Monthly Newsletter - August 2021

Hello everyone! I’m excited to release August’s Newsletter!

I love playing around with my photography, experimenting, and having fun so the purpose of this monthly newsletter is to deliver inspiration, joy and value to you!

If you want to join the community and receive the monthly newsletter visit me here and fill out the information! You’ll also receive access to the past monthly newsletters!

Table of Contents

About Me

Create with Me

Lightroom Edit

Book Review - The Visual Voice

Monthly Favourites

Social Media Sites

YouTube

Suggested Resources

Thank You

What Nature Taught Me Recently

If you saw last weeks video you know I reconnected with nature for three days in the Thompson Okanagan. In todays video I wanted to share with you some of the lessons the trip taught me.

Getting Back to Morning Photography

Three or four months ago (at the beginning of Spring) I started doing morning photography sessions. I had always been a sunset person but I wanted to give sunrise a chance. I ended up falling in love with them, but then I had to isolate at the beginning of June and I lost momentum for going out in the mornings. However, on this trip I woke up every day at 6:00 AM to do a morning session and it was wonderful! It was beautiful, peaceful, serene.

It was an amazing reminder on how awesome morning sessions are.

Doing More Nature Photography

Due to the direction I took with the Summer in the Okanagan (my seasonal photography collection) I’m more in the city, more where people are at so I haven’t been doing a lot of “nature” type photography. However, this trip got me thinking that I need to do more nature photography. Why? Because I feel so at peace when I was out there.

Going Back to a Simple Setup

After my one lens challenge ended at the end of June I went back to using my full gear. On this trip I brought my camera backpack and all of my lenses. However, when out I felt like I was missing the simplicity, the minimalism I was feeling in June.

A part of my problem I think was my bag. The only camera bag I own where I can bring my water bottle with me is my camera backpack. But it seems silly to bring a giant backpack with only one lens and camera body and a water bottle. So I stuff everything into the bag.

In the autumn and winter I won’t likely need to bring a water bottle but with being in summer, it’s necessary. It hovers around 35 degrees on the daily, and it was 42 during the heat wave.

Going forward I want to look at going back to a simple setup.

Doing a One Lens Challenge with All of My Lenses

In June I did a one lens challenge with my Olympus 25mm F1.8 and I really enjoyed the challenge and the benefits. So starting in September I want to do a one lens challenge with all of my lenses, starting with the M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 because it’s my least used lens.

Honing in Again on Intimate Landscape Photography

I’ve done a previous video on Intimate Landscape Photography but I found with my current seasonal project, and doing nature photography that I was being drawn back to the minimalism, the use of negative space, intimate scenes.

Implementing Regular Mini-Breaks

Those three days that I was camping gave me room to think, breathe and reflect on what’s important and get ideas. I did some work but majority of the time I was doing photography in the morning, spending time with family, going out on the paddle board and in general enjoying the summer and camping. However, that break away in nature gave me room. So I’m thinking of implementing this mini-break into regular practice because I think there are benefits there that need exploring.

Working WITH the Smoke Instead of AGAINST It

While I was camping it was smokey for majority of the time. Photographically, I didn’t mind. I found the smokey conditions made me focus on layers, lines and shapes, and I was using the atmosphere conditions to create a blank canvas. I did my best to work with the conditions, not against it.

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I really enjoyed my three-day trip to the Thompson Okanagan. Nature taught me some valuable lessons that I’m going to carry forward with me! Leave me a comment on the channel if you’ve been camping this summer and if nature has taught you anything recently.

Happy Photographing!

Beautifully Wander | Robynne Ikesaka

Re-connecting with Nature | Three Days in Salmon Arm

For three days this week I re-connected with nature. It was relaxing, and beautiful to be surrounded by forest, lake, local wildlife.

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Photography Lessons from Past Trips | Tips for Your Next Trip

I think we’ve established by now that I love to travel! I know “travel” and “vacation” are uncertain topics because of where you live or the restrictions, but I have definitely noticed in the Okanagan that people are travelling again - including myself! A couple weeks ago I went to Osoyoos, next week I’m going to go camping by Salmon Arm and next month I’ll be visiting Victoria, BC! Thus, in todays episode I wanted to share some photography tips pertaining to travel and vacation photography!

Consider Why You’re Taking the Photos

Posting the photos to Instagram? Documenting your journey? Writing a book or article?

I find having an idea of why I am taking the photos helps me understand and gives me ideas of what photos I need to take.

The photos I took for my Osoyoos trip were drastically different than the photos I took for Greece, Denver, Vancouver and that’s because the reasons behind why I was taking the photos were different.

For Greece, Denver, Vancouver I was photographing for the purpose of posting to social media. For Osoyoos I was trying to create a story about my trip so I had more context shots that made the story make sense.

Slow Your Pace

I’m notorious for cramming my days with activities, especially when I have a short time frame at a location because I want to squeeze everything in.

Thus, I have to remember not to cram. I find the best is to do one major activity in the morning and one in the afternoon (anything else covered that day is a bonus).

By slowing down I get to enjoy the moment more and if I am photographing the day I have more time to marinate over the experience and capture what I want.

Sometimes You Have to Think Outside the Box

I knew when I was travelling to Osoyoos that I might have some difficulty because I was travelling with other people. I can’t just pull over when I want, or take my time at a location.

So I had to come up with a way to photograph the outdoors, where I was going, our journey from where I was and with the parameters I had. So, I started photographing from inside the vehicle using the windows and windshield to frame my subject. This ended up being one of my favourite ways to show what we were doing and where we were going.

Don’t Forget Those Candid Moments

It’s great to capture the portrait-style, front-facing photos of your family and yourselves but I love the candid moments. The slices of time that display a genuine smile, laugh, and other beautiful moments.

To make sure I can do this whenever we arrive at our new location I set my camera up for the environment we are in and I leave my camera on. Then when a moment happens I can quickly capture it!

Go Simple

This is more personable preference but I want you to consider going simple with your camera gear. If you know why you’re taking the photos, what you’re roughly going to take photos of then you know what kind of gear you need to bring.

For Osoyoos I only photographed with the Olympus 25mm (partly because I was still doing the one lens challenge) but going simple meant I was able to bring my camera everywhere!

I love the Olympus for how small and lightweight it is!

Have Multiple SD Cards and Batteries

When I went to Vancouver I made the mistake of having too small of a memory card in my camera. As I was photographing at the Capilano Suspension Bridge I ran out of memory and had to delete photos on the go.

Do yourself a favor and make sure you have enough memory and battery to keep you going!

Backup Your Photos

At the end of every day backup your photos. Because I had a small memory card with Vancouver I had to move the photos off the SD card to my hard drive at the end of every day (leaving me with one copy of the photos).

Several months later I have invested in getting more and bigger memory cards so now I can backup the photos onto my hard drive (leaving me with two copies of the photos). Then when I get home I create a third copy.

The point of the story…backup your photos!

Practice Locally Before the Trip

David Duchemin did a podcast episode once about “becoming”. You are becoming the person to take that photo, write that book, become that person…

So when you practice locally, and experiment with different compositions and techniques you are adding to your photography toolbox so when you are travelling you have more freedom to pull from that toolbox to create the photo that you envision.

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Happy Photographing!

Beautifully Wander | Robynne Ikesaka

Spring & Summer Favourites | Peak Design Clip, Advice, Digital Planning, Wine

In this episode I share with you some of my photography and non-photography favourites from Spring into Summer!

*None of these links are affiliate

Items Mentioned in the Video:

• Peak Design Capture Clip (I bought the additional dual plate for my camera setup, it allows me to use on the Capture Clip and Manfrotto Tripod without having to change the plate)

• The Heart of the Photograph by David Duchemin

• Women Photographers by Boris Friedewald

• Milanote

• Olympus 25mm F1.8 Lens

• Ona Bowery Bag

Additional Links Mentioned in the Video:

• Sebastiao Salgado Ted x Talk

• Sebastiao Salgado Article

• Wine Folly

• Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET)

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Let me know over on the channel what favourites you have or if any of the favourites I’ve listed are similar to yours!

Happy Photographing!

Beautifully Wander | Robynne Ikesaka

Monthly Newsletter - July 2021

Hello everyone! I’m excited to release July’s Monthly Newsletter!

I love playing around with my photography, experimenting, and having fun so the purpose of this monthly newsletter is to deliver inspiration, joy and value to you!

If you want to join the community and receive the monthly newsletter visit me here and fill out the information! You’ll also receive access to the past monthly newsletters!

Table of Contents

Create with Me

Book Review - Women Photographers

Monthly Favourites

June’s Experiment

June’s Minimal Setup

Planning for July

YouTube

Suggested Resources

Thank You

Minimalistic Setup + One Lens Challenge with the Olympus 25mm F1.8

At the beginning of the month I mentioned that I was going to try a minimalistic setup for June. In this episode we chat about the benefits and challenges I had with going simple and doing a one lens challenge.

Why the minimalistic setup and the one lens challenge?

What sparked this interest in doing a minimalistic setup for this past month and the one lens challenge was a video I watched on YouTube. B&H does this amazing series called 21 Questions where they feature different kinds of photographers. A few months ago they featured Paola or @Monaris on Instagram and something from that video inspired me to try a simplistic setup for June!

Why did I choose the 25mm F1.8?

When it came down to choosing which lens for the minimalistic setup I went with the Olympus 25mm F1.8 for a couple reasons:

1. It is the only prime lens that I own

2. It’s versatile for all the kinds of photography that I was going to be doing this month

Benefits of going minimalistic?

1. It was very simple and easy to get out the door: Going with the simplistic setup of one camera body and one lens made for getting out the door very simple. I usually carried a handful of items (phone, wallet, keys, camera and sometimes a water bottle if it’s hot). I didn’t have to hassle with what to bring with me, if I should leave something behind because of the activity I was doing. It was so extremely easy to get out the door.

2. I found myself bringing my camera everywhere with me more often: Due to the lightweight, compact system of the EM1 Mark II with the 25mm F1.8 I overall found myself bringing my camera everywhere with me - into restaurants, to personal events, for evening walks.

3. It was discrete for public spaces: With the weather warming up in Kelowna more and more people are hitting the beaches, parks, streets. Thus, it’s been nice having a smaller setup that is more discrete in public spaces rather a camera backpack with all the lenses.

4. I was more aware of my surroundings, composition and perspective: Using a fixed lens overall made me more aware of my surroundings and what I needed to do to get the shot. I found it made me linger on a moment longer to make sure my composition was right, my settings were right, etc.,

5. It pushed me outside my comfort zone: Now that we are in full swing of summer I have been working on Summer in the Okanagan my seasonal photography collection that documents what it’s like summer in the Okanagan - how others and I experience it. Since I’ve also been only using the 25mm it’s forcing me to get closer to the scene. I can’t use the zoom of the 12-40 or the 40-150 to keep my self far away. I have to get closer which can be uncomfortable for me.

Challenges of going minimalistic?

The main challenge I had with going minimalistic this month was photographing in tight spaces. A few weeks ago my Fiance and I ate indoors at our favourite sushi restaurant which we hadn’t done since indoor dining was suspended. I brought my camera along to document the moment but I struggled because we were in a tight space. Our table was a half booth and I couldn’t physically move any farther back to get the framing that I wanted.

Most generally, I am outside with my photography. However, I have been making a more active effort in documenting the personal moments - birthdays, fathers day, moments with my family.

Photos from this Challenge

Final Thoughts

I quite enjoyed doing this one lens challenge for June and going simple. I definitely recommend trying out the one lens challenge for yourself.

Leave a comment over on the channel if you’ve ever done a one lens challenge and what you liked about it or if you plan to do one now.

I hope you enjoyed and found this article useful and if you did please consider Buying Me A Cup of Coffee!

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Happy Photographing!

Beautifully Wander | Robynne Ikesaka

Getting Inspired through Projects | This Weeks Mini Collection

In this episode we have a short chat about getting inspired through projects and I show you my mini collection for this week featuring rain.

Concept of Mini Projects

Eight months ago Robin Wong did a video about ‘Improving Your Photography with Mini Projects’. I love improving my photography and I love photography projects. His video really resonated with me because I discovered some time ago that I love working in collections, series or projects because it gives my photography focus and something to look forward to create.

Thus, for a few months I’ve been digging deep into the subject and consuming a lot of content in photography projects by Robin Wong, Daniel Milnor, as well older photographers like Berenice Abbott and An-My Le through YouTube and books.

Commitment to Collections

In early Spring I decided that I was going to focus on working through collections and publish them. So I did Chasing Arrowleaves, Hello Spring and my next mid-length seasonal collection is Summer in the Okanagan.

However, specifically to improve my photography, improve my collection skills and pump me with inspiration I am trying to do at least one mini project a week.

Mini Collection - Rain

Last week my mini project was documenting my first meal out. Indoor dining in Kelowna had been suspended since the end of March so Max and I got to eat inside our favourite sushi restaurant and I brought my camera along to document the moment.

This week I decided my mini collection was going to be about the rain. Earlier I had this conversation with a lady from Ontario and we were talking about the weather, the rain and I had mentioned the smell of the rain. She told me she loved the smell of the rain and that it reminded her of her home. However, Kelowna doesn’t get a lot of rain, we’re a semi-desert unlike Vancouver and Victoria. So when it rained here in Kelowna I went out to photograph the rain.

Here are the photos that I got…

When I was curating this collection I specifically chose to follow my senses. I started off with sight - the clear pools of puddles on the ground, the droplets on the leaves and flowers. Then we moved to smell, which is hard to descern in a photograph so I focused on the atmosphere in these shots. Then we moved to touch, the physicalness of rain - rain on the skin, taking cover, seeking shelter. To finish I brought you back to my original shot.

Coming up with Your Mini Project Idea

The tricky part to mini projects is coming up with the idea for the mini project. Which is why my experiment for June - Documenting, Instead of Only Creating has been handy. It’s helped me re-frame from ‘creation’ to ‘documentation’.

For example, I have Fathers Day coming up on Sunday so I want to do a mini collection around that. Next weekend I’m in Osoyoos so I have a mini collection planned around documenting that trip. There’s a new cafe Downtown that I want to check out with my mom so I have a mini collection planned to capture that moment.

The point, shifting my focus from ‘what to create’ to ‘documenting’ has helped create more opportunities.

Final Thoughts

Let me know over on the channel if you’re working on a mini project or have one planned. In the future I want to talk to you all more about photography projects!

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Happy Photographing!

Beautifully Wander | Robynne Ikesaka

Downtown Kelowna, Testing the iPhone 12 PRO, New Audio and June Plans | Photography Vlog #1

In this episode we’re getting outdoors and we’re vlogging! Originally the weather wasn’t all that nice but then as I was walking around it got really gorgeous. We do a bit of street and nature photography, and also chat about testing the iPhone 12 PRO, new audio I got and things I’m trying to work on for June.

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Happy Photographing!

Beautifully Wander | Robynne Ikesaka

Photography Tag | What was one of your earliest cameras? Favourite lens? Inspiration? Travel?

Note: Any links in this post are not affiliate or sponsored.

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While I’m stuck at home I thought we would do an old-style tag video. I used to love watching tag videos on YouTube so I thought we would do one!

Q1: What got you started in photography?

Travel is what got me started in photography. I have been a Pinterest user way longer than I have been on Instagram and my longest used board is my travel board where I pin all the wonderful places I want to travel to someday.

I wanted to be able to capture amazing photos just like the one’s I see on Pinterest and Instagram so I started learning more about photography to do just that!

Q2: What photography do you like to do?

I love travel and nature/outdoor photography. Those are my loves and what I pursue.

I’ve dabbled in food photography, product and even did a toddler birthday session but travel and nature photography is my passion.

Q3: What was one of your earliest cameras?

One of my earliest camera’s was a Sony Purple Cybershot. It was the second camera I ever owned and it was a christmas gift from my grandparents a long time ago.

It was also the camera I took with me on my first International trip to Mexico in 2016.

Q4: If you could go on any photography trip anywhere in the world where would you go?

This is such a difficult question! There are so many places on my bucketlist that I want to travel to one day:

• Italy, for the Dolomites, the Coast and the historical places

• Africa, to do an African Safari

• Japan, Hawaii, Iceland for the landscape

However, if I had to choose only one my current pick is Italy!

Q5: What is your favourite lens?

My favourite lens varies depending on what I am doing. However, my most reached-for lens is the M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO.

Q6: Is there someone out there that has played an influential role in your photography?

There are two people that have played a consistent influential role in my photography. I say ‘consistent’ because there are a ton of people that capture my attention and inspire a project or a piece but there are two people that have consistently inspired and influenced my work, month-in and month-out.

The Wandering Lens

Lisa from The Wandering Lens first inspired me to pursue this passion and she has continued to inspire and influence my photography.

David Duchemin

David is a recent influence in my photography. I bought his book The Heart of the Photograph a couple months ago, then I started reading his webstie articles, and listening to his podcast episodes.

His thoughts on creativity just really resonate with me.

Q7: How would you define your photography style?

My photography style is something I am still trying to develop. However, I have noticed certain themes have begun emerging.

Bright and Colorful

I love bright and colorful. Those are the photos that I love to capture and edit. I’ve tried doing pastel, light and airy but it’s just not me.

Creative Element

Out of my favourite photos that I’ve taken another consistent element is the added creativity - reflection, foreground interest, sun star. I gravitate towards capturing images with a creative edge.

Q8: What inspires your photography?

I have come to notice that the weather really influences my photography. I love getting outdoors during the spring, summer and fall because it’s nice weather. However, when the winter came I hit this wall and I couldn’t get inspired to get outside and do some photography.

Hand-in-hand with the weather is the seasons. I find the transition and colour of the seasons also inspire my work.

Lastly, I have found working in collections or bodies of work inspire me - Chasing Arrowleaves, Hello Spring, Summer in the Okanagan. I think its because it gives my work focus which I’ve always struggled with.

Q9: On the daily, what’s in your camera bag?

I still use the BagSmart camera backpack from Amazon that I purchased last year. On the daily, I carry the following gear:

• Olympus EM1 Mark II

• M.Zuiko 25mm F1.8 Lens

• M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO Lens

• M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO lens

• M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO Lens

If I am to leave anything behind my 7-14mm probably gets left behind the most.

Q10: What’s your favourite part about photography?

Creativity and Expression

I love the creativity and expression part of photography - finding the best way to express your subject that aligns with my photography style.

Capturing a Moment

James Popsys once said in one of his videos that other than his memory his photograph is the only thing remaining of a moment. It reminds me to capture the small moments - anniversaries, birthdays, time with family.

Exploration and Adventure

Photography has made me more of an explorer, has made me more adventurous and has generally made my life richer.

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Feel free to participate in this photography tag! Leave a comment on my channel, post a video to YouTube, answer over on Instagram, however you choose!

Have fun with this!

Monthly Newsletter - June 2021

Hello everyone! I’m excited to release June’s Monthly Newsletter!

I love playing around with my photography, experimenting, and having fun so the purpose of this monthly newsletter is to deliver inspiration, joy and value to you!

If you want to join the community and receive the monthly newsletter visit me here and fill out the information! You’ll also receive access to the past monthly newsletters!

Table of Contents

Create with Me

Lightroom Edit Tutorial

Book Review - Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Monthly Favourites

What Happened in May

Suggested Resources

What’s Happening in June

#seasonswhereilive

Thank You

Why I Love Kelowna in Celebration of Love for Kelowna Day | Favourite Photos of Kelowna

Today is Love for Kelowna Day and I wanted to celebrate by getting personal with you and share my history with Kelowna, why we decided to move back, why I love it here, how this small promise I made has changed my life and some of my favourite photos that I’ve taken in this gorgeous place!

Growing up in Kelowna

I was born and raised in Kelowna, BC. It’s crazy to see how much development has occurred in Kelowna since I was a child.

I used to really look forward to leaving Kelowna and living in a new city because of the adventure. It wasn’t until I actually moved away to Fort McMurray that “the grass is always greener on the other side” became true.

In 2018, I moved to Fort McMurray (northern Alberta) and I lived there for a couple of years and although it didn’t work for us long-term it was a wonderful growth opportunity and I’m happy it’s a chapter in my life because it played a huge role in who I am today.

Moving Back

We decided to move back to Kelowna for a couple of reasons. The biggest motivator was that we weren’t happy living in Fort McMcMurray, we didn’t enjoy living there, I didn’t enjoy my job, and we missed our family back home so we decided to come back.

My Promise

In May of last year I made this promise to myself that I was going to live a fuller life and that I was going to adventure more. It’s crazy how a small promise can change your life but because of this promise I have seen and done more in Kelowna than I EVER did in the 22 years I lived here before.

What I Love About Kelowna

There are so many wonderful things about Kelowna that I love but when I wasn’t living here there were things that I really missed.

1. The Mountains: I love the mountains, I missed them so much when I was living in Northern Alberta because it’s fairly flat. Every time I would come back home to visit I would just stare at the mountains and the hill sides.

2. Okanagan Lake: I missed having a gorgeous lake that I could cool down in the summer in, enjoy a day at the beach, and do some water activities.

3. Family: Both of our families live here in Kelowna and I missed them while I was away, the birthdays, family dinners, holidays, coffee nights, etc., They were a huge reason why we decided to move back…to be closer to family.

4. The Outdoors: There are so many incredible beaches, parks, hikes to enjoy here in Kelowna. Ever since the Spring I have been trying to do one hike a week to get outdoors more and explore more of the Valley.

5. Wineries: Kelowna has so many wineries! I love the smaller, local wineries that have a unique story. I never did a wine tasting before I left and now I’m obsessed!

Favourite Photos of Kelowna

Since I’ve been exploring Kelowna more here are some of my favourite photos of this beautiful place!

Leave me a comment over on the channel if you live in Kelowna (or if you don’t) and why you love where you live!

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Happy Photographing!

Beautifully Wander| Robynne Ikesaka

Summer in the Okanagan | Seasonal Photography Activity

Let’s chat about how Tim Hortons gave me the best idea the other day!

Previous Seasonal Collections

I love photographing the seasons - the transition from one to the next, the different things that nature provides depending on that season and I’ve been bundling these photos into seasonal collections.

So last Autumn I did Chasing Fall and the main purpose was to chase the changing of the fall foliage at various locations in Kelowna and I only uploaded these photos to my Instagram.

My most recent collection that I finished was Hello Spring and I documented the transition from winter to spring - the weather changing, the plants and trees budding and the wildlife coming out.

The Seasonal Puzzle

Sometimes it’s tricky organizing the seasonal puzzle before the seasons hits - the story, the name, the idea. I’m not going to lie often times the seasonal puzzle hits me when I am out photographing. However, this summer’s seasonal puzzle hit me when I was at Tim Hortons and I’m calling it Summer in the Okanagan.

Summer in the Okanagan - Idea, Layout, Goals

While I was getting my Dad and I Tim Hortons the other day I was waiting in line for my Iced Capps and I was admiring this photo they had on the wall. It was a bunch of kayakers on the lake, with this lush green forest in the back and a partially cloudy sky and I thought what a wonderful photo to depict summer. It then hit me like a lightening bolt in that moment to document what summer is like here in the Okanagan.

So from June to August I am going to work on Summer in the Okanagan.

The goals for this collection is to:

1. Document what it’s like here in the summer from my perspective and experience

2. In the companion article for this collection talk and reflect more about using Olympus for this body of work, features and lenses that I favored, and how I got my favourite shots

Seasonal Photography Activity

I want to encourage you to join me in this collection!

I understand that depending on where you live we experience the seasons at different times so if you are experiencing Winter instead of Summer maybe we call it - Winter in Sydney.

I will be uploading the occasional photo to my Instagram account and if you are too then let’s use the hashtag #seasonswhereilive.

As well, if you are interested in joining me in this collection give me a shout (my email is at the bottom of this post) because maybe we can cook up a way to showcase the photos afterward.

At the end of the season I’ll put all my photos under my Collections and write a companion article on the blog.

Final Thoughts

I’m really excited to work on this collection and share with everyone what summer is like in the Okanagan through my perspective and experience and I really hope some of you will join me!

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Happy Photographing!

Beautifully Wander | Robynne Ikesaka

Email: hello@beautifullywander.com

5 Reasons on Why I've Been Loving Bird Photography

I’ve been in love, obsessed and curious about wildlife photography. In particular, bird photography. In this video we’re going to chat about bird photography and 5 reasons on why I’ve been in love with it.

1. Birds are Incredibly Beautiful and Diverse

A couple weeks ago I photographed this beautiful European Starling. It had these incredible white speckles on its back, gold stripes lining its feathers, and this iridescent blue, green and purple colouring on its chest. In short, its plumage was spectacular.

Birds are also incredibly diverse! I’m always amazed when I visit different parks the different kinds of birds I see and the different kinds of DUCKS! Yes, they all belong to the “duck” family but they’re all different. The one on the left is a Common Merganser, the one in the middle is a Gadwall Duck, and the last one on the right is a Hooded Merganser.

2. It’s Incredibly Challenging

Birds are extremely challenging to photograph because they are fast and unpredictable. I find big birds like Osprey have been easier to predict their movement and flight pattern, however, small birds are crazy - they fly in every direction and don’t tend to perch for very long time. Thus, you have to be fast, silent and creative.

Big birds fly in a more set pattern.

Small birds like this are a little more unpredictable, unless they perch.

3. Extremely Fun

It’s fun pursuing different kinds of birds, exploring different marshes, wetlands and creeks that I previously wouldn’t have explored under landscape photography. It’s also fun to come home, edit the photos, and identify and learn more about them - what kind of bird they are, their gender, their behaviour, mating rituals, habits, etc.,

4. Birds Helped me Reconnect with Nature

Back in the winter I was feeling extremely uninspired to get outdoors and in nature. I knew I needed to just get outdoors so I went to the beach with my camera. At one moment I heard these Geese flying overhead and because the water was so calm they reflected in the water and something triggered in me to try out more bird photography so I went to a different beach later that week to photograph some more birds that didn’t travel south.

Since then I’ve been able to get outdoors again, birds in that moment helped me re-connect with nature.

5. Birds Introduced Me to the Broader World of Wildlife Photography

I have some pretty strong personal limiting beliefs when it comes to wildlife photography. I would tell myself that I couldn’t ever pursue wildlife photography because I didn’t know anything about them, I didn’t know their behaviours, I didn’t know where to find them, I didn’t know how to photograph them.

It wasn’t until I started going out for bird photography that those limiting beliefs started to crack, every time I go out I chip away at the wall that divides me.

Bird photography has started to give me permission to adventure into the world of wildlife photography.

Final Thoughts

I’ve been obsessed with birds…and other kinds of animals like Beavers. I’ve watched 101 nature documentaries on Netflix and Disney+. I’m in a wildlife, bird, animal photography zone.

If you’ve been loving bird photography leave a comment on the video on your reason why!

Best Places to Photograph the Arrowleaf Balsamroot in the Okanagan

I was excited when Spring started to bloom here in the Okanagan because that meant the Arrowleaf Balsamroot in Kelowna will start to dust the south-facing slopes with their golden blossoms. During a particularly hot and sunny week in the valley I travelled around the area trying to find the best places to photograph the Arrowleaf Balsamroot.

Captured here is what I found in Kelowna and West Kelowna.

To see the full series of Arrowleaf photos visit my collection page!

Kalamoir Regional Park

My favourite place to see, photograph and has the densest Arrowleaf Balsamroot’s have got to be Kalamoir Regional Park which is located on the shores of the Okanagan Lake in West Kelowna. I had visited Kalamoir earlier in the Spring and noticed the bushes that would one day form to create the Arrowleaves. When I came back when it was warmer the Arrowleaves were in fuller bloom… it was magical.

If you’re going to visit this park there is a small parking lot at the entrance, I visited the park for sunrise, however, if you visit at sunset you will get beautiful golden backlight.

Bear Creek Provincial Park

Bear Creek is another wonderful location to hike with the Arrowleaves and photograph them! You can do a nice and easy 45-minute hike to a beautiful viewpoint of the Lake or do the long 1+ hour Canyon Rim Trail.

If you want to do the easier trail take a left at the map of the park, at the fork follow right and continue on the trail. An even shorter hike would be to follow left at the fork.

I found the Arrowleaves here weren’t as dense as Kalamoir Regional Park but denser than Knox Mountain Park.

Knox Mountain Park

Knox Mountain is another excellent location to photograph the Arrowleaf and witness a sunset. At sunset the whole mountains bathes in golden hour glow which makes for backighting the Arrowleaves beautiful.

I found when I hiked from the bottom of Knox Mountain to the top via the Apex Trail that majority of the Arrowleaf were at the bottom or in the middle of the mountain. I saw almost none when I made my way to the top.

The downside with Knox Mountain Park is that it’s extremely busy. Parking can be hard to come by. If you’re looking for less crowds avoid the weekend.

Dilworth Mountain Park

Dilworth Mountain Park is a great location to photograph and visit the Arrowleaf if you’re not looking to do a serious hike. You can drive to the small parking lot they have on the mountain, and you don’t have to walk far to start seeing the Arrowleaf. No intense hiking is required at this location.

Dilworth Mountain Park faces Kelowna and the Okanagan Lake which means it’s a great location if you want to photograph the sunset. However, if you visit in the morning the sun does rise behind the park but if you stick around until it breaks past the houses it will shower parts of the mountain with a golden glow.

When the weather gets sunnier and warmer the Arrowleaf Balsamroot starts to come out and fill the south-facing slopes with their golden beauty. In early Spring you’ll start to see a few early Arrowleaves but this year mid to late April is when the Arrowleaves started to fully bloom.

I thoroughly enjoyed chasing these sunflower looking beauties and I look forward to seeing them again next year!

Exercise I'm Doing to Improve my Photography

If you signed up for my monthly newsletter you will know that I loved and raved about this book that I read in April called The Heart of the Photograph by David Duchemin. It’s an amazing book and I highly recommend if you haven’t read it yet, to!

However, I realized shortly after beginning this book that I knew I wanted to take this slow and really implement what I was learning into my photography. So I started doing this photography exercise that allowed me to reflect what I was learning and improve my photography, bit by bit.

I have read articles, books, watched YouTube videos, listened to podcasts and done online photography courses all around taking more impactful, intentional and meaningful photos but nothing has resonated with me like David’s book.

Overview of The Heart of the Photograph

In order for this exercise to make any sense I’m going to give you a brief overview of what this book is about that I love so much. The premise behind David’s book is to venture away from asking if a photo is good or bad and instead ask better questions. He sets this book up into chapters that delve into different photography elements - subject, colour, contrast, shadows and lines, point of view, etc.,

David does this amazing job of taking you through what your subject is and things to consider in giving it it’s best expression.

The Exercise

The exercise that I started doing shortly after beginning this book and something I continue to do is a reflection and analysis of my own work framed around David’s teachings.

In Milanote (you can use any note taking software or paper and pen) I do the following:

1. Pull my photo onto the board

2. Write a short description about the photoshoot (what I was doing, why, where I was at, etc.,)

3. Reflect on what my subject was?

4. Reflect on what I was trying to say/express?

5. Reflect on what elements of the photograph give it it’s best expression and what I missed?

I keep this reflection and exercise fairly brief in order to keep it sustainable as a practice. I also don’t worry about if it flows, if it’s well written, if it will make sense to others because this is for my own personal development in photography so it doesn’t matter as long as it makes sense to me.

Example #1 - “Yee, I am the one that connects”

To give you a better idea on how this exercise works for me here is two examples. The first one is a landscape photography example.

“Exploration: Ever since we've entered into Spring in the Okanagan I've loved going on hikes. On this day Max and I did an evening hike to Knox Mountain for sunset. He hiked the whole Knox Mountain while I meandered up the hill. At several points throughout the hike we were granted beautiful views of the valley beneath. I of course stopped at every viewpoint to photograph the view. In this scene I noticed the land masses - Kelowna, West Kelowna and the bridge that connects the two. All I could think about when I looked out was the bridge - yee, I am the one that connects.

Subject: The main subject in this photo is actually the bridge that spans over the lake and connects the two lands - Kelowna and West Kelowna.

What was I trying to express? In this photo I was trying to express the meaning of the bridge - yee, I am the one that connects.

What does this photo need to give my subject (the bridge) it's best expression? I think the element that gives the bridge its best expression is the land masses within the image. I had tried different focal lengths and when I took away some of the land mass on either side the bridge, even though became more of the frame lost its power. The bridge connects the land and so the land masses I felt was important here. The light and colour does help contribute to the mood of the photo for the season we are in but I think this photo could operate very well in black and white. The POV of being far away helps as well emphasize the power and importance of the bridge connecting the land. I chose a horizontal orientation because I needed the land masses on either side and the bridge spans horizontal so to the eye horizontal flowed better.”

Exercise #2 - “You shall not pass…”

Example #2 is a wildlife/bird photography example.

“Exploration: On this day I had gone out again for a sunrise morning session. I had visited a different park at sunrise but not much bird activity was happening so I left and came to this park. After about an hour of waiting the park exploded with activity - one of which was I got to see my first set of goslings of the season! They were so yellow, fluffy and cute. I followed them as best as I could as they went up the river and at one point the one started going crazy - flapping its wings, being really loud. I couldn't tell you if it was the male or female. But the parent started flapping its wings, getting really loud and you can see it's wings are stretched out before the other parent with the goslings in the back...I was trying to figure out what was wrong. I then realized that they were being on the defensive from two raccoons that were in the park earlier.

Subject: The subject in this photo was the mystery behind what is the parent goose defending its family against.

What was I trying to express: In this photo I was trying to capture the commotion of what I was seeing and hearing - the one Goose had this aggressive posture and was being really loud and looked like it was defending its family against something.

What does this photo need to give my subject it's best expression: I took a number of photos of this encounter and this one (far right) stood out to me as my favourite and the best expression of what was happening. In the previous photo the set up was off - the goslings were still on the shore, the one parent was starting to take its stance but it just didn't feel right. In the photo after I had taken an horizontal that included the threat to the goslings but the parents had gotten into the water, dividing the threat from the goslings, still being loud and I liked this photo too but the first one just had more of the jigsaw that I was after - the mystery of what the geese were reacting to, the aggressive stance of one of the parent protecting its babies, the goslings in the back separated and as far away from the threat. I would have loved to get a lower POV but I was limited by where I was standing, it would have been better if I had a horizontal orientation but in the moment I hadn't thought to switch my orientation direction.”

Final Thoughts

The purpose of this photography exercise was to really take the lessons and teaching in David’s book and really implement it in my photography to improve my photography. The idea is that through this micro-habit, through this consistent practice of analyzing my own photography, recognizing what expresses a subject well and what I missed will help through time really improve my photography.

If you read David’s book then you know that good and bad is very subjective - what is good to the audience might differ to the photographer. What is good or bad to one person might be completely different to another because so much of photography is subjective.

I have found that being really intentional, impactful and meaningful with my photography is much easier with still subjects like flowers, trees, plants, landscapes where I can take my time to figure out what my subject is, what my camera settings should be, how to frame my subject, what I should do, etc., However, I have found since doing a lot more wildlife/bird photography that this process is much harder because you need to be so quick to capture the fleeting moment.

Hopefully with practice and time I will get better!

I really hope you found this reflection on my photography exercise helpful and maybe give it a try at home!

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Happy Photographing!

Beautifully Wander | Robynne Ikesaka

Monthly Newsletter - May 2021

Hello everyone! The first monthly newsletter is here! This is the first ever newsletter that I am releasing and it’s been a few months in the making.

I love playing around with my photography, experimenting, and having fun so the purpose of this monthly newsletter is to deliver inspiration, joy and value to you!

If you want to join the community and receive the monthly newsletter just fill out the info below! You’ll also receive access to any past monthly newsletters!

Table of Contents

Create with Me

Lightroom Edit Tutorial

Book Review - The Heart of the Photography by David Duchemin

Monthly Favourites

April’s Experiment (Using Reels on Instagram)

What Happened in April

Suggested Resources

What’s Happening in May

Thank You

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"Magic Milk" Photography Experiment | Abstract Photography | Create with Me

In todays photography experiment we are playing with “magic milk” or other times referred to as “marble milk”! It’s basically milk, food dye and dish soap but photographers edition.

While scrolling through TikTok one evening (when I should have been sleeping or trying to sleep) I came across a video by @juzmorgan and it featured creating patterns with milk and food dye. I was intrigued at the idea and searched up “milk and food dye” and ‘magic milk/marble milk’ popped up.

I thought what a fun photography experiment to try if you’re stuck at home, you’re not inspired to go outside, or you just want to try something new and fun!

Supplies

For this ‘magic milk/marble milk’ experiment you will need:

• Container/plate/bowl

• Milk

• Food dye

• Dish soap

• Que tips

• Tripod

• Camera

From what I’ve heard the dish soap reacts to the fat in the milk so I purchased different kinds of milk - 1%, 2% and Heavy Cream (33%). I figured with the different fat content in the milk it might yield different results.

Magic Milk/Marble Milk Process

Step 1: Pour a thin layer of milk onto your container/plate/bowl.

Step 2: Add food dye

Step 3: Grab your que tip, dip it into some dish soap and dap it where you’ve placed your dye.

For this experiment I am using my Olympus EM1 Mark II with the M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO lens. I am also using my Manfrotto tripod and my Neewer Softboxes.

First Attempt - 1% Milk

My first attempt was with 1% milk. I laid my milk down on the plate and dropped a mixture of food dye - red, green and yellow. They swirled together and created this beautiful mosaic of color and pattern.

Second Attempt - 2% Milk

My second attempt was with 2% milk. I started with just the red food dye then added the yellow, then the green. I was able to create some really unique patterns.

Third Attempt - Heavy Cream (33%)

My last attempt was with my Heavy Cream (33%). The heavy cream was quite a bit thicker than the 1% or 2% milk and when I went to dip the soap in the food dye drops it created these snowflake looking patterns. I played around with the food dye snowflakes, then started swirling the mixture, and adding my additional dyes.

Mix of 2% Milk and Heavy Cream

I also thought I’d try doing a mix of 2% milk and heavy cream. The mixture again yielded some different results. I loved the bubbles and the patterns that formed in this one .

Final Thoughts

After cleaning up my mess here are my final thoughts from this Create with Me experiment.

1. Definitely experiment - play with the mixture of food dye, swirling the dye, mixing the milk, letting it sit, etc.,

2. Have paper towel handy - I ended up spilling a plate of milk so have lots of paper towel/cloth ready.

3. Do this in your kitchen/have a bucket handy

4. 2% Milk and Heavy Cream was my favourite

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Happy Photographing!

Beautifully Wander | Robynne Ikesaka

Why We Call This Place Home...

This past week my Fiance and I did a new hike called Johns Family Nature Conservancy. I had heard about this hike and had wanted to do it for a while. Max had commented that there seems to be an endless number of hikes we can do (which is true).

At first I loved this hike because it was different, the land was drier, you were at a higher elevation, it was rockier, and you got a different view of Okanagan Lake - it gave you the impression you were somewhere else than Kelowna.

On our way back we looked out at the valley and it was beautiful. We chatted about how lucky we are to call Kelowna, the Okanagan our home. You have beautiful mountains and a vast and great lake in-between.

It’s moments like this, views like this, that remind me of why we live and explore, why we call this place home.

One Year on YouTube | History, Why I Started this Photography Channel, Benefits, and Challenges I've Had

It’s been one year on YouTube! In this episode I share with you the history of my channel, why I started this photography channel, benefits, and challenges I’ve encountered.

History

I started this channel last April (April 2020) and the first video I published was on April 25th and it was an Unboxing of my Olympus EM1 Mark II.

Why I Started this Photography Channel

I have been an audience member on YouTube for a long time - watching videos since I was in middle school. Back then the videos I mostly watched were makeup tutorials, beauty and fashion hauls, what’s in my bag, etc., As I got older the content I started watching on YouTube changed, I started watching videos orientated around planning and organization, business, travel, photography.

In the last 2-3 years a part of me had wanted to start a YouTube channel but personally there were a few things holding me back:

1. I didn’t think I lived a very interesting life. I worked all the time and my life really revolved around my career and so I had no idea what I would post videos about.

2. I was awkward and uncomfortable with the fact that maybe friends or family would find out or watch my videos (me being self-conscious)

3. I was not comfortable being in front of the camera (why do you think my first video didn’t have my face in it)

What changed, what pushed me to creating this channel and pushed these concerns aside was when I decided to pursue photography.

Now, I build this YouTube channel to provide some sort of value to you, to create and share and connect with all of you!

Benefits to Starting this Channel

In unexpected ways, YouTube has had a huge life impact on me!

1. I am way more confident being in front of the camera. Before YouTube I was self-conscious and uncomfortable being in front of the camera. However, through filming weekly videos I get more and more comfortable. I’m still not comfortable to film in front of other people or in crowds but maybe I’ll get there.

2. It’s a great creative outlet for me every week. Every week I have the challenge of creating on this platform. Out of the three processes - writing the outline, filming the video and editing. The final stage of editing is my favourite (even if I’m not that great at it yet).

3. I mentioned before but I love to travel and even though I’m not travelling right now, I get to virtually meet people from all over the world which is amazing and super cool to me!

Challenges I’ve Had (+ Solutions)

Challenge #1 - Consistency

Along the past year I’ve had challenges with building and creating on this platform. The first challenge I had was consistency. For the first 6-7 months I wasn’t consistent on this platform. I would sometimes post a video on Saturday and sometimes wouldn’t. Sometimes I would get busy, sometimes I wouldn’t have a video idea, and sometimes I would record or edit a video and would scrap it because I didn’t like it. All resulting in no video that week.

It wasn’t until the end of November of last year that I made this commitment to myself to be consistent - to post one video a week (no more excuses). This small internal gesture of making a commitment to myself was a game changer because since then I’ve been able to stay consistent on my channel. However, it hasn’t all been easy, which leads to my second challenge.

Challenge #2 - Finding Balance Between Videos ‘Viewers/Subscribers Want to Watch’, ‘I Want to Create’, and ‘Revolve Around a Specific Niche’

The biggest challenge with remaining consistent on this platform and posting one video a week is finding balance in video topics that my viewers/subscribers want to watch, I want to create and revolve around a specific niche.

I still struggle with this challenge to this day. But what made it slightly easier was when I watched a couple videos by Gary Vee and Sunny Lenarduzzi that talked about and rephrased the concept of ‘niching’ - you are your niche, be as broad as possible but fully you.

So instead of trying to create videos that revolve around a specific niche, I create videos through an inverted pyramid (this concept I watched in one of Sunny’s videos).

At the top of the inverted pyramid is my broad category - photography. At the middle is the medium or more specific content and the bottom is very specific/niched.

I don’t know what my middle or specific is yet, so I have mostly created in the broad category.

This rephrasing and re-working changed a lot for me!

Final Thoughts

Overall my year on YouTube has been great. I’m very excited to see where this channel goes and changes. A huge thank you to all of you that watch and subscribe to the videos, tune in every week and comment!

Cheers, to wherever the future takes this channel!

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Happy Photographing

Beautifully Wander | Robynne Ikesaka