What happens when you have a BBQ with a bunch of photography buffs?
Yesterday we had a BBQ with a fellow member of the TPMG – Toronto Photography Meetup Group. Her living in Georgetown, it was quite the change of environment from the every week gatherings in town in Toronto.
Nonetheless it was a great day as almost 15-20 people gathered about – most with cameras in hand – and chilled outside on her deck, some playing with cameras, some bouncing around on her trampoline, and others just drinking and eating about.
No shortage of food, drinks, and fun, it was a good time for us all. I even got to meet a few new faces in the process, which isnt’ all that bad. Early in the afternoon the bulk of people decided to go to the Brampton Badlands and Bellfountain to take a few shots.
As I came fashionably late, I missed the first batch going there by mere minutes. However, soon after my arrival, Rannie and bunch came in. We then made our own way to the Badlands. In making our way there, we passed by this gorgious sunflower field that stretched for as long as you can see. It was indeed a picture perfect moment. The last time I saw a sunflower field that big, I only had my Kodak DC265 digital camera with me, which was capable of taking oh so limited types of shots. This time, equipped with a 24mm, 50mm, and a 70-300mm lens, I shot to my heart’s content. The lighting couldn’t have been better either, with the late afternoon lights shining behind the sunflowers, making each petal emit a soft, orange glow.
After venturing off to the Badlands and taking the necessary shots there, we decided to head back because of our hunger and thirst. On our way back we passed by this uniquely designed wooden church where we just had to stop by and look. It turned out to be St. Elias, a Catholic Church in the Orthodox tradition. As luck would have it, people were just coming in – including the priests, getting ready for their 7pm mass. Everyone we met welcomed us in and one priest even invited us to stay for a while for the first few minutes when they sing.
I have to admit, their friendliness was nice and once the church goers sang, it gave me a surprise as their unison and perfect harmony rang throughout the church with such beauty. No chairs in this church. Everyone stands.
We left after a while of soaking in the song.
Back at the BBQ, I had my first try on a trampoline. It was indeed a tiring experience but a fun one at that. I believe I got some good height.
And what would a BBQ be without a night shootout of the stars? The night sky was clear as can be. Around 1am, we all headed back out to the Badlands where we hoped to get some pitch blackness – away from the city light pollution. It was a good choice although the sky was still lighter than we all wanted.
Me always wanting to try out star-trail shooting, I tried out my cable-release for the first time. Longest exposure I took was about 25 minutes. I took about 4 varying shots of the sky, some with the surrounding trees. Hopefully they will turn out.
All of these great photos I will develop soon and will post on my flickr account so be sure to come back soon!
