Gallery Opening

Hi Folks

Many of you know that I have been working on putting together a gallery that will show the work of local artists. Well that gallery has now come together. The first opening is on October 12, 2012 and it promises to be a great evening. Here is some information on the show. Hope to see you all there.

Focal Point

I believe that education in photography is essential if we want to keep up with the ever changing technology and still maintain photography as a viable art form. Today there are many non traditional ways to learn about photography, particularly on line. A quick search on the internet will show literally millions of sites that are dedicated to teaching you how to photograph. Some of them, like the New York Institute of Photography, can prove to be a viable way to learn photography as an art. However, most of them fall well short.

The best way to get a photography education is to work with a instructor in a structured program that has well defined learning outcomes so that at the end of the process you walk away with a well rounded foundation in photography. Places that do this well are hard to find. 

Focal Point Visual Arts Centre has been providing this level of quality education in Vancouver for 39 years. This month, we will be loosing Focal Point. As an alumnae of Focal Point as well as one of its instructors, I know that it will be missed.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Focal Point for being a big part of my photography career and to wish all the best to my students and the staff.

Mid August Already

Wow, I can't believe that we are already in the middle of August. It's been a busy summer filled with weddings, portraits, and teaching. Starting to prepare for the fall season now. Here's what's happening.

Now is the time that I start photographing students who are graduating in 2013. I know it seems a bit early, but it is the best time. This way we can still catch the nice weather of summer or the fall colours in about 6 weeks. If you know anyone who is graduating in 2013, get them to call me now. Last year there were many who left it too late.

Wedding season is in full swing right now.It's been a great season and it has been a lot of fun. Mid September is when the wedding shooting will start dying down and the album production will be in full force. This is also the time when I start putting together next years promotional wedding materials. I looking forward to presenting some exciting new offerings including an album on an iPad.

There is 4 weeks left in the wedding photography class that I am teaching at Focal Point. The students have been doing some excellent work. The fall semester starts in September and I will be teaching wedding photography, flash photography, Commercial Portraiture, and practical studio lighting. The fall course schedule will be posted soon on the Focal Point web site. These course fill up fast so sign up early.

That's it for todays update.

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Flash For Accents

I am a huge fan of using speedlights. In fact, one of the courses I teach a course at a local school, Focal Point, is on speedlight and small flash photography. Uses flashes could to light the subject is the obvious use for these units. But flashes can also be used to highlight certain areas in the image or be used to place light where there actually was none.


The Image that I want to share today was taken a couple of weeks ago on a ranch. The weather was nice but it was still quite cold so we went into the barn to warm up. The light coming through the barn door created this beautiful light on the model. A little light reflected back onto her completed the lighting on the model.


The background was a different story. the background is a vacant horse stall that rendered almost black in the image. To compensate, I needed to bring in some artificial light. A single, off camera flash placed in the stall and to camera right was all that was needed to complete this image.

Photo Challenge #9

Create an image that has three definable layers - a foreground, background and subject or middle ground.

Forground

Composition of a photograph plays a crucial role in how successful the image is. I have talk about the rule of thirds and the golden rectangle in other posts. In this post I want to talk a little about adding depth to an image by adding a foreground.


Most images have a middle ground and a background.  The middle ground is typically the subject, and the background is what is behind the subject. we know that the eye will tend to move towards the sharpest part of the image, so to draw attention to the subject you can take the background slightly  out of focus using selective depth of field, causing the subject to become the main point of interest.


This technique works great when the subject is close, as in a head and shoulders shot, but what happens when you want to show more of the environment in the image. Does it all become background? Sometimes, but a more effective technique is to have a foreground in the image.


Having a foreground will create a space in which the subject resides. Effective use of the foreground will help give the image a more pictorial feel, giving the viewer more information about the subject and the environment it is in. It can also be helpful in directing the viewers attention toward the subject, helping it stand out even more inside the image. 


This image was designed to show the area in where this family liked to spend time together. It is a beautiful area in North Vancouver. with some of the family moving away, this image gave them a way to stay connected by showing them together as well is showing off the environment. Notice how the leading lines of the railing and the grate work in the foreground bring your attention to the group while the river gives your eye a chance to explore the rest of the image before bringing your eye back top the group.


Some techniques used in creating an effective foreground include depth of field, leading lines, repeating patterns and congruity with the background. The goal when deciding on your foreground is to make it add to your image without it being overpowering.