Zwischen den Jahren (between the years), as my German friends call the period between Christmas and the start of the New Year, has become a time of reflection and contemplation. This personal practice is an outgrowth of the times I attended mass on New Year’s Eve with my father. He encouraged me to look back over the year, take stock, and ponder what needed doing in the year ahead. Inevitably arriving early, we would sit quietly in the hushed, darkened church lost in our own thoughts.
Over the holidays, away from friends and the chaotic holiday bustle of a larger city, self-reflection was effortless. Surrounded by the quiet beauty of the Kootenay Mountains of British Columbia, I took stock of 2012, particularly the months since starting at PrairieView.
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| Reflections of photographing over the holidays. |
The more I have learned about photography, the less I feel I know, and the more apparent it becomes to me that this will be a life-long learning experience. For all the vast amounts of information we are acquiring and desperately trying to absorb at PrairieView, I see now that we are merely scratching the surface. However, the changes and growth in our photography are already apparent. I see this both in my own work and that of my classmates. Our photographic growth sometimes occurs in leaps and bounds. Other times, however, it is a slow and painful process.
It is during those periods when learning is painful, that having the support of fellow classmates (who are living through the process themselves) and family and friends outside of school (who suffer with us, or perhaps even suffer because of us) becomes crucial. It is all too easy to get wrapped up in the assignments, exams, marks, and the frustrations of trying to master new skills.
It is much harder to maintain perspective and keep sight of the broadness that each of our lives entails. We are not defined by a single mark, pass or fail. At this time next year, we will not be PrairieView students. In five years, our success or failure as professional photographers will have little to do with how well we did on our Image Capture exam before the holiday break and far more to do with our business savvy, photographic skills, work ethic, and personality.
One of the benefits of being a mature student is having learned this through experience. One of the responsibilities of a mature student is reminding others to see our journey through a wide angle lens.
We are all incredibly fortunate as students of this school to be able to pursue our passion for photography. Occasionally, we need to remind ourselves why we chose this path.
Playing and exploring have always worked well to keep me grounded and sane. While in the Kootenays, I wandered and explored the community of Salmo. Although I was shooting for an assignment, the fact this was my first visit made it feel less like homework and much more like fun.
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| Salmo, B.C. |
One of our assignments over the holidays was to photograph 20 HDR (high dynamic range) scenes. Since returning to Winnipeg, I have been thoroughly enjoying playing with my HDR captures, particularly since I photographed more than was required. Although I recognise that HDR processes should be applied carefully and with restraint in most circumstances, I have been enjoying making some very surreal images that remind me stylistically of the Alan Wake video game.
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| Dawn over Kildonan Park, Winnipeg. |
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| Twilight at the Witch's Hut, Kildonan Park, Winnipeg |
Some of my other experiments with HDR processes have resulted in more subtle effects.
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| Kootenay River, B.C. |
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| The Black Swan. |
“Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.” (Marc Riboud) My father, who died at the age of 95, would have agreed and told us that life passes us by all too quickly. He would have encouraged us all to enjoy and make the most of, not only our time at PrairieView, but also our lives.
Pokój i dobro, Tatuś!
artist: Tom Oliver
album: Café del Mar 25th Anniversary
Dorothy Paryzek
PV Diploma Student
2012-13
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