Travel

I shot these images in Old Montreal as examples of travel photography that can be used in tourist brochures or online websites, such as:
www.vieux.montreal.qc.ca/eng/accueila.htm,
www.quaysoftheoldport.com/,
www.tourisme-montreal.org/Accueil/.


ISO 200, F/16, 1/80sec
An establishing landscape shot of Old Montreal and of the quay.



ISO 400, f/5.3, 1/30sec
A still life food shot of breakfast to show Montreal's love affair with brunch!



ISO 200, f/3.5, 1/400sec
A lifestyle shot of someone cycling along the Old Port, reinforcing Montreal's reputation of being a bike-friendly city!

Street Photography

I took these photos on Promenade Wellington, where there was a sugar shack on the street offering people tire à l'érable and other seasonal treats and drinks. The street was milling with all sorts of people. I decided to hold my camera at waist level and take pictures of unsuspecting folk as I strolled down the street.


ISO 500, f/3.5, 1/200sec


ISO 00, f/4.8, 1/200sec


ISO 500, f/4.2, 1/250sec


ISO 500, f/4.8, 1/200sec

Getting the right angle, good timing and proper focus was challenging because I held the camera at waist-level and could not see through the viewfinder, and the lens would slide down slightly. There were several shots I missed because I wasn't quick enough. I also struggled with timidity, which I hope will dissipate with more practice. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the process because of the element of surprise-- I like the natural look and candid quality to the shots.

Conceptual Images

Still Life
ISO 160, f/16, 1/10sec

I shot this image in an empty classroom at Dawson College, using an old projector. I turned off the lights, pulled down the screen, and laid my objects on the projector plate. I wanted to include the objects as well as the projection in my image, so I had to bring the projector close to the screen. The stone engraving was given to me several years ago by a friend of my mother's. The candle is a peace candle I recently received as a visitor in a local church. And the necklace is a post-mortem gift from my mother which holds her picture.

A few years ago, Dawson College became the site of a tragic shooting. Lives were unjustly taken. There was a lot of grief, anger, fear, anxiety and a struggle to resume normal activities. At the age of 61, my mother's life was unjustly taken away by cancer. Losing my mother has been marked by a lot of fear, anxiety and a struggle to carry on, which is why I used the stone engraving with the words "On the other side of fear, you will always find freedom", with the necklace and candle, representing presence, remembrance, prayer, and peace. The use of the projector is for two reasons. As I've grieved privately, at times I needed to share my grief and memory with others-- to make it public. But for the first year, when the pain was too great, I could only talk about it by disassociating myself from the reality of it-- like a reflection that doesn't quite do the original justice.


Narrative Image
ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/4sec

In this image, I stand at the end of a long hallway. I've opened the door to a room filled with light. Behind me are three closed doors. Through this shot, I'm trying to show the mystery, the unknown, and the element of surprise that we find in life as we face and make different choices.

Environmental Portraiture

I chose Justin McKinney, an aspiring librarian, as my subject for the following portraits. Justin has a degree in English Literature and enjoys writing and performing comedy around Montreal.



f/14. ISO 200, 1/10sec
Available light only



f/5.6, ISO 200, 1/13sec
With silver reflector



f/4.5, ISO 400, 1/250sec
Off-camera flash, Split light pattern

I would imagine these photos being used alongside a short bio like on the Comedy Works website or in an interview/feature on LaughSpin http://www.laughspin.com/.

Some problems I encountered:
I did not have a light meter with me, so I used my camera meter when possible and guessed the rest of the time. However, I've decided to go ahead and invest in a light meter with my next paycheck!

At the start of my shoot, my camera froze a couple times and even made a disturbing, crunching sound that I had never heard before. I kept getting this strange error message telling me to shut off my camera and try again. After a couple times, I simply replaced the battery with a spare. After that, everything was fine and normal again. I'm so relieved that I had brought a backup battery with me, otherwise I would have had to completely re-schedule the shoot.

Several of my pictures were slightly out of focus because my zoom lens is getting a little old and worn. For some shots, I simply switched to manual focus.

Summary:
Overall, the shoot went very well. At first, I was nervous, so I've concluded that in terms of preparation, I can't prepare enough! Every little bit of planning, preparing, scouting, checking and testing is useful and worthwhile. Justin was a great subject to shoot-- easy-going and patient. We had fun! I was also very fortunate to have Fiona Mak as an assistant. Although, I did not have a lot of equipment with me, it would have been more complicated and stressful to shoot and hold the external flash and/or the reflector/diffuser at the same time. Justin and Fiona both told me that I was clear and specific at giving directions. This was encouraging to hear!

Camera Settings: ISO 800, 83mm, f/5.6, 1/5sec

I chose a small f-stop to get a shallow depth of field because I wanted the object to stand out and not have the viewer be distracted by the details in the background. I framed the picture tightly to give it a more intimate feel. I also framed it at a certain angle to give the eye a path to follow and thereby create a feeling of movement beginning at the top left, moving down and through the flower and out again towards to top right. Lastly, I purposely kept the inside of the flower in a dark shadow to emphasize a 3 dimensional look.




Camera Settings: ISO 800, 17mm, f/13, 1/4sec

I chose a high f-stop to get greater depth of field because I wanted more elements in the frame to be in focus, such as all the arches and semi-circles found in the ceiling walls, which create a sense of movement. In addition, I selected a small aperture to create a flare around the ceiling lights and make them look like stars. I framed the picture in keeping with the rule of thirds so that the hanging cross-chandelier would fall prominently on the lower right hit point, and less prominently, the detail of top column in the top-left hit point.




Camera Settings: ISO 100, 83mm, f/8, 6sec

In terms of depth of field, I chose an average f-stop because I did not want to lose the background completely but I also did not want to have a flat effect. There are some multiple frames and entry points as well as strong lines that guide the eye through the picture. I was particularly interested and drawn by the mix of light sources and colour temperature so close to each other.

Featuring Local Photographer: Monique Simone

Recently, I met with a local photographer, Monique Simone, to ask her questions about her photography business. I was quite impressed and left inspired by our talk. She exudes confidence and passion, taking a fresh approach to her subjects. In addition to receiving training in visual arts, she has taken every opportunity along the way to develop her skills and follow her interest in photography. With several years of experience under her belt in fine arts archival printing, studio portraiture, and commercial work with a well-known photographer, Monique has worked as a wedding photographer, specializing in destination weddings. She continues to do weddings, but now has her own studio where she focuses on portraiture. Monique cannot imagine doing anything better in life: she gets to organize her own schedule, be her own boss and do photography! Monique works hard and commits to growth by regularly attending workshops held by the WPPI (Wedding Photography Association). When asked what is needed to survive in this industry, she answered that a person needs to have a cross between humility and a sense of self. Being business savvy also helps. In her own words, “a business does not run automatically.” For wedding photography, she also points out that having a happy, extrovert personality is useful. To prepare for her shoots, Monique listens to fun music; wears funky clothes; makes sure that she has food to snack on; and goes through fashion editorials.

http://moniquephoto.com/index2.php#/home/

Camera-less Photography

Camera-less photography is a technique producing photograms, which are essentially photographic images requiring only direct exposure of an object onto a photosensitive surface. The image is captured without the use of a lens or a camera. Depending on the transparency of the objects used, the image varies in tones. For example, translucent objects appear grey; opaque, white; and empty space, black. Since the image is produced directly onto paper, there is no negative. Each photogram is a one-of-a-kind work of art. And because of the unique process, photograms often come out looking surreal, ghostly, and generally different than we expect.



The photogram technique dates back to the beginnings of photography. In its early stage, photograms were explored and developed in the context of scientific and medical research. Two of the first applications of photograms were documenting botanical specimens and x-rays.



The use of the photogram for purely artistic purposes came later, after the first World War as illustrated by Christian Schad, Man Ray and Lazlo Moholy-Nagy in the modernist period of art. Today photograms continue to be used by artists as a means of artistic expression, producing a wide variety of designs and surreal imagery mostly for the world of Fine Art Photography, and occasionally for advertising.

Although camera-less photography remains, in my opinion, somewhat avant-garde, I believe it is accessible to the “masses” through its minimalist, direct, tactile and experimental approach to image-making. Curiosity and experimentation are de rigueur in this genre. With camera-less photography, equipment does not “get in the way”; or create such a strong divide between the Observer and the Observed.



Useful link to information on photograms:
http://www.photograms.org/
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/c/camera-less-photography-artists/

How to make a photogram - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK9cYGuogX8
Original, funny use of photograms - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB79mHut2e8

Inspiring Contemporary Photographers using the Photogram:
Susan Seubert - http://www.seubertfineart.com/ - /Portfolios/Dress-O-Grams/1
Don Dudenbostel - http://www.x-rayarts.com/collections.html
Pierre Cordier - http://www.pierrecordier.com/sommaire.php