stretch to Kalispell from Polson travels along the shoreline ridges of Flathead Lake.  The Kootenay terrain is beautiful, and on a bike must be a great way to experience it.  Although I recall those roads being pretty narrow, I don’t think it will compare to some of the places Greg experienced going’ through Nevada.  Be sure to read his blog to see some of the stories he has from the road.

Soon Greg will be off from Kalispell to head for the British Columbia border.  My journey a few years ago veered off in a different direction at that point, going off through Glacier National Park to Alberta.  It’s nice to see updates coming from familiar pieces of road.  If there’s a familiar stretch of this highway for you, on either side of the border, be sure to send Greg some support as he reaches the Canadian stretch of his journey.

The sunset casts an warm hue over Flathead lake and the Kootenays.

The sunset casts an warm hue over Flathead lake and the Kootenays.

A fisherman's headlamp shines from the end of the pier in Flathead lake at Polson, Montana.

A fisherman’s headlamp shines from the end of the pier in Flathead lake at Polson, Montana.

Smoke from 2011 Idaho fires is lit up by afternoon sunlight shining through the gaps of Glacier National Park's Logan Pass route.

Smoke from 2011 Idaho fires is lit up by afternoon sunlight shining through the gaps of Glacier National Park’s Logan Pass route.

- Brian

11-21-2012

Light Painting

This photo was taken a couple of years back under an incredible night sky in Alberta.  I used a 24mm lens and a Canon 580EXII flash with a green gel to create this light painting image.

About four years ago now I took a light painting course from a certifiably insane man by the name of Patrick Koslo as part of my studies at Vancouver Institute of Media Arts.   His technique?  Add as much light in as many varieties to create as strange a scene as possible.  I imagine him to be much like an artist with a giant canvas who proceeds to throw buckets of paint at it.  Perhaps a bit of a mad genius, he would dance around the studio with flashlights, flashes, gels, penlights, pocket lights, headlights, and an enduring enthusiasm.  I did a quick search on Google and found an image from him that struck some chords in my memory.  I’m pretty sure this is the one that he did in an empty or abandoned house and someone nearby called the fire department thinking the house was burning down.  That was probably not a bad move.

One thing that Koslo’s enthusiasm sparked in his students was creativity.  It took photography to a place where you had very little idea what to expect when the camera’s shutter snapped shut, removing us from the mindset of striving to create an image precisely the way you plan it.  The spontaneity and reactive nature of his approach was much like a fusion of photojournalism and painting, and very far from ordinary photography.

Although Koslo’s frantically artistic approach to light painting wasn’t quite my style, long exposures were one of the things that had always peaked my interest in photography.  As I learned from Koslo and other teachers, I found that long exposures helped me to conceptualize the photographic process.  It slowed things down so I could better understand the tools of exposure.  While everything was slowed down, I could take the time to practice balancing light sources.  The process is the same whether through long exposures or through regular higher speed use of flash and studio lighting, and the slow exposures gave me a better idea of how to build light in an image.

I use flash and artificial lighting sparingly in my portraiture and wedding work, and generally even less so in most of my personal work.  However it remains an always fresh, unique creative outlet for me to turn to when things get a bit too repetitive.  I’ve taken a slightly more mathematical, precise approach to light painting than Koslo usually does, but his lessons are quite valuable.  When you let go of trying too hard to control the outcome of the finished product, you may just end up with something incredible – and surprise even yourself.

Keep an eye out for some more recent light painting images, as well as a new face lift for this blog coming in 2013.

 

- Brian

 

10-27-2012

Haunted Hoe-Down – Canmore

The Haunted Hoe-Down was a big success in raising money for Elizabeth Rummel School here in Canmore on Friday night. If you were there or know people who were, please check out the photo gallery and try to find yourself! You can purchase Facebook photos in the easy to use gallery via paypal or credit card, and all proceeds will be going to Elizabeth Rummel School so please find yourself and grab a copy!

Happy Halloween!

HAUNTED HOE-DOWN GALLERY

 

- Brian

10-16-2012

Northern Lights

2012 has been an incredible year to view the Aurora Borealis. Although I haven’t been lucky enough to see them well myself, I managed to take my first ever photograph of the northern display a few months ago… somewhat by accident. The clouds were rushing by Mount Yamnuska as the lights danced behind the cover. Here is the result; hopefully the first of many photographs of this incredible spectacle.

- Brian


09-22-2012

Temple of Juno

Another busy summer has come to a close. I’ve just recently returned from a few weeks on the road through the west coast of the states and another stint in Black Rock City for Burning Man festival. It was a dusty year in the desert city, as can be seen in this photograph of the Temple of Juno. I’ll be posting a few more photographs from the road in the next while during the autumn transition.

- Brian

« Older posts

© 2013 Brian Van Tighem – Photographer

| ProPhoto Photographer Template by NetRivet Sites

F a c e b o o k