Faces, Fashion & Figures course @ Camosun College,Lansdowne Campus, Victoria

 

I am again presenting my course on lighting and directing photography subjects, presented by Camosun's Continuing Education , Mar 23 - May 11, over 7 sessions .
The response to the previous offerings has encouraged the college to present it again.
If you're interested you can register online at camosun.ca/ce or call 250.370.3550

 

The goals of this class are two-fold. First I will work the class to get a more solid understanding of how they can each use their own portable flashes (Speedlights) in a variety of settings and situations. My experience has made it clear that even experienced working photographers have often not made effective effort to learn to use their own portable flashes. And it is usually much simpler than you can imagine. Which then allows the photographer to shoot in unlimited locations and in various light conditions.

 

The second objective of this class is to encourage the students to gain confidence & comfort communicating with their subjects. Whether shooting a wedding for a relative or a portrait for a business associate, the subject needs the photographer to tell them what to do, where to look, how they look. To encourage them, give them confidence.






 That's hard to do when the photographer still feels a need to build his/her own confidence. My models & I will be encouraging, assisting, suggesting and teasing the students to connect with the person(s) on the other side of the camera.

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Food & Beverage Workshop @ Camosun College, Sat., April 11/15

I'm offering another one day workshop on Food & Beverage Photography at Camosun College, Lansdowne Campus in Victoria, B.C., Saturday, April 11.

 

 To register go online at camosun.ca/ce or call 250.370.3550

 

 

This course seems to not be just for people with special interests in either food or photography, but clearly those interests help. I thought my previous class might fill up with the kind of people we all see taking photographs of the lunch with their phones. But that was certainly not the limit of the type of foodie/photographer that came to the workshop.

Food is pretty much a universal interest........understatement.......but it can definitely be the catalyst of many other interests and enjoyments. And photography now seems to be a likely addition.

 

 

This is pretty much a fun class where everyone can come away with some skills to add to their everyday routines. Participants don't need to be accomplished photographers or chefs. It helps if they have a reasonable understanding of how their camera works. But the tools can be pretty basic.

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Studio Lighting Workshop for the Victoria Camera Club, March 15 & 22/15

  I am working with the Victoria Camera Club  www.victoriacameraclub.org to demonstrate lighting techniques in the studio using models, both figurative and possibly, sorta fashion.        

                                                                                          

      The Victoria Camera Club is an exceptionally active and progressive group.    They have strong and effective educational programs for members, presented by members in a broad range of subjects and interests.Their weekly casual & social 'walk-about' explorations on the street, along with an exploration of a different local eatery, cultivate the social aspect of the club.                  Their monthly competitions encourage members to challenge themselves technically and creatively and strive for broader skills. They also have an annual international competition with a club from Eastwood, Scotland that provides a useful challenge and comparative perspective.

As with most non-professional camera clubs their subjects usually fall into the categories of nature, scenics, wildlife, flowers & gardens and subjects that can be at hand for the photographer who is not hiding away in the studio. So, their tendency is toward available, natural light shooting.

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Explosions of Colour

 

A local woman is establishing an import business for exceptional and exotic flowers & blossoms and contracted me to create some images for her web site & BLOG to promote the new venture. I arrived at her location to find virtual mountains of flowers in a riot of colours. Her space was jammed with huge collections in rich, saturated colours that only nature produces the best.

The delicate blossoms & petals offer the challenge to use light to define the textures and colours and illustrate the drama of their structures.

A few were white or seemingly translucent so the delicate textures become the prominent feature.

My goal was to be able to illustrate the beauty and fragile structure that was unique to each different type of blossom, but to also include the drama and impact of a larger grouping of the same flower.

Colour like this, in these quantities, just smacks you in the face. Some were so saturated they almost seemed 'tasty' and edible. 

Throughout my career I have been hugely influenced by the work of Master photographer Irving Penn. He has been a major interest in my learning and appreciation of the use of light in images. I truly feel that most photographers that light their subjects and design and control the use of light in their photographs have been influenced by Penn, whether they're aware of it, or not.

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Faces, Fashion & Figures

I have introduced a new continuing education class at Camosun College in Victoria starting Mar 5, with the same name as the title of this BLOG posting......"Faces, Fashion & Figures".

The subject will be just what that says, with an emphasis on creative approaches to lighting with the student participant's own off-camera flash.
I've done several presentations on using external flash because my experience tells me that most up-and-coming photographers, and advanced amateurs, are more intimidated by their flash than their cameras. And my experience and history with clients is as a creative and innovative lighting photographer, so I'm interested in assisting others to get a good grasp of using their own lighting tools.

The subject is the draw to keep the technical challenges interesting and applicable outside the classroom. We'll work with models for beauty shots, portraits, some fashion-type approaches and then use the figure to create some artsy-fartsy studies of light and form.

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Higher, Faster, Further...............

Over the last few months I have been working with a dynamic young woman who is making her mark in the Canadian track circuit. Jordyn Piercy is a high school student in Victoria, B.C. with long legs and big drive.

Her specialty is running hurdles and she is being noticed as the current B.C. champion in 400 meter hurdles.
Jordyn is committed to the training and routine to keep her at the front of the pack on the track.
She has recently been awarded a scholarship to study and train at Trinity Western University where she'll be working hard to compete in 60 meter hurdles, and relays in 4 X 200m, 100m, 400m, 400m hurdles.

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Mexican character

On a recent trip to the Yucatan in Mexico I spend a good deal of time enjoying the flavours of the street, as well as the flavours of Yucatecan food.

The Mexican people are warm and wonderful and it's an exciting experience to be immersed in a foreign culture, with routines and language and all the sensory teases that a vibrant community creates.

Mexico has been getting a pretty bad reputation lately, with the drug cartels scaring off travellers and people who don't really have any idea what's really going on. It is extremely unlikely that a visitor to Mexico will experience any kind of violence or problem.

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Victoria Pride Parade

I went downtown to check out the local Pride parade this past weekend. Pride parades world-wide have a reputation for being pretty outrageous, colourful and kinda tasteless, but Victoria's a pretty

 

small town, so it doesn't seem to reach the notoriety of other locations. I have heard that the Pride parade on Salt Spring Island gets the crowd involved, though.

I've been recultivating my skills at shooting street shots of people and events. If you check back a few postings on this BLOG you can see some of my people/street shots from Paris awhile back (Shooting from the Heart, or Hip, or Somewhere).                                                                                                                    

 

       So a Pride parade seemed like a prime event to get some shots of people at their most demonstrative, or colourful. But then, I prefer to shoot these kinda things in black & white.

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...as I see them. Gallery Exhibition

I have a show of my personal work hanging in Discovery Coffee www.discoverycoffee.com , on Oak Bay Avenue, in Victoria, beginning July 1 this year.
The work is a collection of details and abstracts and personal discoveries, with the primary theme of this show being images inspired by the tea and coffee culture that has become so prevalent in all of our lives.

My commercial work has me mainly fulfilling the needs of clients for their advertising campaigns, or for corporate or editorial images with a purpose or direction. But they're usually driven by the needs and imaginations of art directors or marketing programs.

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Campaign shoot for the United Way of Greater Victoria

I've been doing photography for the United Way of Greater Victoria for almost 20 years.

As well as their corporate shots of board members, volunteers, youth groups, etc., I've been shooting the images for their major annual fundraising campaigns.

The United Way http://uwgc.ca is the largest fund-raising charity in my community, and most others across Canada, and they provide funding for almost 50 local agencies and support groups.

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Cowgirl Pin-Up Shoot

With the renewed popularity in burlesque and pin-up art and photographs I recently created a pin-up shot with the assistance of a local model, Jessica.

Jessica had the right look for the cute and innocent feel of a pin-up, with the implied sexiness that gives these images their campy appeal.

I decided on a 'Cowgirl' theme, complete with sixguns, cowboy(girl) hat, boots and chaps. Jessica had most of the props in her own closet, including the vest, neck scarf and Sheriff's badge. Propping can be key in shots where there is no set or location, and pin-ups are all designed with a minimal, white background.

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For The Love of Music

One of my students recently connected me with a woman who has some very unique body art.
Because I have done quite a bit of figure photography and because I'm interested in expressive and creative people, my student felt I might find an opportunity to combine those interests in one shoot.

Karen lost her father to cancer in 2006 and felt a desire to honour him in some special way. She and he both loved music, so Karen found the sheet music for her father's favourite tune.........."Somewhere Over The Rainbow, It's a Wonderful World", and had the music tattooed over her entire body.

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Don't Fear The Flash

For those of you who weren't at the recent Photographers At Painters Lodge/ April Point Lodge you definitely missed out on a full, informative and fun weekend of photography oriented events.

My presentation was on the use of your on and off-camera flash. This is a tool that I feel may photographers often avoid making good use of due to a lack of comfort level. Flashes have become as intricate and computerized as our cameras. But they don't need to scare you away from using them.

For those using small 'happy-snap' cameras your ability to have control over various settings can limit how useful the flash can be for you. It must be remembered that when you use direct flash that the light strength falls off radically within several feet. This usually results in a flatly lit subject isolated in what appears to be a large, black, empty nothingness.

Some smaller pocket cameras have a Nighttime setting, or a Low-Light setting which is, in effect, using a slower shutter speed to record some of the ambient light along with the flash lit subject. Steady hands or a tri-pod are often required to assist in these shots.

Sometimes having the longer exposure has creative results in what is known as Dragging The Shutter, where you can make use of the long exposure to imply movement or action in the shot. I'll explain that a little further on.
 

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Photo Contest for Photographers at April Point

So, before I add too much confusion, I want to clear up that the Photographer At Painters event coming up May 4th, 5th, and 6th this year is actually gonna happen across the water from Painters Lodge at their sister resort on Quadra Island, called April Point Lodge.

I mentioned this weekend a couple of blogs back. We've been presenting this event to photographers of various levels of knowledge and expertise for 7 years now. It is a weekend of seminars, lectures, panel discussion and portfolio critiques put on by about a dozen of the most prominant photographers on the West Coast. Myself included, he said modestly. www.painterslodge.com/lodge/events/photographer-at-painters

The lodge offers a package deal of room, breakfasts, a wine & cheese schmooze and all the photography presentations for the weekend for a very reasonable rate.

Leading up to the weekend is a Facebook photography contest  www.facebook.com/aprilpoint to let some of us who are presenting, as well as many of those who are interested or planning on attending, see the work and talents of photographers interested in participating in the weekend. The presenters judge the submissions weekly, and a winner is chosen to receive their whole weekend package for the event..........FOR FREE!!!!!

So dig out your favourite creative and wonderful shots and share them with us. Then join us in May for a fun, informative, busy and creative weekend.
And they've got an AVEDA spa as well as a sushi bar!!!

Shooting From The Heart, Or the Hip, or Somewhere

On my trip to France last May I was taken along to provide some photography advice and suggestions and possibly some direction for the travellers in the group. The design of the trip was quite casual. Gery from STI Canada  http://www.sticanada.com/ , who orgainized the tour, was pretty clear in his direction to me that the goal was to keep this fun and informative, and not like school with assignments and 'homework'. I was there to assist his clients in getting something extra from his excursions.
So days in Paris were often spent simply roaming and exploring places to get lost in that wonderful city.
It also gave me some opportunity to do some creative photography for myself and expand my own creative boundries. In fact, I reverted to some of my earliest days learning photography back in art school.

When photographers are first developing their understanding of the tools and have limited resources and experience, especially with giving direction to talent or models or subjects willing to pose for them, they often take to the streets to capture the action of everyday life and everyday people around them. I did a lot of that and enjoyed photographing people in all their quirky best. People watching is one of the most enjoyable past-times at any time, but in a city with a moving feast for the eyes, it is exciting.

So, I reverted to my early days of shooting casually with my camera in my hand, or hanging on its strap around my neck, to minimize my obvious intrusion into the vision of my subjects.

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Travel Photography #1

In two previous posts on this blog, I've filled you in a bit on the tours that I was involved with for Gery at Special Travel International http://www.sticanada.com/  While they've been very enjoyable experiences, my role was to be of assistance to the travellers that are along enjoying all that Gery has organized.
It's not excatly tough work. It's about being helpful and understanding what their potential photographic needs are. Because quite often they don't know. And I've been a professional photographer for er...........too many years.

Most people buy a new camera and don't really get too far into reading their manuals. That's their first mistake. Most cameras today are really little computers. They're not as complicateed as your computer, but taking a bit of time to read the manual will assist the owner in getting a lot more out of the camera they likely paid several hundred dollars to buy. So, sit down for an hour or two with your new toy in your lap and read the manual.

The camera brand you buy isn't relevant, except that there are some that are better manufacturers than others..........in my opinion. It's more about the accessories or settings that the cameras offer. Ask questions of people who have bought cameras, or really challenge the people whose job it is to sell you the camera and take your money.

A lot of the time the settings on the different brands can be labelled differently or have unique icons that will  add to your confusion, but really do similar functions.

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Photographers at Painters.........kinda

The seventh annual Photographers at Painters www.painterslodge.com/lodge/events/photographer-at-painters event is happening this year at............April Point Lodge!?!?!?!?!  http://www.aprilpoint.com/
The lectures and presentations this year will be presented at the Painters Lodge 'sister' resort and Spa , right across  the straight, on Quadra Island, May 4, 5, 6.
Painters Lodge  http://www.painterslodge.com/ /April Point Lodge & Spa, in Campbell River, B.C., offers a package that includes two nights accommodation, two brunches, a wine & cheese 'schmooze' with all the participating presenters, along with two full days of lectures, presentaions & discussions by a group of Western Canada's most prominant photographers.

The returning group of presenters includes Mitch Stringer, Sean White, Steven Friedman, Janet Dwyer, Sharon Milstein, Deddeda Stemler, Christina Craft, Tony Bounsall, Dave Montizambert and myself. 

Each photographer is presenting a separate topic to give the audience a range of subject matters to choose from. This year my topic is "Don't Fear the Flash". I'll be talking about how learning to get more from your flash will give you more creative freedom. 

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I'm a Dancing Fool

In June of 2010 I had my first of two knee replacements, with the second being done Christmas week that same year. Six months apart and they have been  a lifesaving blessing.
I work on my feet a lot. I carry photography and lighting equipment from my car to locations as varied as an industrial manufacturer's warehouse or a corporate board room. And my knees have taken a good beating.

I've been doing this a long time, and long before my knees started wearing out for me I was smart and bought a good solid equipment dolly. I have always been a huge proponent of treating myself well on the job. I teach that to my inexperienced students, as well. "Take care of yourself, treat your body like it's important to you and it will work a lot longer for you". Most of my students figure they're never going to get parts that quit.

And I shouldn't have either. A big part of it is that I come from a crappy  gene pool.

So, I've had my knees done and taken advantage of a technology that is space aged. The parts they put into my knees are as high quality and as currently designed as there is available. And the Canadian medical system (here's my political statement that has no political intentions) has made it all happen with ease and efficiency. It's opportunites like this that make me wonder why the whiners in the United States think our system doesn't work and they're fighting so hard to remain one of the few countries in the world that are demanding to remain so backwards. (I guess that was actually my REAL political statement).

Because photographers often become the eyes of the public by getting into places that are inaccessable to 'Joe Public', I decided to take the opportunity to see what went on in the OR when I was floating around in a drug-induced TransWorld flight.
Photographing a surgery in the OR is not taken lightly as a regular tourist photo 'op'. I had to see if my surgeon, Dr. Charles Nelson was interested in allowing me to observe and shoot. I had to satisfy more than a few levels of beaurocracy and medical administration. I had to get written consent from Dr. Nelson's patient, who was not even vaguely identifiable, but hey, it's her knee. The OR manager and the scrub nurses working that day were all co-operative and supportive. And after about 9 months of pushing it all came together a few days after the anniversary of my second knee replacement.

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i2i show

The instructors at the Western Academy of Photography http://www.westernacademyofphotography.com/ , including myself, are presenting a group show of our personal work.
This gives us the opportunity to show our students that we, in fact, are creative and can do work that is not always client initiated and driven by a commercial purpose.

There are 12 participants including................Seth Berkowitz, Tony Bounsall, myself, Jess Hlady, Samantha King, Andrea Kucherawy, Harrison Lansing, Arnold Lim, Felicity Perryman, Mitch Stringer, Alice Young, and Terry Zlot.

The work being shown is primarily work that we have each chosen to represent our own personal perspectives and interests.

The show will be hanging at Dales Gallery http://www.dalesgallery.ca/ at 537 Fisgard St., in Chinatown, Victoria, B.C. from February 9 to 23, 2012. The opening reception is on the opening day....Feb 9 from 6 to 8:30, and will include refreshments.

Any questions, please drop me an email.

Art & architecture in Paris

Paris is the #1 travel destination in the world. If you've ever been there, or have a desire to visit there, you get it.

On the Art Appreciation Tour in May of 2011 that was designed by Special Travel International http://www.sticanada.com/ we had lots of opportunities as part of the travel 'package', or on our own to explore and get lost in the wonderful little streets of Paris.

My wife & I arrived in Paris at Gare du Nord several days before the scheduled tour was to begin, so we had some time to retrace steps of previous  trips, and get lost in some totally new corners, for us.

The train stations in Paris, and in Europe in general, are much more dramatic and interesting places than they are in North America. There are several just in Paris, and they are all quite distinctive. Good places to photograph people, action, and light. There aren't really many 'new' corners in Paris, but there are always new places for you to 'discover' in a city like Paris.

Our little hotel was the Hotel Chopin, so named 'cause Chopin lived there for awhile. Tiny, unpretentious rooms with a breakfast room full of character......and characters. It's only a ** hotel, but its texture, personality and location made it perfect for us. I have often found that the larger, newer, more upscale hotels aren't as interesting or fun to stay in. although the character hotels can be a little less polished and have fewer 'comforts'. 

The Hotel Chopin is located in one of the covered passages that remain a bit hidden away in various parts of Paris. The covered 'mall' shopping experience was developed in Paris in the early 1800s, to allow people to get away from the muddy and horse-filled streets and shop out of the weather. There are only 20 or 30 of these remaining, but they are unique little places to shop or have a latte if the weather turns.  

They all have glass roofs and many have the original tiled floors dating from the 1800s.

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