In the last post I was talking about lifestyle photography. Today I wanted to talk about portrait photography. I know that some look at portraits in a very traditional way. I, on the other hand, have a bit of a different view. I guess you can call them more candid, or lifestyle... I find that a traditional portraits can be really beautiful, I like to add a little extra emotion or story. Some may not call these portraits at all. I like to engage the subject in a conversation, and during our dialogue take the photographs. We usually joke around, which allows for the genuine smiles to appear. I also like to include elements from the environment, which then really becomes an environmental portrait. All these names, in reality do make a difference. Here are some examples of what I mean. Enjoy!
A day at the farm - Lifestyle Photography
A couple of weeks ago, I spent a very nice morning at an abandoned farm with Miss N. It was a perfect day to experiment a little. With three cameras and 85mm f1.8, 50mm f1.2 and 35mm f1.4, I had plenty of options. I really don't like changing lenses in the field, as this introduces dust into the camera. Also having a mirror less cameras makes it even worse, because the sensor is fully exposed when the lens is removed. Miss N, was absolutely wonderful to work with. Full of energy and full of ideas to add to the whole session. We started off very early in the morning, at 6:30am, just to be able to catch the best light. Miss N was ready from the start. It is great when you working with a person like that. The whole session is a lot more fun and time just flies by. We got a lot of images that day, and I would like to share with you some I would call lifestyle photography, with a beautiful woman, a beautiful dress and the contrast of an old farm. Enjoy!
Lifestyle Photogaphy in B&W
I always like b&w photography. There are certain situations that cannot be expressed better than in b&w. This lifestyle session was one of them. It was a cold cold day, and I was impressed that the model was able to pull this off. Quite amazed. Enjoy!
A Little Story of Violence
This was a concept session, that I fit into a lifestyle photo session. I wanted to tell a story.... did it work? I think so, but you might have a different opinion. It was a cold day, windy and cloudy. Perfect setup for the grisly story of love, betrayal, and violence. I'm not going to explain it.... I'll you, the viewer, fill in the words. Enjoy!
Portraits of a Photographer - Danielle Lucier
I had a chance to meet Danielle quite a while ago. We did some portraits for her website. Also I was honored to do a family photo session with her beautiful family. This time we met at Edmonton's Whyte Ave, to try out some lenses. Here are some test shots from that meeting, done with then almost brand new Fuji X-Pro1. Enjoy!
A walk in the forest – Lifestyle Portrait Photography Part 2
Continuing from the previous lifestyle portrait photography session, here is another part of the walk. It was a beautiful day, and fall colors were spectacular. It was hard not to take a bad picture. Then again using my two favorite cameras, namely the Fuji X-Pro1 and the Sony NEX-7, makes taking images great fun. Not much can be said about this part of the walk, so please enjoy the images!
A walk in the forest - Lifestyle Portrait Photography
When photographing people, I always preferred natural behavior as opposed to posed. I like catching people off guard, and taking their pictures, when they are not paying attention. I think it just more honest that way. I'm not a fashion photographer, and have no aspirations on becoming one. There are some really great ones out there, that can control the light and make magic with a model. I like to find the natural, interesting part of a person and focus on that. Yes, some images are posed, but I try to be simple with the posing.... sit there, lie down.... that sort of thing. Same thing with light. I like simplicity. Maybe because I'm not very smart, or just plain lazy, but simplicity and minimalism always grabbed my attention :) This was the idea during this session. I call these Lifestyle and Portrait. They may not fit into those categories really well, but in my mind this is what they are. Beautiful fall day, lovely colors, and just a simple walk in between all that. It's really hard not to take good images when you have a beautiful model in front of the camera. So I tried to capitalize on all these factors and here are some images from that day. Enjoy!
Mac
Lifestyle Photography - Girl in the Orchard
After the cold session of Sensual Portrait of a Girl in the Rain, I've decided to give the model a bit of a break, and just shoot a natural lifestyle portrait session in the garden. It was a little windy, but I thought that this would bring a bit of life to the images. The session was bordering on boudoir, but I wanted to approach it differently. I wanted more of a natural fun in the garden portrait session. I think I captured it. Enjoy!
End of Summer - Portraits in the Park... Part 1
At the end of summer me and Randy Pond from Randy Pond Photography, decided to hold an End of Summer shoot. We gather a few models, and photographers, decide on a spot and go shoot :) This year we were in a park close to the river valley. There is not much that can be said really... it was all about light and images. One thing I found hard was to hold a reflector in one hand, and manually focus a lens... but I think I managed with a couple of nice portraits. :) During photography sessions like these, I worry very little about posing. I usually just chat with the model and capture images during the chat. I like to catch the natural smiles and facial expressions, which to me are far more interesting. Enjoy!
Alberta Country with friends and Fuji X-Pro1
During the "Broken Truck" lifestyle photo session, I managed to catch some individual portraits of the ladies. I'll start with Ash. Enjoy!
Friends - Lifestyle with Fuji X-Pro1
There is not much that can be set about this set. Just two friends being friends. Another lifestyle or portrait photography session, all shot with the wonderful Fuji X-Pro1. I know... it's hard to take bad pictures of beautiful women. Enjoy!
Alberta sunset portrait session
I had a pleasure working with Brittany a few times, and every time she adds something special to the images. We did a lifestyle photo session, at an abandoned farm, all with just a Fuji X-Pro1. This is part of that session, or I should say a continuation. Just different time of day and different wardrobe :) Shooting with the Fuji X-Pro1 is such a pleasure, easy and relaxing. Here are some images from that evening, enjoy!
Portraits at the old Farm
This is part of a series, taken from, what one could call a lifestyle portrait session. We ended up on this old abandoned farm north east of Edmonton. It's quite a wonderful location, that still has a few of the structures still intact. This was my first full Fuji X-Pro1 portrait/lifestyle session, and I have to say that the camera performed perfectly. Then again, really, it's hard to take a bad picture with a beautiful woman in front of the camera :) Enjoy!
Walk around town
I've been privileged to photograph the Wala family. Last year in during one of those gorgeous fall days, we took a stroll through the University of Alberta campus and did some family photos. A sunny day, happy family, what could be better? Mac
Family session with Olivia Kovios - Part 3
Family session with Olivia Kovios - Part 2
Family session with Olivia Kovios - Part 1
Olivia Kovios is a great family photographer, so I was a little nervous when I was invited to photograph her family. She has three wonderful kids, that are as photogenic as their parents. It was a lot of fun, but nerve racking at the same time. Alsways having the thought in my mind, how these snapshots are going to be received by a fellow photographer. It was a success. Enjoy.