Robert Bittner
In the past – it seems a lifetime ago – I did a lot of sports photography, including for the Edmonton Oilers in their earliest years. While this work was rewarding, and had its own set of challenges, it was pretty much “black and white,” if you’ll pardon the pun...that is, this work was more about the action in the photo than anything else... .
While I’m not putting down sports photography, I find landscapes much more personally challenging.... I don’t always go for the postcard type shots, I try to capture something more...a feeling, an emotion I may have had at the time. I direct the edits of my shots that way too; when you take a shot, the camera spits out what IT thinks it should look like, but it only has a flat view...not a feel for the whole experience...or the 3D vision that we, as human beings possess. So I will edit a particular image to perhaps adjust the framing, and colour as well as contrasts, and make it as I remember it, and sometimes beyond...but I never “clone out” or “add in” anything that wasn’t in the original.
I want to show that there is beauty wherever you look...in an old abandoned truck, or the classic postcard mountain scenes...to look beyond the surface, I guess. I find everything inspires me, in one way or another, and each piece of the three dimensional puzzle we see has potential. Has it’s own beauty. It’s own special interest or inspiration.
I always, every single day, look at my work and know it can be better...an obsession, I guess. You never REALLY make it...you just are on a journey at different checkpoints. I would be arrogant to think that I’m where I should be, or want to be in all this. I hope you enjoy the photos, and that you get some idea of what I wanted to convey through my comments on them!
Athabasca River II
This image is similar to Athabasca Riveer I – but here, I used a much slower exposure, bringing the colours in the water and sky up more, and with the fast moving river, it gave an effect I liked.
Pillars in the Valley of Fire
An abandoned and dismantled bridge over the North Saskatchewan River. Reminded me a bit of 2001: a space odyssey…but on a warm fall day.
Derelict
I took this on our recent Fort McMurray trip, in a field in the town on a hazy day. I lined up the sun above the stack, and tried for a good exposure, and with a little coaxing in photoshop, managed to bring up the front just a tad more. I ground it sharp to bring out the exact effect I wanted.
Elevation
Taken at the “last stop” just outside of Drumheller, Alberta. The sunset was incredibly golden, and Wayne and I couldn’t resist one last shoot…. This old grain elevator was just crying out to be photographed.
Fall Runneth Over
The leaves are all in the gutters, filling them up, and making a last colourful blast before winter. I took this one from behind my daughter’s car, and couldn’t help myself playing with the edit a bit, satisfying a creative mood.
Harsh
Taken at the same time and location as my Rocky Mountain Machine shot. Our little side-trip-shoot there was cut a little short by the incoming storm, which quickly passed, but with the sun behind it, was quite interesting to watch it just walk on in.
Make the Grade
I managed to escape for a few minutes here and there this past weekend, found this local floral specimen just sitting there…all alone – whispering – “shoot me…” couldn’t help myself, I just had to get the shot in the bright sun of the “yellow gradus toomuchus” flower – they grow like weeds hereabouts lately…another entry in the Machineworld series.
Striving
I took some time out from doing the spring yard work on a great sunny day, I noticed these little guys, just trying to bloom out, preceded by, I presume, their older brother.
The Missing Part II
This is the missing Part II of the wolf series. I was not happy with the focus (or lack thereof), but a number of folks have requested to see it. So here it is, a “deleted scene” sort of. Thanks to all who viewed and enjoyed the series.
We Built This City
I was thinking about the foundation of Edmonton: rock with the first coal mines, and then with the discovery of Leduc No. 1, Edmonton became “Oil City.” Downtown is very much like most others now…steel and glass and concrete. The old character is being surrounded.
Struts
Took this one when the melt started. I couldn’t think of how to categorize this one, so I made my own category, this is the first entry in the “underthebridgesemistructuralnaturallandscaperiverabstract” group.
Saw-Whet Owl
Someone asked if we had some different species of owls here, and then I remembered taking this shot for a friend who rescues birds and rehabilitates them. The only reason I got a decent shot was that the owl was unable to fly; at least it posed well. It has since been re-released into the wild. It is a Northern Saw-Whet Owl, and is actually very small, about the size of the palm of my hand full grown.
A Halloween Tale…
…and the story goes… At this very building, the Research facility at the U of A, 60 years ago on the night before Halloween, a professor, who was about to be terminated for research into areas that the University deemed inappropriate, gathered together his small class of students, for a final drink together: drinks he had drugged. While they were in a stupor, he began to finish his research…8 students, all brutally mutilated while still alive! Only one survived, and spent the rest of her years in the psychiatric ward. The professor hung himself in front of the 3rd storey window you see here, and on the night before Halloween, you can still hear them moaning on a quiet night…if you listen…. Nahhh – just fooling. This is actually the Research facility. Though, as I dropped my daughter off once, I noticed this shot; the incandescent lights, make it so orange and black and scary – hope you enjoyed the spooky story!
Last Leaves
The last shot I got of the leaves in the front garden before they were covered with snow.
Ducks in Diagonal
Caught these ducks at a local pond; the diagonal was THEIR doing.