As I participated in the Off Camera Lighting workshop held by Rick Denham (for more information on the workshop and some of my results from weekend, click here) I had the privilege of staying at the luxurious Riverbend Inn in Niagara-on-the-Lake. It’s too easy to feel like a King when you are staying at a stunning place like this! And even though it was cold, and snowy, and COLD, it didn’t stop me from walking the grounds and getting some shots.

Results are below, I hope you enjoy.

Cheers!
t.

In the ongoing attempt to keep shooting for personal gain, even when there isn’t time to do so, a little while back I took the opportunity one Saturday morning to shoot some Gerbera Daisies using my Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro lens. It’s a nice lens, but I haven’t used it enough….yet.

…and come to think of it, this shoot was the last time I bought my wife flowers.

*EDIT: Until last night! LOL!

So below are some different perspectives and close-ups of flowers. These were all shot using natural picture-window light, with white foam core used as a reflector for fill.

Your comments are always welcome!

Cheers!

t.

Back in the middle of July, my good friend Chris Kirkpatrick and I participated in Scott Kelby’s World Wide Photo Walk (Link here). For those of you who are unfamiliar, Scott Kelby is a professional photographer and a widely recognized Photoshop guru. How known is he you may ask? Well, to put things in perspective, his photo walk idea garnered over 32,000 participants in over 900 cities!!! That’s pretty popular if you ask me!

So Chris and I met up with 48 other photographers and began walking through the Distillery District in downtown Toronto. Photo walks are all about shooting with other photographers, and sharing ideas and techniques. Unfortunately, Chris and I had to leave early because of an unforeseen circumstance but I got to fire off 5 frames before we left.

This photo walk was also special because each participant was allowed to submit 2 images for judging and had the possibility of winning prizes…..many, many prizes. The leaders of each photo walk were to pick one image from their group to submit for judging on a global level.

….and low and behold, 1 of my five frames got selected! I was the winner of the Distillery District photo walk. What did I win you might ask? Well, I won a copy of Scott Kelby’s latest book: The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3 and the honour of having my image compete against 900 other images submitted from around the world. It is a complete honour to be in some great company and exciting to have been recognized like that.

Here is the image I submitted that won:

*EDIT* The winning images from the global competition were announced today and it looks like I didn’t win there but that is ok! If you are interesting in seeing the winning images, Click here.

Cheers!
t.

In keeping the creative juices flowing, it’s important as a photographer to also shoot for yourself every once in a while. One of my favourite quotes in recent photography history has been “the best camera you can have is the camera that you have with you.” As more and more photographers get swept up in the “mega-pixel race”, this quote has become even more important. For those that know me, I can be a bit of a techno-file, getting excited about the latest and greatest technology. I have to remind myself that I can create great images with the equipment I already have. I know my wife would appreciate that last comment

So, for myself, this usually means that I try to get out once a week and shoot something that I want to shoot, not just what my clients are paying me to shoot. A lot of times, this means some rather extreme experimentation - with the results not really worthy of seeing the light of day. But it also means I get to see what works, and what doesn’t, on my own dime.

In the images below, I’ve taken the time to experiment with DoF (Depth of Field), perspective, self-portraiture, and Colour.

Please enjoy!

t.

In testing a new lens that was purchased back in December, I took some macro photos but never processed them. Well today I had a bit of time to revisit the images and I must say, I am very happy with the results. Below are a few examples of what I have created.

t.

As most of you will know, Dana and I got married in Scotland in 2006. To solidify our plans before our big day in October, we took a 4-day mini trip to Edinburgh in May of that year. Scotland is a beautiful country entrenched in history. The picturesque cities, rolling hills and beautiful scenery makes picture making easy as pie. Below is just a sample of some of the beauty we experienced while we were there.

t.

Every year my family makes the trip to our cottage. This might not seem like a daunting task but of course you don’t know where my cottage is. For as many years as I can remember we pack our car to the brim, empty our bladders, and drive. Living in Brampton and having a summer cottage in Northern Ontario is quite common. Living in Brampton and having a cottage in a little town called Iron Bridge, six and a half hours away, is unlikely. But, this is my family tradition. And if you could experience the feeling of tranquility that comes with my cottage, you would understand why us city folk partake in this unusual ritual every year.

This year I made some photos of interesting elements in and around Cedar Tip (our cottage). It’s very beautiful there and I hope that you’ll be able to see what I mean….even for just a second.

t.