My Private Tokyo

Wedding season is here and while I by no means am as quite as busy as some of the photographers who do it for a living It still puts me in a frame of mind to give it my all and dedicate a lot of time to getting everything right. It's a big day for a couple, one as a photographer that you don't get a second shot at and even then you're generally running on a schedule that is nowhere near ideal to the pace you'd like to work on. That being said, it's a great challenge and truly tests a photographers flexibility.

As you probably can see, some of the updates have slowed down to a trickle. I'm trying not to make the same mistakes as last year and fall into the habit of putting off other personal projects until I finish everything. It's kind of a bad mindset to get into really as it ties you up for months and leaves you feeling a little creatively challenged and behind.

Perhaps it's the pressure to be artistic, to cover all the details and facets or to get jobs wrapped up as soon as possible. It can be a lot of stress at times and it's important to reminds yourself to take a step back and spend some creative energy else where. You can end up missing a lot of important little things if you focus your beam too narrowly.

I did a quick shoot on Friday with a model who is also a contestant on Miss Universe Canada. I ended up getting contacted at about 10pm on Wednesday, doing the shoot Thursday afternoon and sending off the finished photos that same evening. I can't claim to be a fan of late night beauty retouching but it comes with the territory. Either way, it's good practice when you're under a schedule.

I will do a bigger entry on this later this week if I have time and put up the lighting information as well as a possible before and after set of pics.

This was from a shoot I did last week for a local florist. The shots are going to be used for their website as well as some print material.

The setup for the shoot is a pretty simple setup since it was done on a white backdrop. What that essentially equates to is not having to worry about extra light hitting the background, it's all going towards blowing it out anyways.

These are a few of the shots, more to come when I finish up this project. Also, the lighting diagram:

不完全 【ふかんぜん】 (adj-na,n) imperfect; incomplete; faulty; defective;

Ironically enough this word used to be my "online handle" a few years back. I liked the sound of it, I liked the idea of it. Part of the reason for all of that was I didn't take to warmly to the idea of perfection. There is a lot of drive in every day life to push forward this concept of perfection. To me the the lack of flaws in a person was never the utmost image of beauty, instead it was those imperfections that brought out the beauty and character of an individual.

I guess in time this also took up to be a facet of the style of photography I enjoyed most. To me the draw in the style I want to bring forth to represent what I shoot is not clean and flawless, it is beauty in the natural.

Which, by the way, is a little ironic with the idea I still harbor that I need gear that brings me razor sharp images.

I'm glad I got a chance to use this older lens on Saturday, it helped bring me back to some of my core roots. I maintain that it's still essential to have range and to be able to deliver on a wide variety of situations and environments. In the end all those styles compliment each other and help move your style forward.

What originally was supposed to be a day to get a little practice in with using strobes on location quickly turned into a day of natural lighting instead. I had been admiring the Ai-S Manual Focus Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 for the bokeh it can produce at wide open apertures. Luckily enough a friend of mine owned this lens but was also more than willing to let me borrow it for a few days to get a feel for it.

The concept I was after for this particular shoot required a very shallow depth of field and long story short this became kind of impossible to do along with a strobe without having an ND gel and/or an ND filter for the lens. I ended up ditching the strobe and just grabbing a few reflectors and going off the ambient light already present.

In the end i'm glad I did as it gave me a chance to experiment with just reflectors and ambient light. Having to use a manual focus lens was not without it's challenges but it helps add a human element to the shot. The soft focus in particular shots helped bring forth the look I had wanted, without having to spend time in Photoshop for less than perfect results.

There's more shots to come as these are just a few of the ones I had taken on Saturday. Looking forward to do more with this lens, especially once spring is in full bloom.

An aspect of photography I have always admired was the ability to create emotion and inspiration within individuals with just a simple picture. I'm sure we all strive for that on some level even if were not always shooting with that at the forefront of our conscious for every shot. We're always worrying about the lighting, posing, shutter speeds, noise and so on.

In the end it's a cool feeling knowing that what you create with a simple click of a shutter button can bring a lot to the people you shoot for. It can bring back cherished memories or it can help them move forward in life. It can bring them business and enrich their lives. Of course I may be glamorizing it a little but it can be a beautiful thing creating these sorts of things with your own personal view on things.

My desires have always been to improve my craft, as long as it's not at the expense of others. It may not always be the most idealistic of goals but it's always great to see when the end result helps move someone ahead in life.

The picture up there is not mine. I wish I had the photographers name. It was from the photographer who originally had the blog entitled "My Private Tokyo". The site has been down for several years now. It was one of the first images that really got me interested in photography. It created something in me that was never there before.

As you guys can probably tell a lot of my style is quite similar to this shot. It may not be technically impressive or particularly stunning but I have always maintained it created a beautiful sense of atmosphere and it's something I've tried to do through my own work.

So what inspires you?

With the beautiful weather we've been having recently here in Edmonton I took the opportunity to try out some outdoor portraits with a local aspiring model who was more than willing to offer up her time. I love taking opportunities like this to collaborate with local talent as it gives me a chance to develop aspects of my photography I wish to improve and the people on the other side of the lens get some nice shots for their portfolio. This photo shoot was well, basically, quick and dirty. I had wanted something clean and simple, no stylists or make up artists. It can be a lot of fun creating and bringing together bigger shoots but there can also be a lot of beauty and simplicity from a lone individual.

In this particular case I was more interested in bringing out my strobe as well as a 22" beauty dish I had invested in during the winter. I had some experiences with using a strobe outside from the previous summer but sad to say it was rather limited and not my own personal equipment. In this particular case I had also brought along a Vagabond II since the location did not have a usable power source anywhere near it.

To start off with, I found the Vagabond system to be of huge importance. It worked great through out the shoot and didn't skip a beat. I can't say how long it would last since I managed to still have juice in it after finishing the shoot. Also, at the price it's being offered at, it's a great system and I would definitely recommend it to others looking for a possible solution to their portable power needs. That being said my use with it so far has been limited so I will post more impressions as I get more chances to use it. Otherwise though, my impressions are very positive.

The model ended up being fantastic to work with. Having a model who is comfortable to work with as well as relaxed and easy going makes the photographers life a lot easier and the chances of both parties getting beautiful results from the shoot definitely improve. When it comes to me, I love a model with striking, strong eyes, they are definitely a window to the soul and the energy you get from them brings a lot to a good picture. I eagerly look forward to working with her on bigger projects in the future.