Richard Wear: Guest Speaker: October 2015

The Evolution of You in Photography

​Richard Wear: Going Far Afield to Capture Images
by Vincent Morban, IACC Treasurer

On October 8, 2015, IACC members enjoyed learning about the photographic experiences of Richard Wear, an award-winning photographer whose works are represented by numerous galleries and are published in several photo magazines.

As a young boy in Saskatoon, Richard was into street photography. He used film, rented darkroom space and used a box camera with no controls. He is a graduate of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Edmonton in photographic arts and has a history as an IACC Club member and judge.
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Now a young retiree, Richard’s favorite subjects seem to be wildlife, landscape and people. He has gone far afield to capture his images (e.g., grizzly bear in Alaska; elephants, giraffes, rhinos, zebras, leopards and lions and hippos in Africa; tigers in India; birds in Iceland).
His landscapes are sometimes:

• simple and colourful like his “Slot Canyon” image; or
• powerful like “Winter Blizzard on the Prairies,” a black and white that conveys the raw power of a chilling winter storm; or
• tender like “Mozart," which shows the softness of the early morning.

Of his western themed images, my favourite is “Lasso Cowboy,” with its sepia tone, depth of field and almost silhouette that is perfectly suited to the subject matter. Of his India themed images, my favourite is the shot of a clerk in a shop, which is a strong black and white portrait, with immaculate lighting and composition. Of his black and whites, my favourite is his composite of a man climbing the walls in his jail cell, which is noteworthy for its creativity and use of strong black and white contrast.
Richard shared some of his learnings over the years:

• Persevere because wildlife photography takes patience and commitment.
• Rent, don’t buy the big expensive lenses.
• Remember that with landscapes you can go back and photograph, but fauna are one shot opportunities.
• Bracket once for sky with landscapes and once for foreground to equalize image.
• Shoot to the right on histogram, but don’t blow out colours. This gives less noise in shadows and captures more detail.
• Use neutral density filters (ND) to slow things down.
• Shoot snowflakes or frost using a darker background.
• Visualize your shot (don’t they say that for golf too?).
• Bracket rather than using HDR.
• Use wide angle for the big picture in landscapes, but use telephoto for close ups in landscapes.
• Get more powerful images using back lighting of fauna.
• Keep batteries warm in cold conditions by having them close to, but not next to, your body.
• Keep your camera cooler to avoid condensation on the camera body and slowly transition to warmer environments.
• Use photoshop to change day to night.

It was a very interesting presentation, full of powerful images that showed Richard’s journey through photography over the last 40 years. His approach to subject matter and technique changed dramatically, although the basics from the days of manual film are still there, ensuring his success in today’s digital world.

Lasso Cowboy

Unnamed

Slot Canyon