Part of the family.

I love meeting new people and capturing meaningful photos. Everyone is different and has a special story to tell. It is great when you can catch these stories in photos to look back on after life changes. Life always moves on, no matter how much we'd often like things to stay exactly as they are.
Pet owners know their loved ones, dogs or cats, will not be around forever. I have experienced this loss first hand and it is really tough. I know I wish I had better photos of our late dog, Keira, before she passed as she was so young. We had no idea she would leave us so early...

I had the pleasure of doing some "dog family" portraits for a great couple in Nanaimo this past week. Their German Shepard, Bear, is getting on and has some mobility problems. He gets around in a really cool cart and is super active, going out for trail runs and playing at the beach. Bear is a super friendly dog that you just want to give a big hug. I love dogs like this. So doing photos was really meaningful for me. I have another big Lab/cross dog now but the pain of the loss of our first dog reminds me how important a role these animals play in our lives.

Shooting photos of dogs is very rewarding to me but is sure is a challenge! While Bear has limited mobility, his two younger buddies have no problem zooming around. Getting a group shot was a challenge but we pulled it off. Ad to the excited dogs, the weather was very dark and grey so the natural light wasn't going to be enough. I had to use a (remote) flash to get the images I was looking for. This meant moving the flash along the beach as we strolled along, watching the dogs play in the waves.

I have said this before, but for me getting the image right is worth the extra work.

It was a privilege to take photos of the much loved Bear.

The Hard Road.

One of the great things about being a photographer is the opportunity to work with new and interesting people. Another aspect I like is coming up with a concept to make a photo look a little more interesting than your average shot.

I recently had the pleasure to do some shots for Hilary Huntley of Trial by Fire Pottery pulling all her wares in her bike trailer. She regularly tows 200lbs worth of pottery and equipment behind her bike to set up at craft fairs and shows. It is very, very, rare to see her in a car. 

To get the shots I was looking for we had to get up early on a weekend to avoid traffic and have good lighting. Too bad it is winter and the morning was quite frosty and cold. Too bad for Hilary. I was OK. I just had to ride in the back of a car with the rear hatch open and do my thing with the camera. Her husband, Dave, was driving and trying to keep the distance between us and Hilary just right so i could get the car's shadow out of frame.

I know how most people would do this photo shoot. They would get the subject, in this case Hilary, to ride by while they stand at the side of the road and grab a few shots from the side. Easy. And boring. I was looking for the perspective which would allow you to see her face and still give you the sense of motion from the blurred background. The way I see it is there the easy way (which most do) and then there's my way. I will accept the extra work and planning to get the shot that stands out. Thanks to Hilary and Dave for their cooperation!

It's not so bad!

When I started getting serious about photography the thought of portraits and studio work did not get me excited. Not at all. I thought I'd be stuck doing boring photos of people who were not interested and just needed photos for relatives.

I was so wrong. When the summer was on its last legs I started to think about my photo options for the upcoming (wet) seasons and put some time and money into my little studio. I'm so glad I did this. On a snowy day like today there is little one can do outdoors unless you're doing ski photos or something like that. The studio opens doors for creativity like I never imagined! I had always seen lame portrait images and didn't want to get stuck doing that.

There are people paying big money for portraits that make me laugh they are so bad. Props and equipment in the shot, bad photoshop work and those hideous mottled backdrops. Give me a break! So my way out was to just wing it. Well sort of. I try not to let other photographers influence my style. When I do look at others' work I'm usually trying to figure out how to make it look better or more interesting. I also do a fair bit of research into what makes my photo heros' work stand out. I don't copy but I do get ideas.

It also helps when you have someone who wants creative photos like Shiyana, pictured here. You can really have fun and explore the limits of your camera and lighting. Given that I have a really simple studio and lighting set-up, I can stick with the rule of "keep it simple, stupid" which is great because it forces you to learn to work with what you've got. I think one is more likely to develop a style when they are pushing the limits of what they have to work with and not copying others.

Having a family to work with is great fun too! It forced me to think again (that hurt) as I had to set up the shot and be in it. I placed an Elmo stuffy straddling the lens of my tripod mounted camera to keep my son's attention here and it actually worked. Our dog had been pacing around in circles and just decided at the right moment to lie down for the shot. Perfect. Well almost. No, actually it is perfect to me. The photo catches us as our family is. This is how I like my family shots to work out - showing the true character. Not your usual, stuffy, "everyone say cheese" shot.

Its like that old Tom Petty song, Even the losers get lucky some times. But sometimes practice pays off...

At any rate, I'm enjoying the creative aspects of portrait/studio work like I would never have imagined. I really love it. It just took some time to realize it!

A year of firsts...

2010 marked the year I got serious about photography. It definitely wasn't the year of first place finishes on my bike. I was ill and had back trouble so much going into 2010 that I was almost afraid to race. I hated not finishing where I once had and my ego took a beating! However, my camera was more understanding of my situation. It allowed me to be as creative as I could imagine. I have compiled some of what I consider significant points of the past year.

My first self-assignment was to do a kind of journalistic day of photos riding along with my brother in a logging truck. It was super fun and I actually sold some of the photos I took. I was hoping to shop these out to some industry publications. I had interest but they were not willing to pay for the images. Too bad for them...

My second challenge was a portrait shoot for some friends (Chantal S.and Chantal W.) from Coffee on the Moon. I was nervous as I had never directed people in this situation before. Luckily I knew them and they were great to work with. Had I been working with strangers it would not have been so easy.

Cyclo-cross season was super fun for me as a spectator this year rather than being pack-fodder in the race as I usually am. I love the action of the sport and I try to catch this in my photos. I'm really looking forward to the start of the mtb and road race season. I'll likely do a bit of mtb racing but I want to catch some great shots too.

The coming of winter marked the start of indoor portrait season. Indoor portraits take way more practice than I would have thought. You'd think a good camera will just do it all for you. Not... It takes a lot of experimentation with lighting and really getting to know how to work with you equipment in the environment or setting you have to work with. I love doing these shots as you get as much out of them as you put in. I know one could just set the camera to the auto mode and use the little pop-up flash, but then you'd have a shot that looks like they could have been taken by any amateur. It takes time, some lighting equipment, some research and experimentation to get an understanding of how to produce the type of shots that look professional.

My first exhibition of my work came a year early and I was so nervous as I wasn't ready. I had one week to decide which photos to show and get everything printed and mounted. It was stressful. But it worked out just fine. I sold several pieces which was great! I made new contacts and this leads to more showing of my photos around town and more clients. Thank you Dan and Leeanne from Coffee on the Moon!

For 2011 I have lots of goals and projects in mind. I love what I'm doing and am very thankful for my lovely wife Nina for putting up with me!