Politically Motivated

Doug Routley is the New Democratic Party's member of the legislative assembly representing the Nanaimo-Ladysmith riding. He also happens to love cycling. It just so happens that I love cycling too. So small talk is no problem for us. But when he starts to talk politics I usually have to plead ignorance. I just don't keep up with everything that is happening. So politically motivated I am but in terms of taking interesting photos of politicians. Why? Because politicians stir emotion in many of us. They make us angry if there are budget or service cuts. They make us happy if they create new jobs or give us a tax break. And they tend to be in the public eye so they are recognizable.

I met Doug at his Nanaimo office to do a series of headshots, some against a pure white background for easy use on websites or publications, etc... And then I did some photos against this darker backdrop that I love to use. The portability of my studio gear is a real blessing for work like this. I think set up took about 15 minutes and tear down about 10. That includes both the white and denim backgrounds.

We left Doug's office to take in some shots that would tie into who he is and what's happening in his riding of Nanaimo-Ladysmith. The first stop was this new housing project in the south end of Nanaimo. Phase one is open and has residents, while phase two was under construction while we were there. I had my lights set up on the driveway here which was a bit nerve racking as there were cars coming and going. I need to get some traffic cones or something really high-visibility to make sure people don't run down my lights...

Next stop was the old coal town of Ladysmith. This place has so much character, there are just endless possibilities for photos.

Doug had his bike with him and we wanted to get some shots with it so I put this shot together. He is actually using my phone as his was back in his car. I guess he was so excited about getting photos with his bike that he just forgot about the phone. The reason he is chuckling in this photo is because I noticed something funny happening in the background and told Doug. I have more photos of this scene without the gag in the background so no worries :)

This alleyway actually had a fair bit of traffic so half of the time we were just waiting for people or cars or dogs to get out of the shot. It was fun to see people walking by stop and watch for a while.

I ended the shoot with Doug and his bike on one of Ladysmith's more inclined streets, against an interesting old building.

While politics is going well for Doug, taking photos of politicians is about as motivated as I see myself.

kurtknock.com

Adding some spice.

Some things are just not very exciting. You walk or drive past the same building every day. And it is just another building. That is, until you are commissioned to photograph it which is what I was asked to do last week.

The contractors who built the Island Savings Credit Union head office were looking for some photos of the building for their website and portfolio. I know the building well - It is across the street from Coffee on the Moon where I get my caffeine fix every day.

This worked out to be somewhat of an advantage for me. I knew the orientation of the building and when it would look good in the natural light. I was just unsure what lens to use as this would have to be a wide angle shot. So I snapped this photo below one cloudy afternoon just to try one of my lenses:

This lens was not going to do. I was going to have to use a wider angle lens. And if you compare this test photo to the first photo (up top) which is the finished product, you can see some difference (or at least I hope you can). This is not all photo shop. This is setting the camera to do what you want it to do, taking advantage of natural light at the right time of day and adding supplemental lighting to accent the building. Had I gone with the test shot as my final product I would not have been proud of my work and I don't know what the client would have thought. I think a little extra effort goes a long way.

The end result was enough to make my client happy and I now I'm looking forward to more architecture photos!

kurtknock.com

Want vs. Need.

photo courtesy of dpreview.com

It's that time of year when a lot of new cameras come on the the market. And just a couple weeks ago Canon release their new 5D III. I actually held one in my grubbly mits yesterday. It felt great. Just like my Canon 7D. The 5D III is a great camera. No doubt. Perhaps the best camera for what my needs are. But nothing is perfect. The price of this camera is the biggest downside at $3799 (in Canada). For the few advantages this camera has over my Canon 7D, I think I will wait just a while for the introduction price to drop a little.

photo courtesy of dpreview.com

When you consider the new Nikon D800 is priced at $2999 and has some better specifications, the Canon must be coming down in price soon, right?...

photo courtesy of dpreview.com

So my mind drifts in another direction - The Fuji X100 @ $1199

This camera is styled like an old film rangefinder and takes fantastic photos. It is small enough to fit into a jacket pocket too. Not something I can do with my 7D. My Olympus OM-PC film camera is just a bit bigger and not pocket sized... But I looked at the Fuji yesterday and it was just so dang confusing to use. Plus it has a fixed 35mm equivelant lens. This forces you to use what it has to offer. This could be a limitation or something that forces you to develope a style. That may or may not work for me. That, and my 7D can do everything this can, just in a bigger package. My 7D takes better photos and has way, way, more range of usability. I guess the Fuji X100 is just something I would like to have, not actually need :(

And this camera was released about a year and a half ago so it may be seeing an updated version soon any way.

photo courtesy of dpreview.com

Well, how about the new Fuji X-Pro 1?

Sure it looks super retro cool. But here's a whole new can of worms. It is a component system again. Just like my Canon. Buy the Fuji body ($1699) and buy the lenses you need (at maybe $399 each). The advantages with this camera? Maybe better picture quality than my 7D. The downside? Slower and more confusing to use. You have to access the menus, just like the X100 to take use all the features. Maybe just another want, not need.

I could list a bunch of crazy expensive Hassleblad or Mamiya medium format cameras which would of course take great photos but is that even a possibility here in Duncan? Nope. My 7D will do just fine. For now :)

kurtknock.com

Big Money.

I really appreciate that there are professionals in Duncan who are into doing something a bit different for their head shots. This is a small town where a lot of professionals get their photos done at a studio (which will remain unnamed) against the same grey mottled background and every photo looks the same. Lame. People are now coming to me to do something different. Awesome! I treat each client as an individual and scout locations suited to their needs as discussed in a meeting prior to the shoot.

I was happy to do photos for Jeremy Stephen, Matt Hillyard and Naiomi Vega, of RBC Dominion Securities. They had seen the work I did for Bruce Cafferky, who is in the same office, and wanted something interesting too.

These folks are the ones who handle your investments. You want to have someone who looks the part. So getting that image across in a photo is where I come in.

Just by fate of the weather on the morning we were doing the shoot, we had to start with the indoor photos. This worked out better after all. We did all the office photos first and once the downpour outside stopped, the sun came out and we were off to take advantage of it. Of course it was not long (maybe 15 minutes) before the wind picked up and tried to blow my lighting gear way...

Another fun day out!

kurtknock.com

Now Showing

I just had to tie this photo into the title of the blog. Of course, this is Longevity John Faulkner, proprietor of the Duncan Garage Showroom. A great guy and a real character. But the subject of my latest entry is actually in regards to my photos being on display at Coffee on the Moon, in Duncan. This is my second time displaying there and my third exhibition so far. This photo of John is on display as are others that I've taken in the past year or so. Some are familiar faces (If you live in Duncan) and some are more artistic/nature inspired. I like to mix it up.

I've had a few people ask if I'm going to have an official "opening" or meet and greet. I'm not sure. I have never done one so I'm a little out of my comfort zone in arranging such an event. I know the next venue for my exhibition requires that I attend a meet and greet so maybe I should do something at the Moon. Any thoughts?

So if you happen to find yourself in Duncan, try to stop by the Moon and take a look at what I've been up to. The show runs until April 30th.

kurtknock.com

My Uncle has a camera...

I've heard this a lot. I have also heard "My friend has a nice camera" and many other reasons why people will not pay to hire a professional for their wedding, maternity or family portraits.
While I understand it always feels good to save money, there are times when you get what you pay (or don't pay) for. Photography is a good example of this.
Everyone knows you can save money if you shop around, for, let's say, toothpaste, as an example. You know the Colgate you buy at store "ABC" is going to be exactly the same as the Colgate you buy at store "XYZ".

Photography is unique in that it captures a single moment of your life, in an image. This image can be  kept and enjoyed at by yourself, friends and family forever. These are the images of your life. I know candid family photos are priceless and everyone should be taking photos of their loved ones but for those special occasions do you really want to risk it all just to save a few dollars?
Once in a while I will give a quote on a wedding or portrait session and I get the response that it is too much money and the potential client is going to have a friend or family member do the photos because they have a nice camera. Good for them. It's not the camera that makes for great photos. It takes some skill.
I have a very nice Estwing hammer. Any contractor would say that it is what a professional carpenter might use. But can I build a house. No. Not even close.
I bet there are lots of wealthy uncles out there with fancier cameras than mine. Do they know how to use them or understand the flow of a wedding. Who knows? Do you want to take that chance?

There seems to be a disparity between what people spend on all the little details of a wedding and their investment in the only detail that will last forever - the photography. The great dress, the fancy hair, all the work that went into decorating the reception hall is a fading memory without photos.

Recently I was asked to quote on a wedding which I estimate, based on the locations used and the number of people, to cost around $20,000 and yet they told me their budget for photography was only $400. Really! And no, I didn't do the photos for them.

The opposite of this is a wedding I did last summer where the bride had two photographers (myself and another). It was great. We helped each other out, shared equipment, spelled each other off when we needed a break and the married couple received well over 1000 great photos to cherish for the rest of their lives.

This is not meant to be a rant, rather a reminder that we are all changing. Life changes. The people around us change. We should value ourselves and those we care about enough to have quality photos to remember, to look back on and smile.

kurtknock.com

A helping hand.

It felt great to be part of the Healithest Babies Possible, Love Yourself day again this year! I was asked to come by and take some photos of these young families for them to look back on as they progress through life.

This was once again, such a feel-good event that I will of course say yes if asked to help again next year. Being part of something good is so rewarding. I know I should give back more often than I do but when I do, I give all I can. Everyone there was totally into giving. Smiles on every face. And I got to capture that. To archive it. These families now have photos to look back on and say, yes I looked good and felt good!

This year I even had an assistant, Shae Clutesi, the owner of Outlooks for Men (Duncan) along to help get people ready for the photos. Shae allowed me to relax a little and really focus on the little details and she also kept her eyes open for the things that I missed. Sometimes when setting up a photo you just don't see that stray hair or flopped shirt collar, etc... So an extra set of eyes is so helpful! Not to mention, Shae sat in as my test subject as I set up my lighting.

I think people often overlook the power of still images. You can look back on them years down the road and still get a sense of the emotion that they carry. Video is great but you can't study it like a photo. A photo can be looked into. The subject is there for you to examine. The time is frozen in the frame of the photo. That can be a powerful thing that can be put to great use and purpose.

I was unsure who I'd see there this year. There were new families but unfortunately fewer volunteers than last year. I think with the economy the way it is, it's just too difficult to take time off work to pitch in.

Hope Farm provided some delicious home made pizzas! Good work guys!

Thanks to all these families who let me into their lives, if even just for a few minutes, to capture a moment in time.

kurtknock.com