Anna and Kevin - A preview


Anna and Kevin, a couple for whom I originally shot engagement photos for earlier last year had wanted me to shoot their wedding as well. We originally shot the photos at the Japanese garden in the Devonian Botanic Gardens and ended up having a blast doing so. The wedding was this past weekend and had gone over beautifully. Beautiful weather, beautiful venue and wonderful people all around.

There was one caveat however...

I ended up catching a pretty strong cold a few days prior to the wedding. It was okay the few days leading up to the actual day but on the morning of I have to say I wasn't feeling my greatest, not by a long shot.

When it comes to weddings, a sick day is not an option. The show must go on of course. Regardless, I made the best of it and spent the entire day shooting.

It's one of the many items that helps separate the professionals and hiring "Uncle Bob" when it comes to your wedding. The people who do this for a living will pull themselves out of bed that morning and do their best to capture the beautiful day, regardless of the situation. They'll also have a backup in the unlikely event the main photographer comes down with something that actually prevents them from shooting.

There are of course many other reasons to go with a professional photographer but that one hit a little close to home for me over the weekend.

In any case, I had a blast once again and look forward to completing the entire album in a future entry!

P.S. Their dog Otis, rules!

A Week In Video

Monday, June 14, 2010 11:13 PM Posted by Hikari Studio 0 comments

On Sunday Nextfest had come to a close and so did a week of shooting video using DSLRs for me Jason, Carol, and Sandy. Given all the amazing video that's beginning to hit the web ever since the advent of the video capable DSLR it's something I originally dismissed even though I had some aspirations to play around with it.

This past week was of course a lot more than play. Although it was more of a personal project created by Jason and Sandy it still involved a lot of research, practice, late night and hard work.

Having gone through that I must say that my views on video have changed. I've always understood that they're different beasts altogether however there are a number of elements that make the transition a lot smoother compared to someone who has never picked up a still camera. A lot of the technical aspects carry over. You're already familiar with aperture, shutter speed, white balance, composition, lighting etc etc. It makes for a much smoother transition but of course there are a number of new concepts you have to pay attention to as well.

Looking on it all now, having that sort of tool at your disposal can be invaluable and it will be interesting to see how photography evolves because of it. It's definitely not an aspect that will fade away soon.

A Little More Than A Preview

Tuesday, June 8, 2010 9:52 PM Posted by Hikari Studio 0 comments





One of the things I can't claim to have very much experience in is design. I've always been a huge fan of clean, thought out design and it's something I can't put on the back burner any longer.

I spent some time creating a few templates I wish to use in the future and piecing together idea's I've wanted to incorporate into a finished product. Like all things, it's a spice, when used in moderation that can have a great impact on the end result.

Learning the typography, the rules and boundaries is a whole challenge in itself but well worth the time spent. Bringing these different elements together allows you keep some of that atmosphere and flavor of the original shots and in the process create something that can contrast or feed off the other and bring out something very unique.

Wedding: Megan and Kyle

Sunday, June 6, 2010 10:36 PM Posted by Hikari Studio 1 comments





Any time I shoot a wedding I'm trying to give it 110%. There's so many facets and angles to cover and you have to be able to put forward that creativity and resolve through out the entire day. This particular case involved 120%.

A friend I have known since high school asked me to shoot his wedding and it's a bit more responsibility when it's someone you know personally. Long story short: Here is a sample of the evening. I look forward to putting more up once everything is finished.