Winter Light

Photography. Photo: meaning light. Graphy: denoting a process or form of drawing.
So Photography is literally 'drawing with Light'.
As a Photographer, I'm always looking for photographic opportunities. Not necessarily things that look good...I look for light that looks good, then I find things to photograph in that light.
We arrived at the In-Law's farm, one cold winter's day...it must have been -30C...but the light was so gorgeous, I just had to find something to shoot.

Night Shoot at the Legislature Grounds

I had a shoot scheduled for dusk one night, but it had been canceled (unbeknown to me) . Luckily I had my younger sister for an assistant that night and she became my model so I could practice my off-camera flash.

Calgary

In September of last year, I made a trip down to Calgary to meet up with some Photographer friends of mine. We spent the morning at the Calgary zoo.








After lunch we didn't have any plans, so we eventually made our way over to Princess Island where we came upon something very interesting...a group of guys practicing Parkour/free running. It's sort of like outdoor freestyle gymnastics. Here is just one example of the type of stuff they were doing.

The Magestic Rocky Mountains

In August of last year, we went down to Banff National Park for the weekend. A nice short camping trip with some friends. With my wife being 7-8 months pregnant, I couldn't resist incorporating her into a landscape shot. Here she is in front of the familiar (but still spectacular) Lake Louise.

Tree with mountain background.

If you want to see calm water (and avoid the tourists) at these mountain lakes, you have to get up early in the morning. So one morning I drove to Morain Lake before breakfast.Competition for prime flower real estate.

You don't always need to shoot at wide angles for landscape photography. The following shots were taken with my 70-200mm lens.

Forrest

Is this the best looking baby you have ever seen? I think so :)

Happy Holidays

Happy holidays from me & mine to you and yours. All the best for 2009!

On the Job

I haven't been updating the ol' blog as much as I should be...babies take up a lot your time, don't you know. :)

Here are a couple shots of me 'on the job'. These were actually taken on my birthday.


Yes, I know I have a bird house growing out of my head...what can I say? I didn't take the shot. :)

Forrest Hodson

Well the big event has come and gone. On September 16, Forrest Hodson came into this world at 9lbs 8oz. After a very long labor, he still required 'the' operation before he came out to say hello. Mom and baby are both doing well. Without further adieu, I give you Forrest Hodson....

Belly shot

I finally got it together to get a shot of my beautiful wife and her belly, in all of her maternal glory. Less than a month to go!

Why Hire a Professional Photographer?

I ran across this article and thought it was worth putting it up here.

Digital technology is brilliant. The digital revolution has brought amazing flexibility and amazing amounts of control for the photographer, the hobbyist, the professional, the amateur. With flexibility comes a price though. Camera equipment is still considerably more expensive when you factor in its’ lifespan, the need for additional resources for processing those images, the time it takes to get a usable image and the effort that goes into all of this.

Even though you pay $1.99 for a print at your local drugstore and paying for film is pretty much a thing of the past (although you still pay for memory) you may be wondering why you may pay upwards of $40, 50, 70, 90 for a custom photography print. Some photographers hear this statement every once in awhile:

"How in the world can you charge $60 for an 8×10 if it costs me less than $2 to print at the local drug store?"

The answer is multifaceted and has a lot to do with the time, aforementioned equipment costs, artistic vision and reputation of the photographer, expertise and the usual costs of running a legitimate business.

TIME of the CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHER:
Approaching it from a time standpoint, for instance let’s imagine if you will that you have hired a photographer who has work that you love and that is travelling an hour to your on location session. Time break down:

session prep time (30 mins - 1 hour, includes equipment and back up equipment checks + vehicle checks)
one hour travel time TO session
15-30 minutes prep time at client’s home
90 minutes-2 hours with client photographing subject
one hour travel time FROM session
30-45 minutes uploading time from digital cards from camera to computer
30-45 minutes time spent backing up the original images
2-5 hours editing time to present you with a diverse gallery of edited images
1 hour prep time getting ready for ordering
2-3 hours time with client for ordering images
1 hour sorting through and checking order
30 minutes-1 hour prep time for delivery
30 minutes-1 hour getting order shipped
any additional phone time or time needed for add on ordering, shipment issues, quality issues
As you can see, average client time for a session ranges from just under 13 hours to 19 hours dependent on the photographer’s level of service. This is time dedicated only to your session. When the photographer charges $150-$300 for the photo shoot you are not just paying for the two hours of session time, you are paying the photographer for 12-19 hours complete time for your session.

COSTS of the CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHER:
Regarding equipment costs, a good quality professional camera with a selection of good optical quality lenses and digital storage mediums and computer set up can run from $10,000-$30,000 costs dependent on the photographer. Even though you can purchase a really good quality digital SLR for about $2100 there are still other costs related to photography. A good lens for portrait photography can run up $900 to $2500. A dependable computer system with software loaded for business and creative usage can run $2500 to $8000 dependent on the photographer.

Then come lab costs for specialty products. A good photographer knows the lab is integral to their success. Photography labs dedicated to the professional photographer often cost more and offer a range of products that allows the custom photographer to continually offer new, innovative products for you, the discerning client.

Discussion other costs of running a photography business could take awhile so we’ll skip the intricate details. There is of course much more: including costs of running the business, taxes, studio rental/mortgage if the photographer has ownership of a dedicated studio, vehicular costs, costs of advertising/marketing, costs of sample pieces that the photographer will likely bring to your session, etc.

APPLES to ORANGES:
Often times clients will mention to their photographer that X studio in the mall/department store only charges $25 for an 8×10 or they may mention other things related to discount photography chains. The fact is those discount chains make their money on volume, not on customized 1:1 service. According to several articles at the time, did you know that in February 2007 a rather well known discount department store that started in Arkansas closed down 500 of their portrait studios across the nation? The reason is simple, you cannot make money on 99¢ "professional" prints if you do not sell enough of them. Interestingly enough - those same studios that offer the loss leader packages often charge much much more for their a la carte pricing (as high as $40-50 for an 8×10). The whole reason the big department stores began offering portrait studios in the first place was to get you, the savvy consumer, in through their door so that you could spend more money with them in other departments. Your "PORTRAITS" are considered the true "loss leader".

Going to a chain studio, as a consumer, you don’t have the benefit of 1:1 attention for 2 hours at your home where your child is allowed to explore, play and be comfortable in their home environment, nor do you get the experience that many custom photographers are known for or the lovely captures of natural expressions. You simply get a bare bones, "SAY CHEESE" experience. Keep this in mind when selecting a photographer.

REPUTATION/EXPERTISE of the PHOTOGRAPHER:
Being in demand, being well known for quality work, having a good reputation often costs time on the photographer’s part. Their expertise comes at a cost, their time learning their craft and learning the intricacies of lighting and the commitment put forth on their end to create a persona about their business that oozes professionalism. A great number of photographers go a very long time from the time that they purchase their first good camera to making money at the business of photography. Many photographers, when first starting out, rush in thinking that the business will be easily profitable in no time, how expensive could it be to get a camera and use it to create their dream? They often neglect to factor in the cost of business, the cost of equipment, software, back ups, etc..

Being of sound reputation, a better professional photographer knows that they must always reinvest in their business to create the reputation of being top notch. To create good work good equipment, reliable equipment, back up equipment is a necessity. The photographer who desires to be known as better/best/unparalleled reputation-wise knows that the most important thing they can do for their business is reliability and dependability. This is how reputations get built. Good work often is a wonderful side product of building that good reputation.

I hope this (lengthy) article helps shed some light on WHY a custom photographer is a better choice for your family’s memories. The photographs that are produced as a result of the professionalism and dedication that your photographer has will be cherished for a lifetime (or more) and great thought and consideration should be placed into hiring who is right for your family’s most precious investment.

Article from HERE

It's been a busy summer with plenty of weddings to shoot. Here are some shots from a wedding which fell on my birthday, July 12.

The guys, just before heading to the ceremony.

Here is the backdrop to the ceremony location and we can see the groom and his parents before he walked down the isle.

The wedding was at the Devonian Gardens, and as you can see, it was a beautiful location.

Jump!

It was a beautiful day with nice blue skies and white clouds. It was a little hot though.

The canola fields were in bloom, so I insisted that we stop for some photos. Kudos to the bridal party for actually getting into the field, even though it was a little muddy and uncomfortable.

At the reception, I used a combination of off-camera flash and on-camera flash.

All in all, it was a pretty good day, even if I did have to spend my birthday working. After leaving the reception, I raced home just in time to get there while it was still my birthday for a few minutes...and my wonderful wife was waiting for me with a birthday kiss.

Twins

A while back, I had the chance to shoot a set of nine month old twins. They are related to my wife somehow or another...those Ukrainian families are huge. I was actually working with my wife's cousin, who is a professional painter. I help him out and put in a days work, painting houses...every now and them. One day, we were painting a house that belonged to some relatives of his, I had heard of them but had never met them. I knew that they had recently moved back to Canada and had twins.
Before long, they came home to see how the painting was progressing. I introduced myself and let them know that I was a photographer. Before leaving for the day, I made sure to put one of my fridge magnets on their fridge. It wasn't long before they called me to shoot their '9 month' photos.

They had a large house so there was room to set up my studio in the 'bonus room'. I got everything ready and we got down to business.

They were at a perfect age and developmental stage for baby portraits. They could both sit up very well on their own...but they had not yet learned to crawl. This meant that we could plop them down into position and they didn't crawl or run away...if only all children's portrait shoots would be that easy.


Well it turns out that shooting two babies at once is as tricky as you might imagine. I made the mistake of having both parent behind me on either side. This meant that the kids were often looking in different directions. A fair number of shots were wasted because they were looking all over the place.

I did manage to get some pretty good shots though. The little boy was great. I don't remember shooting such an expressive baby. In every shot, he would show me a different expression. The little girl wasn't into it as much, but she played along nicely.

I'm hoping to shoot these twins again, there were great to work with and who doesn't love twins?