Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/118157
INTERVIEW Lens Flair SINCE 1990, Vancouver photography pro WILLIAM JANS has entertained audiences across Canada with multimedia shows about his travels abroad. But this year, he's adding a travel photography seminar so that his fans can learn to capture equally vibrant and meaningful images — rather than filling their memory sticks with predictable holiday snaps. First, though, the hyperactive shutterbug takes time out from his corporate photography day job to preview his latest oddball odyssey. WW Where did you explore this time? WJ: I'm calling it Off the Wall in China (and the FarFlung Philippines). WW I trust nothing went smoothly? WJ: Smooth is not how I roll. WW Example? p WJ: I proudly boarded China's fastest train expecting to set a land-speed record to my destination. We started rocketing down the track at 330 km per hour, and I had this smug expression on my face — until I arrived in the completely wrong city, twice as far away from my destination as when I started. It took me nine hours, seven buses, two hitchhikes and a motorbike to reach the Great Wall. And when I finally got there, I found myself on the wrong side of it. WW Let me guess. You left your siege tower at home? WJ: And my 20-foot stilts. WW I know that the Jans Law of Motion states that for every travel breakdown there is a travel breakthrough. WJ: Yes! Once I crested The Wall, I was able to enjoy a 21-km stretch of it to myself. I even spent the night in a watchtower, though I don't recommend it. WW Why? WJ: A, it's illegal to sleep on the Wall and, B, as I was leaving the next day, a tour guide told me about the muggings that occur on the ramparts in that area. highest-resolution setting. Why you should populate your photos with people (it's easy; ask their permission). Also, how to figure out your camera's shortcomings so you can compensate with work-arounds. HOW TO TAKE TRAVEL PHOTOS LIKE A PRO William Jans's Travel Photo Workshop (Vancouver): June 10, Cambrian Hall. Shows (at Vancouver high schools): Off the Wall in China, May 25, Prince of Wales; June 1, John Oliver. Tales from Tanzania,June 8, John Oliver. wrjphoto.com/tickets WW Speaking of theft, is it true you "grungeify" your gear before a trip? WJ: Yes. I duct-tape non-existent rips on my backpack and make my camera look as if it has been dragged through a war. The idea being: Who would want to steal a broken camera? WW What other travel photography tips will you cover at your seminar? WJ: How to get as close as possible to a subject to eliminate boring foreground stuff. How to use a wide-angle lens. Why you should always set your digital camera to its WW The Great Wall has a wrong side? WJ: Ya, the impenetrable side. W WORDS TO CHEW ON Care Croppers C ULTU E LTURE CULTURE "WINGED" WONDERS VICTORIA'S ROYAL BC MUSEUM is launching a Vancouver satellite gallery in Chinatown's oldest building, the Wing Sang. Opening exhibits include: Intimate Glimpses, a sampling of Emily Carr works (below); Artifact:Artifiction, a test of visitors' wits against RBCM curaArtifact:Artifiction,a tors'; and Magic Lantern, hand-tinted, glass-plate photos of 1850s to 1930s B.C. HOW TO TEST YOUR JEOPARDY SKILLS (B.C. TRIVIA) rbcmvancouver.com A 49-HECTARE ORGANIC FARM on Salt Spring is proving fertile ground for food activism, with slow-food pr fans hopping a fast ferry to its Centre for Arts, Ecology fa & Agriculture for workshops geared to tillers and townies alike. >> Foxglove Farm's culinary kids camp introie duces du budding sprout masters to rural life, while adult workshops include the latest wisdom from organic farmwo ing in rebel Joel Salatin (last seen in the alt-agrarian documentary Food, Inc.), cheese-making with David Asher m Rotsztain plus culinary bootcamps. As for an e-i-e-i-o intro Ro to this verdant acreage: don't miss its Foxglove Festival, replete with wood-fired pizza, homemade ice cream, re live music and guided tours. HOW TO GROW FOOD FOR FAMILIES (& MORE) foxglovefarmbc.ca 51 E. PENDER'S WING SANG landmark (left) was built in 1889 for Chinese-Canadian businessman Yip Sang. Today, it is owned by Vancouver condo king Bob Rennie, and houses his massive collection of contemporary art. And now, June 14 to September 3, 2012 — and for summers to come — it will be invaded by B.C.'s largest museum. (top right) Michael Ableman/Foxglove Farm; (grid, left to right) © Royal BC Museum/BC Archives: Vancouver's Chinatown/rooming house/D-00336, mockup of Wing Sang Building for Curious exhibition, Emily Carr's Sombreness Sunlit/1938-1940/oil on canvas/PDP633 p14-17_FreshTrax.indd 15 WESTWORLD >> S U M M E R 2 0 1 2 15 4/19/12 7:06:53 AM