Model Shoot - Flo

I had the chance a few weekends ago to work with Flo and makeup artist Bella. Flo showed up already in makeup and had this really interesting design on her face. At first I thought it was just a pretty random design that Bella had drawn on Flo's face but if you looked closely you could see that it was actually her name. Pretty cool! We went through a few makeup and wardrobe changes throughout our shoot and Flo was amazing with her posing and facial expressions. One of the best I have worked with so far I might add. Before I knew it I had filled up an entire compact flash card, something I have never done before in a single session. I usually average anywhere from 100 to 120 shots per hour of straight shooting so after a two or three hour shoot I have somewhere close to 450 frames. At the end of the session with Flo after having to change flash cards I had over 700 frames. Here is just a very small sampling from that session.

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.

Black and White

Lately I have been experimenting more with black and white post processing and realized just how interesting it can be. Often I find that an image that doesn't work well in color suddenly takes on a whole new look when it is viewed in black and white. This seems to be especially true on shots that might have been under or overexposed or where the color temperature just doesn't seem to be right. Below are my results after post processing some shots I took a few weeks ago.

Model Shoot - Lingerie

It's been a little while since I last posted anything on my blog. Since my last entry I did a model shoot that involved some single light flash work as well as some with light strips. This was also one of my first shoots that involved some artistic nude photography as well which I may post later. For now here are a few shots from that session.

Taking the Next Step

I signed up for the Intermediate Digital SLR Photography at Vancouver Photo Workshops and it will be starting April 24th. Really looking forward to it and trying to take my photography to the next step by learning more digital workflow and post processing techniques. I just really enjoy the group learning atmosphere and the sharing of images and having them reviewed and critique by the instructor and other students. Till then I'll continue to try my best at going out at least every weekend and shooting.

Night Shots on a cold Vancouver Evening

Lately the weather in Vancouver can be summed up in two words, wet and cold. Tonight was no exception but I wanted to get out and snap a few photos. I shot all of these handheld because I didn't have a tripod with me so I cranked up the ISO to 1600 and shot as wide open as I could for most shots. Here are a few shots and I would have stayed out a bit longer but my fingers were frozen.

This shot below is of the Lion outside of the Vancouver Art Gallery.

































This shot is of the Countdown Clock for the 2010 Winter Olympics Games to be held in Whistler, BC.

There is a group of graffiti art that is on the North off ramp of the Granville Street Bridge that goes onto Seymour Street that has been there for some time now. I am surprised that the city has not done anything about it but personally I think it is a tasteful display of an urban artform and perhaps since there are no depictions of violence and obscene language in them they are ignoring it. I did use flash on the individual shots of each piece of artwork to bring out the colors.