Recent Portraits

Pam told me at the start of the shoot that she wasn't keen on photos of her cropped tight to her face.  I, on the other hand, think they're superb.

Recent Portraits

Here's the next in this short series of new portraits.

Recent Portraits

This is Pam, a friend who needed her portait taken.  We shot a lot of images with a variety of 'looks'.  The final picks were provided in colour and black and white.  I'll present a few of the B&W versions over the next couple of days.

Recent Projects

Here's the last in this series of photos of the new Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre; a detail photo of the exterior cladding.  Kind of a non-traditional architectural photo.

Recent Projects

Lots of interesting forms in this somewhat monochromatic interior space at the Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre.

Recent Projects

Here's an extractive detail photo of the exterior cladding at the Commonwealth Community Rec Centre

Recent Projects

This is a straight on elevation photo of the interior space at the Commonwealth Community Rec Centre.  The feature on the lower right is an interactive art installation that is intended to simulate a quilt.  The vertical elemenst turn allowing you to create your own quilt/mural.  Very cool.

Recent Projects

The tools of the trade when your a life guard include googles it seems ; these were lying about on the lifeguards station at the Commonwealth Community Rec Centre.

Recent Projects

This is a detail photo of the public area at the new Commonwealth Community Rec Centre; looks good in colour - even better in black and white.

Recent Projects

Oodles of noodles....I'm not clear on the purpose of these
things that were on the pool deck awaiting the arrival of the first users of the pool at the Commonwealth Community Rec Centre; maybe you're supposed to whack your mates with them....maybe some 6 year old can tell me.

Recent Projects

This photo shows a detail of the exterior of the Commonwealt Community Rec Centre.  I'm particularly happy with this shot as I think the composition is quite striking.

Recent Projects

The architects worked hard to make sure the new Commonwealth Community Rec Centre was not just a big box.  The interior and exterior walls are a series of angular planes clad in non-traditional materials.  The overall effect is quite striking.

Recent Projects

The Pool area at the Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre is an all purpose aquatic facility; there's a spray area, water slide, wading and splashing about area and this - the length pool.

Recent Projects

This is the main public area of the new Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre.

Recent Projects

All of my architectural clients want their projects photographed in colour but they always get at least a few images provided in both colour and black and white.

One of the biggest challenges in interior photography is getting the white balance correct.  This effects the way colours are rendered in the final image.  It is particularly challenging when there are multiple light temperatures in play; the camera interprets fluorescent light and daylight in different ways.  To make a colour image look the way our eye remembers it often requires blending of multiple images.  In black and white photos this isn't a problem but that's not the reason I like black and white images; rather it becomes more about the form and the composition of the photo.  By adjusting the tone and contrast I can get these inky black, almost dripping wet images.

This is the aquatic component at the new Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre in Edmonton.  More photos to follow in the next few days.

Canon 5DII with Canon 17mm TSE lens.  Composite of two image; 1 second @ f/11.  Gitzo Explorer tri-pod with Really Right Stuff head and mounting bracket.  RAW file edited in Adobe Lightroom 3.0; Photos merged and levels and contrast tweaked in Adobe Photoshop CS5.  Black and white conversion via Oloneo Photoengine.

The Tools of the Trade

While on site at the pool I walked past this pile of flippers; they're blue and yellow but it was the shape of the things that interested me.

Canon 5DII with Canon 24mm TSE lens tilted to shorten the depth of field.  Black and white conversion in Oloneo Photo Engine.

A Big Spash

What's the deal with water, anyway?  We humans can stand and watch waves roll in and back out all day....In this case I watched this fellow swim back and forth several times; it was quite captivating.  I decided to take this picture has he cruised past the climbing wall.

Water Hazard

I was on a photo assignment at a major indoor water park/swimming pool the other day and I came across this little fellow having a dip.  Well not really, I put him there.

Anderson Burko House Concert

This time the guitar is the main focus; but at 1/25 sec at f2.8 even the ISO of 6400 is not enough to freeze the strumming motion of the hand and the result is that much better for it.

Canon 5DII with Canon 70-200 F2.8 L Series lens.  Black and white conversion usinng Oloneo Photo Engine.

Banjo

This photo was made at great risk to my physical well being.  My goal on this outing was to get at least one photo of Banjo running toward me, preferably showing him airborne and with very shallow depth of field.  To acieve this I needed an accomplice in the form of my wife Terri.  Her job was to get Banjo into position.  In this photo she is on the other side of the hill.  When I gave the 'ready' call she would release Banjo then duck so she would not be in the frame.  I had the camera pre-focused on this exact spot.  It took several attempts to get this photo; if my timing was off he'd be out of focus, or in some cases he decided to take off in some crazy direction.

This is the best of the photos taken; I'd have liked it better if I'd been down a touch lower so there was more separation between Banjo and the ground but all things considered I'm pretty happy with the result.

And why the risk to my health?  Banjo is incoming at great speed and he has a poorly developed braking system that relys heavily on just slamming into things.  That and there was another dog running around that wanted to help out.  Justs seconds after this photo was taken I was under seige with dogs jumping around happily on top of me.

Canon 5DII with Canon 70-200 F2.8L IS USM; ISO 400, 1/8000 sec at F2.8.

The only part of this photo that is in focus is the mike stand. If this photo had great depth of field, the action of the hand was stopped and the photo was in perfect colour would anybody stop for a second look?


Banjo

Here is Banjo out for a late winter afternoon's walk.  To capture this photo I set up the camera and held it down at Banjo's eye level.  I was walking (swiftly) backward as Banjo trotted along and I just kept triggering the shutter in hope that one or two shots would be properly composed and in focus.

Banjo

Here's a portrait of Banjo as he prepares to catch up on his reading.

Banjo

Here's the next puppy portrait; Banjo looking out over this back yard.

Banjo

A few photos of our puppy 'Banjo' have appeared here in the last while, there will be a handful more in the next few days.


Banjo is a Welsh Springer Spaniel.  First registered under this breed name by The Kennel Club (UK) in 1902, the true origin of the breed is uncertain.  They have been known under different names over the years, such as Welsh Cocker Spaniel, Welsh Spaniel and a few others.  They are hunting dogs, in Canada they are part of the Sporting Dog Group.

Photographing dogs can be a challenge, particularly a fast moving puppy.  I like to get down to the dogs eye level and when I do the pup tends to run toward me which can be problematic.  Patience is the key as is being ready at all times as the 'Kodak moment' sometimes lasts for a very short time.

X's and O's

Here's the last of the X's and O's series; the letter J in wrought iron.

X's and O's

We'll call this the letter U; part of a fence somewhere in Italy.....

X's and O's

Here is the letter W; part of a statue of the Virgin Mary in Tuscany.

X's and O's

Here is the letter E; carve into a door at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas.

X's and O's

Here's the letter A cast into a piece of very old iron.

X' and O's

This was the first of these X's and O's photos that I took.  The letter Z as revealed in the shadows of our apartment wall in Prato, Italy.

X' and O's

The letter M can be hard to hunt down, i found this example in Prato, Italy.