It's the last few weeks of the course I'm in right now and crunch time so I've been pretty busy shooting, editing and printing. We've been doing lots of portraits in the studio and I've been loving it. It's a challenge, but it's so rewarding to shoot people because they can give you feedback and they really appreciate it when you make them look good! This particular shoot was very demanding. At one point there was 5 of them, including 2 kids, and it was a lot to manage, but I think I got a few good shots!
Thanks Rick for bringing in your beautiful family! It's great to work with you!
More from the studio to come!
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2:24 PM
I'm currently working on a catalogue and promotional material for a new outdoor furniture company. So far I have done a first round of shooting and will have to go back to shoot some of the newer pieces.

The artist/craftsman is Ben Laughlin. He's an OCAD graduate and has worked in the construction, and has managed to combine art and building into these incredible outdoor pieces. Each one is totally unique. He does custom work and refinishing too.

He is having an open house on June 26, 2010, on Sand Lake near Godfrey, Ontario. Those who are interested, feel free to message me for details and directions.

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3:07 PM
Even though winter was short this year, it was still long enough to make me forget how awesome warm weather is. It seems this happens every year...every time spring rolls around I think I should take off to somewhere with a little more...heat. Don't get me wrong; winter is good too. It could just be a little....shorter!
I decided that I need to come up with a new name for this blog, cuz the current one is kinda boring.
I'll hopefully be posting a few shots from my lighting class night shoot last night. We've had 5 classes so far, and my teacher has generally looked at my pictures with a little bit of a perplexed look on his face and said things such as, "you have a very creative mind," "hmm...that's interesting," and "don't let anybody rain on your parade...I like how you explore things and you should go with it." I'm interpreting this as "you're cuckoo." Hmmm....
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1:01 PM
a couple of shots I took for the last TC challenge. had some fun with this one!
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10:34 PM
Every year it's a struggle to get a great, really unique shot at Ottawa's annual tulip festival. At a cetrain point, after thousands and thousands of tulips, they all start to look the same. here's my effort this year. i'm pretty pleased. the petals of this tulip had already started to fall off, leaving a view of the insides that is a little different from the usual "from the top" angle.
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9:00 PM
I've been meaning for some time now to try HDR photography. It seemed to be a little more work than it's worth, and I had mixed feelings about it. Well, I tried it out, and it's not difficult at all. And I am convinced that there are some situations where it really is advantageous....as long as you don't get carried away. I tried to keep them realistic looking. I didn't use a tripod for these, but will next time! Curious to know what your thoughts are....
This third image (taken near the Lincoln Fields bus station) is not an HDR, but I took it today and it makes me happy.
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12:52 AM

Today I had the pleasure of attending a vernissage in Almonte that one of my fellow TC Photo Clubbers, Bob Boisvert (or as I know him, Captain Bob) participated in. Exhibiting is a significant achievement for any artist and the vernissage is a great way to celebrate all the hard work that goes into it and talk to the artists about their work. The work was all stunning and the venue was also beautiful. I was inspired to shoot afterwards and Almonte was a perfect setting.

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9:30 PM
I have been neglecting my photoblog for almost a month (!) now, mainly because I have been pre-occupied with another project. Today I finally got around to scanning some of my old 35 mm work. It's been tucked away for years and it's nice to pull it out again!
Ralph...I miss him!
We come from space.
Thinking about bringing out the 35 mm again for fun!
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1:15 PM
While fluorescent lights are the bane of my existence at work, these dandies were delightful (seen at Montreal's Nuit Blanche, February 27, 2010 at the Palais des Congres). Now wouldn't the world be a much better place if all fluorescent lights were multi-coloured? I think so.
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9:58 PM
Spring seems to have arrived early, along with the birds! This pretty pair visited my yard last week. The picture is not that great (I still haven't sprung for the telephoto) and it's through my second-floor living room window, but I was pretty excited! Saturday was glorious and a little birdwatching was in order (clearly, I can't take credit for the picture below!)
Another eventful moment of the day was seeing a flock of 10 wild turkeys on the side of the road. I'll spare you that picture since they aren't the most attractive birds (ok, and the picture was kind of boring)! On top of that, look who said hello on the way home...
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7:21 PM
This is my favourite stuff to shoot: things that don't look like a whole lot of much.
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6:41 PM
This past week, I was photographing fairies at work. For those of you who don't know, here is a little history:
"The Executive Correspondence Unit (affectionately known as XMSC) has caught Olympic fever. A couple of the Unit’s Olympic addicts, Erin-Ann Pantalone and Christine O’Connor, got the ball (or the puck) rolling when they suggested that everyone wear red or Olympic gear to celebrate opening day on Friday, February 12. They then surveyed the office to see what everyone’s favourite Olympic sport was. Things really grew to Olympic proportions when someone suggested that the XMSC fairies should be geared up for the Games. Vanessa Laurin,one of the Unit’s English writers is creativity personified. She crafted the fairies back in December—each representing one of the Unit’s employees. These were done out of paper scraps and pipe cleaners to hang on the XMSC Christmas tree. Knowing that the XMSC Olympics were gaining momentum (and building morale), Vanessa set to work…on her own time…sewing tiny red jerseys for the team. She also created all kinds of Olympic paraphernalia—everything from tiny skates and skis to stadium-style benches for the fairy participants to sit on while waiting their turn at events or cheering on their colleagues. Here’s hoping that the athletes representing Canada in Vancouver will somehow benefit from a sprinkling of fairy dust too!"
There are 2 aspiring photogs in XMSC so I was designated "Event photographer" for the Opening Ceremonies. I also did all of the portraits of the athletes. You can see my photos in these 2 albums:
You can also become a fan of the fairies on Facebook! They have their own fan page here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Slightly-Creepy-Fairies/295991593007
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12:24 PM
These are shots that I took last year in Europe, on my old camera. I love how night shots make everything look so magical (I mean, it kind of was magical, and the pictures reflect it!)
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8:18 PM
Here's a tribute to the sexiest instrument out there--the acoustic guitar. It's been a few years since I got this one. I figure, if I'm not going to play it (one day I will learn...), at least I can photograph it...
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8:18 PM
Last night was the opening celebrations of Winterlude. I wasn't even planning on going, but I'm so glad I did! I have got to say, these were the BEST fireworks I have ever seen in Ottawa. There was tons of stuff going on at the Museum of Civilization, and after the fireworks there was a DJ spinning outside in a bubble. Yes, it was pretty darn cold, but still lots of fun!
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7:06 PM
update: just getting around to putting up a few more pics of Nadia...As you can see, Oliver jumped in on the fun (as always!) Nadia came to visit me this weekend from Montreal, so I took the chance to get her in front of the camera and have a fun shoot! I'm still working on some of the images, but here is a little preview!
(isn't she gorgeous???!!!)
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10:57 PM
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