Sunday, May 16, 2010


Every year Rosemary and I open our garden for the city tour or for some garden club. A couple of years ago we opened it for the Ballet BC garden tour and 1500 people all but killed a shady grass area of our garden. After two years of a concerted effort both the grass and Ballet BC have come back from the brink. I almost have a superstitious idea that my lawn and Ballet BC are intimately linked. I must take care of that lawn.

The purpose of opening a garden is two-fold. The idea that a garden is only ours is a folly. One must share it with others. Some would say the impulse is a selfish one as we simply want to show off. Whichever way you look at it, opening a garden puts a goal in one’s mind. This year we had no goal and the garden was not at its best.

I came up with the idea of having both my Focal Point classes come during the day (this coming Tuesday) so that they would learn the difficult (for many) concept of lighting portraits with soft artificial light while maintaining a balance with the existing light. By bringing the class to the garden Rosemary and I would have to work hard to bring it to snuff.

This we did yesterday and today. What lies ahead, tomorrow is the thorough cleaning of the house. If it does rain (that’s the forecast) my plan B is to use the interior of the house for shooting while insisting that my students keep the outdoor lighting of the windows into account.

It took me years to get rid of the fear of shooting portraits outside with mixed light. Once I learned, it became part of my style and one of the art directors of Western Living in the 90s maintained it was what I did best. I want my students to learn this. It served me well. Perhaps it will serve them well, too.