By Dawn's Early Light

It's the middle of February and although we have been having a very mild winter and we shouldn't really be complaining ... I started to think back to a few years ago when I was in Jamaica at the Riu resort in Negril.  Aside from the perfect weather and the gorgeous grounds on the resort, I remember how wonderful it was to walk around with my camera in the morning while everyone else was asleep.  The subtle light in the early dawn, the saturated colors, being at the right location, having the right mindset ... all the pieces were falling into place for taking beautiful pictures.  Here inside the resort you can see the fabulous colors that the dawn offers.  While the ambient lighting is bathed in shades of gold and rose, the sky is a beautiful and calming blue.  Strolling along the resort I found that even objects that were otherwise photographically unstriking were transformed in the sunrise.  While everyone else was sleeping, there were things happening at this early hour that most were unaware of.  Someday I hope to go back to Negril, not so much for the sun and sand, but for the beauty of the dawn.

Happy Feet

After her wedding dress and ring, the bride's shoes have got to be one of the most photographed details the  bride owns.  I believe this has something to do with women's love of shoes.  This obsession seems to date back long before high heels and exotic brand names.  Buying and owning shoes seems to have some kind of supernatural effect on women, mood-altering (in a good way).  It's like the brain receives an onslaught of dopamine with every shoe added to the collection (yes, I believe that shoes are like a collector's item for women).  Unlike some other items in a women's wardrobe, shoes are very practical.  They can be worn many times (within the same week), they usually make a woman look more attractive, and I'm sure the right pair can make a woman feel like Cinderella.  With the multiple variety of colors, styles, heel heights, straps, flowers, flats, mules, etc., it's no wonder woman have so many pairs.  Curiously, I don't think the primary purpose of women's shoes is for attracting men. If it is, I think it's kind of a waste.  As far as I know, most men would be happy to meet a woman in an old pair of sneakers.  Don't get me wrong, we looove women in high heels and stilettos, but heck, let's face it - most men would be happy if a woman just gave them the time of day ! and if nothing else comes out of it, well, at least we know there is dignity in de feet.

(courtesty of Pinterest)

(My attempt at capturing this beloved art detail)

Winter Re-Treat

I was quite surprised to receive a call for a couple interested in an engagement shoot - in February ?  Remember - this is Canada, GTA area, and it's usually freeeeezing in February.  Before I could respond I found out that they wanted their session done at Cobourg beach - an hour east of Toronto, which makes it a 2 hour commute for me coming from Brampton.  I thought for a bit and considered - it has been an unusually mild winter, I don't really have anything important to do that day ... and I kind of need all the experience I can get, so I agreed to come out and do the shoot ...

  I met Christine and Stephen at the board walk by the beach.  They were very excited about their shoot.  I immediately felt their enthusiasm and started to get excited myself.  Eager to please, they were willing to do just about anything I'd ask to get the shots I wanted, which made me more eager to get shots that would please them (love the way how that works).
Needless to say we all had a great time and it was well worth the drive to Coubourg, which turned out to be quite a lovely town after all.  I would defnitely consider another engagement shoot there again ... heck, maybe one day I might consider moving out there altogether !!

  

Dream Job

If you could combine all the things you love to do together and get paid a handsome salary for doing it, what would you call it - the ultimate dream job !  A few weeks ago we were treated to an informative session with a gifted wedding photographer, Krista Fox (http://www.vervephotoco.com/index2.php).  Krista specializes in destination wedding photography.  Krista shared with us some of the intricacies of destination wedding photography, the good and the (believe it or not) bad.  Of course if you are reading this you are probably already in love with photography and if you love to travel as well, than you will probably be interested in doing a destination wedding.  There are many rewards to this type of photography and Krista was kind enough to share some of her experiences and images with us.  Now you might be wondering, "what could possibly be bad about jet-setting across the globe taking pictures of beautiful people during one of the most joyous celebrations they will probably throw in their whole entire lives ...", and you would definitely be justified in pondering such a deep, philosophical, question, but one such 'bad' would have to be one of the common pet peeves of the frequent flyers - airport lines and waiting times and searches and logistics and bureaucracy and ... well, you get the point.  All in all, despite the minor nuisances at the airport, destination weddings are definitely something all wedding photographer's should consider, and Krista is definitely someone you would want to be as your mentor.

Elizabeth & Tyler

Recently we were treated to an informative session with some very talented photographer's Elizabeth and Tyler.  Elizabeth infuses her passion for fashion into her photography and it really enhances all her images.  She is a great wedding photographer and has been published in famous wedding photography magazines, you should check her out at her website:  http://www.elizabethinlove.com/

What I really admired about Elizabeth was her passion for what she does.  I have to admit, as a guy, some things are just a little more challenging for me to 'fall in love' with - like, women's shoes or jewellery.  Adorned and flaunted they are beautiful to photograph, but send me out to scout for them - I think I'd rather watch grass grow.  Elizabeth loves fashion, she is very trendy and hip as well.  All of these personality traits come shining through in each and every image she captures.  Her style is very dreamy, light, romantic.  She spoke much about her dream to be a fashion photographer which eventually led her to wedding photography.  It was very interesting listening to her and although our styles are different, I really appreciated hearing from her and learning from her what seemed to be so foreign and alien to me.

Tyler is also a very gifted wedding photograper, his images are extraordinary.  He comes from a technical background but takes great wedding pictures.  Please check out his website at:  http://tylerjamesphoto.com/

Tyler shared some really good insight with us on the business side of wedding photography.  His comments were very helpful and interesting.  I really appreciated the way he talked about building a relationship with your clients, and being personable and friendly.  It was also inspiring to hear him talk about how photographer's should not cave in to lowballers, and to stick with their price if that's how much they feel their worth.  I also feel like he spoke to me directly when he cautioned about spending too much money on gear - I am a big time gear head and have spent waaaaay too much on gear !

Basic 4 Point Lighting

Michael is a financial advisor with a very bright future ahead of him and he wanted some portraits to use for business purposes.  Portraiture is one of my favourite areas of photography (actually, probably my absolute favourite), so naturally I was more than happy to help him.  The first thing I did was ask him what it was he wanted.  Michael told me he wanted something very traditional.  So I decided to start with one of the most basic portraitures you can do, the 4 point lighting system.  Here is the setup:  (1)  My main light was placed at a 45 degree angle to the camera pointing down.  (2)  My fill light was placed behind the camera at 2 stops below the main.  (3)  My hair light was placed at the same side as my main light behind Michael pointing down and metered to match the fill light.  (4)  My background light was placed behind Michael at about the same f-stop as the fill and hair light.  I think I got some nice directional light on Michael with a classic loop lighting pattern on his face.  Easy and quick to do with minimal equipment.

Wide Eyed

For the last few years I have been playing around with mid-range zoom lenses.  I first had a crop-sensor Nikon 17-55 f/2.8 lens that I changed to a 24-70 f/2.8 lens when I upgraded to a full-frame camera.  Now these are great lenses and produce outstanding images, and all was good and well ... until one day ... I decided to pull out my 50mm f/1.4 lens when I needed a faster lens and some additional bokeh.  Now my 'nifty fifty' usually stayed quietly on the sidelines during a shoot while the mid-range zooms carried on doing their thing, but then I noticed something ... something about these prime images were different and I can't really put my finger on it.  Like my beloved 85mm f/1.4 and my 105mm f/2.8 macro lens, I just love the look that only a prime can give.  It is something intangible that you just have to see to know what I'm talking about.  So I started using my 50 more and more, to the point now where the majority of the images I shoot are with my 50mm.  Now this brings me to the main topic of this post, I decided that I loved the primes so much that I sold my 24-70 and decided I could replace the range with an additional wide angle prime to compliment my 50, 85, and 105 prime lenses.  Enter one of Nikon's newest lenses, the 24mm f/1.4.  There are a lot of reviews online about this lens and how unbelievably amazing it is - but I am not normally a landscape shooter or a wide angle lens user, so I can not say much about it except that wide open you can get some very interesting images.  That's it, that's all I can say for now.  I know, it's not much, but I have high hopes for this lens and hopefully it will open up my eyes to the beauty of wide angle shooting.

Pearls of Wisdom

What could go better than a set of pearls in the shape of a heart draped over a computer science text book ?  What do the two have in common you ask ?  Well both are just simply beautiful and can be considered art forms - yes, computer science can be considered an artform or, at a minimum, a creative activity.  You see, like the pearls, computer science possesses truth and both have a cold, austere beauty to them.  Why is this pearl beautiful, or why is computer science beautiful ?  If you still can't see why, no one can tell you why, for if they aren't beautiful, nothing is ... ok, so much for the philosophy lesson, bottom line is I like the way this looks :) - Original image from Pinterest below:

Liz and Alex's Elegant Wedding Colours

Super sweet and newly engaged couple Liz and Alex are all excited about their upcoming wedding.  They are planning on having a winter wedding in the very charming brick-lined streets and vibrantly restored Distillery District.  They wanted to come up with a colour scheme that suited their earthy, wholesome, friendly, and well, just simply elegant theme for their wedding.  I came across these drapes and the earthy tones and simplicity of the design struck me as something that Liz and Alex would appreciate.  I think it would make a great backdrop for some engagement shots or their formal wedding pictures.  The colours will match perfectly with their vision of a charming and elegant wedding.

Mom's 60th Birthday

Recently I was given the task of photographing my mom's 60th birthday as well as being a guest.  Initially my mom didn't want me to shoot her party, she just wanted me to relax and enjoy the evening.  I told her that for me, taking pictures in a stress free environment where I can just shoot whatever I want and there are no real expectations, would be a fantastic opportunity.  My family also has very few pictures from events and gatherings over the years.  So this seemed like a great opportunity to start scrap booking.  In the end I really had a great time, being with my family, some of whom I haven't seen in years, and taking pictures for everyone to enjoy for years to come.