The Singular and Interesting Photos of Heather aka Goosie-Gander

My name is Heather Addley and I go by goosie-gander on Flickr.
goosie-gander ~ Photostream
I live in St. Thomas, Ontario. It's a small city in southwestern ontario, just a 15 minute drive from a beach along Lake Erie. We're apprx. 20 km south of London and don't get nearly the snow nor rainfall that they do! We've been hit pretty hard by factory closures ... unemployment is a bit high. But we have some lovely parks that the city takes great pains to beautify AND we are the Railway Capital of Canada!
I do not have a "shop", but I do have a website called goosie-gander@weebley.com where you can view my images and request to purchase prints. I haven't sold anything through the website, but was lucky enough to sell a coffeetable book of my macros to a contact I made through Flickr.


Equipment ~ I use a Panasonic DMC-FZ8 point and shoot camera and I also have a Raynox dcr-150 macro lens that I use almost all the time!



I grew up an airforce brat and have lived in Lahr, Germany ; Ottawa, Ont. ; Comox, B.C. ; Edmonton, AB; Orleans, Ont. ; London, Ont. ; and, finally, St. Thomas, Ont. where I have been living now for the past 13 years. I have one sister and we are very close. I married quite young, at 20 years of age, and am happily still in love with my hubby after almost 19 years! We have two young daughters, 10 and 8 years old. And I LOVE wildlife! We have two dogs, a cat and a snake. If we had the money, I'd love to own a hobby farm! Alas, we make do with what we can afford! lol! After giving birth to my children I remained at home to raise them...now that they are both in school full-time I do work part-time in the office of a social worker. It is very rewarding work. For leisure I enjoy my garden, macro photography and reading. I am far too sedentary for my own good!


Why do you photograph?
I began photography as a hobby because I always had an interest in worlds unseen or unnoticed. Photography became a way for me to examine my world on my own terms and this quickly gave birth to a love affair with Macro photography.
When I go out to photograph, it is an escape for me. Remember that commercial : "Calgon, take me away" ? That is photography for me...I leave the hubby and kids at home and go to the park. And then I wander the grounds, taking my time and looking for insects on the flowers, or interesting light and shadows. Sometimes it's just an excuse to linger, surrounded by the sounds of the birds, insects and water. Before I know it, 2 or 3 hours have passed and it feels like I've only just arrived...I leave rejuvenated, and stress free. It is therapeutic. The surprise for me has been that I actually really like what I am creating from my camera. I have never considered myself to be artistic. Have never excelled at anything artistic. So this discovery for me has been exciting and thoroughly satisfying.




Is there a particular photographer you admire? What is it about their work that you enjoy?
I wish I had a knowledge of the world of professional photographers, but I am terribly ignorant! I tend to be drawn to the subject matter of a photograph rather than the artist...and have a definitely penchant for nature photography.





If you process your images at all, what software do you use and how much processing do you do?
I process almost all of my images through the Picnik editing tool that I use on Flickr. My favourite tool is the CROP! I am trying to decrease post-upload cropping by paying more attention to my composition in the field. However, it is a beguiling tool! Lol! I will often tweak the exposure and contrast levels, too. More rarely, the colour.



How did you learn your skills - are you self-taught?
I am mostly self-taught. I purchased my camera almost 2 and 1/2 years ago. I did take an introduction to digital photography course, as well as an exposure basics course (which was fantastic!). Otherwise, it has been trial and error and learning from the success of my many talented flickr contacts!

What is the next piece of equipment/software on your wish list?
I would love to add some filters to my equipment so that I can experiment with long exposures...they can be so beautiful!




What inspires your photos?
I think a love of colour and asymmetrical forms tend to dominate my macros. My favourite photos from other photographers' tend to have the same elements, although I am also deeply moved by photographers who are skilled in creating emotions with their subjects and compositions.


What is your favourite subject or theme to photograph?
My favourite place to go with my camera is on a long walk around a lake looking for flora and fauna to photograph. I will always have my macro lens with me - without it, I always feel like I've missed out on opportunities! I've found I have a real interest in abstract photography - not toooo bizarre! I like it if I can figure out what I'm viewing, but I love to look at something from a completely different point of view.




Do you self-portrait? Discuss how it makes you feel.
I am a very self-conscious person and rarely do selfies. There are just 2 or 3 on my photostream. They make me feel exposed, and yet I so enjoy seeing the faces behind the photos I love. This is not likely to change any time soon...


What is your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenge is lighting due to the constraints of a nonSLR camera. So I keep experimenting with aperture and exposure settings. I haven't gotten a hang of using the ISO feature of my camera yet. I find the results very grainy and noisy looking, and therefore will rarely use it unless shooting in bright light for speed/motion capture.




What advice do you have for new photographers?
Oh my gosh! Just keep clicking and play with all the settings ! Get to understand your aperture settings and how they affect the outcome of your photographs. And figure out what you most love to shoot, because that will be all the motivation you need to keep getting out there with your camera!


~ Thank you so much Heather. You have the most interesting and different photostream of all my contacts! (Andrea)
Keep searching out the different side of things!
Andrea & Kari