I went to the zoo for an afternoon last week with a friend and managed to snap off a few “keepers” despite the oppressive heat. It was actually hotter outside than it was in the usually super-humid indoor exhibits…
Groucho re-incarnate!
King of the Castle
Crooked Stare
…My eye on you…
Staredown
Mime-frog
Lizard’s head, Frog’s body
Smooth Criminal
We received an emergency call last week… Jess was a day away from her due date, and she and Matt had been so busy with all the preparation, that they had completely forgotten to book a pregnancy session. Luck would have it that we didn’t have anything scheduled, so we packed up our gear and raced to Lynde Shores Conservation Area for an impromptu shoot and to take advantage of the beautiful golden hour light…
We spent a beautiful (albeit hot) afternoon at Cruickshank park in Toronto with Anita & John (and Hanna, too!). We hadn’t been there before, but had heard rumours of a path draped with massive weeping willows, so we decided to take a gamble… We think it paid off…
No one could have asked for better weather for their wedding weekend. Ali & Matt soaked it all in and we had a wonderful time capturing every moment.
Here’s a little story (with some photos to follow, because, well, this is a photography blog ;)… For 15 years, my wife and I have tried to have kids. Early on, we did all sorts of fertility treatments, but the result was always the same. Negative. And with no explanation. We were simply part of a small percentage that Dr’s were baffled by. After some time, we reluctantly accepted that it wasn’t going to happen, but didn’t take any “precautions” either. Figuring that if it was going to happen, it would happen. Years went by without a single hint of conception and our attention slowly shifted towards the benefits of living as DINKS (Dual Income, No KidS). Renovation plans, Vacation plans, toys for the big kids… Planning for a future that mainly revolved around the two of us.
By now, I’m pretty sure you can see where this story is headed… While we were busy racing towards our forties, and the idea of becoming parents all but a distant, diminishing thought, the universe was busy making sure that we were still (and always) on our toes…
It happened! Shit just got realer than real!
Now, having to keep this news quiet for a couple months was one of the toughest parts, so we decided to focus our attention on coming up with creative, customized photos for our families to announce this shocking news. Below are those photos…
Because this WAS our plan for future vacations…
Because two doors just ain’t gonna cut it anymore…
Because the Grand-dog was as close as our parents thought they would get…
Because Saturday nights have always been about the bleu, blanc et rouge…
…Is the simplest way to better pictures. Plain and simple.
Most images are taken from eye level (booooring). It is what we see on a daily basis. So I ask you this: When was the last time you saw someone crawling around on the ground and, when you inquired (quite concernedly, I would assume) as to what they were doing, they simply replied “I just wanted to see what it looked like from down here.” NEVER! So be that person. Look at the world in ways most people can’t or don’t. Just make sure you have a camera in your hand so you don’t look too crazy.
Although better than a typical angle, this shot has been done time and time again.
Instead, get down and shoot up to the
subject to create something different
PT.2 – Some night and interior images from a recent photo excursion to Montreal. Fuji X20 technical note for those who care about that stuff: When I first brought the RAW files from the Fuji X20 into Lightroom, I wasn’t terribly impressed with the noise in images at or above ISO 400. However, once I reduced the colour noise, the luminance noise that remained spoke volumes to the detail that Fuji has been putting into their sensors/cameras. Especially once converted to Black & White, this is the closest thing I’ve seen to traditional film grain come out of a digital camera. So much so, that I will use higher ISOs on this camera for creative purposes. It’s that good.
Place D’Armes
Bank of Montreal
Statue in the Square
Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours
Ominous Entrance
Cobblestone Alley
Notre Dame Basilica – Exterior
Notre Dame Basilica – Interior
Candles and Crosses – Notre Dame Basilica
Heavenly Light – Notre Dame Basilica
Light & Symmetry – Notre Dame Basilica
From the Cheap Seats – Notre Dame Basilica
Flickering Prayers – Notre Dame Basilica
Gospel from Above – Notre Dame Basilica
Grandiose – Notre Dame Basilica
PT.1 – Some daytime images from a recent photo excursion to Montreal. For this trip, I decided to pick up a smaller camera to take with me instead of lugging around my DSLR and lenses. After some research and testing, I settled on the wonderfully compact Fuji X20. I was originally leaning towards the Fuji X-E2 or perhaps something from the Sony NEX series, but ultimately decided that another interchangeable lens system sort of defeated the purpose. And I couldn’t be happier with the decision. The funky, retro-rangefinder styling coupled with a fast lens and great image quality is the perfect marriage of form and function for my needs. I’m not a big fan of the camera on my current phone (mostly because of a lack of control), but the X20 is small enough that it now comes with me wherever I go.
Days of Old
Above the Depanneur
City Hall w/ Ukrainian Flag
Old Stone Courtyard
Layers of Age
Age=Beauty
Cold Day in the Old Port
Morphing Trees
Robocop?
Seawalls and Grain Siphons
Tight Squeeze between Port & Starboard
Rusty Anchor
Reflections of Bonsecours
Five Roses
As much as I love the snow, I am just about ready for some patios, motorcycles, golf and shorts. This afternoon, after shoveling for the umpteenth time this year, I went out to take some pictures (making the most of the mild temperature) and when I reviewed them, it was as if mother nature was rubbing it in. So I’m giving this Icy Middle Finger right back at her.
© 2014 MNRD Photography – Specs: Nikon D800 | Nikkor 60mm Micro with 3x Extension Tubes (36mm, 20mm, 12mm)
Far too often, people get caught up in, or tripped up by, the numbers involved in Photography. f/stops, shutter speeds, ISO values… You might as well be trying to decode the Bermuda Triangle. But once you understand how they work, both individually and together, the world of creative photography opens up like the proverbial oyster. For years, I’ve been teaching students to keep it simple… The more you over-think the numbers, the more frustrating it becomes.
I’ve seen a lot of graphics outlining the Exposure Triangle, but haven’t really come across a comprehensive, yet easy to understand visual representation of it. So, over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been trying to devise a way to illustrate a comprehensive version of the Exposure Triangle, while keeping it simple enough so that it doesn’t overwhelm. Hopefully this helps some of you that may have been struggling with putting it all together.
Click for full size, printable version.
MNRD Photography 