What a year!

I started this blog right after New Years 2008 and looking back it's been a very interesting year indeed. I've learned a lot this past year and know that the road ahead will bring many more challenges and opportunities. I remember taking my first classes back in January and now I am renting my own studio space and doing my own shoots. My goal for 2009 is to further develop my photographic style and offer something that people will be willing to pay me money for :-) hahahaha.... No I will not quit my day job, yet!

Happy New Year and see you all in 2009!

Second Shoot at Studio with Venetia and Tim

My second shoot at my new shared studio space was with Venetia and Tim last week and it was a lot of fun working with them. Venetia had mentioned wanting to incorporate a skateboard that she had painted into the shoot. As you can see from the shots below it was done in a fairly playful way and NO she was not really topless behind that skateboard.

First Shoot in my studio space

I wasted very little time in getting my first shoot done at my new studio space with one of the models that I have worked with before. Some of you may remember Katie. The day was sunny for the most part so it gave us some incredible natural light coming in from the big front windows for a few of the shots here. A combination of fill lights and reflector work helped to balance the lighting out and overall I was super pleased with the results.

Finally have my studio space

I've been searching for a place where I could consistent use for my model photo shoots as it was becoming extremely challenging having to look for an available studio not to mention that some of them were pretty expensive. I finally found a great shared studio space in Vancouver in the Gastown area. The space is huge and has great natural light plus it's in a heritage building that has some really cool interior spaces for shooting in. Check back often as I'll be posting shoots from the studio in the upcoming blogs.

Kaori The Nurse Photo Shoot

I had a recent opportunity to help a friend and fellow photographer out on a shoot. The theme of the shoot was Kaori the Nurse who is from what I can gather a nurse with a serious attitude and carries a chainsaw disguised as a bunny. Actually it is based on a Japanese character by Junko Mizuno although I am not too sure of the story behind the character. For the shoot we had a makeup artist and model and I helped out with the lighting. Here are some shots from the photo shoot and also some behind the scene pictures as well.

Crazy Colors of Fall

The amazing colors of fall have the leaves on this tree almost looking as if they are on fire!

Exploring Macro Photography

I had a chance to borrow a friend's Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens and played with it a bit. Macro photography totally opens up a whole new world of creativity and suddenly everything with small details becomes something you want to photograph. Here are a few shots.

Katie and Cody - Model Shoot - Alright with the light

First thing is always to try and get the light just right. The great thing about off camera flash is that you can position the light pretty much anywhere you want and use just the right intensity of light to portray a certain mood or look. Here are some of the early shots were I am trying to work the light using a shoot through umbrella.

Katie and Cody - Model Shoot - The Warm Up

Had a chance to do a photo shoot with two great models and we had a great time. We tried a few different looks and ideas throughout the shoot. I think I agree that like playing an instrument or participating in sports it is important to warm up. The same goes for photo shoots too for me. I like to warm up with doing some close up shots to get the lighting just right and then at then end of a shoot I will often do the same thing and wrap up with some last few tight shots. So here are some shots of Cody during the beginning of the shoot and Katie near the end of the shoot. The best parts were in between and for those you'll have to stay tuned for the next few upcoming blogs.

Red Bull Soapbox Race

The first ever Canadian Red Bull Soapbox race was held in Vancouver on Sept 7th and the turnout was incredible. People lined both sides of the street and filled rooftops, balconies and every other imaginable space to get a glimpse of the daring racers speed down 4th Avenue to either their victory or demise. The weather could not have been better. The event was MC'd by local radio host Kid Carson from The Beat 94.5 and television host of Urban Rush, Fiona Forbes. Races were held between two teams for each race and they each had to do a 30 second skit to earn points from the judges. Here are some shots from the day.