While visiting a nearby community, I stumbled upon a local riding club hosting a barrel racing event. And, because I was prepared, I managed to get some great shots. Badge please.
My current camera at my side is a Fujifilm X-E1 with a 17-55mm zoom lens attached. It's small, lightweight and like many cameras these days, produces amazing jpeg images straight out of camera. I like it's retro design and access to nearly all camera functions via dials instead of diving into menus.
After a tough winter with temperatures that rarely got above -20C, the trees are just beginning to bud and we're seeing signs of life in the woods.
As always, I had a camera in hand, and snapped a few images that I'd like to share. So here's a couple photos of some of the things we found on our adventure.
]]>
Fantastic fall fashion shoot
The leaves are changing colour and the evenings are crisp and cool - fall has arrived - and so have fall fashions.
Here are some photos from a fall fashion shoot for a local retail clothing store, featuring colourful fall fashions, modelled by local talent.
A huge thank you goes out to models Taylor and Janessa. I really enjoyed working with you both.
]]>
August seems to be the most popular month for weddings - and with good reason. The weather is mostly cooperative, providing warm, sunny, and most importantly, dry days. This August didn't disappoint.
On August 17, the sun was shining on bride and groom Pam and Clint. Formal photos were taken outdoors at the Harry Oaks Museum. The museum grounds made a beautiful backdrop for the bridal party.
When the formal photos were complete, Pam, Clint and I went to a non-traditional location that I had scouted out earlier. I photographed the bride and groom against a gritty background, in this case, the back side of some downtown buildings. I got an awesome photo of the couple kissing in front of a doorway. By this time, the sun was lower in the sky and the couple were in open shade. This gave the photo the appearance that the sun was about to set.
I captured some candid moments during preparation and the reception. One of my favourites is during the first dance (bottom). The bride and groom are so in love that they are oblivious to what is happening around them.
Thank you Pam and Clint for making me feel so welcome and allowing me to capture your special day.
]]>
Weather forecast - overcast with chance of showers.
Most of us would probably consider an overcast day to be less than ideal conditions for taking pictures. And, I have to admit, it seemed too gloomy for my liking when I ventured out this morning. But overcast conditions are ideal for using one of my favourite photo techniques - shallow depth of field.
Shallow depth of field is a technique that can be applied to improve our photos by minimizing distracting background elements and focusing attention on the subject. Simply put, by opening the aperture to its lowest setting (largest size) like f2.8 or less, we can blur the background of an image to make it less distracting.
On a bright sunny day, we can't take advantage of large apertures because even at iso 100 and highest shutter speed, proper exposure requires apertures in the f5.6-f11 range. The smaller the aperture, the more depth of field - or, the sharper the background.
So, when I was photographing today, I was able to take advantage of maximum aperture setting of f1.8, and get dreamy, out of focus backgrounds.
]]>
My very first Fairy Day shoot was a success. I'll let the photos do the talking.
]]>
Fairy Photo Day at JRP Studio
On Saturday, May 11 my studio will be magically transformed into an enchanted forest complete with a giant mushroom and reflecting pool. Soft, glowing forest-like lighting creates the illusion of being in an actual magical woods. Custom-created fairy costumes and wings are provided to complete your child's transformation into a beautiful Fairy Princess.
Fairy photos are a unique way of creating precious images of child. They make great keepsakes and gifts for grandparents and relatives.
Fairies represent innocence, natural beauty, purity, and magic - what better way to capture these qualities in your child.
Perfect for girls ages 3 to 9 years.
All new set scenery, custom created costumes, wings and props.
Saturday, May 11 from 9AM to 4PM
Five sessions available - approximately 45 minutes each.
Appointment required. Times are booked on a first call basis.
Only $45.00 - includes session and one 5X7 print.
All costumes and props are provided - you just bring the magic.
]]>
|
Last week, a young woman named Taylor stepped into the studio as the third participant in my “photos for your time” promotion.
Taylor has dreams of becoming a model.
To most, I would point out that a very small percentage of girls have what it takes to become a model. And some might say, dreams of a career in the fashion industry is a phase that teenage girls ’go through’ before they make more realistic career choices. But, if my intuition is correct, I believe Taylor may be an exception.
Where do we start when photographing an aspiring model? With the staple of all modelling agencies, the ’headshot'. With this in mind, I set about creating lighting that would flatter and ’sculpt’ her features. Then we concentrated on posing and made refinements in the lighting to come up with a pleasing headshot. I've included one of the final images.
What do you think - will Taylor succeed? I think that to be a successful model, appearances is just part of the equation. Hard work, determination and a positive attitude make up the rest.
After talking with Taylor, I got the impression this level-headed teen just may have what it takes.
Thanks for participating, Taylor.
|
|
|
|
Adorable fairy princess
Hi folks. I've just completed the second shoot in the "photos for your time" promo.
This time I had the pleasure of photographing an adorable two-and-a-half year-old fairy princess named Isla.
After talking to her mom, I discovered Isla had gotten a 'tickle trunk' full of costumes for Christmas and she loves to dress up. Her favourite is a fairy princess costume.
This inspired the fairy themed shoot that I prepared for her. I began by creating a forest backdrop where one might expect to find fairies. Added some props and lighting and, voilà, a fairy forest.
After photographing Isla in the fairy forest, I substituted a golden yellow backdrop and let the little fairy go flying about the studio. As she flitted about, I managed to capture some great shots with genuine expressions. I find this is the best way to capture the two to three year-old child - just let them explore and be kids.
A great big thank you goes out to Isla and her mom! Thanks for participating.
In the near future, I plan to do a Fairy Day where I will schedule shoots throughout an entire day. Parents can book a time slot to have a Fairy Themed photo shoot for their little one. It's perfect for girls age 3 to 9. I'll post more information in the next couple of weeks.
]]>
|
I've just had the first session in my "photos for your time" promotion. For those of you who don't know, I came up with the 'PFYT' promo to get some portrait models into the studio so that I can work on building my portfolio. In return for their time, I'm 'paying' participants with photos. Yesterday, I was joined in the studio by the super-cute Emily. I set up the studio for a casual shoot with a simple lighting arrangement and got Emily to do some age-appropriate poses. The look I was going for was a casual, bright, fun and colourful shot for a teenager. I've posted these two picts for you to check out. They're straight out of camera with only simple editing - sharpen, adjust contrast. Thanks Emily, you were a pleasure to work with. |
|
|
]]>
This morning I woke to the sound of snowplows and snowblowers battling hard to clear the work of my arch enemy - Old Man Winter.
We've all experienced the winter blues at one time or another, but it seems the older I get the more I dislike winter. I don't think I have to describe its effect on our moods as the winter drags on. We've all experienced it.
So, I've developed a strategy to combat the effects of the cantankerous old man and his frosty cohort Jack.
This is what I do.
Obviously, I have to clear my yard, so I start my four-wheeler with its plow attached to the front and proceeded to go to work.
This is were my plan comes in.
After cleaning my yard, I clean my neighbours yard and any yard within sight. I don't ask, I just do it. I don't want any recognition or even a thank you. I'm sure the folks around here think I'm nuts, but it makes me feel good.
Now you may be wondering how this relates to photography. My plan consists of two parts. The first is to do a good deed, the next is to do something I enjoy - take pictures.
After warming up with a cup of coffee, I grabbed my camera and braved the cold again. I didn't venture more than fifty feet from my front door this time. I snapped a few shots of the trees and shrubs around the yard that were covered in a layer of ice and snow. Then, I quickly retreated to the house.
As I looked at the photos I had just taken, I realized Old Man Winter was still pushing my buttons. The images were pretty, but, well... as we might expect - cold and lifeless.
In an effort to further thwart the work of "you know who," I decided to take a swing at OMW and punch up the colour a bit. I opened the file in Adobe Lightroom, added some vibrance, increased the clarity, warmed up the temperature in the white balance, and sharpened until I came up with an image that I felt loosened his arthritic grip some. I further tweaked the photo with some cropping and a vignette to come up with the final image (see below). Take that OMW!
Photography always lifts my spirits, as does doing good deeds. The winter can take the snap out of our snapshots and limit our time outdoors doing the things we enjoy. But we can take away some of that bitter coldness from our photos by adding some warmth with the help of photo editing software.
The next time you take some wintery photos, try experimenting by adding some warm hues like reds or yellows, or increase the saturation or vibrance. You can warm up an image by adjusting its white balance - increase the colour temperature to increase yellow. Remember when shooting images with lots of snow, your camera tends to under expose to compensate for all that white. Try shooting in manual exposure and over expose by 1/2 to 1 full stop. Or shoot in program mode with exposure compensation dialled in.
The icy cold photo without enhancement.
The final image with a little digital magic.
]]>
A few months ago, I received a letter from my aunt Donna. A real letter. The kind delivered to your home by a real person. Inside the hand-addressed envelope was a handwritten note. A handwritten letter is rare enough, but what was folded inside the paper was something more precious.
My aunt had been given a photo of her dad (my grandfather) and his young family from nearly ninety years ago. Knowing my interest in genealogy, my aunt was thoughtful enough to pass along a copy to me.
The circumstances of how she came to possess the photo is almost as intriguing as the photo itself. The faded and yellowed print did't come from a close relative or family member as one would imagine. It had remained in the possession of a family who were friends with my grandfather and his family.
The photo is a casual snapshot taken by some visiting friends. An impromptu family photo most likely captured under protest from my grandfather who seems camera shy. It's not the greatest image. There isn't much detail in the faces and it was somewhat overexposed. But, this image meant enough to someone that they kept it in an album or shoebox as a treasured keepsake.
Not only had the photo managed to survive for eighty-seven years tucked away in storage, but someone recognized the people in the picture and took the time to track down my aunt to give her the photo.
I was thrilled to receive a copy of the photo and I can't thank my aunt Donna and the person that gave it to her enough for sharing the photo with me.
Up until now, I had only one photo of my grandfather. It was taken late in his life when he was in his eighties. The man in the found photo was fifty years younger, and at the time the photo was taken, his young family of four was eight kids short of the final twelve.
In the days before digital, you had to print an image to see it. Most of the time they were the casual, impromptu snapshots just like the one of my grandfather and his family. Not perfect. Not the greatest photo. But they were tucked away in an album as a treasured keepsake, and they were physical prints.
At last count, I have more than nine thousand digital photos on my computer's drive. I would guess that less than one hundred of these have been printed as photos. And, I would guess that over half of those prints were given to family and friends as gifts.
I need to make more prints.
I doubt that ninety years in the future someone will find my old hard drive and forward it's contents to a niece or nephew. But they just might take the time to beam them a package containing a faded, yellowed treasure from the past.
The photo given to my aunt by a very thoughtful individual. The image was taken in approximately 1925.
]]>
In honour of Valentine's day, we are reducing our sitting fee to just $30 *
That's a sweet $15 savings.
Booking NOW
Saturday,
February 2 for a Valentine's shoot
Looking for a unique, fun gift that will last a lifetime?
Create a stunning glamour shot for your guy or a couples photo that expresses your love for each other.
Celebrating an anniversary on or close to Valentine's Day? A couples photo makes a great gift.
Looking for an alternative way to show your love, capture it with a beautiful photo.
Book soon - only five openings available.
Contact us now to book your spot.
* Offer applies to Saturday, February 2 only. Photo prints extra.
Phone 705-642-6721 email: [email protected]
]]>
I'm looking for individuals interested in sitting for photo portraits. In exchange for their time, I will provide them with printed images with a value equal to their time.
I had stepped away from photography for a few years to help raise my young family. Now that they are older, I can go back to my passion.
So technically, I'm re-building my portfolio.
I already have a collection of images that represent my work, but some of these go back a few years. It's time to clean out the closet.
Photographers build their portfolios in in different ways. Some accumulate images while they work for a photo studio. Others hire professional models to sit for them, and some rely on a network of friends to provide a steady supply of willing subjects.
As I can't afford to hire professional models, and I've already exhausted my small network of friends, I'm turning to social media to find subjects.
If you're interested in sitting for a portrait, click here for more information.
]]>Fun, colourful backdrop made from bargain store find
Photography backdrops can be expensive. Backdrops from photo supply outlets sell anywhere from $50 to $300 each, and as portrait photographers, we need a variety of backgrounds to suit many different clients. Purchasing five to ten good quality backdrops will quickly empty your bank account.
As a photographer on a budget, I'm always looking for alternative sources of material that can be used to add visual interest to photos for cheap. Sources such as department stores provide us with many options. Bedsheets, large bath towels, table cloths, shower curtains, and drapes are a few common items used for backdrops. I own a few of these myself.
While shopping at a local bargain store, I came across some items that caught my eye. I thought I would share one of them here with you.
I wanted to create a fun, colourful backdrop that would be suitable for young children portraits. I came across a selection of brightly coloured, round woven placemats that caught my eye. Each one is fifteen inches across and is made of a sturdy basket-like material. There were four colours to choose from - yellow, blue, green and pink. Unfortunately, there was only one pink placemat left, so I purchased five each of the remaining colours.
When I got home, I arranged them on the floor in an alternating pattern and temporarily taped them together using strips of duct tape on the back so that I could hang my creation from my background support.
I was pleased with what I saw and I plan to either permanently fasten them to a drop cloth or create a large display panel that I can tack the circles to in various patterns or as solid colour backgrounds.
You could achieve a similar look by cutting circles from coloured paper and taping them together, but I feel that the woven texture of the placemats gives them added interest and a slight feel of dimension. The circular placemats are made of a durable material and should endure moderate abuse, something that a paper backdrop can't do.
As for cost, this project was very affordable. The circular placemats cost a mere $1.25 each. Materials so far cost under $20. I plan to buy an additional ten placemats to make the backdrop two rows wider. This will bring the total cost to around $30 dollars. Final size will be about 6 feet by 5 feet.
If I pursue the idea of creating a tack board that will allow me to rearrange the pattern and create new looks, the $30 investment will pay for itself many times over.
]]>