Friday, October 28, 2011

Great Collaborations!

A little while back I was asked to do the photos for a monthly fashion section in the local News Leader paper. Eliza Faulkner (the one above talking on the phone), a fashion designer, has this monthly section and wanted to get me in to help with photos. I was pretty happy about this as it opened a new door to photo opportunities to me. I hadn't really done any fashion photos before and this also was to include some more editorial interviews with artists and designers. Lots of fun!

Along with myself, Eliza recruited style guru Jenn Glenn from Studio 1 Salon (seen above helping with hair). It is so fun working with others on a shoot as you have more than one set of eyes to look for any issues, plus you have someone else to help with any issues. All I need now is one of those voice activated light stands...
This photo shoot was for the style of the month girl, Ruth, also known as scooter girl.

And now things are really moving ahead. We are putting our heads together to grind out a blog called Island Style which features all sorts of cool and stylish things happening here in Duncan, the Cowichan Valley and Vancouver Island. The blog is still in it's infancy and I'm working to get it filled with interesting content.

My wife Nina (above photo) has also signed on to help. Her first blog entry is a great read!
Eliza and Jenn will also be adding fun articles and I might even have contributions every once in a while. But you are more likely to see my photos...

And once again, here's the link to our new blog: Island Style

Any suggestions or people who would like to work with us on this please feel free to comment!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Film - dead or alive?

Lately I've been using my Olympus OM-PC film camera for family outings and when I take my older son out for adventures. The camera is half the size of my Canon 7D digital and I'm just really enjoying it. For some reason the old Olympus seems to never expose the photos incorrectly. With my Canon, the only way I know the photo will be correctly exposed is if I am shooting with all manual control. One thing I need to get better at with the Olympus is the focusing - it is manual focus and that is a challenge when taking photos of people!
Another huge benefit of using film for family photos is that you get the images in multiple forms when processed - print, disk and of course, negatives. Good thing to keep in mind as you always want to have back-ups of your photos...

I'm also really liking the colour tones and look of the film photos. When I picked up my last batch from London Drugs for processing the lady there said "These are really good. Are you a professional?" That got me thinking - If I can get good photos from my film camera, is it possible to use it for some of my work and not just for play?

I know my digital camera blows away the film camera in terms of absolute resolution and sharpness but to be honest, I quite regularly have to soften my digital images to get them the way I like. Sometimes you don't want the most detail possible and the mood of the photo is more important.

A benefit I am realizing from using the film camera, which is passing over to how I use my digital, is to really think out the photo before pressing the trigger. With film, every photo costs money. With digital it is not so and as a result one can take a whole pile of photos to only come away with a few "keepers". Going through all those digital photos and editing them takes time. And when you're busy and you have a family, time is a very valuable commodity!

So I am needing some input here. Does one care if the photos are taken with a film or digital camera? Does the look of film appeal to anyone? I need to know before I spend too much time mulling this over in my mind!
Just something to point out - none of these photos had any touch-ups or post processing. Just straight from the camera so you can see what film photos really look like.

Please send me your comments and thoughts on this topic. Thanks!


Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Let's get Physio!

OK, I know that has to be the corniest title ever. I just couldn't get that stupid song out of my head!

Vince Avery is a physiotherapist and owner of South Cowichan Physiotherapy. He had me come in and do some photos for a new website for the business. Some staff head shots and photos of some of the equipment in use.
The first photo is pretty self-explanatory - the treadmill in use. I arranged this shot so you could see the huge wall map of the world in the mirror reflection and the exercise balls just off to the side. The model was lit from both sides and just slightly to the front on the left side to get more light on his face. The light on the right side was slightly behind to get some light on, you guessed it, his back side... You need to light more when playing with mirrors there is more visible...

 When talking to Vince he was telling me how great it was that he could now access client's x-rays electronically. I thought - why not put that into some context in a photo. You see the client who is recovering from a bad clavicle break (see very long scar) and you see the x-ray of the titanium plate and staples. Fun stuff!

And you have to get some interesting detail shots like a client receiving an acupuncture treatment.

The office has these huge solid cedar doors that just had to see some attention. I thought they'd make a nice background to the head shots. With a little light on them to separate the subject from the background they really worked out nicely.

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