The 7th Annual Insurance Institute Battle of the Bands

March 29, 2016 in Events

…Photographing in the Blarney Stone presents some crazy lighting challenges. I have in some cases opted for flash (mainly if people want the occasional portrait group shot) but 99% of the time I’m using the existing lighting that is there… and there HAS to be lighting or else… well, how are you going to see the band? Haha. I’ve opted for very fast lenses and shooting at much higher ISO’s (like 1600 or 3200 sometimes), but I’ve found that the best technique is waiting for the rotating strobe lights to illuminate the person at the right time. My style of documentary photographer isn’t simply just blasting away frames with no consideration. I concentrate, wait for the composition, observe, breathe, move to a different angle if I’m getting nothing, feel the flow of the music, observe the rhythm of the strobe lights (they tend to operate in set sequences) and wait for it all to light up and then… click, click click! …..

Wedgewood Hotel Wedding Style Photoshoot - Behind The Scenes

March 19, 2016 in Weddings

…Regardless of whether it’s a model, a family, a bride and groom and their friends, a little cat or the people of Chinatown, I shoot documentary photography. It’s my passion and forms a major part of my vision and how I see things. Even on a styled shoot such as this one with lots of posing and a professional model, there’s a lot of storytelling behind the scenes that I desired to convey…So my role was that of telling the story that was going on behind the entire project….

A Brief Reflection on 2015 - Documentary Moments

January 02, 2016 in Weddings, Events

As a documentary photographer who photographs many weddings, I’ve had the opportunity to observe people through the emotional tides that arises from a wedding day and it’s such a privilege to be able to be with brides and grooms in this amazing time of their lives. From anticipation to the sense of relief of having completed the ceremony (without tripping or losing the ring!) to the sense of celebration and exuberance at the celebration in the end, a wedding day is full of moments that are easy to miss in the hustle and bustle of things but are there. I’ve always focused on getting those genuine moment and telling stories through them.

Hazelmere Golf Course - Keith and Jeanine Get Married

December 13, 2015 in Weddings

That morning, as I woke up, I noticed that the sun was out. This was amazing. It was November. In Canada... on the Pacific West Coast. Just days prior, when I went to check the wedding site, it was pouring rain. That weather was expected. The sun was not. But there it was, gleaming and shining in all it's glory!

However, it was really cold. Frost was still in the air and as I made my way down to Hazelmere Golf Course, where the wedding was taking place, I could see steam clouds rising from the ground as the sun melted the cold morning dew despite the chill temperatures. Regardless, the sun was great to have that day and made for a great day to an already beautiful wedding for Keith and Jeanine.

The Canon 1D Mark II N And Roberta Olenick

December 06, 2015 in Cameras

I was in the market for a camera as I was looking to make use of the digital Mastin Lab film presets to bring my digital images closer to the way I wanted them to look (like film) and I was also considering a digital full frame that could shoot in demanding circumstances. The type of work I had been doing and the type of demands asked of me made me consider a camera upgrade. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the Leica and my Pentax 645 and Pentax digital cameras but there was a gap that needed to be filled in my line-up. In all honesty, I could probably use any camera to take a photograph but in practice I have found that some tools are much better than others when it comes to certain assignments.

Walter and Marcy - Seconding Wedding Assignment

October 11, 2015 in Weddings

Culture shock. That's the best way to describe it.

My day started at the Italian Center located on Slocan St and Grandview Hwy in Vancouver. This was actually my first time ever stepping into the Italian Center and it was quite an experience to be exposed to so much Italian culture in a short span of time. While photographing Walter with his groomsmen in the Italian cafe, there was ordering of pizza and cappuccinos, soccer (Italy vs... ???), a gelato freezer and an Italian flag hanging right in plain view.

A "Colourful" Journey

September 20, 2015 in Personal Work

While I've heavily been a black and white shooter for a while, there's been a slight tugging to colour. I truly enjoy the tones and the mood that black and white images have. It forces you to look beyond shades of red, green, blue and straight into the geometry and also straight to the people's expressions and actions in an image.

The truth is though, I enjoy colour too but... I think I'm really picky about it. It HAS to be right. It's so easy for us to just explode images with colour without thought or to get it wrong or inaccurate. Colours play an integral role in a photographic image and, believe it or not, also in black and white imagery.

Film for me gets colours right.

(And, with some tweaking, digital images with film presets).

Walking My Usual Route

July 11, 2014 in Personal Work

I spend quite a bit of time by Canada Place in Downtown. With the summer season here, the place is bustling with activity as cruise ships bring people into the city. This area is kind of a tourist hub where you can visit the Convention Center, visit Canada Place and jump onto a hop-on hop-off bus to explore the city.

It's also a place where people in the Downtown core can go to relax and take in the sea-breeze. If I don't have a camera with me, I'm usually relaxing and taking in the fresh air and will usually grab some lunch. With camera in-hand, I go into documentary mode ... sometime with lunch still in my other hand!