Lyon, France

We had a little rain shower at dusk the other night and this sunset followed.  That is Vieux Lyon on the horizon and the Rhone in the middle distance.

Lyon, France

As a means of securing one's property and keeping insects and rodents out this door may have some performance issues.  But as a photo subject it's pretty great.

Lyon, France

As you wander around Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon) you come across all sorts of little alcoves and courtyards.  This set of wrought iron furniture was in one of them.

Amsterdam

I rarely include family members in the photos I post on my blog but there are always times for exceptions.  This is our Belgium/Holland traveling group waiting for the tram in Amsterdam.  From left to right that's Declan, Alistair, Dugald, Colleen and my adorable wife, Terri.  Declan is Terri's god son.

Canon G11 capture edited on the iPad using Adobe Photoshop Express.

Amsterdam

Bikes are as common as anything you can think of in Amsterdam.   Most people opt for a plain bicycle as they tend to get stolen, and many thousands of the stolen bikes get tossed into the canals.

Amsterdam

The best way to see Amsterdam is from the Canals.  You can be part of a tour or, as in our case you can hire your own boat for a three hour excursion.  This photo taken with the venerable Canon G11.

Brugges, Belgium

The Citroen 2CV is an icon in the world of motoring.  Citroen built almost 4 million of these in a 42 year production run.  Depending on the model year they had between 9 and 32 horsepower.  This one was photographed in the streets of Brugges.

Brugges, Belgium

Brugges is an UNESCO world heritage site and it is easy to see why.  The world raves about places like Florence but Brugges is way better - at least in my opinion.

Canon G11 capture edited using Photoshop Express in the iPad.

Brussels, Belgium

Can't come to Belgium and ignore the  Chocolate, beer and of course, waffles.  Seen her with the full load of toppings.

Brussels, Belgium

There was a 'Carpet of Flowers' on display in the main square in Brussels on the day of our visit; it was day 3 of the display and it was looking more than a little wilted by temperatures in the low to mid 30s C.

Gent, Belgium

This bicycle was shackled to the guardrail at St. Michaels bridge in Gent.

Gent, Belgium

Last night we attended the Leonard Cohen concert in Gent.  It was an open air concert on a very warm night.  Leonard is 77 and has got to rank as one of the world's coolest living people.  He performed for 4 hours with a 30 minute intermission in front of 8000 people; a packed house - who welcomed him back for 3 encores.  I've chosen this retro-look photo taken as darkness fell over St. Pieters.

Gent, Belgium

Here's the first post from Belgium.  This image was made in the crypt of St. Baafs Cathedral where there was an art exhibition; this is a detail of a rough cast piece of glass.

An Experiment

We are off to Europe and I thought I'd try something different on my blog - posting a shot daily from the trip.  I am taking only light camera gear - the Canon G11 and the iPhone - so we'll be doing some editing on the fly while abroad.


First post tomorrow!  In the meantime, here's a photo of our 8 month old spaniel, Banjo.

Recent Projects

This bank building recently opened in South Edmonton.

Recent Portraits

I recently was asked to update the portraits for an Edmonton Architectural and Interior Design firm.  They wanted a white background and we did these shots in their offices using a single Elinchrom strobe camera left with a reflector camera right.  I find that with the white background I seldom need a fill light - sometimes called a 'kicker' or 'hairlight' - behind the subject.

Recent Projects

This new retail store recently opened in Southgate Shopping Centre.  The contractor responsible commisioned this photo.

Recent Projects

One of the challenges with interior photography - well, all photography really - is getting the white balance correct.  When I set up this shot there were multiple challenges to overcome in this regard, the combination of fluorescent light and daylight and the green cast that comes off the walls.  As you move your eye from top left to bottom right the colour cast changes from daylight to fluorescent.  The solution is to take multiple exposures at different white balance settings then blend them in Photoshop.

Recent Projects

Astute followers of my posts know that I am a big fan of black and white photos - here's an image of the new Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre, black and white conversion made with Oloneo Photo Engine.

Recent Projects

A while back  I posted some photos of the new Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre; those were interior shots only.  Now that the exterior is pretty much done and the landscaping is growing in a bit I've returned to photograph the exterior.  This shot was taken at dusk.

Current Projects

Here's another photo from my first day out on the golf course that I am photographing; looking out from the behind trees toward the 6th fairway.

When I go golfing I see a lot of the course from in the trees.

Current Projects

I recently started an interesting project; I've been retained to photograph a golf course.  It's going to be a long task; here's one of the photos from my first trip to the course.  Here are some early birds putting out on 7.

Recent Portraits

I recently had an assignment to update portraits for a firm of architects and interior designers; this is one of the 'extra' shots from that gig.  Not intended to be a 'business' photo, when this gal turned on the chair I was struck by her classic elegance, perfect skin and long neck...she agreed to re-stage that look for this shot.

Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers

Here's the last of this short series of pix from the Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers series.

Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers

This photo was used as a bit of a test in the editing process.  I wanted to see where the limits were in so far as adjusting the digital noise setting, cropping the image and still hanging on to the clarity.  There's a touch of grain to this photo (may not be apparent to you in this low res image) but you can still read the embossed name on the Banjo strap; 'Steve Martin'.  Another challenge I had was working around that huge microphone at centre stage.  It's there so 5 guys can gather 'round it which is fair enough but it sure does hide faces.

The concerts were in the Calgary and Edmonton Jubilee Auditoria, these photos were taken from the sound board at the back of the main floor which I think is about 30 rows back from the stage.

Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers

Here's a photo of Steve Martin and the Rangers.  Lighting is the challenge in these settings.  I took a few shots early to check the exposure and to see just how high I would have to set the ISO before the images started to take on too much digital noise.  Once I determined that I set the exposure manually for the remaining photos.

Canon 5DII with Sigma 150-500 lens.ISO 2500; f/6.3 at 1/100 sec,

Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers

Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers toured in Alberta recently and I was asked to be the House Photographer.  It was a fun assignment - and challenging as there are a lot of restrictions that make getting great photos tough.

Recent Projects

Having one or two photos in the finished package with people - or pets - (or both!) in them gives the house a lived in look.

Recent Projects

This lovely new house has many things going for it within a small floor area; at least by today's standards.

Recent Projects

This is the second floor view of the main entrance rotunda at this new Spruce Grove high school.

Recent Projects

This new high school in Spruce Grove will see it's first students arrive in September.