ellipsis…

over at Burns Auto Parts Blog, Leslie put together the 10 Commandments that photographers should follow. it’s a great list of things that all of us photogs should be reminded of. check it out.

http://www.burnsautoparts.com/blog/2008/07/22/10_photographer_commandments/

i’m in the process of trying to meet with as many creative directors, art directors, photo editors, and art buyers as i can. so if you are one of those people and you like my work, give me a shout, i would love to meet with you! it’s a bit of a learning curve for me, since it’s the first time i’ve really put my work on the line.

had a book viewing today, and the CD asked me “what i like to shoot?”… what i like to shoot?!…. to be completely honest, i stuttered a bit. the question has never been posed to me, and i’ve really never thought about it. i know what i shoot; weddings, artists, beautiful women, travel. the question, what do you like to shoot?, is deeper than first thought. i don’t really think it has to do with the subject matter, but more to do with the process of how i shoot. i could probably shoot any subject matter, as long as it worked within the process of how i shoot. in my personal arsenal of work, i’ve shot everything from babies to houses. the funny thing is that the houses are shot in the same style as the crying, peeing, puking babies.

so does the subject matter really matter? i have my preferences. beautiful, sexy, well styled women tops the list. maybe that’s why i shoot weddings, LOL, for the brides! i’ve been blessed with very gorgeous (some would even say HOT) brides in my career so far. if i think really hard, my subject is some form life/living… sort of.. let me explain. not that i’m a reportage photographer, but more of how i see or manipulate things within life to photograph. the closest mass-market category i could fit in is some sort of editorial. my photographs are highly based on how a subjects fits into a location. how comfortable, or uncomfortable they are. if there is juxtaposition. there is also a sense of natural instinct, life/living, as well. if i’m directing subjects, i tend to only direct them so far. Leaving the last couple of moments, before the shutter goes, for the subjects to just be. sometime it backfires, and the subjects just gets really awkward. though there are times where those pictures works the best. back when i was in school, i read a quote in the front of a photography collection, it said, “my greatest hope is that my subjects know that they are most beautiful when they are themselves.” so in some fashion, i photograph life or living… in my own self-manipulated way. as my good friend shiv says, a sense of travel and glamour mixed together. an odd mix, yes. does it actually describe my work, yes. LOL, more on that when my bio launches on my site.

wow, i just read over all of that. a whole lot of random thoughts. i’m not overly sure if it makes sense to anyone. and i’m not even sure if i answered the question. what do i like to shoot?……

shot my first wedding with my D3 last weekend. the results are pretty amazing! it’s an odd feeling shooting with a full-frame camera again. things look… well.. right. i know people are going to yap at me about DX vs FX, but really full-frame images just look proper. the DOF is what it’s suppose to look like at the actual focal length. until now i’ve been shooting DX or 6×7. yeah, a bit of an extreme. anyways, the images look great. it’s nice to shoot a camera that is sharp right off the sensor (the D200 is soft soft soft). and colors seems to be a bit better. all that really means is that there is less post! WOO HOO!!!!

tash is a friend of mine, and i have to admit that she and her man sean had the most beautiful wedding party ever! The OC here we come!!! she also kept posing for me all day too! so much fun!

let’s see. a couple of engagement shoots, a wedding, a retarded camera, a cycle race, and a new camera… all adds up to a little bit of fun.

the engagement shoots were a great warm up to my wedding season. they are infinitely more relaxed, though you still have to somehow pull the uber-romantic side of the couple out. and when you’re sticking a fat lens in their faces, romance tends to be the last thing they want to do. usually makes for a interesting afternoon.

shot my first wedding of the season last weekend. the bridal party was tons of fun. Donna, the bride, even had coffee delivered at the salon for me (well… not just me, i’m not that special). my D200 decided to start to act up at the salon. all of a sudden the dead battery indicator would show up, and my camera would stop functioning. switch off. switch on. and it would work again. retarded camera! by the time the ceremony came around, it started to become more frequent. switch off. switch on. by that point, i was trying to figure out what the hell is goin on. took out the batteries, wiggled the grip around. no idea. luckily, i made it through the afternoon with only one or two mishaps. the reception was the nail in the coffin. by the end of the night, my camera would stay on for only 15 minutes or so before the turning up dead. not even that, a couple of my images were coming up 4 to 5EV under exposed and it wouldn’t recognize my lens. did a quick google when i got home, and found out the problem has been nicknamed “dead battery syndrome”. at least i’m not the first one. and so it’s off the loonie-bin for a bit of a therapy session.

before i sent my D200 off, i took it for one more spin. nik was racing the Canada Day cycle criterium in Edmonton. it was her first cycle race, and she road amazingly well! i’ve always told her that she needed to start cycle racing, it’s her strong suit. her cycling partner finally convinced her. the races are so much fun to photograph. they’re crazy fast, and the sound that the bikes make when they’re speeding by to you is exhilarating. make me want to buy a road bike really, really bad.

Nik killing it on the bike

and last, but not least, the new camera. instead of watching the fireworks burst over the river, i decided to crack open a bottle of Masi Valpolicella and convince myself that a new D3 and 24-70mm lens was the right choice. didn’t take much convincing, one sip, and… yup. the D3 is an amazing camera. the flexibility it has with up to 6400 ISO makes shooting in any kind of light a possibility. i took it out for a little scouting spin. i can happily say that i can know shoot anywhere… literally!

6400 ISO, 11:30 at night