To create the three-piece Pacific Rim panorama now hanging in the Comox Valley Airport, Qualicum Beach photographer Brian Argyle asked his computer for a little help.
“Just because that’s the way your camera did it doesn’t mean that’s the way it’s supposed to be,” he said. “The image that comes out of your camera is already photoshopped to an extent.”
The three sections depicting Wickaninnish Inn are actually 15 different photos — five distinct images at three different exposures. Argyle, who enjoys “the work on the computer afterwards” then stitched the photos together using Photoshop.
Still, the photographer also said that being subtle with his editing was key to getting a good-looking image. “It’s easy to go overboard with the computer,” he said.
Argyle, however, has many years of experience with digital photography. After a few decades of using film, he began using a digital camera in 1993. Argyle said he made the switch initially so he could take photos for a website he was developing. Also, with his background in computer programming and IT, Argyle said the idea of being able to put photos on the computer “worked” for him.
According to a news release, Argyle’s work is part of the Comox Valley Airport Art and Culture Program, an annual partnership between YQQ and the Comox Valley Community Arts Council. This year, there are 23 pieces of photography, sculpture, painting and textiles from 19 Island artists exploring the exhibit’s title theme Wanderlust Vancouver Island.
“The Comox Valley Art and Culture Program exhibition provides a passenger with a very strong sense of place upon arriving to Vancouver Island,” said YQQ CEO, Fred Bigelow, in the release.
“They wanted pictures from Parksville north,” explained Argyle. “That represents the area served by the airport.”
While Argyle said he’ll take photos of “whatever appeals” to him at the time, he also said landscapes like the one hanging in YQQ are a common subject in his portfolio.
This is his third year with images on display at the airport. This year’s exhibit is open until May 1, 2015.