bsop

Casandra Barata - Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship 2026 Winner

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:46:01 GMT

Congratulations to Casandra Barata

recipient of the 2026 Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship

an award of $500 sponsored by the Images Alberta Camera Club

The Images Alberta Camera Club and the Burwell School of Photography are very pleased to have established a scholarship to encourage and support emerging photographic talent in Alberta. The IACC is a vibrant and active group of photographers and photo enthusiasts dedicated to creating images and sharing information. This intrepid group of photographers have generously sponsored a $500 scholarship to a deserving student of the Burwell School of Photography.

There were multiple entries for the scholarship and a committee comprised of executive members of the Images Alberta Camera Club and the Burwell School of Photography was struck to review the portfolio's submitted and select a winner. It was a very difficult decision and in the end, Julie Cork's outstanding Pet Portraiture carried the day.

Julie earns $500.00 to be used to further her career in photography and a free years membership to the Images Alberta Camera Club. Julie will be invited to give a presentation to the IACC on a photographic topic of her choice.

BIOGRAPHY

I received my first camera on my 8 ^th birthday. It was bright pink (my favorite colour) and used Fujifilm 35mm film. The first picture I took on my new camera was of our dog, and then a flower in our garden. This was the beginning of my lifelong passion for photographing all things animal and nature. I have boxes full of pictures that I have taken since that time, all comprising of various subjects but always centered around the themes I enjoy most: landscapes & scenery, wildlife, pets/livestock, and many other types of flora and fauna.

I currently have a side business as a pet photographer which I started as a family and wedding photography business 10 years ago. While working with people was an excellent learning experience, it wasn’t what drove me. I’ve always loved animals, and they’ve always been an important part of my life. The transition to pet photography was a natural progression, and I initially started with exotic pets (reptiles and invertebrates). I wanted to show others how amazing these oft misunderstood animals really are and fill a niche in the industry. I also volunteer my time with Second Chance Animal Rescue Society as a photographer to take pictures of foster animals at events or for the adoption website, and also for Farm Animal Rescue and Rehoming Movement (F.A.R.R.M.) as a photographer to help them showcase their animals and create art/apparel for them to raise funds for their rescue.

My primary photographic interests today are wildlife, landscape, macro, and night photography. Our world is incredibly beautiful and diverse, and some of my happiest memories are camping in the mountains as a kid because the scenery, the atmosphere, and the wildlife was absolutely breathtaking, and really made you feel that life was worth living. Photos cannot do those experiences justice, but my goal is to come as close as possible to bringing those experiences to life one more time. Good pictures can help you relive but a single moment; great pictures can help you relive an entire memory.

My future goals and ambitions are to focus on landscape and wildlife photography by embarking on mini expeditions to various Alberta parks and forests. My dream would be to travel to photo-worthy destinations such as Alaska, Iceland, and Costa Rica. Nothing would make me happier than to have these experiences of a lifetime and incredible photos to show for it.

A selection of images from Casandra's submission is below:

Summer In The City Photography Contest

Sat, 15 Nov 2025 19:07:50 GMT

The Winner of the "Summer In The City"
Photography contest is Miriam Stanisavljevic.

Congratulations Miriam on winning the summer in the city photography contest with her fireworks photo titled "Light Up The Sky". Honorable mentions go out to Kevin Gosselin and Colleen Sayer. Finalists in the competition also include Kim Stainger, Julie Cork and Chris Morphy.

The winning photographer will receive a $250.00 gift certificate towards any class the Burwell School offers. Additional gift certificates of $100.00 will be awarded for Honorable Mentions. All finalists will receive a snazzy certificate and have their photos featured in our newsletter, on Facebook, Instagram and our blog. These images will also be printed, framed and displayed at the Providence Renewal Center.

First Place
" Light Up The Sky "
Photography by Miriam Stanisavljevic

It was taken in Calgary last week at the international fireworks competition. This image is from the show put on by China. I set my camera and 18-135 mm lens on bulb (on a tripod)and using a remote open the shutter for several bursts at a time.

Honorable Mention
"Humanity"
Photography by Kevin Gosselin

When I was in New Orleans I captured this beautiful, raw moment of humanity - a reminder that compassion can be found anywhere.

Honorable Mention
"It's The Bee's Knees"
Photography by Colleen Sayer

An old-timey expression to convey the fascination I have with these remarkable insects

Finalist
"Cheers, Let’s Make a Splash"
Photography by Chris Morphy

This image was a one shot wonder with the idea of 2 people cheers-ing their drinks on the most colourful sunset I’ve seen this year! At the bottom of the ski hill in Kimberly, BC and at the end of a long day of golf, this one shot moment was better than any of the golf shots during the day. Edits include contrast, vibrance, cropping, highlights & shadows.

Finalist
"Farmer's Market"
Photography by Kim Stainger

St Albert has the largest Farmers Market in Alberta every summer. The numbers of people get bigger and bigger every year. You can find everything your heart desires for sale in the market.

Finalist
"Cheetah Mum and Cubs"
Photography by Adrian Crisp

Angela Eddy Diploma Portfolio

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 22:46:42 GMT

Congratulations to
Angela Eddy
for earning a diploma in Nature Photography

Angela took her first class with the Burwell School of photography in 2022. After completing her Digital Camera Fundamentals class, she attended ten more classes, qualifying for the diploma. After working on her craft over the years and creating a superb portfolio of photographs, she has applied and has been awarded her diploma.

All the instructors at the Burwell School are proud to have has her as a student and sent their congratulations and warm wishes on this milestone accomplishment.

Julie Cork - Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship 2025 Winner

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 21:03:44 GMT

Congratulations to Julie Cork

recipient of the 2025 Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship

an award of $500 sponsored by the Images Alberta Camera Club

BIOGRAPHY

From a young age, my love for animals has shaped my life and, ultimately, my journey as a photographer. I grew up watching birds at our cabin with my grandmother, marveling at wildlife while traveling through the mountains, and gravitating toward dogs more than people at family gatherings. In 2017, my grandfather gifted me my first DSLR camera. At the time, I only knew how to use it in automatic mode, but that changed when I took my first photography class with Burwell in 2018. Learning manual opened up a new perspective on photography. Naturally, animals became the primary subjects in front of my lens.

After spending several years photographing the pets of family and friends, I launched my pet photography business in 2021, primarily working with dogs, and occasional sessions featuring cats and horses. By 2022, I found myself searching for new inspiration and realized that pet photography often revolves around just a few species, despite the fact that many families cherish more unique animal companions. I expanded into exotic pets in 2023, photographing a range of species, including bearded dragons, sugar gliders, tortoises, parrots, and rabbits.

While pet photography is my specialty, I have explored other genres, photographing engagements, weddings, landscapes, wildlife, the aurora borealis, events, and commercial projects for small businesses. As I continue to grow as a photographer, my goals for 2025 and beyond include photographing the Milky Way over the Rocky Mountains, documenting the bonds between more pets and their people, and embracing winter photography sessions on a regular basis.

A selection of images from Julie's submission is below:

Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship 2025 Honorable Mention

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 21:02:42 GMT

Congratulations to Cassandra Barrata

recipient of and Honorable Mention in

the 2025 Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship

The Images Alberta Camera Club and the Burwell School of Photography are very pleased to have established a scholarship to encourage and support emerging photographic talent in Alberta. The IACC is a vibrant and active group of photographers and photo enthusiasts dedicated to creating images and sharing information. This intrepid group of photographers have generously sponsored a $500 scholarship to a deserving student of the Burwell School of Photography.

Selecting a winner was actually such a difficult choice that a precedence has been set. The selection committee has elected to award an HONORABLE MENTION to Cassandra Barrata. It was felt that Cassandra's portfolio was also excellent and deserving of recognition. Her wildlife and macro photography is most impressive. Cassandra will be awarded a free one year membership to the Images Alberta Camera Club and invited to present to the wildlife photography group.

BIOGRAPHY

I received my first camera on my 8 ^th birthday. It was bright pink (my favorite colour) and used Fujifilm 35mm film. The first picture I took on my new camera was of our dog, and then a flower in our garden. This was the beginning of my lifelong passion for photographing all things animal and nature. I have boxes full of pictures that I have taken since that time, all comprising of various subjects but always centered around the themes I enjoy most: landscapes, weather, scenery, wildlife, pets/livestock, and many other types of flora and fauna.

I currently have a side business as a pet photographer, which I started as a family and wedding photography business 10 years ago. While working with people was an excellent learning experience, it wasn’t what drove me. I’ve always loved animals, and they’ve always been an important part of my life. The transition to pet photography was a natural progression, and I initially started with exotic pets (reptiles and invertebrates). I wanted to show others how amazing these oft misunderstood animals really are, and fill a niche in the industry. I also volunteer my time with Second Chance Animal Rescue Society as a photographer to take pictures of foster animals at events or for the adoption website, and also for Farm Animal Rescue and Rehoming Movement (F.A.R.R.M.) as a photographer to help them showcase their animals and create art/apparel for them to raise funds for their rescue.

My primary photographic interests today are landscape, wildlife, macro, and night photography. Our world is incredibly beautiful and diverse, and some of my happiest memories are camping in the mountains as a kid because the scenery, the atmosphere, and the wildlife was absolutely breathtaking, and really made you feel that life was worth living. Photos cannot do those experiences justice, but my goal is to come as close as possible to bringing those experiences to life one more time. Good pictures can help you relive but a single moment; great pictures can help you relive an entire memory.

A selection of images from Cassandra's submission is below:

Videography By Andrew Shaw

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 19:05:24 GMT

Enjo y these videos created by Burwell School instructor Andrew Shaw

Little Things Photography Contest

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 20:34:10 GMT

The Winner of the "Little Things"
Photography contest is Adrian Crisp

As always in our contests, it is a difficult choice to select a winner from the excellent entries our students submit. But Adrian's image of a baby vervet monkey suckling from it's mother, fit the theme in a visually striking and emotional way. Congratulations also go out to all the photographers who were finalists in the competition. Great work everyone!

The winning photographer will receive a $250.00 gift certificate towards any class the Burwell School offers. Additional gift certificates of $100.00 will be awarded for Honorable Mentions. All finalists will receive a snazzy certificate and have their photos featured in our newsletter, on Facebook, Instagram and our blog. These images will also be printed, framed and displayed at the Providence Renewal Center.

First Place
"Vervet Monkey with Baby"
Photography by Adrian Crisp

Honorable Mention
"A Fairies World"
Photography by Miriam Stanisavljevic

Honorable Mention
"Small Spheres of Summer"
Photography by Dianna de Sousa

Finalist
"Mother and Daughhter"
Photography by Rizwan Choudry

Finalist
"Hanging On"
Photography by Miriam Stanisavljevic

Finalist
"Cheetah Mum and Cubs"
Photography by Adrian Crisp

Motion Photography Contest

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 03:32:49 GMT

The Winner of the "Happiness"
Photography contest is Colleen Sayer.

Congratulations Colleen, on winning the Motion photography contest with your image titled "Incoming". The photograph has incredible impact! When you first see it, you stop breathing for a microsecond. The technical quality is outstanding in terms of white balance, exposure, detail and sharpness. A great action wildlife photograph by any standard!

Images are judged on their technical quality, impact or impression and on how they relate to the theme of the competition.

All finalists receive a snazzy, frameable certificate and will have their photographs displayed in the Burwell Newsletter, Facebook, Instagram and Blog. A printed copy will be framed and displayed at the Providence Renewal Center. The winner also receives a $200 gift certificate to any class the Burwell School offers. Honorable mentions will receive a $50 gift certificate.

First Place
"Incoming"
Photography by Colleen Sayer

Honorable Mention
"Chomp"
Photography by Julie Cork

Honorable Mention
"Driving Spring Snow"
Photography by Val Carr

Finalist
"Hanging In The Air"
Photography by Rizwan Choudry

Finalist
"Whale and Water"
Photography by Nadine Letwin

Finalist
"Can't See the Forest for the Trees"
Photography by Miriam Stanisavljevic

Happiness Photography Contest

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 04:11:28 GMT

The Winner of the "Happiness"
Photography contest is Clayton Reitzel

Congratulations Clayton, on winning the Interesting People photography contest with your image titled "Happy Chef". The subject of the photograph gives the entire image an unbelievable warmth and charm that simply exudes happiness.

Images are judged on their technical quality, impact or impression and on how they relate to the theme of the competition. In this particular competition, we gave less emphasis on the them since it is not up to us to judge what makes someone happy. The only thing that really matters is that the amazing photographs make us happy to see them.

There were plenty of excellent entries. In fact, this contest had the most ever images entered in any contest the Burwell School has ever held. It was difficult but we were able to narrow down the field to 6 finalists. After deciding that Clayton's Happy Chef was the winner, we additionally awarded Honorable Mentions to Photographers Julie Cork and Kelly Rombough. Shirley Laibida and Diane Sieswerda were our other two finalists.

All finalists receive a snazzy, frameable certificate and will have their photographs displayed in the Burwell Newsletter, Facebook, Instagram and Blog. A printed copy will be framed and displayed at the Providence Renewal Center. The winner also receives a $200 gift certificate to any class the Burwell School offers. Honorable mentions will receive a $50 gift certificate.

First Place
"Happy Chef"
Photography by Clayton Reitzel

Honorable Mention
"Catch!"
Photography by Julie Cork

Honorable Mention
"Special Bond"
Photography by Kelly Rombough

Finalist
" Crystal Fairies "
Photography by Diane Sieswerda

Finalist
"Family Time"
Photography by Shirley Laibida

Finalist

"Three Musketeers"

Photography by Julie Cork

Finalist

"Shake"

Photography by Julie Cork

Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship 2024

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 02:44:44 GMT

Congratulations to Kristian Wolowidnyk

recipient of the 2024 Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship

an award of $500 sponsored by the Images Alberta Camera Club

Along with the portfolio of images, applicants for the scholarship must also submit a written biography. Please take the time to read Kristian's touching story.

Finding Purpose I Thought I’d Lost

In the spring of 2003, I made my way into the recruiting center in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves. Leading up to enlisting, I barely graduated from high school, while flirting with trouble and struggling to find something I could do well. Within days of starting basic training, I knew I had found my place in the world, and I threw all the energy I had into life in uniform. Little did I know at the time how a life in uniform would alter my life’s trajectory.

During the spring of 2006, I was faced with the choice of switching to a different college engineering program in Toronto, starting a photojournalist diploma, or going full time in the army. I chose to join the regular force army as a combat engineer. During the next two and a half years I was continuously given opportunities to act in positions above my rank and experience level. I was quickly promoted to the rank of Master Corporal. If someone were to tell me this would have happened when I first enlisted back in Thunder Bay, I wouldn't have believed them.

I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009. Most of the deployment I spent leading soldiers on operations.

When I returned from my deployment in Afghanistan, the train I had been riding on started to run off the rails. Fortunately, my wife is extremely stubborn, and she convinced me to reach out for help, and I was diagnosed with PTSD shortly after my return to Canada. When I was first diagnosed, all the momentum I had in life seemed to hit a brick wall. I spent the next 10 years in a very dark place, feeling like I was navigating perpetually stormy seas in a boat that had holes in it. In early 2015, I was medically discharged from the Canadian Armed Forces.

About 2 years ago my wife started a hobby and bought a camera. After a few months of acting as a glorified sherpa by carrying her tripod from place to place, as well as keeping her company while she took pictures of sunsets/sunrises, I bought a camera of my own. Once I took my first photos, I knew that the camera was going to be a instrument to change my life’s current trajectory and get me back on track. After I was released from the Armed Forces, I did not think that I would find something that gave me a sense of purpose and a challenge.

Thinking back now, I always had an interest in documentary photography. If I were to pinpoint where this interest came from, it would be growing up as a latch key kid. In my basement there was a huge bookshelf with the top shelves full of military books, and most importantly when you opened the bottom doors there were well over a hundred National Geographic magazines. In all honesty, I never read an article from the magazine until recently. But I did spend hours upon hours poring over the pictures and captions with copies spread around me.

For the first year after getting my camera, I worked at developing my skill set through various subject matters but mostly wildlife. Despite this, I still felt like I was trying to navigate while not having anything solid to orient my compass to.

While visiting the UK in 2023, I took my son to the Natural History Museum in London. On the way, I thought about maybe focusing more on street photography rather than nature. Unbeknownst to me in advance, there was an exhibit for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest they held.

After handing over $70 Canadian for entry to the Exhibit, I experienced a transformative moment when I came face to face with the giant prints. The word that best describes the experience is awe. The quality of the work, the composition, and the story involved, had me completely blown away.

The one photo that stood out was a drone shot over a fish market in India. Hundreds upon hundreds of swordfish were laid out on the beach. There was a thought that I couldn't shake from seeing the photo which was: “this is unsustainable”. It dawned on me that I could use photography to do something positive.

Something I believe in is service, even though the uniform has been taken off and handed in, the service doesn’t need to stop. My photographic interests involve creating visual stories, and I am inspired by a wide range of subject matter. I apply CrossFit methodology to photography: where I develop a wide range of skills to allow me to tackle any opportunity. Since picking up a camera, I have made the effort to have a diverse experience base. I have photographed a wide range of nature photography, street photography, macro, photographed various sporting events, protests and rallies. I also recently volunteered as an event photographer at the “All is Bright Festival” in Edmonton, AB Canada.

My future goals and aspirations are to continue building my photographic skill set, and to apply it to documentary photography and photojournalism. I recently joined the Images Alberta Camera Club and look forward to being involved with them going forward. Outside of photography, my interests are travel and adventure with my family, raising my son, training CrossFit, reading, and spending time with my family.

I cannot be anything but thankful that I picked up a camera and had an overly supportive wife backing me up. It would be a lie to say that I don’t often think of the period I spent in uniform. Immersing myself in photography has not only filled the void I had been searching for since my release, but it has also helped me look forward to a life with my family, with new challenges and goals to tackle. When I do look back to my time in uniform, I now focus on the lessons I learned, but can close that door and move forward into a new and exciting phase of life as a documentary photographer.

Connect with Kristian on instagram at veteranshot_photography

A selection of images from Kristian's submission is below:

Interesting People Photography Contest

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 18:50:55 GMT

The Winner of the "Interesting People"
Photography contest is Barry Alloway

Congratulations Barry, on winning the Interesting People photography contest with your image titled "Pushkar Camel Herder". The subject of the photograph is certainly visually interesting and the fine detail is enhanced by the choice to present the image in Black and White.

There were a large number of excellent entries but we were able to narrow down the field to 6 finalists. We additionally awarded Honorable Mentions to Photographers Alan Myles and Dennis Birkholz.

All finalists receive a snazzy, frameable certificate and will have their photographs displayed in the Burwell Newsletter, Facebook, Instagram and Blog. A printed copy will be framed and displayed at the Providence Renewal Center. The winner also receives a $200 gift certificate to any class the Burwell School offers. Honorable mentions will receive a $50 gift certificate.

First Place
"Pushkar Camel Herder"
Photography by Barry Alloway

Honorable Mention
"The Matrix"
Photography by Dennis Birkholz

Honorable Mention
"Indigenous Elder"
Photography by Larry Wong

Finalist
"Sounds Of Africa"
Photography by Berkley Johnson

Finalist
"Morocco Portrait"
Photography by Darrel Portz

Finalist
"Line of Life"
Photography by Alan Myles

Flowers and Insects Photography Contest

admin@bsop.ca (Chris Stambaugh) — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 15:17:07 GMT

The Winner of the "Flowers and Insects"
Photography contest is Miriam Stanisavljevic

Flowers and insects seemed to just go well together when we decided on the theme of the contest. In the end, it was very difficult comparing great floral images to great insect photos. Images are judged primarily on their initial impact (does the photo have a "wow" factor when you first see it), technical quality and composition. When all aspects were considered, Miriam's photograph of wildflowers set against a backdrop of flowing water stood out as a genuine work of art.

Miriam will receive a $250.00 gift certificate towards any class the Burwell School offers. Additional gift certificates of $100.00 will be awarded for Honorable Mentions. All finalists will receive a snazzy certificate and have their photos featured in our newsletter, on Facebook, Instagram and our blog. These images will also be printed, framed and displayed at the Providence Renewal Center.

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest. There were many really great photos entered.

First Place
"Beside the rushing stream"
Photography by Miriam Stanisavljevic

I was in Banff National Park looking for photo opportunities. The smoke from nearby fires made mountain photography a bust. So I had to see what else I could photograph. I have a fondness for fireweed. I must have hundreds of photos now. I saw some growing by a stream The water was running high so I decided to use a slow shutter speed to give it a soft, dreamy quality. Thankfully the fireweed didn't move too much.

Honorable Mention
"Hover Fly"
Photography by Jennifer Kolasa

I have always been interested in Macro photography and just recently purchased some extension tubes to give it a shot. The photo is of a hover fly (I believe) on a yellow woodland flower. The photo was taken in my yard as I live on 80 acres in Thorhild County and a good chunk of the land is forested with walking trails. Photo details are ISO200, F9.0, 1/60 sec and 50mm (using a zoom lens 18-200mm with two extension tubes 16 and 11mm).

Honorable Mention
"Moth"
Photography by Larry Wong

The moth image was captured in Edmonton with a Sony A7R IV camera, 50mm macro lens, 1/125 second, F8, ISO 200. Moth landed on outside of window during daylight hours, photo was made from inside using natural light to back-light the insect.

Finalist
"Colour Wheel"
Photography by Miriam Stanisavljevic

I like to go out into the countryside in early Spring to photograph Alberta roses. I think they are very beautiful but it's hard to find perfect specimens sometimes and try to find a different angle from which to take the photo. I came across this one covered in rain drops. I thought it gave the flower a different perspective.

Finalist
"Bee Laven-der dream"
Photography by Chris Morphy

This photo was taken in Penticton while at a winery, waiting for the ladies to finish a wine tasting.
I noticed a lot of bees in the area that didn't seem to mind my presence, so I got into the lavender plant and took a couple photos of bees working away. My focal point was set on one spot as I waited for a bee to came into the area I was focused on. Once I got the shot of a bee working away in the lavender plant, I had to crop a bit to get this composition because I was a little away from it and I cut out the walkway in the background.
I find the shallow depth shots of bees working to be very tricky and fun to shoot because they are constantly moving and it is almost pure luck to get them set up in the frame while in focus. The colours are so beautiful and I was very happy with the outcome.

Finalist
"Flowers in Foreground"
Photography by Val Carr

A hanging basket with a view. Taken in Canmore, AB.

"Travel Photography" Photography contest

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 21:23:31 GMT

The Winner of the "Travel Photography"
Photography contest is William Brose

Congratulation to William Brose for winning the Travel Photography Contest with his image of Lora's Plantation, Louisiana. The winner was selected by special guest lecturer and renown travel photographer Yasser Alla Mobarak. William wins a $250 gift certificate from the Burwell School. How photo will be featured here in the BSOP newsletter, and on Facebook, Instagram and the BSOP blog. A printed copy of the photo will be displayed at the Providence Renewal Center.

Honorable Mention was awarded to Berkley Johnson for her image titled "Jua Nzuri" of the sunset on the Massai Mara National Park in Kenya.

All finalists will receive a certificate from the Burwell School.

Winner
"Lora's Plantation"
Photography by William Brose

Honorable Mention
"Jua Nzuri"
Photography by Berkley Johnson

Finalist
"Old Delhi Snake Charmer"
Photography by Barry Alloway

Finalist
"Maritime Pooch"
Photography by Julie Cork

Finalist
"Traditions"
Photography by Kathy Wolansky

Finalist
"Initiation Well at Sintra"
Photography by Colleen Sayer

Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship 2023

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 19:46:32 GMT

Congratulations to Jordana Maginnis

recipient of the 2023 Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship

an award of $500 sponsored by the Images Alberta Camera Club

The Burwell School of Photography and the Images Alberta Camera Club received some excellent submissions for this years scholarship. The selection committee consisted of; Chris Stambaugh, administrator of the Burwell School of Photography, Susanne Pawliuk and Tarra Kongsrude, directors of the Images Alberta Camera Club. The committee had a lively debate as there were four very credible applications. Congratulations also go to Cassandra Barata, Darlene Crawford, and Katherine Page for their very strong submissions.

Jordana earns a $500 cash prize which will be awarded at an upcoming meeting of the Images Alberta Camera Club. Jordana is also invited to make a presentation to the club where she will showcase her photographs and discuss her creative process. The Images Alberta Camera Club is a wonderful and active group of armature photography enthusiasts. For more information on the IACC. please visit their web site https://www.imagesalberta.ca/

Jordana enr o lled in her first class with the Burwell School in 2017 and earned her diploma in Portrait Photography in 2020 and a diploma in Wedding Photography in 2022. It has been a pleasure to have known Jordana and everyone at the Burwell School is thrilled to see what a wonderful photographer she has become!

Jordana's Biography reads as follows:

My name is Jordana Maginnis, but beyond my name I am a photographer - an artist, storyteller and preserver of memories.

I started taking courses at Burwell School of Photography in 2017 and let me tell you the growth since taking my first course has been huge. Before taking my first course I didn't know the first thing about shooting in manual mode, composition or editing. Now camera settings are second nature, posing flows naturally which allows me to be more creative and capture images that bring my vision into focus.

When I first started taking pictures, I really had no idea what I was doing but the passion was there. After learning what I was actually doing, I was then able to figure out what was my favourite subject matter and develop my style. I discovered landscapes were boring and predictable for me. Portraits quickly became my preferred subject matter, but it still took me a couple years longer to really find what I was passionate about within the portrait world.

I have come to love photographing boudoir. Helping show women their beauty that often times they have a hard time seeing for themselves brings me joy. It's so amazing watching women come into their session nervous and timid but as the session progresses their nerves fizzle away and their inner model shines bright.
Another subject area that I have discovered I love are weddings. I get to be a story teller for couples by capturing details, candid moments and families that have all come together. Each wedding is unique and its really exciting to learn about each couples vision and style allowing me to create images that match their personalities and capture special memories.

Lastly, I always really love a creative conceptual concept that comes together the way I envisioned it. Ten of my creative concepts have been published and I hope to showcase some more in 2023.

In the future I would like to progress with more storytelling in my images using prompts to capture natural candid interactions. I would love to capture a wedding in Scotland and New Zealand some day. This year I hope to be able to begin mentoring newer photographers. I would like to share the knowledge that I have gained over the last few years on my photography journey and bring it full circle just as others have done for me along the way.

To see more of Jordana's photography,
visit the Burwell School Blog or her web site at JER Photography

A selection of images from Jordana's submission is below:

"What I Did Last Summer" Photography contest

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 18:29:51 GMT

The Winner of the "What I Did Last Summer"
Photography contest is Chris Morphy

We asked you to submit a photo depicting "what I Did Last Summer" and received an overwhelming number of entries. It was a difficult task selecting the winners, but the following images managed to stand out from the crowd. Thank you to everyone who submitted a photo. If you would like to see some of the other images entered into the contest, check out the full gallery on our blog https://www.bsop.ca/blog

The winner received a $250.00 gift certificate towards any class the Burwell School offers. Additional gift certificates of $100.00 were awarded for Honorable Mentions. Congratulations Chris!

Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship 2021

admin@bsop.ca (Chris Stambaugh) — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 18:33:12 GMT

Congratulations to Dennis Burkholz, winner of the The 2021 Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship
An award of $500 Sponsored by the Images Alberta Camera Club

The images Alberta Camera Club and the Burwell School of Photography convened a committee to select a winner from this years applicants and have awarded the Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship to Dennis Burkholz. Dennis has completed nearly every course offered at the Burwell School and has received a diploma in both Portrait Photography and nature Photography. All of us at the Burwell School are very proud to see how amazing a photographer he has become.

Dennis says:

I call myself a "Steward of Time". Time cannot be loaned borrowed or saved but it can be frozen for a glimpse later. Great images evoke the senses, human emotion and tell a story. We are fortunate as photographers to be able to stop time. We are then able as are people in the photo to go back in time and relive that special time if only for a brief moment. In the case of landscapes when viewed we can instantly be transported to that location or imagine we are there. Powerful stuff I'm sure you will agree.

Dennis wins a $500 cash prize to be used to further his career by investing in new equipment, promoting his business or in any way she decides the funds can be best utilized.

The following photos are part of his winning application.

"JOY" Photography contest

admin@bsop.ca (Chris Stambaugh) — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 15:46:35 GMT

The Winner of the "JOY"
Photography contest is Adrian Crisp

What brings a person joy is a very personal thing. It means something different to everyone. Not surprisingly, there was a great variety in the style and subject matter of the photographs submitted. One thing is certain, we had more entries to this contest than ever before! It was a difficult task narrowing the entries down to the 6 below. Thank you to everyone who submitted a photo. If you would like to see some of the other images entered into the contest, check out the full gallery on our blog https://www.bsop.ca/blog

The winner will receive a $250.00 gift certificate towards any class the Burwell School offers. Additional gift certificates of $100.00 will be awarded for Honorable Mentions. Congratulations Adrian!

Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship 2022

admin@bsop.ca (Chris Stambaugh) — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 20:10:40 GMT

Congratulations to Danielle Kovacic, winner of the The Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship
An award of $500 Sponsored by the Images Alberta Camera Club

The images Alberta Camera Club and the Burwell School of Photography convened a committee to select a winner from this years applicants and have awarded the Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship to Danielle Kovacic. Danielle has been enrolled in our Portrait Photography Diploma program for the past year and has progressed from a very good photographers to an outstanding portrait artist. All of us at the Burwell School are very proud to see how good her photography has become.

Danielle wins a $500 cash prize to be used to further her career by investing in new equipment, promoting her business or in any way she decides the funds can be best utilized.

The following photos are part of her winning application.

Focus Stacking for Macro Photography

admin@bsop.ca (Chris Stambaugh) — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 18:43:31 GMT

Tips and Tricks

Focus Stacking for Macro Photography

This summer I rediscovered the joy of macro photography. I spent many hours photographing flowers and insects while camping and hiking. I photographed still life images using some of the interesting items I could find around the house and challenged myself to try some new techniques as well. Macro Photography is a lot of fun, but one of the biggest challenges is to get the subject your are photographing sharply in focus. Many macro photos are stunning BECAUSE of the extremely shallow depth of field, while other subjects would look best if they were sharp from front to back. The question is, if you only have 2 millimeters of Depth Of Field and the subject of your photo is 2 centimeters long, how the heck can you get the entire object in focus? The answer is focus stacking!

Focus stacking is the process of photographing multiple images of a single subject and adjusting the focal plane in each image. The images are blended together using only the sharp areas of each image to create a final photograph where the subject of the photo is sharp from front to back. It sounds complicated (and I would categorize this as an advanced technique) but actually isn't too difficult with a little bit of practice.

What you will need to do this is a camera with some macro focusing capabilities, a sturdy tripod and a computer with Photoshop CS installed.

The depth of field on this image is only a millimeter deep. Only the thin sliver of the flower is sharply in focus.

STEP ONE - begin by photographing the subject of your choice. In this example, I photographed a wildflower found in the forest near Wabamum Lake. You absolutely MUST use a tripod when taking these photographs because the images must be in very close alignment for Photoshop to blend them adequately. If you have a bit of a long exposure, I also recommend that you use the mirror lock up function to reduce vibrations. A remote control shutter release is also highly recommended. If you do not have a remote, you can use the 2 second timer on your camera. This 2 second delay will allow time for any vibrations to subside before the shutter is released.

Once you have the subject framed in the viewfinder, disable the auto focus on your camera. You will need to manually focus your camera lens for this technique. Start by focusing on the subject at the point nearest to the camera lens. Once you have captured your first image, manually adjust the focus away from the camera by minute increments. Ideally, the depth of field will overlap between each image. If you have one 1mm of DOF, then adjust your focus by no more than 1mm for each image. Adjust ONLY the manual focus ring between each exposure. Adjusting any other setting will cause the images to have differences that may not result in a successfully stacked final photograph. It is a good idea to frame the composition a bit wider than you intend for your final image. This will allow for a bit of extra blending area in the final steps of the process.

Use as many images as needed to create your stacked final product.

STEP 2 - If you are inclined to edit your photos, make sure you batch process them so that all images have exactly the same edits. The images you use should be identical in all ways, except for the plane of focus on each photo.
•To do this, edit the very 1st image in the series.
•Next, select all the images you will use for your focus stack by highlighting them on the thumbnails bar.
•While the multiple images are selected, click on the Sync button on the bottom right corner.
•This will open the Synchronize Settings dialog box.
•Click the “Check All” button to ensure that all your edits will be applied to the images. Click the Synchronize button to apply the edits to all images.
•Export the edited images to a unique folder.
•Save them as jpegs.

STEP 3 - Open the Images in Photoshop
•With Photoshop open on your screen, go to the FILE menu on the menu bar. Click on SCRIPTS, then click LOAD FILES INTO STACK.
•This will open the load layers dialog box. Click the BROWSE button and select the images to be stacked.
•It is recommended to click the ATTEMPT TO AUTOMATICALLY ALIGN SOURCE IMAGES at this stage. If you do not, you can do this separately after.
•Click OK and photoshop will open each image into a separate layer in a layered PSD file.

Photoshop will create a layered PSD file with the images you select. The layers palette should look something like the image above.

STEP 4 - Align the Layers
•If you did not auto align the layers when importing them into photoshop, then you must do so now. It is not a bad idea to run the ALIGN IMAGES script a 2nd time, even if you did click auto align.
•First, you must select all the layers in the panel. Click on the layer at the bottom of the palette. Then hold the SHIFT key while clicking on the top layer. All layers should be highlighted, indicating that all layers are selected.
•Under the EDIT menu on the menu bar, select AUTO-ALIGN LAYERS.
•This will open the AUTO ALIGN LAYERS dialog box. Select AUTO and click OK.
•It is critical that the layers are in precise alignment. The AUTO-ALIGN function will individually size, crop, rotate, and shift each layer so they are in precision.
•No matter how careful you are when creating the images, each layer will be slightly different. This is due to a phenomenon called FOCUS BREATHING. It is not possible to avoid focus breathing as every time we adjust the focal plane on our lens, it changes the scale of the scene, even if the camera and subject were 100% still.

STEP 5 - Blend the Layers
•Under the EDIT menu on the menu bar, select AUTO-BLEND LAYERS.
•This will open the AUTO-BLEND LAYERS dialog box. Select STACK IMAGES and SEAMLESS TONES AND COLORS. You do not have to check the Content aware Fill option as the image will need to be cropped anyways.
•Click OK and be patient. It might take a while to complete the script.

STEP 6 - Merge, Crop and Save
•Once the script is complete, you will notice that each layer now has a layer mask. The area in black is now hidden, the area in white is the part of each layer that is being used to create the stacked image.
•Now, merge the layers into a single layer. Go to the LAYERS menu in the menu bar.
•Select MERGE VISIBLE. This will discard the hidden areas of each layer and leave you with a single, blended layer. The subject in your photo should now be sharply in focus.
•You may notice some transparent areas on the edges of the final image. These must be cropped out. You may simply want to adjust the cropping for compositional reasons. Choose the crop tool and crop the image to your desired dimensions.
•Once you have the image cropped properly, choose SAVE AS and save the final image as a jpeg.

The final image will have the subject sharply in focus from front to back creating something that would have been impossible using only camera techniques.

Horses and Falcons 2021

admin@bsop.ca (Chris Stambaugh) — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 17:57:40 GMT

This past summer we introduced 2 exciting guided photography excursions.

Photography students were taken to the farm of Phil and Helen Trefry, noted falconers and wildlife conservationists. Phil and Helen provided a variety or Raptor species to photograph, including Peregrine Falcons, Harris Hawks, Red Tailed Hawks, American Kestrel's and Saw Whet Owls.

Our second excursion was to the Five Freedoms Rescue Ranch to photograph horses. This special ranch rescues unwanted and abandoned horses, nurses them back to health if necessary, and strives to find them a good home.

We will be returning to these wonderful locations in 2022. Keep your eyes opened for upcoming dates. We are also working to develop additional events of this type and expect to announce one or two new excursions in the near future. If you have any ideas for location to hold one of these fabulous events, please let us know!

Photo By Rick Lang

Photo by Michelle Symes

Photo by James Spellman

Photo by Barry Lyka

Photo by Adrian Hebert

Photo by Ted Gillespie

Photo by David Buzzeo

"Animals-Wild or domestic" photo contest The winner is Shelly Steinacher

admin@bsop.ca (Chris Stambaugh) — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 21:10:10 GMT

Congratulations to Shelly Steinacher for winning our "Animals" photo contest. This contest garnered the most entries ever. Not only did we receive a high number of entries but we also receive a high caliber. We were absolutely blown away by how many great photographs were submitted. It took some time to determine the winner. Images were judged on Technical quality, Impact, Composition, Creativity, the degree of difficulty among other factors. The winners and Honorable Mentions are featured below. These images will also be printed and on display at the Providence Renewal Center. We will also be publishing these photos PLUS the other finalists on our Facebook, Instagram and Blog.

We are awarding $100.00 gift certificates to each honorable mention and $250.00 to the winner, to be used towards any class the Burwell School offers in 2021 or 2022.

"33 Winters"
by Shelly Steinacher
1st Place

"Fighting Over The Feeder"
by Ted Gillespie
Honorable Mention

"Dog Tired"
by Kathy Zylenko
Honorable Mention

"Just Keep Swimming"
by Rick Teal
Honorable Mention

"Green Iguana"
by Ollie Meidinger
Honorable Mention

"Coyote Family"
by Val Carr
Honorable Mention

"Panther"
by Ollie Meidinger
Finalist

by Ollie Meidinger

Finalist

"Mosquito Assasin"
by Rick Teal

Finalist

"Morning Flight"
by Shelly Steinacher
Finalist

by Larry Wong

Finalist

by Larry Wong

Finalist

by Larry Wong

Finalist

Family and Children's Portrait workshop

admin@bsop.ca (Chris Stambaugh) — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 18:50:58 GMT

On the weekend of July 10th & 11th, we held our "Posing Families and Children" workshop at the Providence Renewal Center. A few of our students have shared some of the portraits we created during that class with our live models. Thank you to Barry, Boris and Harpreet for providing these lovely portraits. Thank you also to our wonderful models for the day, Ash, Brooks and Reid. A final Thank You to Harpreet and her family for volunteering to be photographed in a live family portrait demonstration for the class. We all had a great time and learned a lot!

Portrait of Reid
by Harpreet Kaur

"Motion" photo contest The winner is Bill Pringle

admin@bsop.ca (Chris Stambaugh) — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 20:13:20 GMT

Congratulations to Bill Pringle for winning our "Motion" photography contest. Not only does his wildlife photo of an Osprey soaring thought the air capture the theme of our contest perfectly, the photo is also stunningly beautiful. Honorable mentions also go to Val Carr and Rick Teal. Rick's photo of water rushing over the falls shows an interesting technique of blurred motion. We love Val's more subtle interpretation of the theme with her photo of ripples on a calm pond.
We are awarding $100.00 gift certificates to each honorable mention and $250.00 to the winner, to be used towards any class the Burwell School offers in 2021 or 2022.

"Osprey In Flight"
by Bill Pringle
1st Place

Tips and Tricks Action Photography

admin@bsop.ca (Chris Stambaugh) — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 20:08:25 GMT

Part of the "Digital Camera Fundamentals" course is reviewing the proper camera settings to take great action photos. These settings and techniques are useful when photographing sports, wildlife or sometimes candid photos and street photography. There are three different menu options to consider when taking action photos; Exposure Mode, Focus Mode and Drive Mode.

The first and most important of these is your basic exposure settings. There are three different controls that effect your exposure; ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed. When motion is a factor in the photographs you are taking, then your shutter speed setting becomes the most important of the three. Your shutter speed MUST be fast enough to freeze the motion of the subject of your photos. How fast this shutter speed needs to be depends upon how fast the subject is moving. For example, photographing people walking would only require a shutter speed of about 1/250th of a second. A person jogging might require a shutter speed of 1/500th of a second or faster. To capture the action of professional sports, your camera would need to be set to at least 1/1000th of a second and often much faster than that. In the example below, the photographer set his shutter speed to 1/4000th of a second to freeze the action of the motorcycle in mid-air.
Action Photography

EXPOSURE SETTINGS

Generally the ISO settings for action photography must be quite high in order to obtain the shutter speeds needed. The photographer must first choose an appropriate ISO. The ISO would often be set to 1600 or higher as needed.

We recommend setting your camera to "Shutter Speed Priority" on your exposure modes. This is indicated as the letter S (shutter) on most cameras or Tv (Time Value) on Canon cameras. In shutter speed priority, your main command dial will default to adjust your shutter speed. Scroll your command dial to set your shutter speed to the desired setting. In "Shutter Speed Priority" mode, when you depress the shutter release button to take a picture, your camera's light meter will engage and measure the amount of light in the scene, then adjusting the aperture to obtain a proper exposure. In summary, the photographer selects the ISO and Shutter Speed, the camera selects the aperture. If you are not able to obtain a fast enough shutter speed, you may need to select a higher ISO setting. When judging the quality of action photos, the image noise produced at high ISOs is the lesser evil than blurred motion in the subject of the photo.

After you have set your exposure and shutter speed correctly, you will want to change your DRIVE MODE to its "Burst" or "High Speed" setting. By default, most of our cameras are set to single or one shot mode. This is where you depress the shutter release button and your camera will take a single photograph. You must then release and depress the button again in order to take another photo. When photographing action, it is difficult to capture the peak of the action in a single, well timed push of the button. When you have your camera set to Burst or High Speed, You camera will continue to create images as quickly as possible for as long as you hold the Shutter Release Button down. Some cameras have a burst speed of only 4 or 5 frames per second while high end equipment can be as fast at 15 to 20 frames per second. Using this setting will allow you to follow the action through your viewfinder, while continuously taking photographs. One or two of the images you create is bound to capture the action at the most interesting point in time.

FOCUS MODE SETTINGS

The final one of your menu options to consider is the Focus Mode. The subject of your photo must be sharply in focus for the image to be considered successful. A rapidly moving object is sometimes a challenge for your cameras autofocus system when using the default Focus Mode. The default mode is called "One Shot" (Canon) or Auto Focus Single (AF-S on Nikon and other brands). In AF-S Mode, your camera takes a single photo and then will proceed to refocus the lens every time you depress the shutter release button. When using the camera in AF-C (Auto Focus Continuous) or Servo Mode, your camera will continuously focus and refocus on the subject of the image for as long as you depress the shutter release button.

When using this mode, keep the subject of the action in the focus point where your camera is set to use. Depress the Shutter Release button part way to engage the light meter and the autofocus system. Continue to hold the button in the halfway position until you are ready to take a photo, tracking the subject of the photo at all times. When the action peaks, depress the shutter release button fully

Canon camera should be set to AI SERVO

The combination of correct shutter speed, burst or high Speed drive mode, and Servo or Continuous focus mode will greatly assist you in capturing the best possible action style photography. Once you have these settings correct, just keep your eye on the action and hold the button down when things get exciting. You are bound to get a great image if you follow these s teps.

Happy Shooting!

Chris Stambaugh MPA
Instructor and Administrator for the Burwell School of Photography

Congratulations to Sandra Rogers on earning her diploma in "Portrait Photography"

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 19:47:20 GMT

Congratulations to Sandra Rogers
on earning her diploma in
"Portrait Photography"

Sandra has worked very hard to earn her diploma. She lives in Fort MacMurray and has travelled to Edmonton frequently over the past few years to take classes with the Burwell School. Sandra has come a long way since we first met her and is now offering portrait photography to the people of Fort Mac. We are very proud of Sandra and all she has accomplished so far. We give Sandra a lot of credit for her skills as a studio photographer. There are more technical challenges in lighting studio portraits and Sandra has embraced this challenge. We look forward to seeing great things from her in the future!

Congratulations to Dennis Birkholz for winning the inaugural "Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship"

admin@bsop.ca (Chris Stambaugh) — Sat, 30 Jan 2021 16:36:42 GMT

An award of $500
Sponsored by the Images Alberta Camera Club

Dennis Birkholz is a name that readers of this newsletter should be familiar with. In the past three years he has taken most of the classes that the Burwell school has to offer. As a frequent participant in our photography contests, his work has been exhibited here often over the past few years. Dennis submitted a proposal for the scholarship titled "Frozen In Time" and in his introduction, he says, "We are fortunate as photographers to be able to stop time. We are then able as are people in the photo to go back in time and relive that special time if only for a brief moment. In the case of landscapes, when viewed, we can instantly be transported to that location or imagine we are there". This is a great premise for his personal philosophy and I am looking forward to hearing him speak and seeing his work on display when he gives a presentation to the Images Alberta Camera Club on the evening of Thursday April 8th. They are hopeful that the presentation might take place in person, but quite likely it will be conducted virtually due to covid-19 safety restrictions. It is sure to be excellent regardless of how it is presented.

Dennis has also recently received TWO diplomas' from the Burwell School. He submitted portfolios in both "Nature and Wildlife" photography and in "Portrait Photography" and received excellent marks in both. He is truly a well rounded and passionate photographer. We are expecting to continue to see great things from Dennis in the years to come.

Congratulation to Erni Adenar or earning her diploma in Portrait Photography

admin@bsop.ca (Chris Stambaugh) — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 22:29:03 GMT

Samples from Erni's portfolio

Erni has been taking classes with the Burwell School since February of 2018 and completed her final class for her diploma in May 2019. She showed a lot of promise in her very first classes and has improved so much in the past 3 years that all of the instructors at the Burwell School are very proud to have had her as a student. Erni's technical skills are very good, but it is her planning and design skills that really show in her portraits. Erni's photography exhibits an attention to detail that can only be realized when the photographer communicates effectively with the subject of the photos and coordinates the details of the composition in advance. We wish Erni well in all her photographic endeavors.

"Autumn" Photo Contest

admin@bsop.ca (Chris Stambaugh) — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 21:30:33 GMT

Congratulations to Michael Mohr - contest winner

"Sunwapta Falls" by Michael Mohr - Winner of the Autumn themed photo contest

Project Uplift - A Day of Mercy

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 18:18:08 GMT

"Project Uplift - A Day of Mercy"

Thank you to the photographers who volunteered for project uplift - A day of Mercy!

On Saturday, September 28th, 2019, Five Photography students from the Burwell School created portraits for families, children, couples, and individuals that could not otherwise afford a quality professional portrait. We photographed more than 40 portraits in one day including one couple who were engaged and said that this would be their only professional photo to mark the occasion.

This is the 5th year that the Burwell School has participated. It is extremely rewarding for the photographer and for the families who take part . Volunteers also are eligible to win one of two

new Heritage Scholarships worth $250.00each.

Paul Burwell Scholarship

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 18:18:07 GMT

" Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship"

An Award of $500

Isolation

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 18:18:06 GMT

'What I Photographed During the 2020

Pandemic and Isolation

Photo Contest Winners

Since we could not safely ask our students to go out and interact with people these past few months, we came up with the generic, yet timely theme for our photo contest. It seems that many of you have spent your down time honing your skills and using your camera to create some amazing images. this contest has generated the greatest number of entries and some of the highest quality images that we have ever seen submitted.

Congratulations to Dennis Birkholtz for winning the competition with his stunning image of Rogers place

Dennis wins a $100 gift certificate towards any class that the Burwell School offers.

Honourable mentions in the contest also go to Ivana Locke , Laura St Germain , and Bill Pringle .

Thank you for submitting your excellent images.

It is wonderful to see the amazing work you have created these past few months.

Heritage Festival 2019 & Scholarship

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 18:18:04 GMT

Summer Festival Photography

New Scholarship for Burwell School Students

We are absolutely THRILLED to announce the

Edmonton Heritage Festival Scholarship.

Edmontonians love to tell people from other parts of the world how wonderful Edmonton is in the summer. A huge reason for our love of summer in the city is the vast array of festivals we hold. The Edmonton Heritage Festival is one of our oldest, biggest and best. Many of us will be attending these festivals with our cameras, often wish in we could get better access to the performances. Many of us love taking photos of interesting people at these festival and struggle with question of etiquette. Now you have a chance to be an 'Official Festival Photographer" for the Edmonton Heritage festival on

August 3rd, 4th and 5th.

We are Looking for at least 6 and maximum of 12 volunteers to help photograph the Edmonton Heritage Festival this summer. Photographers will be required to document the exhibitors, food and entertainment over three days of the festival. each volunteer will be assigned a shift 11:00AM to 4:30 PM. Volunteers will be given a Festival Tee Shirt to identify you as an official photographer, a bus pass to get to and from the festival site and a meal during your shift. Volunteers will also be entered to win one of two $250.00 scholarships towards the Burwell School Of Photography class of your choice.

The Burwell School of Photography is proud to team with the Edmonton Heritage festival to create a partnership that can only be described as a win for everyone involved. In appreciation of its volunteers, the Edmonton Heritage Festival will be donating TWO $250.00 scholarships to attend any course offered by the Burwell School of Photography. To be eligible to win this scholarship, you must simply volunteer for one of the Burwell School partnered events and fulfill the duties that are required of the volunteers at the event. Eligible events this year include the Edmonton Heritage Festival, the Edmonton Cariwest Festival, and Project Uplift. Photographers Erni Adinar and Katie Burley-wood are the first two students eligible to win for helping to photograph the Cariwest MAS Band last Saturday May 25th.

For More Information or to sign up for a shift at the heritage festival ,

Please contact Chris

Via email at admin@bsop.co or by

phone at 780-669-1261

Blurred Water - Photo Tutorial

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 21:12:13 GMT

Tips & Tricks

"Blurred Motion for Waterfalls, Wave and Streams"

In the summer of 2013 I made a trip to the North West Territories for fishing and photography. Driving from Edmonton and pulling my pop up camper, I was thrilled to discover some amazing sites to photograph along the Hay River. Only about 100km north pf the Alberta/NWT border you can find twin falls Gorge Territorial park. It has a very well maintained campsite and features 2 gorgeous waterfalls; Alexandria and Louise. These waterfalls are found just off the Mackenzie highway within easy walking distance of the parking lots. You don't need to be a rugged back county hiker to take advantage of this location .

"Alexandria Falls"

Twin Gorges Territorial Park, NWT

Photographed at f22, ISO 100 and shutter speed of 3.2 seconds

I employed a common landscape photographers technique to blur the motion of the fall is in order to make the water look more beautiful and ethereal. in order to capture an image using this technique, you need a good DSLR or Mirrorless camera, a sharp wide angle lens and a sturdy tripod. A remote trigger switch is also highly advisable.

Step 01- Set up your equipment

Attach the desired lens to your camera and affix them to your tripod. attach your remote trigger to the camera. Bluetooth controlled cell phone apps can also be used to remotely trigger your camera shutter. The tripod and remote switch are vital to obtaining a clear , sharp image as you will be using a slow shutter speed . The idea is that the rocks and trees are stationary and will remain sharply in focus throughout the duration of your exposure, as long as there is not vibration or movement in your camera. the slightest vibration in the camera will cause the entire image to become blurry. When using an exposure time of greater than one second, even the act of pushing the camera shutter will cause enough vibration to noticeably reduce the sharpness of the photograph. a tripod that is of substantial weight will also help to absorb vibrations that may travel up from the ground . Many serious landscape photographers carry a small canvas bag that can be filled with rocks or sand . This rock filled bag is then attached to the tripod to add weight and reduce vibrations

Step 02- Test your exposure

Although these results can be obtained in Shutter Speed Priority Mode, Manual exposure mode is your best option. I started by adjusting my camera's ISO to it's lowest setting and Aperture to it's smallest opening. In the case of the Alexandria Falls photo, I used an ISO value of 100 and an aperture value of f22. Both of these settings create a darker image, thus creating the need for a long shutter speed in order to obtain a proper exposure . Once the ISO and aperture are set, I use my camera's built in light meter to help determine the proper exposure . To ensure that the you have the best possible exposure, I always consult my histogram to make sure I am capturing the greatest amount of detail in both shadows and highlight areas.

It is very important to note that this first test exposure MAY NOT be the ideal combination of ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed for your particular photograph. The first exposure is simply your starting point for experimenting with different combinations ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed. The amount of blurriness in the water can be controlled by increasing or decreasing the shutter speed. The best shutter speed will depend on the speed of the motion in the water and your personal preferences as to how " blurry" you like it.

Step 03- Set your White Balance

Now that you have a technically "good" exposure, pull out your photo grey card or white Balance disk and create a custom white balance to obtain an accurate colour rendition in your photograph. Auto White Balance will often get decent but not perfect results. A custom WB will always yield the best results.

Step 04- Compose your image

Adjust the camera tripod head to frame your photograph in the composition you desire. Zoom in or out as needed to obtain the cropping you desire. My policy is that I try to visualize my exact composition as accurately as possible, and then zoom out about 10% to 15 %. This extra 15% of space allows me to "tweak" my cropping in post production. Just in case I need to slightly straighten a horizon or make a subtle adjustment. Never shoot too wide as you will only be reducing your resolution by cropping to much.

Step 05- Focus your lens

Since you are using the smallest possible aperture setting, you will be capturing the greatest possible depth of field in your photograph. In order to utilize this depth of field to create the sharpest possible image from foreground to background, I focus on a point beyond the foreground. In the case of the Alexandria Falls example , I focused the camera on the farthest edge of the rocky platform in the foreground . In other words, at the point where the rocks and the water meet. Once focus lock is obtained, switch your camera lens from AF (auto focus) to MF 9 Manual Focus) . This will prevent your camera from changing the focus of the lens every time you take a photo. Since you are using a tripod and the camera is not moving, there is no need to refocus the lens. Your camera will remain focused at the distance you have just set and the depth of fields will ensure that all the items in the view finder are sharp as a tack.

When setting your focus, it is important that you do not move the position of your tripod. Only adjust the tripod head to pan or rotate your camera into position. Once you have obtained focus, adjust the tripod head to the proper composition and tighten the tripod head so it will not move for next 15 minutes. It is vital that you do not move the your tripod or touch/ adjust the zoom or focus ring on your lens in any way after this point. any adjustments or movement will result in an our of focus image. If an accident happens, then go back to step 04 and repeat as necessary.

Step 06- Experiment with different shutter speeds

As mentioned above, you will need to experiment with different shutter speeds in order to find the setting that is best for your particular scene. The proper speed will depend on how fast the water is actually moving and on your particular taste. Just how blurry do you like that water? You can cause the water to look less blurry by using a faster shutter speed or more blurry by using a slower shutter speed. Start by examining the test exposure you have already taken. Decide if you think it would look better with more motion blur or less motion blur in the water. Then adjust the shutter speed in 1/3 stop increments until the desired results are achieved. It is important to note that when you adjust the shutter speed , you will affect your exposure. You must adjust either the aperture or ISO in an opposite direction to maintain a proper exposure.

Step 07- Lock up the mirror

The tripod and remote trigger switch might be adequate to hold the camera still for the serious photographer if you are using a DSLR camera. Even the act of the mirror inside your camera moving from the upper position to allow light to pass through the shutter and strike the sensor can cause vibration and decrease the sharpness of your image. Consult your manual to find the menu setting to lock up your mirror prior to creating your final exposure. Skip this step if you are using a mirror-less camera.

Step 08- Create your masterpiece

You are ready to go. Lock up the mirror, wait a few seconds for any vibrations to subside and push the button on your remote switch. You should have an image worthy of framing.

Have Fun!

"Louise Falls"

Twin Gorges Territorial Park, NWT

Photographed at f22, ISO 50 and shutter speed of 1.3 seconds

If you are trying this out in bright daylight, you might find that even at your lowest ISO and smallest aperture, you are not able to obtain a shutter speed slow enough to blur the water the desired amount. There may be too much light to allow for such a slow shutter speed without over exposing your image. The best option would be to try creating the photo at either sunrise or sunset, when the light is soft, beautiful and of lower intensity. If this is not practical, you may attach a polarizing filter to your lens . A polarize will act like sunglasses for your camera and reduce your exposure by 2 to 2.5 stops.

The image of Louise falls shown above was taken earlier in the day. The falls lay lower in the gorge and the light is soft and even, many hours before sunset. Alexandria falls is located at a higher elevation at the top of the gorge . The photograph of Alexandria falls was taken at sunset in order to obtain the most beautiful light. fortunately sunset lasts for many hours in the NWT so photographers never need to rush before they lose the light.

Chris Stambaugh, MPA

Instructor and Administrator

Burwell School of Photography

bsop

Casandra Barata - Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship 2026 Winner

A selection of images from Casandra's submission is below:

Summer In The City Photography Contest

Angela Eddy Diploma Portfolio

Congratulations to Angela Eddy for earning a diploma in Nature Photography

Julie Cork - Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship 2025 Winner

A selection of images from Julie's submission is below:

Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship 2025 Honorable Mention

A selection of images from Cassandra's submission is below:

Videography By Andrew Shaw

Little Things Photography Contest

Motion Photography Contest

Images are judged on their technical quality, impact or impression and on how they relate to the theme of the competition.

Happiness Photography Contest

Congratulations Clayton, on winning the Interesting People photography contest with your image titled "Happy Chef". The subject of the photograph gives the entire image an unbelievable warmth and charm that simply exudes happiness.

Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship 2024

A selection of images from Kristian's submission is below:

Interesting People Photography Contest

Flowers and Insects Photography Contest

"Travel Photography" Photography contest

Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship 2023

A selection of images from Jordana's submission is below:

"What I Did Last Summer" Photography contest

The winner received a $250.00 gift certificate towards any class the Burwell School offers. Additional gift certificates of $100.00 were awarded for Honorable Mentions. Congratulations Chris!

Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship 2021

"JOY" Photography contest

The winner will receive a $250.00 gift certificate towards any class the Burwell School offers. Additional gift certificates of $100.00 will be awarded for Honorable Mentions. Congratulations Adrian!

Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship 2022

Focus Stacking for Macro Photography

Tips and Tricks Focus Stacking for Macro Photography

Horses and Falcons 2021

"Animals-Wild or domestic" photo contest The winner is Shelly Steinacher

Family and Children's Portrait workshop

"Motion" photo contest The winner is Bill Pringle

Tips and Tricks Action Photography

Congratulations to Sandra Rogers on earning her diploma in "Portrait Photography"

Congratulations to Sandra Rogers on earning her diploma in "Portrait Photography"

Congratulations to Dennis Birkholz for winning the inaugural "Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship"

An award of $500 Sponsored by the Images Alberta Camera Club

Congratulation to Erni Adenar or earning her diploma in Portrait Photography

Samples from Erni's portfolio

"Autumn" Photo Contest

Congratulations to Michael Mohr - contest winner

Project Uplift - A Day of Mercy

"Project Uplift - A Day of Mercy"

Thank you to the photographers who volunteered for project uplift - A day of Mercy!

This is the 5th year that the Burwell School has participated. It is extremely rewarding for the photographer and for the families who take part . Volunteers also are eligible to win one of two

﻿ new Heritage Scholarships worth $250.00each.

Paul Burwell Scholarship

" Paul Burwell Memorial Scholarship"

An Award of $500

Sponsored by the Image Alberta Camera Club

Isolation

'What I Photographed During the 2020

Pandemic and Isolation

Photo Contest Winners

Congratulations to Dennis Birkholtz for winning the competition with his stunning image of Rogers place

Dennis wins a $100 gift certificate towards any class that the Burwell School offers.

Honourable mentions in the contest also go to Ivana Locke , Laura St Germain , and Bill Pringle .

Thank you for submitting your excellent images.

It is wonderful to see the amazing work you have created these past few months.

Heritage Festival 2019 & Scholarship

Summer Festival Photography

Blurred Water - Photo Tutorial

Congratulations to
Angela Eddy
for earning a diploma in Nature Photography

Tips and Tricks

Focus Stacking for Macro Photography

Congratulations to Sandra Rogers
on earning her diploma in
"Portrait Photography"

An award of $500
Sponsored by the Images Alberta Camera Club

new Heritage Scholarships worth $250.00each.