Tag Archives for black and white photography

Jillian; Calgary Portrait Photography

Jillian

Jillian 

Yesterday the sun was shining, it looks like the nice weather has finally come to Calgary, and I hope it lasts through the summer!  The hard part is spending time in the basement studio, processing images, and getting my work done when I really want to be outside.

Working with Jillian does make it easier to be in the basement, she is beautiful and therefore her images are also beautiful!

Today is going to be another wonderful day, but I am determined to get her photo package done, so today is a promise of things to come.

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McDougall Church, Cochrane Alberta

McDougall United Chruch, and Museum, Morley Alberta

McDougall Church, Cochrane Alberta

Almost every photographer I know has a picture of this tiny Methodist church that sits just west of Cochrane Alberta, just off highway 1A on your way to Banff.  If you are driving to Banff National Park and want to visit the historic site you have to take highway 1A, the slow and scenic route, it is our favourite way to travel.

The day we visited the storm clouds were looming above, gathering for what later turned out to be quite the snow storm, there was just enough light breaking through the clouds and along the horizon for a dramatic images. Light was reflecting off the snow around the church giving it enough light to show detail in the siding, and the wind howling across the prairies.  Not a great day for walking, but a great day for pictures.

Blogging has been rather hit and miss lately, but I am trying to get back to blogging regularly, wish me luck!

The Camino to Santiago de Compostela and Thich Nhat Hahn…..

Horse stands on the windy ridge of the Pryenees Mountains

Horse stands on the windy ridge of the Pryenees Mountains 

“The mind can go in a thousand directions. But on this beautiful path, I walk in peace.  With each step a cool wind blows. With each step a flower blooms.”  Thich Nhat Hanh 

I have been reading poetry by Thich Nhat Hanh and it often reminds me of the quiet days of walking the Camino to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. My mind could wander in a thousand directions, but it wasn’t until I focused my thoughts on the path before me, on the beauty around me that I truly began to enjoy the walk.  But if I wasn’t in the present moment I could walk and not see a thing, not remember the road I walked.

While on the Camino I learned that I had to stay conscous, I need to be thinking of what is in front of me, how it was shaped by the light, I and to think the story I wanted to tell, if I didn’t I was just getting snap shots or passing events. But it wasn’t work, I somehow managed to make it sound like work, but it wasn’t, it make the Camino, our journey, more enjoyable, more memorable.

This is a bigger problem for me at home, driving to work, thinking about all the things I have to do that day, and before I know it I am at the office, and I don’t remember the trip, what did I miss?  Did I miss waving to a friend, or the beauty of the sunrise.  Or while at work, getting caught up in the job, the chaos, going through the motions, and not really being engaged.

How about you, are you on a beautiful path, is your life blooming before you, are you finding small nugets of joy in your day/chaos?

 

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Lily at the Bloedel Conservatory, Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver BC

lily at the Bloedel Conservatory, Vancouver BC

lily at the Bloedel Conservatory, Vancouver BC

Now for something completely different. I have been publishing a lot of different portraits lately. People I have met and worked with, so I thought it was time to mix it up a little.  Flowers are always so beautiful that I can’t help but take pictures of them.  Especially when visiting a conservatory as lovely as the Bloedel Conservatory in Vancouver BC.

It is april in Calgary, and I have heard that spring bulbs are starting to appear in people’s gardens, not in mine, and we are going to have snow today, with colder than normal temperatures predicted for the rest of the week.  I do miss the flowers.

For this image I used Nik Silver Effects Pro to creat a black and white layer then reduced the opacity to allow a small amount of the color to come through. Since the flower in the original image was a bright red, it came through with a little color while the rest remain dark.

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Baby Miya

Baby Miya

Baby Miya 

I love newborn babies, okay, I love all babies…

And I have great admiration for professional baby photographers. My wonderful friends Brett and Amrita proud new parents allowed me an opportunity to take a few pictures of their beautiful baby girl.

 

safe and sound in daddy’s hands

Miya, sound asleep for daddy

Miya, sound asleep for daddy 

I was over to visit Amrita, Brett and Miya on Monday and of course to take a few pictures. Miya was a sleep when I first arrived and Brett was holding her in his lap. She had just eaten and was dozing peacefully.  It was a wonderful afternoon and I can hardly wait to get through the photos that were taken.

 

 

Alberta Winter; Panorama Landscape of Southern Alberta in the winter

winter on the prairies

Alberta Winter

Winter hit Alberta in a big way yesterday, and heavy snow blanket’s southern Alberta according to the cbc report.

Strong winds and anywhere from 15 to 25 centimetres of snow was in the forecast for Calgary Sunday, and another five centimetres could fall on Monday.  The Calgary police were advising motorist to stay off city roads because of dangerous conditions. I took their advise seriously and stayed home to get a few things done!   This image was taken last winter, looking south on highway 21. It had been a cold and windy day, the storm brewing on the horizon.

All I can say is I am looking forward to spring.

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still life and wedding photography

wedding shoes

wedding shoes

The wedding shoe image was taken some time ago, just recently I pulled it from the archive to work with Nik Software, experiment with different processes, finishes and textures, all in an attempt to develop style and album options that will appeal to both myself and to potential clients.

I have a lot of respect for Wedding Photographers, they commit to a high energy, long demanding day, to capture moments that are both important to the bride and groom as well their family, and in some cases moments that few will actually see.  They are attuned to the emotions around them, without being caught up in them. Always on the look out for those family interactions that can be caught in an image without actually interrupting the flow of the day or the emotion of the minute. In some cases it is the photographer can be the “savior” of  the moment.

I have yet to meet a wedding photographer that didn’t have in their bag, a packet of pins, a role of duct tape, gum, kleenex, and just about anything else that is small and might be needed in the case of an emergency.  They can play with children and keep a group of 20 focused to get family pictures in the midst of the chaos and visiting that everyone would rather be doing.

But, for me, the most fascinating, the wedding photographer on top of all the people and activity, will walk around all day  also keeping track of the fine details that the bride has spent hours anguishing over; making sure that all those details are also photographed.  The detail images are  then processed and presented in an album that helps to pull the whole day together. A book of memories that will last a lifetime.

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Eye Lashes; Yummy Mummy Esthetics

Yummy Mummy Eye Lash Extensions

Yummy Mummy Eye Lash Extensions

Eye lashes are all the rage right now! or should I say Eye Lash Extensions! One of my clients, Yummy Mummy Esthetics, has been doing eye lash extension for a while now. They wanted some examples of their work for their Facebook page, this image is one of my favourites.

The In-Between Moments

a little love'n from Sophie

a little love’n from Sophie

It is always good to have the camera ready for those in-between moments!

To be honest Sophie was really ready to sit and have her picture taken, so we did a little playing around, and I asked her to give her dad a kiss on the cheek. The Square format eliminates the background, giving us a less distracting image.  While black and white, gives even more emphasis on the faces, and the little kiss even further.

Hopefully this is one photo that father and daughter, will cherish for a long time.

my photoheart connection for january