The snow is mostly gone, here on the prairies, but it will be some weeks before we see greenery and flowers blooming. I can’t wait! It has been a long winter and I sure could use a bit of color. Late spring or early summer images are great for it because all is fresh and green is bright and not dimmed by dust of late summer days.
We are lucky here in Alberta, because some nights are full of light show. We had a couple of gorgeous Aurora showing last fall and I have managed to capture some shots without leaving the city.
I know, I know it is winter and everybody posts winter photography, but I am not ready for it yet. I see it outside my window every day, so I want to see something warm, colorful and pretty. Hope you are in need of this as well.
It has been a while since I’ve posted anything about Elk Island National Park. So, I think, it is time for some lovely sunset from the beginning of summer, when all was green, flowers were blooming and days were warm and long.
On the onset of this little write up, just want to warn that the images attached to this post are not really safe for work :)
Had a great opportunity to shoot with Kate again. She's an amazing model to work with. Her understanding of poses, and light is second to none. We planned an outside setting for the shoot, but it being autumn in Alberta, the weather did not cooperate. That's one thing that went wrong.
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!
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!
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
In the past few weeks, I've been involved in another, as I like to call them, Randy-thon. Randy Pond hosts these little gatherings in his studio in Vegreville. Those are a lot of fun, with a couple of models, trying out different poses, clothes etc, loud music, and lots of laughs. As photographers, we usually try new things with lights, angles, and share tips. This time the theme of the Randy-thon, was "Sexy". So for the next little while I'll be posting images from that gathering, hope you don't mind :) I was playing with my 90mm tilt-shift, and my Fuji X100. I was really surprised on how good the Fuji X100 worked with Pocket Wizards and different lights. So lets start with a Lady and a Fedora. Enjoy!
Mac
I've posted pictures of Nicole, before. She is truly a great person to work with. It's just too bad she lives about 100km east of Edmonton. These were shot at the same time as the previous set. I was testing a rented Canon 50mm f1.2 lens, and it was a perfect opportunity. Enjoy!
Could I call this a Randy-thon again? I probably could, and should. A gathering of photographers and models, all organized by Randy Pond. Yes, it was a Randy-thon! :) I tagged along as always, and had a chance again to practice, play, and have fun. I don't need a lot. One light, my favorite tilt-shift lens, and a beautiful model to take photos of. I have a few more images from this gathering, but for now here is my experiments with one light. Enjoy!
Since Kasia has been reporting on our trip to the abandoned farm, and showing off her side of the trip, this gave me some time to work on my side. I have been to that farm and area a week before, just scouting, but I will leave that for another post. Today I would like to continue with the images from the session at Randy Pond studio. The Rock Star post was the first part of the series. I decided to experiment with gels on regular Canon speedlights triggered by Pocket Wizards. Something a little different that I usually shoot, something different that natural light. Hope you like the results. Enjoy!
As Kasia said in the previous post, I was going to post more images from our little sunrise trip to an abandoned farm, but turthfully I haven't finished editing those yet. The day before though I was invited by my buddy Randy Pond to his little studio to shoot some models. I think my luck was following me, because two of the three models canceled. Only one came, but Jay Lee was plenty. Even though she's very young, she rocked! Here are some from rock concert theme. Enjoy!
Here is the second part from the freezing -29C degree photo session with Joyanna Marie, at Elk Island National Park. Enjoy!
I had a great pleasure in working with Joyanna Marie a few weeks ago. We decided to meet up at Elk Island National park, bright and early at sunrise. When I planned the session, I wasn't expecting the weather to turn a little frosty. It was -29C that morning, and I was worried a little that Joyanna would not arrive. I was proven wrong. This wasn't a long shoot, because both of us were freezing.... she more than me, as you can see in the images. Enjoy!
She was waiting. At the place where they first met. Thoughts of bliss, swirling. Then she realized, he wasn't coming. Sad.
This idea came from Randy Pond. Then we expanded it, and found some willing souls that would allow themselves to be soaked. It wasn't a very warm day, even though it was supposed to be summer, and the ladies braved the water, and cool temperatures. Here are the results. Enjoy!
Continuing with the Vegreville Series. Enjoy!
A few months ago, I've cordially invited to the Vegreville Photographers circle. There is a lot of great photographers in this small town about 100km east of Edmonton. When I arrived they were already shooting. So I quietly joined in on the activities. Enjoy.
Here are some photos from the last photos session with Deb, but this time in digital. Enjoy!
I was invited the other day for a quick, impromptu photo session. Didn't have much time to think what I should take, so I took most of my gear. Better be safe (and tired) than sorry, I guess. For the fun of it, I packed my Pentax film camera with me as well. We didn't have a lot of time to shoot, since the sun was going down, but we made the most of it. The digital shots need to be processed still, but I managed to develop the film yesterday. Enjoy!
I had a wonderful experience of photographing one of the most interesting models I've ever worked with. I don't know if being Russian has anything to do with it, but the flare and energy during the shoot was quite amazing. I ended up with a lot of good shots, and picking the best to show off on the blog was not easy. So sit back, and enjoy!
Today was an interesting day of meetings. Meetings with prospective clients, meeting friends etc. Luckily I had my new tilt/shift with me, so I get more practice with that lens. Here are some results. Enjoy!
