Family Shoot...

I had a quick but fun shoot today with a wonderful family who also happen to be good friends of Jen and I. This shoot had been in the planning for a few months but schedule conflicts kept pushing it back. We finally were able to get it in today and the weather was darn near perfect considering how cold Calgary winter's can be.

I had gone out the day before to scout out the location and check the lighting for the time of day we had scheduled for the shoot. The preparation was great but today didn't quite go as planned. We got a bit of a late start because the little guy wasn't feeling one hundred percent so he had slept a bit later than normal. Arriving at the location nearly an hour late the light had already vacated the area where I did test shots the day before. Fortunately I chose a location with lots of great spots to choose from so a quick drive but us back in the light.

The sun was just beginning to set and the light was gorgeous. Although there was a bit of chill in the air, there was no wind and the sun made it feel warmer than it probably was at the time. With the poor little fellow feeling a bit under the weather getting him to smile was a challenge and he tired out really quick. The neat thing about kids is when they're done, they're done and they let you know really quick that it's time to quit.

Luckily we were able to get a bunch of wonderful shots before the light left us for good and this was one of my favourites from the session.



Keep shooting.

NYC + 50mm

My partner Jen and I recently spent a week in New York City. It was her birthday gift to me earlier this year. Although we have only been there once before it is one of our favourite places. There is just so much to see and the city has an amazing energy.

Whenever we travel we try to pack a light as possible, it just seems to make everything about travel that much easier. The same thing applies to my photography kit - pack as light as possible. My “normal” kit usually includes two lenses and those two lenses are typically my 70-200mm f/2.8L and my 24-105mm f/4.0L. They make a great team, handling most every situation with ease. For this trip though I wanted to pack even lighter so I brought only one lens, my 50mm f/1.4. For the price this lens can't be beat. It's sharp, it's fast, it's light and inconspicuous. The downside is you're stuck with one focal length and that means you zoom with your feet and you are forced to be more creative with your shots.

Sticking to just one lens is exactly what I needed. I wanted to force myself to think more, to be more creative and to break away from my typical shots. There were times that I really regretted not having another lens *cough* space shuttle *cough* but the objective was to be forced out of my comfort zone and look for more creative captures and this was just the ticket.

Keep shooting.

Blue Hour in the City

Making pictures in the city after the sun goes down is one of my photography favourites. I went out on Friday night to see if I could get a picture of something I saw the night before on my way to hockey. I came pretty close.

On Thursday night I was just pulling out of downtown, heading south, just after sunset and looked back to see the downtown towers glowing as they bathed in this gorgeous, warm light. The warm light was also illuminating the newly constructed CTrain platform just west of the core. And, best of all, dark clouds hung over the core, increasing the colour and saturation of the light and providing this amazing contrast. I wanted that picture.

On Friday night I set out to get the shot. The light was close but not as good as the night before and my location was OK but not quite the vantage point I had the previous night. Still though, it was decent light and a pretty good shot.



The best part is there will be many, many more opportunities to find a better spot and that perfect light.

Keep shooting.

I Love Bikes!

Have I mentioned that before? That I love bikes? I am sure I have, heck, I probably have another post with the same title somewhere in the archives.

I really do love bikes. Not just any bike though, it's the vintage looking ones that I really dig. The ones that look like they have been ridden for 30, 40, maybe 50 years and have faithfully carried their owners through it all.

The problem with shooting bikes on the streets is that they are usually surrounded by a whole bunch of elements that I don't want in the frame. The challenge is to capture as much as the bike as possible while leaving out the undesirable elements. Sometimes that means making shots like this.



Even though I am shooting right through a bike rack the frame still captures the essence of a cool ride bathed in late day light. And, really, that is all I'm after. Capturing these two wheeled beauties in their natural element.

Keep shooting.

Back on the Street...

It's been a long while but tonight I got back out on the streets of downtown Calgary for some night shots. I really love shooting in the city at night, it is one of my favourite photographic activities.

When I hit the streets I had a few targets in mind but I didn't get two blocks from my home before I found something interesting to shoot.



I love bikes, especially old, vintage looking ones and this one was perfect. It wasn't in the optimum spot though. There were a lot of elements in the scene I didn't care for and I did what I could to frame them out of the picture. I used a single flash just out of the frame on camera right to rake some light across the front.

Less than a block from the bike I found another scene I liked.



It was good to be back on the street.

Keep shooting.

On Camera Flash = Good Picture? Really?

Looks like a pretty good shot, no? Pretty nice light, certainly not at all harsh. A fairly hard shadow underneath noses and chins but nothing too crazy. It doesn't seem like something that could be done with on camera flash but it was.

It was our last night of our Okanagan camping vacation and Jen and I were enjoying an absolutely beautiful late summer evening down by the lake. The sun was setting and the light was incredible. I never seem to remember just how quickly a sunset fades until I'm trying to make a picture. Sunset's move fast. Really fast. I set up my gear as fast as I could but I almost entirely missed the amazing red light that was washing over the sand and the water.

The set up for the shot was really simple. Camera on a tripod with a 580EX II flash in the hot shoe. PocketWizard with a shutter release cable connected to the camera and a PocketWizard in my hand. Focus on Jen, tell her not to move and switch the camera to manual focus. Adjust the exposure, take a few test shots and then step in to the picture and push the button on the PocketWizard in my hand.

My secret ingredient for better light with on camera flash? The Lastolite Ezybox Speed-lite. This little puppy is very well constructed (like most everything Lastolite) and it pumps out really good light. Even when you punch the light straight at your subject like I did, it still manages to make it look like you didn't. And, because it's small, it takes up next to no room in your pack and you can use it for even more exciting stuff like the shot below.



The Ezybox Speed-Lite comes with two layers of diffusion to make the light extra creamy. In most cases, including the shot at the top, I only used the outer most diffusion layer. I did so to put less stress on my flash as I was shooting at f/8 and I had a 1/4 CTO gel on the flash head, which also eats about 1/2 stop of light.

The Ezybox Speed-Lite has become my favourite, new light modifier. Check it out and keep shooting.

A Handsome Fella...

I took some quick shots of my Canon 40D today. Nothing too fancy, just a bit of light from behind and a bit from the side. I needed these shots because I am going to be selling my trusty 40D, which has served me faithfully for nearly four years.

I picked up the 40D in late 2008. It was my second DSLR. My first was a Canon Rebel XTi. The 40D was my first prosumer camera and it was an amazing beast. It was built like a tank, it was pretty speedy (at the time), focus was great and best of all it took fantastic pictures.

Me and my 40D made a lot of pictures together until my 5D Mark II came along about a year and a half later. Once I got the 5D, the 40D was relegated to backup and saw little to no action. Occasionally, I would take it along to events so I could shoot with two different lenses without swapping but those events were rare. Regardless of its infrequent use, the 40D never let me down - not once, not ever.

Sadly, for the 40D anyhow, there is a new kid on the block, the 5D Mark III, so the 40D's time as backup is over. My 5D Mark II will take over the backup role now. I really am sad to sell the 40D it really was a great camera and a really handsome fella too.



Keep shooting.