Author: Jillian Logee

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Umayri 2016

Another successful dig season at Tall al=’Umayri has come and gone. Land ownership troubles didn’t stop us from getting some questions answered and some squares completely documented. It’s hard to think about how this may have been our last season at ‘Umayri, but at least, it was a good one.

Going forward, I can only hope we find a way to continue our excavations at ‘Umaryi. The site has been under excavation since 1984 (just like me!), and it would be a shame to see the excavations closed when there’s still so many questions to be answered, so many squares to be excavated, and so much history left to find. Continue reading “Umayri 2016”

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Umayri Photo Contest

Since I can’t be everywhere and shouldn’t be the only one having fun photographing life with the Tall al-‘Umayri crew, I hold a seasonal photo contest with ice cream as the prize!

Participants can compete in four categories: archaeological, camp life, portraits, and landscapes. Since everyone submitted such amazing photos this year, we were able to treat all the contestants to ice cream! If you want to see the winners & runners up, head to the official ‘Umayri weekly reports to check them out!

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The Archaeological Photographer’s Equipment List

When I started doing archaeological photography, I didn’t have much to go on. There weren’t many articles online at the time, so when it came time to build my equipment, I opted to buy what I knew I’d need for portrait photography and hope for the best.

It worked out, since most of what I do is portrait and art photography relies on what I ended up selecting, but there were some things that turned out to be more useful than others. So if you’d like to know what I haul halfway around the world to get quality artifact photographs, read on! Continue reading “The Archaeological Photographer’s Equipment List”

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Those Wedding Day Disposable Cameras!

Wedding season is upon us! As I write this, soon-to-be newlyweds across the country are sitting down and planning their own ceremonies. If you’ve ever been to a wedding and walked away thinking to yourself that it was one of the best weddings you’ve been do, you probably know that it’s the details that make for a great wedding.

As a photographer and as someone who is currently working on planning her own big day, I know that one of the few things that lasts after a ceremony are those beautiful photographs. But I also know wedding photographers are expensive and it can be hard to look at that bill for several thousand dollars and not think to yourself, “there has to be a cheaper way.” Continue reading “Those Wedding Day Disposable Cameras!”

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Emotional Support in Small Businesses

At the beginning of the year, I took some time to map out my blog post schedule. In my effort to blog with more regularity, I sat down and planned what days and which topics would be published all the way through to the end of June.

When it came to this week’s post, my schedule read the vague and daunting subject of, “Emotional Support in Small Businesses.” I looked at this topic and immediately said to myself, “I do not know where to begin with this one.”

So, I texted Leonie, complained to her that I had delivered an impossible topic to myself, and lamented that I just didn’t feel like writing this one. After a bit of back and forth, I was more at ease, relieved that my friend was there to make me feel better and that she understood how tough it was.

And though she didn’t know it, she gave me my article with that one small gesture. Continue reading “Emotional Support in Small Businesses”

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5 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Travel Pics!

As a devotee of Instagram, I know how it usually is when it comes to travel photography. We snap a million great photos, eagerly post a few to social media to share with our followers, and then we let it drop, except for the occasional Throwback Thursday.

Your photos can do so much more for you!

Travel can be one of the most rewarding experiences we can treat ourselves to. Learning about other cultures and ways of life can humble you, expand your mind and heart, and make you appreciate both the things you have at home and the things you don’t.

If you leave your photos only on social media, you’re missing out. Your home’s walls, shelves, and niches all deserve to showcase your travel memories and provide you that daily opportunity to reconnect with great experiences. Continue reading “5 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Travel Pics!”

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How to Save Water-Damaged Film

In 2013, Calgary experienced a pretty devastating flood. Homes lying in the floodplain at best had their basements filled with water, and at worst were rendered too damaged to be livable.

Though it is one of the worst places to keep one’s film, many had left their negatives in boxes in their basements, leaving them to get water-logged and if left untreated, completely ruined. For some professional photographers I know, this meant losing a huge chunk of their photographic history. One in particular saw his entire portfolio of images vanish when someone trying to be helpful said she could save them, but in the end just made things worse. Continue reading “How to Save Water-Damaged Film”

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‘Umayri 2014: Photography & Conservation

Archaeological sites are precious things. They lie safe underground forgotten for generations until some intrepid archaeologists come and carefully expose them. As an archaeologist myself, I’ve often wondered why we do this, especially given some of the consequences.

As you might recall, last year I hiked out to Lille, Alberta with my boyfriend and a friend of mine (the former has worked at ‘Umayri in 2012, the latter is a trained archaeologist). We marvelled at the beauty of the site, decayed, but still shining in its own right. It had been a long day of hiking to try to find Lille in the first place. The directions I found on other websites were vague. We had been determined to find it, though, and eventually did stumble upon the stone foundations and abandoned coke ovens that personify Lille. Continue reading “‘Umayri 2014: Photography & Conservation”

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‘Umayri 2014: Structure from Motion

Every two years, I pack my cameras, lenses, and some studio equipment and make my way to Jordan for the summer. It isn’t for a vacation though, it’s for a solid 1.5 months of archaeological photography while I work for the Madaba Plains Project’s ‘Umayri site.

My relationship with ‘Umayri began in 2006 when I worked on the dig as part of my archaeology degree. I’ve always had an interest in the Middle East, and couldn’t resist the opportunity to dig through a (mostly) Bronze & Iron Age site. Continue reading “‘Umayri 2014: Structure from Motion”

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