The Concept

This year has been one of great success and growth, and along with that come growing pains. Pains like not knowing what direction to follow when I am being pulled in many different ways - commercial photography, editorial photography, real estate photography, portrait photography, and yes, even wedding photography...
I had to take a break from all of this work to just get out and shoot something that I thought up and go with it. A concept driven shoot.
I contacted the cool couple I had in mind for the shoot and they were into what I had in mind. And here is how it went...

I found a nice location with limited public access so we wouldn't have to worry about crowds of people. It took some work to get access to the riverside but it was worth it. This shoot was just before fire restrictions so we were able to have a nice little fire to help set the fun, romantic mood. This was kind of a maternity shoot too as Rhiannon was getting pretty close to her expected delivery date.

In my scouting of the location I found out where and when the sun would set so I knew how to set up on the day of the shoot. Once the sun starts going down you don't have time to waste... 

Jory and Rhiannon are such a cool couple. They own Bully Boy Tattoos in Duncan and have a nice, relaxed vibe that makes working with them so easy.

Most of these photos were shot using my 135mm lens, with the exception of the first photo being shot as 35mm. You can see what the change in focal length does to the overall feel of the photo.

 I love how in some of these photos you get the sense that this isn't even a photo shoot. Just a couple in love, enjoying a beautiful summer evening.

I was so happy with how all this turned out. It was a great way for me to let my creative juices flow while delivering a nice set of photos to this young couple (now young family of three - welcome Stevie). So expect more projects like this from me. It is one of the more rewarding things I get to do as a photographer :)

www.kurtknock.com

Photography Explained...

I stumbled upon this cool info-graphic that is jam-packed with lots of really good information on photography, and explains things that you may not fully understand. The graphics just make it easier to follow!

Original link:
http://3zgehi1uaxi23dphbrgqa50r6z.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Photography-guide-infographic-compressed.png

Have a good read (click on image to enlarge) :)

Thanks to the kinds folks who put this together!

3 Reasons why iPhones (smartphones) are your best bet for a camera!

By now most of us are happily using our smartphones, iPhones, etc... on a daily basis and we have collectively changed the way photos are taken and used.
This leads me to the top 3 reasons that iPhones and other smartphones are the best camera for the average person.

#1. You always have your phone with you, therefore your camera is always with you. No more lugging around you DSLR or point and shoot. The batteries are always charged and there's usually enough memory internally to fit a few photos on.

#2. Connectivity. People are becoming more and more connected all the time. Your photos from your phone can instantly be shared across a multitude of media and social platforms with no effort. Not so easy with a DSLR, even one with Wi-Fi as several steps are needed to get the photos online.

#3. Cool effects and filters and video. Our phones have some really cool filters. You can make a decent photo look pretty awesome in a few seconds with the built-in filters or those offered by Instagram and many others. Panoramic shots are super cool too. Videos are easy as pie. And the best news is that the quality of the photos and video is not too bad.

More photos than ever are being taken on a daily basis. Not all are noteworthy, but at least people are enjoying photography ;)

kurtknock.com

Portraits, Behind the scenes...

I finally got around to doing a sneak peak into what it looks like to set up for a portrait session. And you get to see the portraits take place and then the tear-down. All in about one minute. Thank you god for creating time-lapse!
The above photo of Kevan Berg, Ethnoecologist, at Integral Ecology Group, was one of many shot during this session.
Now, sit back and enjoy the video below. Make sure to enlarge the video player and crank the volume to get the most out of this cinematic wonder  :)

kurtknock.com

Take Thy Selfie!

 

I know, I may get called out for using the term "selfie" for these photos. Maybe some would prefer to call these self-portraits. Whatever... The point is, these are photos I took of myself. Why, you ask? Good question!

Taking good photos isn't simple. It takes planning. It requires a location. It requires you have the appropriate equipment, and so on...

Add to this, I just plain and simple wanted to get some exercise! So, I decided to get out there, explore, search for cool locations, try different angles, cameras, lenses, times of day, etc... All the sorts of things you don't want to be doing when you have a client with you!

The photo above is kind of what got me started with this. I got up early one January morning and drove to a local mountain top, hiked the rest of the way and set up. And the response to this photo was great! 

Forward to now, and I'm just enjoying the exercise, the fresh air and the new locations I've been stumbling upon. Sometimes, like in the photo above, I get a photo and then get soaked by a downpour. All part of the experience! And a good test of gear. I make sure to have my weather resistant lenses and cameras with me when there's a chance of wet weather.

Some scenes just look so grand I want to hop in them so I have to work with the limitations of my self-timer on my camera and run! One of my cameras does have wi-fi control but it doesn't function from this range...

Although, it means more running back and forth, you can play around with different compositions...

You can make those tourism, promotional - looking photos ;)

And you can test lighting in some weird and challenging places. It's harder than you might think to balance outdoor ambient light (lush,green background) with the flash lighting this cave!

Sometimes the natural light is just awesome and the surroundings are like a scene out of National Geographic Magazine.

Then there are more serine locations where all you hear is the river beside you and the birds in the trees.

And every once in a while I'm lucky enough to have my big boy join me for the adventure!

Yes, we do find some very cool locations! There are some amazing caves around here.

And I even tried a self-portrait. Lol!

So, grab your camera and tripod and get out there! Make it happen! Find amazing places. Test your skills. Take your time and compose your shot, then insert yourself into it. What do you have to lose? Nothing! What you have to gain makes it so worth while!

kurtknock.com

Up the twisty trail.

Last fall, I did a fun shoot for Cycle Therapy Bikes, a great bike shop in Duncan. I got to work with Sean Gibson as the talented mountain biking model for the day and we started out nice and early. Like before he had to get to work, kind of early. So I packed light as I had to carry my stuff into the woods. Light for me is only two speedlites and stands and umbrellas and only two lenses along with the camera and light controller - A full load for my camera backpack...

We didn't have to walk far (thankfully!), as the trails on Mt.Tzouhalem are great, right from the parking area.

With the low light level in the forest on an overcast, early morning, focus tracing of a moving subject is a challenge. And this case was no exception. I could have shot all of this in 20 minutes if I could have kept things in focus ,but the reality is, sometimes you have to try a couple times to get it right...

I was shooting at some crazy ISO, like 6400 or something, just to keep the shutter speed up enough to ensure the images weren't motion blurred. Good thing my camera can handle high ISO fairly well. My first DSLR would not have had a chance - It only went up to ISO 1600. And that was only four or 5 years ago!

Thanks to Sean and Cycle Therapy bikes for this fun shoot. Any excuse to get out into the woods is fine by me!

 

kurtknock.com

Power Smart

I was recently contacted by BC Hydro to do some photos at the local mill. For those of you outside my local area, the Catalyst Pulp and Paper Mill in Crofton is the largest employer in the Cowichan Valley. The energy manager, Edinson (Ed) Mahecha has brought the facility in line with ISO 50,001 certification, and BC Hydro wanted to recognize this effort. This means better energy management and efficiency. This is a good thing, since this mill uses more electricity than any other business on Vancouver Island!

For me, this was an exciting assignment. I had never been on the mill site before and once there, I was amazed by the scale of the operation!

I met with Ed for a few minutes before setting up to take photos. I wanted to get an idea of what gear I was going to be able to carry with me as this is a potentially hazardous work site. Lots of big equipment (even their own train and railway!) and things to look out for. So I went back to my van and packed light. Really light! I grabbed one camera, two lenses, two speedlites, and some spare batteries, and that was it! I really had to make it easy to move from location, to location quickly and without disrupting the work of others around me. 

The resulting photos are a mix of ambient light, in some cases natural outdoor light, and in other cases fluorescent, incandescent, or whatever they were, mixed with my speedlites.  

This shot gives you and idea of the size of the site. And this is just about one half of the site as seen in the photo! And this was one of the reasons I packed light. It was a six story climb up to the viewing deck...

This room was super loud! The sound of two, 14,000 horsepower electrical engines powering the pulp pulverisers.

This is one of the control rooms I got to take a look at. There's a lot happening in the mill for these guys to keep an eye on!

If you ever have the opportunity to go on a tour of the mill, I highly suggest you do it!

kurtknock.com

The Big League

 

The Cowichan Capitals are the biggest sports organization in the Cowichan Valley. The team is part of the British Columbia Hockey League and a stepping stone to the Western Hockey League.

The past couple years I've done the player photos for the team, and this past year I was given total control of the style of photo. To be safe, I ran the concept past the management and they were on my side.

 

My goal (no pun intended) was to make a more dramatic image, while still capturing a hint of the background as to give a sense of location. I set up the lights, and Haley helped make sure the guys' hair was looking good and kept everything flowing smoothly.

 

 

I had two poses in mind - one for all the players, standing holding the helmet and stick.

 

And another for just the goalies.

 

Overall, I like how it turned out and the guys on the team were great to work with. I guess you'd call that a success :)

kurtknock.com

Near and far.

I generally lean towards shooting a bit more on the wide-angle side of the spectrum. I don't know why, and its not all the time, by just most of the time. The exception is when doing some portraits... But then again, not all... Confused yet? Me too! That's why I decided to take my son, Kole out and try one of my favorite lenses, the Sigma 35mm, f1.4 and compare the look of photos shot using it to those shot using my Canon 135mm, f2.0.

For those of you in the know, a smaller lens focal length, like 35mm is going to give you a more wide angle look, and a larger lens focal length, like 135mm, gives a narrower, magnified view.

The photo above was shot using the 135mm lens.

The photo above is very similar to the first photo but was shot using the 35mm lens. I moved closer to Kole to keep him as the focal point of the photo. If I hadn't moved closer, he would have appeared much smeller. But, you can notice how much more background gets into the photo, and how much smaller the background details appear, whereas, in the first photo, the background is very compressed.

The same scene and subject, with two very different resulting photos. Which is best? Depends what you're in the mood for, I guess... 

 

The photo here is a close-up using the 35mm lens, and you can see that it starts to distort Kole's body a little, so you either like that or hate it.

 

 

And these last two images (above and below) were shot with the 135mm lens. You can see how it really isolates the subject (Kole) from the background. This gives a more dreamy look and is really nice in this situation with the sun backlighting the scene.

So, tell me what images speak to you! Is 35mm the king of focal lengths or is 135mm the way to go for photos like these? I love both, but I can see where the 135mm lens really shines!

One issue with the 135mm lens it that it is not easy to get good results. It sometimes requires using a tripod, and/or manual focus to ensure a sharp image. Whereas the 35mm generally rocks in any situation :)

 

kurtknock.com



Grace and Style

For the past year or so I've been doing a fair number of photos for the Adage Dance studio in Duncan. I enjoy working with the kids, parents and most of the time, one of the owners of the studio, Olivia, is by my side coaching the kids. Without her help, it would be nearly impossible to do any dance photos.

This past year (2014) I took on the role as the photographer for the Adage dance calendar. I was looking for a creative project and this came up at just the right time. I, along with the help of Olivia, had about 10 weeks to put this all together. Well, it started as 10 weeks... In the end, it worked out to be maybe 4 weeks due to scheduling, work and such...

I have posted all of the photos from the calendar here, plus a few of the photos that nearly made it!

 

The photo above (used in the calendar) and the one below were shot at a location in downtown Duncan that I had been eying up for some time. This was the perfect opportunity to put it to use. One benefit to shooting in this urban setting is that I was able to park my van right beside where I was shooting so I didn't have to pack my gear far. So I set up a big light stand and did a multi light arrangement (on the photo below).

This is the photo that nearly made the cut.

Here we had to walk a bit, so I packed what I needed in my pack and used more natural light, mixed with my speedlites. I really love working with the setting sun in the fall. The photos have a special feel to them that you just can't get any other time. The above shot was the one for the Calendar.

 

 This photo was a runner up :)

These little ladies are tough! When I was at this park looking for a good setting for the photo, the rain started. And it got dark. And it got cold. I didn't really want to go through with it, so when the girls arrived I gave them the option and they wanted to see it through! It was so dark in the woods, I had to set up extra lighting just to illuminate the background, never mind the lighting on the girls. Even with the lights, I think I was shooting at ISO6400 or something crazy like that! Lucky for Olivia, as she was unable to make it to this shoot. Too bad for Emily, as this was the only shoot she made it to.

Here was a nice, easy, downtown location. I got to park right there, no limit to the gear I could use! In the end, it really just comes down to the girls doing a great move, and me not missing it... 

On the day of this shoot we had to scramble quickly to come up with a location, after the first location just wasn't going to work. Note to self - Always go and check a location first! Even if it means a separate trip or just arriving a half hour early to look around. On this day, we had bad intell - someone had told Olivia about a great location and when we got there, we just couldn't see anything of use...

So, I had another idea. And it kind of worked. But it meant a lot of walking with Olivia, the girls and their parents following me as I tried to come up with a plan. Plus I was carrying all my gear. No pressure! I found a spot that I thought I could work with and came up with the photo above. We thought we could be satisfied with that.

 

 

Then we were off to do another photo with another group of girls, same location (or, at least, same park) and as we walked around the bend in the trail this great location appeared. See photo above. I could see possibilities for a couple different arrangements and this is the one that I think really popped. The vines on the trees, along with the golden light from the sun really helped create a magical scene. This photo made the cut!

After we finished the photo above we all headed back to the parking lot. And we thought we'd try one more arrangement for the girls in pink (see below).

 

I'm so glad Olivia could arrange the girls around this concrete structure in an interesting way. I think this beat the photo we did just 30 minutes earlier on the trail so, yes, it was worth setting up another time to get it right. Or at least give the girls the option of choosing which they preferred!

The old Black Bridge in Duncan is kind of a notorious place. But this didn't deter us. There were a couple times when the girls were a bit scared of some of the foot traffic going by, and one time I had to grab one of my light stands as a very wobbly fellow stumbled by, but we survived!

Here was another shoot when the weather was less than stellar. Very dark skies and it was cold! We worked as quickly as we could and as soon as we finished and started to pack up, the rain came pouring down! We were all soaked before we made it back to the cars.

This was a location that I really wanted to put to use in a creative way and I finally got my chance. The Cowichan River was running quite high with recent rains and this added to the photos. The above shot is the one that made the calendar and the one blow is the runner up. You'd never imagine how difficult it is to set up lighting around a river until you try! Yes, I was quite nervous I would be losing some gear to the river that day...

 

The photo above was a bit more challenging than I anticipated. Due to the rising river level, it was very difficult to get access to the fish ladder (the structure the ladies are standing on). It was a leap of faith over rushing water, but being dancers, these ladies had no troubles :)

A day when we had more sun than we needed! This was a challenging shoot due to the extremely bright sun. It was not in the forecast. It was not anticipated. It was not welcome. But there it was, and we had to work with it. I had to set up a lot of lights to keep the shadows from getting too deep on the girls. Thankfully, the girls were tough and opened their eyes as wide as possible when needed to get the shot. However they may now have eye damage... Just kidding!

This is another one of those locations that just begs to see some action. And lots of other people like to use this location too! Cyclists, horseback riders, walkers... Yes, we had to work around traffic on this shoot, but other that that, it went very smoothly! The photo above made it's way into the calendar.

We even had time to do some nice individual shots!

 

This was the runner up shot.

And this shot made the cover of the calendar!

The Hip-Hop shoot took advantage of a great graffiti mural in town and I sprinkled in some lighting to come up with this. Thanks to the girls for adding their own spice to this one to come up with the best move! And once again, the rain started as we packed up. Good timing!

These are the lovely ladies that put on their game faces, under often challenging conditions, and helped me come up with this collection of photos.

Through the course of doing these photos I learned a few things, pack light! Always scout your locations and make sure you have something of value before you pack up and walk away. There's no opportunity for retakes in a situation like this. Given the time of year that we did this (autumn) the weather was a challenge at times. Weatherproof gear played a big part in being able to go ahead and keep shooting, along with tough, young ladies, who were determined to see the job through to the end helped push me at times too!

As far as I know, the calendar is sold out, but prints of these images are available from me :)

 

kurtknock.com