My Private Tokyo

Over the weekend I had an interview with a local modeling agency in regards to potentially doing work with them for model shots a weekend or two per month. Unfortunately due to scheduling conflicts I found out about the interview a day and a half before and was already ha ing a pretty swamped week.

I needed to put together a portfolio of some of my work to showcase my abilities but had very little time to do it.  I have done prints in the past and would definitely do that still but the limited amount of time didn't give me much of an option. In the end after spending whatever time I could I ended up deciding I would get an iPad to use as a portfolio. Mind you I had spent time before the date considering this option but I was between a rock and a hard place and now more then ever the choice was pretty clear.

After the weekend, having used it for a number of things I can confidently say that although I had been a little skeptical in the past and rather cold on the idea I now see the iPad as an incredibly handy tool in a photographers bag.

First and foremost is the portfolio function. The iPad is the size of a notepad you'd keep in your school bag. Through this it becomes incredibly accessible to keeping it on hand almost anywhere you go. It fits comfortably in my camera bag or if I'm using a shoulder bag wherever I may go.

Being able to easily sync photos every time I plug it in makes it care free and simple. I plug it in to my computer and it syncs the photos in a particular folder without me having to press a button. This saves me a lot of time and frustration.

The touch screen for me makes a difference, it adds an element of interaction you wouldn't normally get from a laptop or computer. People like using it, it's that simple. You get a physical response from the interaction and from what I have experienced it's always been a positive one. I can't do that with a laptop. The whole process is generally bogged down by start up processes, cables, folders and so on. The interactions a user has with one using a mouse generally feel cold and distant. On the iPad the interaction is overall much more physical to the user, in the end giving a much stronger impression and sense of ownership. So let's face it, as a photographer showcasing your portfolio you want the user to come out of the situation with as many positive impressions as you can. This helps a lot.

Even over the weekend I had it with me for a friend's birthday party as the hair stylist I normally do work with was going to be there and I wanted to show some shots and run by some ideas. After a few minutes it got passed around the entire place as people took a look at my wedding and lifestyle portfolios on it. People enjoy the interaction and given the entry fee and the potential it has to bring clients to you I'd say it's a small price to pay, especially when most photographers have cameras that cost five to six times as much.

The battery life I've found to be excellent as well, not having to charge it often and it being able to sit around for long periods of time gives it another edge in being hassle free. It's nice knowing you can spend a day or two with it and not have to worry about the charge.

Beyond that there's also a lot of potential for other interactions and uses. If you do video you've now got a nice portable screen for your work.  The apps store at this point is a no brainer as well. I've personally have found that I can bring this anywhere with me and use it for notes. Heck I'm typing this up at work over lunch. Sure you can do it with a laptop but this just feels much more comfortable.

In the end Its not going to completely replace prints. As with any other photographer I love the different looks and feels you can get from prints, whether it be to showcase your work or otherwise. You don't however always have that option, nor do you carry those around everywhere. It's a alternative option and in all honesty a very comfortable one I wish I had made sooner.

With that I would like to say that I'm not here to proclaim the iPad is great. It does have limitations and as it stands now the market does not yet have many other options in the tablet department. For those not interested in an iPad you can always hold out and check the competition over the next few months.  A tablet in itself is a great option though.    

As some of you guys may recall I got a chance to participate and help out on a music video shoot a few friends and I did for a local Edmonton band by the name of Mass Choir.

I ended up getting a chance to shoot part of their performance at The Pawn Shop. Given the small venue and cramped shooting area I opted to use one of the older Nikon 50mm f1.4 lenses. All manual focus made it a bit of a tough shoot, especially at the shallow depth of fields but all in all I came out with shops I was happy with.

You can find the band's page as well as the music video here.

Here are a few shots I did for a local restaurant by the name of Steak Village. It consisted of a few dishes and ended up being, not to the blame of anyone, by chance very last minute. Regardless things came together and we walked out of there with some great images for them. Given the setup and dishes as well as items at our disposal we ended up opting for a high key look. To be honest it's something I've wanted to take a step back from but I've also often had some great results with it, especially when the subject has some strong colors.

Big thanks for the assistance John Bellerose.

On a side note, it's amazing what a speedlite on Su-4 and a ghetto tinfoil snoot can do!

What a busy time it has turned out to be for me this past month. I, like always have been meaning to crank out a few blog posts as there's a number I want to put up from several different shoots but can't find the time to write an in depth one to my liking.

I have a few entries I would like to do on a number of weddings I shot/second shot this past summer, 2 different fashion shows, musical performance and other personal works.

In any case the focus is there and i'm putting a lot of pressure on myself over the next while to take what I do and elevate it to the next level, from a skill stand point as well as a business.

It has been an interesting summer. While I have enjoyed a lot of success and positive feedback in my work I have also come to the realization I've started to take a lazy approach to continuing this momentum, instead choosing to ride upon the success of past work instead of continually setting sights on new projects, study and improvements.

The positive attention only lasts for so long, especially when you stop putting out new work and being involved in the community. Ironically I've always known that as a photographer you need to get out there and find opportunities, not just sit on your ass and wait for them to come to you. Certainly, that's not much of an option with the active community photography has gained over the past few years.Being stubborn, or ignorant, your pick, it's something I lost a bit of awareness of.

You can't improve if you do not go out there and practice. You need to continually shoot, even on days you don't feel particularly compelled to. We all get creative block but it's important to go out and try new things, meet new people and test your skills. You fail some days and succeed others but in the end, whatever the result you come away with an experience that helps shape your photography and moves it one step forward. Little by little, there are no big leaps forward but small steps that take a lot of work and dedication.

It's important to take those baby steps even if you don't feel you have much to gain. Eventually it catches up with you and you'll realized every missed shoot is a missed opportunity.

It's been a while hasn't it. Summer will do that. Life takes off after spring. Shoots, BBQs, patios and friends. I suppose it can't all be work, especially when were all locked away in a blizzard almost 6 months of the year.

I have a number of ongoing projects this summer but sadly have stayed away from the computer whenever I could, due in part to the weather and in part to the heat. Because of that, updates have been a little slow. I'll be back in full force come September though.

As for late, it's been a drive to work on my wedding photography. Everything from lighting to composition to post processing needs a lot of work as far as I'm concerned. It's never ending and sometimes we get too caught up in it.

I ended up creating a slideshow of a recent wedding I did, fired it up on the big screen and immediately noticed that my TV is no where near calibrated, especially when compared to my monitors. The pictures were way over saturated, blown out and over sharpened on the TV. Regardless, I kept on watching. I found, it gave me a chance to look past the cosmetics and enjoy the core aspects.

We tend to be our own worst critics. It's nice when we get a chance to take a step back and silence that part of us, if even for a little while.

It's been a little while since I've had an update on here. Fear not, my time is being put to good use. I'm elbows deep in editing wedding photos and taking steps in creating depth to what I can bring to the table in that respect.

In the meantime I'm trying to get myself into the habit of shooting more often, spending the time to experiment and try new concepts instead of just firing up Lightroom each afternoon and going through photos.

Part of what I want to improve on is food photography. I love working with the challenges lighting brings with it. Starting it off easy this week I've decided to work on some high key lighting, keeping it as simple as I can and working with basic items that don't require me spending a few hours in the kitchen preparing. Reason in part is that I can't exactly claim my culinary skills are able to fulfill that desire.

More to come!