You'll never believe what just happened at Canadian Tire.

There I was, shopping for some sh*t tickets for the RV when a proper commotion erupted just in front of me.

Brawling on the floor amidst a pile of spilled $20 camp chairs were a pair of human beings fighting over the very last Hamilton Beach Convection Toaster.

''I was here first!'' yelled the blue-haired one on the left, ''No, I was here first!'' yelled the red-hatted one on the right, until a third voice chimed in.

''Can't we all just get along?'' said the employee while separating the two grapplers.

"I'm offended" complained a random onlooker.

''That's racist'' complained a gleeful spectator while pointing at a Black Friday promotional poster.

That's when the idea hit me. What if you could shop for your favorite things in a virtual store without the hassle of engaging with humans? And what if your favorite things happened to be highly insightful photography courses that teach you practical ways to make the best out of your photography?

And then I wondered, where could you find such a magical store? For the life of me, I couldn't figure out this puzzle until I remembered a line from an old movie ''If you build it, they will come''.

So that's exactly what I did.

I built it, and here it is. www.fototripper.com/store/category/online-photography-cou...

The Fototripper Black Friday Sale Ends on Sunday and I promise there won't be any fights in the aisles. You can enjoy 50% off any off my tutorials without having to fight through a scrummage over future landfill trinkets.

Thanks for reading
Gavin Hardcastle

P.S. This never actually happened... well, not to me anyway, and probably not in a Canadian Tire store, but who is to say it didn't happen somewhere at some time?

Tags:   waterfall autumn fall colours river creek nova scotia Fototripper

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Watch today's episode youtu.be/jDCmav1wO1s

You know how it goes, one look out the window, and the sky looks bleak. You almost talk yourself out of going but something inside you resists the voice of reason telling you to go back to bed.

As you drive to the location you see a faint blush of colour in the East. You start thinking ”Maybe, just maybe”. By the time you pull up and park, that blush has transformed into a purple glow and you’re now cursing yourself for not getting up 40 minutes earlier.

Panicked and rushed, you drag your poorly arranged camera bag, leave the car and then shamble down the sketchy rock face with reckless abandon. You’re cursing that 2kg telephoto lens, 2 jackets, and a boatload of pointless accessories that won’t be needed for this shoot.

Your heart is racing as you think “Will I get set up in time before this light show fades off?”.

With trembling hands, you yank the camera out of the bag, slap it on your tripod, and breathe a sigh of relief. This is short-lived as the ‘memory card full’ warning diminishes your chances of getting your shit together in time for this fleeting moment.

You also realize you just dropped your lens cap in the wet sand, that’s just great.

You clumsily fumble for a crusty old memory card that still has some videos of the Faroe Islands circa 2019 but there’s a smidge of space left on it, so you accept it.

Just as you’re focusing on your first composition the light goes into overdrive while all earthbound subjects begin to glow an almost eerie red colour. That’s the moment that your battery (currently at 19%) decides to give up the ghost and breathe its last breath.

You stomp over to the camera bag in a fit of rage, plop the battery out of your B camera, stomp back to the camera on the tripod and switch out the battery. At this point, you can’t decide if you’re enraged or enraptured, the two emotions war within you as you finish framing up your first shot.

You shoot that first frame, check the focus, and then decide you are indeed enraptured, rage swiftly forgotten.

Like a maniac, you rattle off several frames, making adjustments to the composition while muttering to yourself and occasionally punching the air in exuberant joy. You hear a ”Wow” from your loved one who’s just decided to leave the warmth of the car to join you on the beach so you turn around and give her the manic grin of triumph.

It’s a golden moment that you’ll cherish for the rest of your life.

These are the moments that we live for. As frustrating and dangerous as they sometimes might be, it’s impossible to live a full life without some element of risk or sacrifice.

Bagging the shot is just part of what I call ‘The Landscape Photographers Condition‘. The rest is that inner war, that delicate balance between crushing disappointment and ecstatic success, and also that indomitable spirit that we all share.

No matter how many times we make the walk of shame, it’s those rare golden moments of spectacular light, perfect tides, and fumbling fingers that make life worth living.

Hopefully, that resonates with you.

Tags:   fototripper sunrise nova scotia minas basin sea stack high tide

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Watch the video where I capture this image youtu.be/NiHWUA51X1k

One of my last storm-watching shots from Vancouver Island.

Now that I'm living on the East Coast of Canada, I'm hoping we get some amazing waves during those legendary Nor'easters.

Watch this space.

Thanks for looking
Gavin

Tags:   storm watching tofino ucluelet winter waves gulls cold pacific ocean stormwatching Fototripper

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Watch my latest episode at youtu.be/7avVULzkliw

No, those aren't frost-covered trees. Those are sun-bleached skeletons that suffered 'death by beaver'.

Just driving around Nova Scotia you'll see many such ponds created by beaver dams. They make for lovely reflections, but I do feel sorry for those once vibrant trees, now drowned.

This was a surprisingly calm morning and I'd spied this composition from the highway as I was driving by the previous day.

We got up before dawn and drove back to this beaver pond hoping for some moody reflections.

What I was hoping to avoid turned out to be the secret ingredient that made this shot work. I knew that as soon as the sun got high enough to light the tops of these dead trees there'd be no chance of a good shot.

What I didn't reckon for was that gorgeous warm light reflected in the pond. What you're seeing is the sun kissed mountain above the trees reflected in the pond while the trees themselves sit in the cold shade.

What was meant to be a dark and moody image turned out to be greatly enhanced by contrasting colours.

All too quickly, the sun reached into the valley and this moment of beautiful contrast was over as the trees were fully lit and the scene vanished before my eyes.

I hope to revisit this spot when the ice begins to form and the trees are smothered in frost.

Thanks for reading
Gavin

Tags:   reflections trees beaver dam cold warm contrast pond nova scotia

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We've been scouring Nova Scotia for what's left of the fall colours and it's slim pickins.

Hurricane Fiona wiped out the bulk of the leaves before they had the chance to turn and last week's storm didn't help.

I did manage to get lucky with this random creek not far from where I live.

I'm finding that the best spots aren't even in the parks or even labelled as a hotspot. I think those are my favorite kind.

Thanks for looking.

Gavin

Tags:   nova scotia fall color autumn river reflection warm

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