Grainswest - Fall 2021

Fall 2021 Grains West 16 PERSON PLACE & THING many people in Canada doing that type of photography, so I’ve got a little niche on my own. GW: You do a lot of astrophotography, capturing the night sky. How did you get into it, and what was the learning curve like? GC: Well, the learning curve is still going on. I had a few problems just last night—I set up underneath an irrigation pivot so it wouldn’t get in the way of the camera and the darn thing started turning on. I had to scramble to get out of there before my equipment and I were soaked. In general, it’s a difficult thing because of the noise—the light from stars—that’s generated. But I’ve learned to use tech- niques to get rid of the noise. My goal is to get clean, sharp pictures during the night and the challenge is always to get a fore- ground that’s visible and in focus in the middle of the night when it’s pitch black. So the challenges remain, they don’t seem to go away. GW: Shooting at night must be an interesting experience. Has anything weird or scary happened on one of these photo shoots? GC: I only shoot in familiar areas I have permission to be and know who’s there, so I feel safe. The one incident I had, maybe two or three years ago; I was at Writing- on-Stone Provincial Park shooting the Milky Way at about 1 a.m. on a ledge. When shooting, I forgot where I was, went to get a drink of water and stepped off the ledge. I fell about three feet, shook it off and shot [photos] for a while before I left with a friend who was also out shooting. We started going home and I realized I couldn’t find my glasses. We had to turn around and go back to search, finally finding them in a bush that I rolled into after the fall. I was lucky I retrieved them. They were a little crunched, but OK, and I needed to do more shooting the next day. You really have to be careful and stay aware of what’s going on. I just got so focused and concentrated, I completely forgot where I was. GW: In addition to a being a fulfilling hobby, does photography net you an income? GC: I’m very fortunate I have clients who want to purchase my pictures. I found a little niche in an area not very many people are filling. I shoot what I like, and if other people like it, they’ll buy it. That’s how I operate. I rarely go out and get a client who says, “it should be this.” I just do it through serendipity and my own planning if necessary. GW: What is the best photo you’ve ever taken? GC: Generally, I like my night photos the best followed by the golden hours of sun- set or sunrise. One of the best is the one the Alberta Wheat Commission purchased for Gerry Ritz’s Hall of Fame induction. It was a picture of the Milky Way at the Mossleigh grain elevators. I still like that one quite a bit. GW: What’s your favourite place in Alberta to photograph? GC: I love every place I shoot in. I hate to pick one over the other, but I do a lot in southern Alberta. I’m also a big no-till advocate and shoot a lot of no-till fields so if I see crop and stubble, I’m very happy. GW: Where would you like to shoot in the future? GC: I really want to get to the Palouse re- gion in the U.S., just south of Spokane and on the eastern side of Washington State. It’s an incredible farming region with lots of hills and abstract farms in the fields. I’ve been wanting to go there for about two years now, so as soon as the border opens, I’ll head out there. I’m thinking about planning a trip through Alberta to get more than just southern Alberta. That takes time and money, so I’m stewing on that in my head right now. And then I would like to do a similar activity in Saskatchewan and Manitoba to get some features that peo- ple will recognize when they’re looking at my images. In farm country, Clayton keeps his eyes open for landscapes that tell a story as he tries to incorporate abstract elements.