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