This is the full email interview we do with Saint John photographer, Beaver Smith of bigdayfoto.
Urban Deli: Why Uptown Saint John?
Beaver Smith: Well, it was a bit of a request made by the organizer(s) and when asked about it I thought it a great idea. Turns out to be a little more difficult than I had first thought – getting interesting/engaging images of Uptown that are unique and fit my “style” (whatever that is).
Urban Deli: What were you trying to achieve with these photos?
Beaver Smith: I have never been so restricted by what I was shooting as to be limited to Uptown SJ. Do not get me wrong – there is lots to photograph but it’s all a matter of taste.
For example I could have gone around and photographed only door knobs or focused on architectural details. What might have been fun is to photograph the faces you see – a project for another time. I think to do this right it’s a year-long project. The city changes so much with each season!
There are always (ALWAYS) one or two favourites, it’s what keeps me going. Photography can be a very personal experience. The reality is that there are no “terrible” images – ever. Some images of people for example are not flattering but still it’s a piece of time captured.
I guess it’s all in the context in which the images were taken. If it’s a portrait session, then those images where the subject is blinking (or whatever) never get seen. But they are not terrible images. They just do not fit the “situation”!
The only terrible image I can think of right now is any image where you are trying to record details and the focus is off. The shot is supposed to be about detail. It needs to be in focus (sharp). If it’s a portrait, then perhaps you do not want or need that level of detail, tack sharp focusing is not such a big deal! I think it’s always nice to have the eyes “in focus” though.
Urban Deli: Saint John is a bit like Vancouver – it’s not famous for light. We have things like Fundy fog and so on. Yet when you hear about photography, everyone talks about the importance of lighting. Can you talk a bit about Saint John, light, and what that means to and affects your Saint John photography?
Beaver Smith: Wow! Great question and one not easily answer in a few words. For starters, as a photographer you have to understand/work with light (where it’s coming from and it’s “quality”).
The camera will measure the amount of light you have to work with and in a lot of cases set the camera automatically. The camera cannot determine the direction nor the quality – that is left up to the image maker.
For me, I’m always in the dark! By that I mean I am always looking for the shadows. With out shadows you do not have an image or at least not a very interesting one. Here is an example: take a plain flat sheet of white paper in most any light and take a picture of it. Boring, right? There are no “shadows” – no contrast across the flat piece of paper.
Now take that same sheet and crumple it up and then unravel it and lay it in the same light. Take a picture and look at the differences. Shadows from the folds and creases – some refer to the image having “contrast”. Much more interesting, right? So I am always looking for shadows.
Depending on what you are trying to achieve, Saint John fog can be a blessing. Too much contrast in an image [can be a problem] — think bright sunny day mid afternoon high sun and a bride in a beautiful pure white wedding gown.
In this case too much shadow or, another way of stating it, there is too much difference in level or intensity of the light from really bright whites to super dark shadows. Too much sharp contrast to make for a pleasing image in most cases.
Most photographers in this situation are looking to get out of the sun (find a big old tree) and would welcome a little fog! In the same situation with fog, there is less contrast, the quality of the light is much more flattering to the subject.
I can not stress enough that these are general ideas expressed here. Can I take a nice picture of a bride in bright sun? You bet, but I would rather the fog! Hope that answers the question without getting too “wordy.”
Urban Deli: What makes Saint John photo worthy? What do you see here that you’re trying to capture?
Beaver Smith: There is a lot of color, texture and character to Uptown Saint John. You can see it with your eye if you stop, look, and think about it – actually look at what you are seeing. The trick is to capture it in an image worthy of printing. In several of my images, the colors have been boosted or saturated. To me, that is what I see when I really look. Some have been turned black & white.
Urban Deli: What do the technological changes in photography mean to you?
Beaver Smith: Without the technical changes that we have seen in the last 8 years with digital photography, I would not be taking images. The new cameras are mini computers that capture light. Like the desktop or laptop computers of today, digital cameras have dropped in price (not the lenses) and the level of technology is incredible!
Where do I even begin to explain? Here is one for you. With digital cameras, taking pictures does not really have a cost to it (capital costs and wear on the equipment – but no processing fee). I take a lot of images – during a full day wedding I have approached 2500 pictures! Let’s try a little math on that number. If shooting film, with every roll of 36 images costing you $20, processing costs approach $1400.
So why so many picture you might ask – I look at it this way…
A wedding is a big deal for my clients. They are relying on me to capture the spirit of the day. Every time I push the shutter button how much of that day am I actually recording…1/60th – 1/100th perhaps 1/250th or even 1/1000th of a second (that is all the time the shutter is open – recording that moment each time I press the shutter button on the camera).
Lets do the math: assume 1000 images at 1/250th of a second each (shutter speed), total time the camera recorded the day’s activities is 4 seconds! That’s it. That is all I have recorded from a full day (8hrs X 60 min/hour X 60 sec/min = 28,800 seconds total to that wedding). I recorded only 4 seconds of it! If I take 2000 images, then I have recorded 8 seconds and if I take 2500 then I’m up to 10 seconds. So there are a lot of “moments” that go unrecorded!
Urban Deli: What do tools like Photoshop (PS) allow you to do?
Beaver Smith: Wow! Likely the most debated question in photography today. PS and all the other tools are just that – tools! Like a chef in a kitchen full of “tools,” they may not use every tool in the kitchen to prepare a certain dish. The chef will likely have favorites, just like I do in photography. One thing is certain though – a kitchen full of all the latest pots & pans does not make the chef nor will they produce a pleasing dish of food by themselves!
In photography you need a few basic tools. In digital photography, I think PS is one of them. Even with all the advancements, today’s digital cameras are not capable of capturing (at least not in a single image) all we can see with our eye. And then there’s so much more!
Have you ever taken a picture of a beautiful sunset or a gorgeous panoramic view of some mountain valley only to be terribly disappointed in the out come? Well, it’s not you! It’s the limitations of the camera. Today’s photographers learn to work with the limitations. PS is one of many primary tools used.
Urban Deli: What are you working on these days and what plans do you have?
Beaver Smith: Although the word photographer has been widely used here, I feel that I am more of a “creative” in that I like to create images. The difference lies in the fact that I enjoy post-edit processing most photographs I take.
Now in our 6th year, I am looking to take my wedding photography business “bigdayfoto” to be the premier wedding photography studio in Atlantic Canada. With that lofty goal comes the requirement for a lot more personal development.
Happy snapping!
Great job Bill, interesting seeing it on line. Thank you for your time on this – I owe you one!
Beaver
No problem! Thank you for taking the time to do this.