Mike Guilbault Photography - Mike Guilbault Photography Blog

Mac BorderTool Pro

Mike Guilbault — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 03:14:49 +0000

My new favourite tool!

When you’ve finished refining an image and it looks just right, the next instinct is often to share it online, whether on social media or your website. I’ve always liked the clean look of a simple border to help accent the image — a black border for lighter photos, or a white border for darker ones — a subtle touch that helps the picture stand out from the surrounding page.

I’ve been using Michael’s border tool for quite some time. You could simply drag an image onto an icon that applied a set pixel amount of border in either black or white—quick and effortless. You could even drag the image onto a different icon to add a second border for a layered look. Beautiful and convenient.

Quite recently, Michael has significantly updated the application with a sleek, professional user interface and added flexible options to create Single or Double borders in any colour, along with choices for rounded corners, shadows, and other stylistic tweaks. You can preview the image before accepting the changes, or simply drag an entire folder of images in for instant, batch processing.

I’ve added Mac BorderTool Pro to my CAPTURE ONE export so the selected border design is applied automatically during export — no dragging and dropping required. It’s a real time saver that streamlines my workflow beautifully and keeps my files consistent. It also integrates with LIGHTROOM, so I can use the same borders across different editing platforms.

Michael is based out of Germany, but speaks and writes English extremely well, so support is no problem and he’s very responsive to questions. Best of all, it’s a one-time purchase — very reasonably priced — I’d even say cheap, but not in a low-quality way; this is a truly professional-grade application.

You can check out BorderTool Pro on his website at https://www.pixelcatcher.de/en/produkt/mac-bordertool-pro/
Be sure to switch to English unless you can read German.

Coyote Crossing

Mike Guilbault — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 04:04:43 +0000

Two things that I’ve always loved in photography: Black and White, and the square composition. I began in B&W because colour film and processing were costly, and I could more affordably develop my own black-and-white work at home. Later, while shooting with Hasselblad cameras in the ’90s, I fell deeply in love with the square format and its unique way of balancing subjects and negative space. This particular photograph was made with the Fujifilm GFX100RF, a medium-format digital camera that offers the convenient and distinctive option to select film formats and aspect ratios directly in-camera.

Coyote Crossing

For this image, I used the square format and selected the Acros film simulation, a fine-grained, high-resolution black-and-white film, paired with the Red filter option to boost contrast and deepen the blues, particularly in the sky. The image was then further refined in Capture One Pro to fine-tune the overall contrast and gently lift the shadow details for improved tonal balance.

The image below is an example of how this photograph appears when framed and hung on a wall. The photo shown measures approximately 16 x 16 inches and would be printed on Fine Art Matte, Legacy Etching paper—an archival paper with an estimated fade resistance of 400+ years when professionally framed under glass.

Artists & Artisans: Donald Pettit

Mike Guilbault — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 03:20:28 +0000

I met Don several years ago when we were both exhibiting in The Bay Studio Tour. Since that time, Don and his lovely wife, Mara, have become wonderful friends. My first chance to photograph Don was alongside his son, Matt, for a magazine I was publishing called Neighbours in the Heart of Tiny, back in 2018. A few of those images from that session are also included in the gallery here.

Don’s studio is richly packed with a fascinating collection of memorabilia, ranging from unique art pieces and vintage cameras to a vast array of vinyl LPs accompanied by a classic record player. It also features intriguing historical items related to auto racing, WWII, and various other genres. You could easily spend hours in there just exploring the impressive assortment and listening to Don’s captivating stories about each and every item on display. Throughout our visit we were joined by the couple’s two charming rescue dogs, Woody and Joni. Can you guess the legendary musicians after whom they were named?

Don lives and works from his cozy home located just steps away from the serene Georgian Bay, nestled along the beautiful Tiny Beaches area, not far from Midland, Ontario. You can view a selection of Don’s remarkable work and reach out to him through his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/donald.pettit.756833.

Artists & Artisans: Ross Skoggard & Ginette Pelletier

Mike Guilbault — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 17:42:55 +0000

The Artists’ Atelier

I feel like I truly hit the jackpot when I managed to book two incredibly talented artists together for this project. I paid a visit to their charming home to scout out their studio, and it was exactly as I had hoped it would be. The space was filled with beautiful natural light, surrounded by paintings, drawings, and art supplies scattered everywhere, creating an inspiring atmosphere. I also enjoyed hearing about the fascinating history of their home, known as “The Captain’s House,” where they warmly welcome guests as hosts for a cozy B&B. The old wood panelling, the impressive three-storey staircase, and all the stunning art on the walls—created not only by Ross and Ginette but also by Ross’s mother—added a deeply personal and artistic touch to the entire setting.

Rather than simply telling you about them here, I’ll encourage you to explore their impressive work firsthand through their own individual websites:

Ross Skoggard: https://www.rossskoggard.com/home

Ginette Pelletier: https://www.ginettepelletier.space

We had a great chat during the photoshoot, covering a wide range of topics. We talked about many aspects of Ross’s history and background, his mother’s rich art experience in China, and we delved into thoughtful discussions about art itself. It was truly enlightening to listen to their stories and reflections while I quietly moved around, capturing moments as unobtrusively as possible.

Here are some of my favourite images from the session.

The Print Epitomizes the Craft

Mike Guilbault — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 01:13:59 +0000

I haven’t printed photographs in a while. I used to print all my own work on large format professional printers, one of them up to 44” wide. As I’ve slowed down in professional photography, retired, my needs have changed and now I shoot mostly for myself and retired the large printer as well. However, a good friend recently gifted me a beautiful 17” fine art printer and I find myself excited again about photography.

Why? Well, photography is a great hobby, a tough profession, but thoroughly enjoyable either way. However, as I’ve said in the past, the print, the ‘hardcopy’ epitomizes the craft and reveals it as art. I’ve rediscovered why I love photography, and it’s the print. I remember in the ‘old days’, waiting for the image to reveal itself in the developing tray of the darkroom. It was magical, almost a miracle.

Now, it’s coming out of a printer. It’s still the same feeling, although one sweep of the print-head at a time rather than slowing revealing itself, but still presents that anticipation and wonder as it takes form.

Printers have evolved over the years. Originally, photo printers used dye-based inks. They were colourful, but easily faded under direct light. Now, there are numerous professional printers that are pigment based and recent advances peg longevity in hundreds of years. This is one of them and allows me to create prints up to 17” in width.

As I continue to pursue the art and craft of photography, I’m thrilled to be once again following through to the end with the printed piece.

The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride, 2025

Mike Guilbault — Mon, 19 May 2025 16:58:08 +0000

It began with a drizzling rain, yet by the time I set out from home, the skies cleared. The roads were slick with moisture, shrouded in thick fog in certain areas, but by the time I reached Innisfil, they had dried out. The temperature hovered around 7°C, making for a chilly ride, but uneventful journeys can often be the best. I arrived early at the meeting point in Newmarket, one of the first riders to show up.

A total of 83 riders had signed up for the Newmarket ride, contributing to an impressive participation of over 125,000 riders worldwide. The route was brief, meandering through Newmarket and its picturesque surroundings. The aim of the ride was to raise awareness rather than cover long distances, and the dapper attire we donned certainly caught the eye. Many passersby waved, honked their horns, and gave gestures of encouragement as we rode by, while media representatives captured the moment to help spread the message.

Overall, riders from 108 countries participated, with Canada featuring 33 cities taking part. Toronto led the pack, boasting 246 registered riders. In Newmarket specifically, we raised just over $18,000 to support the Movember Foundation in its efforts to combat Men’s Prostate Cancer and promote Men’s Mental Health. This marks my second year involved in this noteworthy cause, and over the two years, I have managed to raise a total of $1,903. A heartfelt thank you to all my sponsors—your support has made a significant impact.

The Power of YOU.

Mike Guilbault — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 22:17:58 +0000

People want to buy local, now more than ever!

Whether you’re a sole-proprietorship or a team of professionals, making that personal connection with your audience, your viewers and followers, is more important now than it ever was. I visit many small business websites that show what they do, what they sell, where they are, but very few show WHO they are.

If you own a business, YOU are your business.

People would rather buy from people, rather than businesses. Don't hide behind your logo. Show consumers who they will be dealing with, not just a voice on the other end of the phone. Put a face to that voice, on your website, advertising and social media. And not just yourself. Any member of your team that interacts with a customer, existing or potential, should be featured on your website and social media. Even if it’s only on the phone. Studies have shown, when a person can put a face to the voice, they are more willing to open up, communicate and listen.

Why do you think realtors go to the lengths of posting photos of themselves on their business cards, their websites, for sale signs, social media, and various other marketing platforms? It’s primarily to create a meaningful connection where there may not have been one before. This strategy aims to strike a chord with a potential client, as they have understood and implemented for years!

When you browse through a list of realtors on a website, do you find yourself choosing one with a welcoming portrait, or are you more inclined to select one with a generic blank icon?

Not only does having a personal image help to establish a relationship, but it also serves as a powerful memory trigger that can reinforce that connection and allow it to flourish.

So, why not harness the unique power of YOU to enhance your own business presence?

Visit our portfolio for ideas!

Mike's MotoCave

Mike Guilbault — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 02:21:35 +0000

A labour of love. It’s taken over six months for me to complete my ‘biker background’ in my garage for photographing bikes and bikers. I still have some touches I want to do, but I had my first photo-shoot today and it turned out amazing!

Any size motorcycle, CanAm’s included, and up to two 2-wheelers. We can photograph your bike with or without you and include multiple people, even the whole family. All brands are welcome and all styles of bikes from Cruisers and Adventure bikes, to Sport bikes, Dirt bikes, Trikes, Side-Cars, Vintage and Custom bikes are all welcome. Bring your own props such as vests, helmets, jackets or other ‘bling’, as well as other things you’d like to include - like your dog!

Two Placements in Top 10 of International Photography Competition

Mike Guilbault — Sat, 11 Mar 2023 23:57:54 +0000

Very pleased with two placements in the Top 10 of MPI Master Photographers International Org. Annual PhotoMatch Competition for Commercial Photography.

Congratulations to all the winners! Honoured to be counted within this group of exceptional international photographers.

TOP 10 WINNER ARE
First Place – Steve Brooks – USA
Second Place - Christian Redermayer - Canada
Third Place – Steffi Lange – Germany
Fourth Place – Fotografer Michael Tjoa – Indonesia
Fifth Place – Christian Redermayer – Canada
Sixth Place – Mike Guilbault – Canada
Seventh Place – Ludwig Riml
Eighth Place - - Christian Redermayer– Canada
Ninth Place – Mike Guilbault – Canada
Tenth Place – Fotografer Michael Tjoa – Indonesia

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Andrzej Walkusz - Poland
Carlo Tramontano- Italy
Neil Koven- Canada
Steffi Lange - Germany

Cheesecake!

Mike Guilbault — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 03:36:20 +0000

It’s an awesome feeling to see your work published in print. This was a gruelling 4 hour photo-shoot fighting against time to capture the cheesecake between thawing and melting. We had to work so fast, that it was impossible to take a break and sample some of the subjects.
Artwork and design by Linda Hilton at Definity.ca. Photographed for the Canadian Cheesecake Factory.

TOP 10 IN COMMERCIAL PHOTOMATCH

Mike Guilbault — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 17:37:40 +0000

Very pleased with my Top 10 (5th) placement in the Master Photographers International Annual Commercial PhotoMatch. Congratulations to my fellow photographers from around the world for their success.

MPIO - "We are happy to announce the results for the group’s Annual PHOTOMatch in Commercial Photography.

Images posted during January and February annually, which apply to commercial category are eligible for selection of the TOP 10.

Congrats to our groups 2022 TOP 10 WINNERS!

First Place - Christian Redermayer, Canada – Architectural Class

Second Place - Zohair Lougliti, Algeria – Food Photography Class

Third Place - David Sala, Thailand – Fashion Class

Fourth Place - Christian Redermayer, Canada – Architectural Class

Fifth Place – Mike Guilbault, Canada - Food Photography Class

Sixth Place - Ludwig Riml, Austria – Travel Class

Seventh Place - Cristiano Biagioni, Italy – Fashion Class

Eighth Place - Christian Redermayer, Canada – Travel Class

Ninth Place - Mark Greschner, Canada – Commercial Aerial Class

Tenth Place - John Zogaria, United States – Adverising Class

Labatte Family Homestead, Circa 1834

Mike Guilbault — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 14:45:10 +0000

In 2019 I had the privilege of photographing this historical landmark. You could feel the history, and many, many stories ooze out of the timbers of this quaint but sturdy home.

Unfortunately, as I write this, the existence of the original Metis log home of Louis George Labatte is in jeopardy. To get the full story, please visit the Facebook Page, SAVE THE LABATTE HOMESTEAD, dedicated to its preservation. There you’ll find links with stories from current descendants of Louis George Labatte and the importance of this early Métis landmark, not only in the history of the region, but the history of Canada as well.

Here’s a link to an excellent article en Français, by Rudy Chabannes.

The historic homestead of the Labatte family who settled on Thunder Beach in 1834, Tiny Township, Ontario.

"Here For A Long Time" - B&W Fine Art Print

Mike Guilbault — Sat, 23 May 2020 03:53:55 +0000

Click on image to purchase.
©2020, Mike Guilbault
All Rights Reserved

I discovered this particular 1951 GMC Pickup many years ago and have a few shots on film. The owner, Greig Stewart, graciously opens the garage door every spring and dutifully closes it before the snow flies. There’s a little more rust, and a little more dust on the hood, but otherwise hasn’t changed over the years.

For this rendition I chose Classic Black & White. I always envisioned this as a B&W photograph. However, I do have a colour version taken much later in 2011 that I also like. The grill, headlights and white frame of the door draw me into it. If you look carefully, you can see detail in the back wall of the garage behind the truck.

Printed on acid-free, pH buffered, 100% cotton fibre
Epson Cold Press Natural Signature Worthy Fine Art Paper
on the Epson Stylus Pro 9900 printer using
UltraChrome HDR pigment inks.
Serial #D278-0051 ~ ©2020, Mike Guilbault
All Rights Reserved

"The Ladder", French River - Fine Art Print

Mike Guilbault — Sat, 16 May 2020 09:54:00 +0000

I was on a canoe trip lead by the intrepid Marty Tannahill and accomanied by my good friend, Celso Mollo. We camped for two nights at this location called ‘The Ladder’. The weather was glorius for September. You can read more about this trip in an earlier blog post.

In the Spring, the water level is much higher and this location becomes flooded and overflows, creating a cascade to the join with the river below. At this time of year, the river has a more established route where you are required to run some rapids to get further downstream. I’m not sure I’d want to be here in the Spring... mosquitos galore!

Printed on acid-free, pH buffered, 100% cotton fibre
Epson Cold Press Natural Signature Worthy Fine Art Paper
on the Epson Stylus Pro 9900 printer using archival
UltraChrome HDR pigment inks.

Serial #15258-5284.01 ~ ©Mike Guilbault, 2020
All Rights Reserved

Warm Shades of Winter - Fine Art Print

Mike Guilbault — Wed, 13 May 2020 10:00:00 +0000

I’ve photographed this scene many times over the years and most often in the winter when the blanket of snow ‘simplifies’ the composition. I actually photographed the tree in the backgound earlier in the day with my X100T but came back to photograph it again with my ‘big’ D800.

I love how the fence line draws the viewer into the photograph and leads the eye up to the barn in the distance. The beautiful Maple tree in the background nicely balances the composition.

I used this image in another blog post called Vantage Point. Follow the link for more information on how I chose this composition and final edit.

Printed on acid-free, pH buffered, 100% cotton fibre
Epson Cold Press Natural Signature Worthy Fine Art Paper
on the Epson Stylus Pro 9900 printer using archival UltraChrome HDR pigment inks.
Serial #17022-8660.01 ~ ©Mike Guilbault, 2019All Rights Reserved

"Face-Off" Limited Edition Print

Mike Guilbault — Tue, 12 May 2020 18:40:57 +0000

I photographed this on the same morning that I photographed one of my best selling images, “Winter Treeline”, another panoramic image.

I found these two horses in a farm field a short drive away, near Minesing, Ontario. The snow had picked up and created this beautiful ‘layer’ of texture on the overall image. The horses are perfectly sharp, but the varying degrees of out-of-focus softeness of the snow created an almost sureal image.

I have other images of this scene, some including the red barn, but this one of my favourites, although it took me a long time to finally edit it the way I envisioned it.

I decided to make this a Limited Edition, in four sizes, 10 prints of each size:

24” x 6” on Fine Art Paper
36” x 9” on Fine Art Paper
48” x 12” on Fine Art Paper or Canvas
60” x 12” on Canvas only.

Printed on acid-free, OBA-free, 100% cotton fibre
Epson Cold Press Natural Signature Worthy Fine Art Paper
on the Epson Stylus Pro 9900 printer using
the UltraChrome HDR pigment ink set.

Serial #N059-9729.01
©2020, Mike Guilbault, All Rights Reserved

Capture One, Several Years Later

Mike Guilbault — Sat, 22 Dec 2018 02:37:08 +0000

Capture One Pro, colour editing tools

I was a long time Adobe Lightroom user to catalog and edit my professional as well as personal photography. I used Lightroom right from the first public Beta version and every version since right up to Lightroom Classic CC. I still have it on my computer, and I’ll explain why another time.

However, in around 2015, Lightroom was running painfully slow on my aging Mac Pro (early 2008). Edits that should be taking seconds to perform, were taking minutes. It was either time for a new computer, or new software. Apple hadn’t upgraded the Mac Pro recently, and it’s still in the distant future (2019, hopefully), so I looked at software and found Capture One.

I downloaded the trial and installed it. It was so much faster than Lightroom that I thought I found the answer. However, there was a learning curve that seemed quite steep and I found myself returning to Lightroom again and again, frustrated that I couldn’t do what I wanted to in Capture One, simply because I didn’t know how to translate my Lightroom knowledge into Capture One functions.

After several months of bouncing back and forth, Lightroom continued to slow down and became increasingly difficult to use. So I dove whole-heartedly into Capture One. I discovered that it’s not a steep learning curve, but rather a “re-learning” curve. Once I made the conscious effort to forget Lightroom and work within Capture One exclusively, it became much easier. I think anyone starting with Capture One would probably learn it much quicker than I did.

Since then, and now several years later, I work exclusively with Capture One. And now, if I go back to an old catalog in Lightroom, I get frustrated because I find the Capture One workflow to be so much superior.

First off, I can work in Sessions rather than Catalogs. This is great for my professional work; work that is photographed, edited and delivered, and then archived. I don’t need it ‘cataloged’, it’s done! Of course I can always go back to the session, re-edit images, export new variations, or anything else.

Another advantage of Sessions is that they are self-contained within their folder. I can copy the folder of images, including the Capture One Session files and move them to another computer for further editing. No need to export or import catalog images. Very efficient.

I can, and still do use Catalogs for my personal photography, my family photos and even for some recurring clients where a catalog of images simply works better as a workflow. But the great thing is that I have the option to use either method, or both!

However, the best thing about Capture One is the incredible control I have for adjusting tonality and colour. There are so many options to fine tune an image that I’d have to write a book to cover them all. There’s plenty of information on the web for that.

My purpose for writing this though, is to inform photographers that there is life after Adobe! Of course I still use PhotoShop, but less than ever before because of the wonderful tools that Capture One employs to edit an image.

I plan on blogging more on Capture One, and to run seminars on it’s use at my studio. In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more about Capture One, click below!

Photographing A Classic

Mike Guilbault — Tue, 06 Jun 2017 11:00:00 +0000

Stan & Bonnie Walker's 1954 Ford F100 Pickup Truck

Pride of Ownership

Sometimes I'm asked to do a portrait, not of a person or a pet, but of someone's "other true love", their car, or in this case, their truck, a 1954 Ford F100 Pickup. The truck belongs to Stan and Bonnie Walker and although I'm sure there's a great story to be told about it's restoration, I wanted to comment on what it's like to photograph a Classic.

I'm not necessarily an automobile enthusiast like some people, but I do appreciate fine craftsmanship, attention to details and a beautiful finish. Something like a fine portrait! None-the-less, when presented with a fine Classic Car like this, you want to create something special. You want to not only capture the beauty of the car, but reveal a little bit of it's 'soul', just like a person.

Detail of hood and fender showing not only the beautiful lines of this Classic, but the incredible finish as well.

Approaching the Subject

I approach this subject very much like I approach photographing a person. We've decided on a location and the best time of day for the portrait session. Through the consultation, I've determined what the client is looking for, what the portrait means to them and have an idea of how they want to display the finished print.

I look at the subject's features to determine which angles will be most flattering, which angles will highlight the strengths and soften areas not as appealing. Before starting the shoot, we collaborate on the details that are important to the client and I learn a little history at the same time.

Only after a close inspection do I then choose an appropriate background and position the subject in the best possible light. I wanted to highlight the incredible depth of colour in this truck so positioned it for a wide range of luminosity from deep blacks to specular highlights.

Then the work really begins. I start from further away to show the vehicle within the environment, which is why choosing the best background is so important. I circle the subject photographing from different angles to show not only the face, but the beautiful lines of the truck from the every angle. I slowly move closer, picking features that interest me and closer again to highlight details that may not be noticeable from further away. Following the light is imperative and we move the truck whenever the light changes to make sure I'm always taking advantage of the best possible illumination.

After the photographs were shown to our couple, they couldn't decide on just one image, so we created a collage, using the main image of the truck as the centre piece with some details surrounding it, and a caption. The 30" print is now proudly displayed in their home.

The finished print.

Decorating with Fine Art Portraiture

Mike Guilbault — Sat, 11 Feb 2017 18:28:29 +0000

Printed portraits of your family, whether in one photograph or individually, is not a new way to create wall art, but now more than ever it's an important decision for preserving your heritage and displaying the pride you have in your family. While most photographs today are created digitally and rarely appear in printed form, it's imperative that our generation make the effort to preserve these precious memories. And here is where professional photography makes a difference - creating portraiture that is worthy of a prominent place on your walls.

Portraits offer a multitude of decorative possibilities. Displayed as a focal point in either the privacy of your home or on the walls of your office, you'll be able to enjoy the closeness of your family without having to turn on an electronic device. No matter what space you have, portraiture can personalize the decor of any location.

A beautifully framed canvas portrait creates a much more personal focal point to a room than some nondescript mass-produced painting.

Designing with portraiture is easy when you make use of the many creative tools we have to assist you. And when the finished work is on display in your home or office, you find that it serves as both a tasteful reflection of your individualized decorating style as well as a tribute to the ones you love. Studies have shown that children that grow up in homes that display portraits of family, grow up with a much more secure sense of belonging.

Any art form possesses the capacity to touch our emotions. Professional portraits carry with them an additional dimension of expression that communicates how we feel about ourselves, our world, and those closest to us. Portrait subject matter and settings are limited only by your imagination. Children as they grow, family events, expressive personal statements are all appropriate for decorative portraiture.

If you have a particularly large space to fill, a "wall collection" may be a great alternative to the single portrait. Wall collections are a grouping of wall portraits that display a variety of images.

Here are some key points to keep in mind:

The portrait's overall colour theme should blend with or compliment the room's colour palette.
Keep in mind the decorative intent of the room in which you plan to display your portrait when you consider its style. This will help set the portrait's 'tone' and guide you in selecting appropriate clothing and accessories, and help us to decide on an appropriate location.
An appropriately sized portrait is one that dominates the space in which it is hung, but does not appear to be crowding that space. Consider whether the space lends itself better to a vertical or horizontal composition.
You also want the portrait to be of sufficient size as to be able to enjoy it from a distance, rather than having to approach it closely to see the subjects.
Framing provides the finishing touch to fine portraiture. Select a frame that compliments the image and accents the room's furnishings, not one that distracts from the subject matter. Simple is often better.

Whether your portrait is an accessory or the room's focal point, placement is critical. All elements of design; colour, style, composition, and size must work together to complete the decorative statement.

If you would like more information, or would like to arrange a consultation, please call our studio or email us with your request.

Mike Guilbault, MPF

#VantagePoint

Mike Guilbault — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 03:18:11 +0000

As a pro photographer, I have to keep up with the ever-changing technology that plagues this profession. Seems that every other week there's a new camera with more megapixels, more dynamic range, more this or more that. Although it would be nice to have each new iteration of a favourite camera, thankfully, the technology has reached the point where I can slow down and really analyze whether the latest/greatest is actually going to benefit ME.

Like my iPhone, I find I can 'skip' an upgrade or two, yet still maintain the quality and efficiency that I need to operate my business. That being said, I still keep my eyes open for changes that can affect my efficiency, my quality and yes, even my enjoyment of photography. One of these advancements in technology that I've had my eye on is currently in development by a company called Light.

Light.co is developing a new camera, the L16, that has not just one but 16 lenses and light sensors to record an image. But what impresses me is the sophisticated software that combines these separate images into a 50+ MP image! Their slogan of "DSLR quality in the palm of your hand" sounds outrageous to most advanced or pro photographers, but I do think this is a product worth keeping an eye on. I can see myself slipping it into the pocket of my jacket when I take my motorcycle out for a spin.

This blog post is based on Light.co's #VantagePoint Project. They're interested in a photographer's perspective of photographing a favourite location or subject, how or why they choose the particular vantage point to shoot from and how their equipment helped them capture the image. You can view more images submitted by other photographers sharing their favourite locations on their #VantagePoint Pinterest board.

This past weekend I got together with a couple of buddies for an afternoon of nothing but talking photography and driving around the countryside looking for a great image. It's nearing the end of January, but we've had a warming spell (+4C today! wooo whoo) and there was a light fog over the melting landscape. We set out chasing the fog, but as fast as we would go, the fog seemed to dissipate before us, that is until we headed back toward the lake (Georgian Bay).

The scene we stopped to photograph is one that I've photographed many times before, and in fact, stopped there on the way to meet my friends that morning to grab a shot with my trusty FujiFilm X100T with it's fixed 35mm (equivalent) lens (see photo at right).

The beauty of this particular scene is the awesome lone Maple Tree that sits out in the field. I've photographed this tree by itself many times but this afternoon I wanted to capture something I hadn't before.

The fog was fairly thick but slowly dissipating. We had to work quickly and deliberately.

To digress a little, back in film days when every shot cost money to shoot (the film), develop (the chemicals) and print (the paper) - just so you could see what you photographed - you took your time and tried to make every single shot count. Digital comes along and other than the cost of the camera, and yes, the computer system too (but most people have that nowadays), you can shoot as long as you have space on your memory card or until your battery and spares run out. Literally thousands of images!

I thought of setting my camera and shooting everything I could before the fog left, but instead, decided to shoot 'old school', like film. First of all, I always shoot on a tripod - at least with my 'big' camera, the Nikon D800e. A tripod forces you to slow down and think about what you're doing. You concentrate on the composition rather than holding the camera steady. I mounted the camera along with my trusty 24-70mm f:2.8 lens onto my Gitzo Carbon-Fibre tripod with a Really Right Stuff BH-55 ball head. I knew from experience and from shooting this scene before, that I would probably shoot somewhere around the 50mm - 60mm range so went straight for this lens.

When you need to work quickly your equipment needs to facilitate this. A slow, heavy, cumbersome tripod or head can be very frustrating to work with. The Nikon D800e at 36MP is closer to shooting medium format when it comes to technique, so your support system has to be solid. The carbon fibre Gitzo makes light work out of being solid and the RRS ball-head with matching L-Plate on my D800e means I can position my camera very quickly where I want it, and switch from vertical to horizontal in about two seconds - without having to reposition my set up to get the same perspective. The lens ends up in the exact same position! Cool eh!

The 'old school' comes in that because my equipment can be deployed quickly, I can now take my time to find the #VantagePoint to create the image I envision. So I walk. Before looking through the camera itself I take in the scene with my own eyes, unobstructed. Take a deep breath and embed the view in your mind. Too many people just hold up their camera and snap away without taking the time to actually enjoy the view.

I walked to a viewpoint that I hadn't photographed this scene from in the past. It's a different look, and I like the image, but it's a little 'flat' for what I envisioned that day. However, moving the camera and tripod a few inches allowed me to place the Maple Tree directly between the two buildings and balance the composition with the fence and other tree on the left hand side. I also like this image in B&W rather than colour. The machinery on the right was bright red and distracted too much from the buildings and tree that I wanted to be the main focus.

Walking around the scene allows you to explore other possibilities and if I had simply set up the camera where we parked and started shooting I wouldn't have seen this composition. But like I said, it's not the image I was after. So I walked some more.

The problem with fog is that it tends to really flatten an image, especially in the winter. I wanted to create an image that lead the viewer from the foreground to the background, to lead them through the snow to the subject of the composition. I needed another element, and that element was another fence.

I took my time to find the right composition. Move too far to the right and the foreground fence would be too straight on and not lead the eye to the buildings. I wanted the second fence line, between the Maple and the foreground fence, to be visible as well and not be 'cut into' by the foreground fence. For that I needed to gain some height. Luckily, the four foot snow bank in front of me worked well to get me higher than my 5'6" frame. From that #VantagePoint, the composition came together.

All the fences lead the viewer to the buildings. That beautifully formed Maple Tree, almost disappearing in the fog, balances the 'weight' of the buildings as well as the strong graphic element of the foreground fence post. And, the visual 'permission' to move through the image emphasizes this. The viewer can easily step over the wire fence and walk back to the buildings or even out into the field to the tree without obstruction. The eye can follow the same path.

I left this image in colour because I like the warmth of the wood and dried plants of the foreground. The background elements are near enough to Black & White on their own that I wanted the 'splash of colour' to add a peaceful warmth to the image.

Now, the only question is, should I flip the image?