Snowy Scenes: Photography Tips for Winter Landscapes

 When winter rolls around, the natural world and how we enjoy the outdoors change fairly significantly. The same can be said about how you photograph these mesmerizing winter landscapes, and understanding how to properly adapt your shooting style to suit these new conditions will ensure the best results.  It is

Canvas Prints and Historical Photography: Capturing Eras in Art

 The art of capturing eras through photography and canvas prints has been significant throughout history. From the days of white photography to today’s high-definition digital images, photographs allow us to glimpse into the past. Canvas prints have gained popularity over the years, enabling people to transform their photos into stunning

Photographer Randy VanDerStarren invites you to Take Your Seat

 Frank Capra said, “A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.” Randy VanDerStarren had a hunch when he looked at a director’s chair and saw something that is essentially meaningful. A chair offers repose and invites conversation. A collection of chairs support a meeting of minds or a loving

The Whimsical Worlds of Emily Cooper

 Ottawa Life’s Festival City Series is back! We'll provide a unique look at some of your favourite events. We’ll go beyond the music with artist interviews, volunteer profiles, concert reviews and spotlights on the tastes, sights and sounds of the festival season.  Your city! Your festivals and events! Like a good sunscreen,

Loft Studios Open House is a September “Must Do”

 Stephen Perry. Dog with Flock of Swallows 32?x 48?. Beginning September 22, the Loft Artist Studios on Gladstone Avenue are opening their doors and sharing their work with the public. The open house will run for two weekends, giving visitors the chance to explore the workspace where 17 local artists

Skyline Gallery Will Capture Canada in Stark Colour

 All photos by Mark Schacter.  After travelling the world and publishing three books of photography, Mark Schacter is putting down roots in Ottawa’s artistic scene and inviting locals to come see his work. On Saturday July 9, Schacter will open the doors to Skyline Gallery, a space set aside in

Ottawa Welcomes the Colourful Alt Hotel to the Nation’s Capital

 You would never guess that the Alt Hotel in Ottawa was having their grand opening Tuesday; dozens of guests were already staying at the hotel and enjoying some of the amenities offered in the café and lounge. In fact, the Alt Hotel Ottawa has been accepting guest for the past

Five of the Most Innovative Engagement Shoot Ideas

 Getting engaged is a very important step in a couple’s relationship. Usually, the engagement period gives a couple time to plan their future together, iron out any major disagreements and discuss dreams and hopes. It offers them a chance to get to know one another even more and marks an

Ottawa’s place for horses: Wesley Clover Parks

 For thousands of years, horses have made our lives easier. But in the past hundred years they’ve gone from being utilitarian to something more akin to friends. Their deep eyes seem to resonate an incredible emotional intelligence and calmness. Even after spending only a few minutes with a horse, it’s

The NAC’s Needles and Opium Mesmerizes

 Photo credit: National Arts Centre Spectacular is the only way to describe Robert Lepage’s reproduction of his 20-year-old play Needles and Opium, currently playing at the NAC. Photo Credit: NAC The play centres around three characters. Jean Cocteau shares his thoughts and impressions on his first visit to the U.S.

Eat, Drink, pARTy

 Artist: David Kaarsemaker Looking for new artwork to freshen up your home? The Ottawa Art Gallery’s leading fundraising event Le pARTy Art Auction will lead you to the perfect piece! On Thursday, May 21, prepare to be whisked away in a cultural fantasy land surrounded by Ottawa’s best food, drinks and

Outstanding Obaaberima

 Photo credit: Jeremy Mimnagh Looking for something incredible to do this week? Head to the National Arts Centre to see its latest production Obaaberima. Playwright and actor Tawiah M'Carthy won a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Outstanding Production in 2013 for his masterpiece. The play actually won three Doras in total:

Nepean Fine Arts League Spring Show and Sale: Buying Local Art

 By Melody Duncan Forty years ago, I bought my first painting at a local art show. It was the first of many. Today, I am one of the 124 area artists who belong to that same association. The Nepean Fine Arts League is now 51 years old, still going strong

An Eye for a Picture

 Even if you have a good eye for images and detail you can still make some basic mistakes once you try to put things down on paper. If you are learning to draw or paint and teaching yourself, perhaps with the aid of the Internet you may find it difficult

To Tweet or Not to Tweet: Is Creativity Drowned by Social Media?

 J.T. Ellison, a New York Times bestselling author, wrote an article upbraiding all would-be writers for their excessive use of social media. For Ellison, social media platforms are necessary tools for promoting yourself as an author, but their use ends there. Further, by taking up so much of aspiring authors’

New Business Promotes Ottawa Artists

 What is that lovely piece of artwork hanging on my living room wall you ask? Just a beautiful print I found online by a local artist. You can support Ottawa talent too--it’s simple! Local artist Susan Fisher is at the forefront of YourLocalArt.com, a new eCommerce business where artists can

Drones: Non-Military Uses

 Photo courtesy of Don McCullough. When one thinks of drones, they usually think of military drones, used for stealth surveillance. However, the world of drones is quickly expanding beyond its initial military uses to new and exciting areas. The Federal Aviation Administration estimates there could be up to 7,500 commercial drones

Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year Winners Now on Display at The Canadian Museum of Nature

 A Rufous Hummingbird feeds on honeysuckle at sunset in Ladner, British Columbia. Photo by: Rob McLean From a distance, these vivid photos look like oil paintings, but a closer look reveals a breathtaking, if not, a surreal moment captured in a photograph. The Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year exhibition opens

Let It Snow

 Curated by Bianca Gendreau, the Canadian Museum of Civilization is now featuring an exhibit that is the first of its kind in Canada. Surprisingly, it is about snow. More than 300 photos, artifacts and documents show the interesting lovehate relationship that Canadians have with snow. Learn more about the problems

Pedro Isztin “The River”

 On display now at Wallack Galleries is photographer Pedro Isztin’s “The River”. The exhibition showcases large-scale photographs of the Ottawa River and runs until October 5th. The black and white portrayal of the Ottawa River depicts a serenity and peacefulness connecting us with nature. Isztin lives in Ottawa and his award-winning work

Frederic Dekkal: Tokyo Encounters. A photographic exhibition at the Centrepointe Theatre Gallery

 By Hank Reardon. Frederic Dekkal, an award-winning French photographer, will present his latest work Tokyo Encounters, a series of 25 photographs shot in the streets of Tokyo, at the Centrepointe Theatre Gallery from July 30 to August 21, 2013. Tokyo Encounters strives to show a more authentic Tokyo, focused on

Michelle Valberg’s Excellent Arctic Adventure

 By Julie Beun In Michelle Valberg’s airy photography studio on Sherwood Drive, the silence is punctuated only by the gentle fizz of champagne bubbles in four tall flutes sitting on a coffee table. It’s the Friday afternoon before the Earth Day launch at the Canadian Museum of Nature of her

Ottawa Photographer Wins Premier Canadian Photographic Artist of the Year Award!

 Ottawa Photographer Wins Premier Canadian Photographic Artist of the Year Award! Ottawa Photographer Randy Shaughnessy, owner of Shaughnessy Photography, recently won the premier Canadian Photographic Artist of the Year Award from the Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC) Association!  The 2013 National Image Salon Competition of the Professional Photographers of Canada

The Winners of the Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year Contest

 The Canadian Museum of Nature and Canadian Geographic are proud to present the winners of the fifth edition of the Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year contest. This exhibition presents the winning photographs of this contest, in its fifth year in 2012. The contest and resulting exhibition promote the beauty,

New Children’s Book Takes Readers on Arctic Adventure to Discover Polar Bears

 A one-of-a-kind children’s book takes readers on a captivating adventure to Canada’s Arctic. Ben and Nuki Discover Polar Bears, written by nationally renowned photographer Michelle Valberg, tells the story of two boys – one from the south, the other from the north – as they learn about each other’s culture,