No Photos Please!

No Photos Please!
Originally uploaded by bongopix
In the photographer's universe, club shooters are the bottom feeders. We lurk at night. We work in loud, crowded spaces. We get pushed around. Gear gets splashed with alcohol and subjects are always in the classiest of states. The client demands the photos quickly and creativity is an afterthought. The goal is to go after "the hotties" and dish out as many promotional pamphlets as possible. To fellow photographers, this sort of environment may sound dreadful. For me, club photography has become a sublime love affair.

Every artist needs a break. A healthy dose of pulp keeps you grounded. And you know what? There’s actually a lot of skill that goes into a successful night of club photography. There’s so much emphasis in the on-line photography community about strobism (off-camera flash) that on-camera flash has become overlooked and forgotten. Of course, the results produced by a shoot-through umbrella at the perfect angle are usually stunning. But we can’t afford to be constantly walking about with umbrellas and lighting stands. In a way, on-camera flash demands more acute knowledge of light because it is just that much harder to create flattering lighting effects.

There is a sort of glamourous charm behind the high contrast and highly saturated look of on-camera flash. Combine this with the attention-hungry behaviour of clubbers, you get a kind of faux-celebrity paparazzi experience as a club shooter. People at clubs want to show how much fun they’re having. They embrace the camera, and in a way, act as if they’re stars. The later you work into the night, the more fun people get (for obvious reasons). The fun also intensifies after you’re offered a few drinks and end up bouncing up and down with the dancing crowd. It turns into a euphoric atmosphere that makes you forget that you’re working.

Anyways, I guess what I’m trying to say is that every genre of this business has its perks. It’s not worthwhile to scoff at one style of shooting and think less of it. Instead, look at all of one’s shooting experiences and try your best to make them worthwhile. Even in club photography, there are precious moments to be captured. Of course, a club photographer, by nature of the job, churns out the repetitive and thoughtless “social shots” that the client is expecting. Jack up the glamour by taking advantage of the flash. Make the people look and feel like celebrities, and they will becomes celebrities. The night turns into a performance. It's up to a keen photographer to seek these performances and capture them. The atmosphere turns into something really special as opposed to a loose party. But then again, I wish I was partying!

Quick and Corporate - Office Shoot

 

A Christian Counseling Agency in Toronto hired me to take photos for their website renewal project. They wanted an image update, so naturally, new/professional photos come with the territory. They were a really positive and fun bunch. Cake was served after the shoot (Unfortunately it wasn't in my honour, but to celebrate a staff member's birthday). There's nothing better than complimentary carrot cake.

A shoot like this is an interesting little beast. It seems simple, and it is. But straightforward can sometimes be a photographer's enemy. First of all, space was a really big issue. When you walk into a shoot like this, you have to be ready to set up a makeshift studio instantly. I probably spent 2 minutes longer than I should have to decide where to shoot. We used the lobby, and it worked. The group shot didn't turn out the best, although it was definitely decent. There just wasn't enough room to squeeze in 12 people and get the "pleasing" lighting effects that strobes can do.

The neutral background became a little bit of a colour issue for me. I must admit, I am not an expert when it comes to white balance. I wasn't exactly pleased that my colours weren't consistent throughout. If you look at this set, you'll see that the background fluctuates between green-brown-beige. If I'm going to continue to step it up to that "next level," this is something I need to master soon.

Other challenges? Timing. I had one hour exactly. There wasn't room for many mistakes or re-takes, and I had some trouble in the beginning with one of my strobes. My sb26 must have been running low on batteries and it was really frustrating. A quick strobe change solved the situation.

Another hurdle was models who were in a rush to go somewhere else. This was extremely distracting for me. One of my first models told me right from the beginning that she needed to leave because her parking meter had likely expired. I didn't want to be the cause of a parking ticket, so I tried my best to hurry. Unfortunately, her photo didn't turn out as well as the others'. Working quickly, I'm discovering more and more, is an important skill. You have to work fast and have the confidence that you're getting good results in the time that you use. Performing in clutch situations is absolutely key, and this is something that you'll develop over time.

Overall, a quick job resulted in photos that I'm sure they'll be happy with. The individual portraits were my favourites (As you can see, they're the ones that I uploaded to flickr). It was definitely a new experience, a sort of "factory/assembly line" of portraits done in a short period of time. I'll need to fine tune my white balance/colours, and make sure that I always have fresh batteries.

Let The Games Begin

When you buy a camera that doesn't come with a built-in flash, you know it's a serious piece of equipment. In fact, I've never considered myself a professional photographer - until now. Hello, my name is Mike, and I'm a professional photographer. I own a Canon 5D Mark 2.

 I've seen tons of exceptional images (particularly on flickr) that were taken with point and shoots. I've also seen unbelievable images taken with entry-level DSLRs. And of course, I've seen mediocre and uninspiring images taken with the kind of gear that would burn a permanent hole in anyone's wallet. I've come to a revelation. Fancy gear doesn't make you good. But when used correctly, fancy gear can propel your material to a level of quality that you couldn't even imagine. I still have a lot to learn, but I feel like a more "mature" shooter. I've heard that it takes 10,000 hours of practice in order to learn how to do something really well. I suppose I'm at 5,000, so I am excited about all of my future opportunities to challenge myself.

Shooting with the 5D is extremely liberating. Towards the end of my Rebel xti days, I was feeling very "limited." I had ideas for shots and I just felt trapped by technical restrictions. The short ISO range was bringing me down. 1600 seems like such a small number to me now. And because of the Canon Rebel xti's average noise control, I was constantly paranoid of having to shoot even at ISO800. ISO1600 always felt like a funeral. To be able to shoot at higher ISOs without sacrificing quality is, in a word, amazing.

And perhaps my favourite thing about the 5D - the fact that I knew how to use it the moment I started using it. I can recall encountering a lot of frustration during my first few months with the Canon Digital Rebel. As a new shooter, I remember learning one technical phrase and then forgetting another. I couldn't understand what depth of field meant, and I couldn't wrap my head around why a low F number was a good thing (Big = good, right?) There was a long adjustment period that I went through, so it felt really good being able to take satisfying images right out of the box. Mind you, I had to get used to all of the 5D's controls. But because the basics were under my belt, did it ever feel good! I've still got a long way to go, and the uphill climb looks exciting.

Mary & Johnny

Love just seemed to be in the cards for these two.


They met in elementary school somewhere between shooting marbles in the dirt and playing rounds of Pogs. They both caught the acting bug together while appearing in a school play in their late elementary years, and continued to share the stage in high school. Their first kiss was a unique one - on stage and in character, in front of copious amounts of Oshawa high-school theatregoers for a two-week run. Although all signs would normally point to romance, a relationship just wasn't practical; Johnny was off to Queen's University in the summer, leaving Mary behind for her last year of high school.

But true love finds a way.

Mary, a fervent Golden Gaels supporter since birth, met up again with Johnny in beautiful Kingston at Queen's University. Although their romantic lives had changed since high school, their friendship hadn't. The two remained very close, grabbing coffee in the JDUC, eating lunch at West Campus, or hanging out at Theological Hall to support the other's dramatic endeavours. And somewhere between all of the cars being lit on fire homecoming parties, classes, musicals, exams, late nights at Stages, and all-nighters at Stauffer Library, "Mary and Johnny" simply happened.

And things have been happening for them ever since. Since getting engaged last Christmas, they've both kickstarted their careers in education, purchased their first house together, and are hugely involved in the community theatre scene.

It's been over eight years since that first onstage kiss, and sparks continue to fly for this wonderful young couple - both on AND offstage.  

The Hip Hop Strobist Edition

drega 3
Originally uploaded by bongopix

With the way hip hop has developed over the decades, I think it’s pretty clear to everyone that “cockiness” is a big part of the genre. In fact, when Sugarhill Gang sang the lyric: “I got bodyguards, I got two big cars.../ I got a Lincoln’ continental and a sunroof Cadillac,” the seminal rap group from Brooklyn cemented the foundations of a music genre that was all about outdoing your fellow MCs. Of course, like every medium of art, hip hop has evolved and grown. I believe that Toronto rapper Drega represents this talented group of young MCs that are currently pushing the boundaries of what hip hop can be.

Drega contacted me first. He mentioned he needed someone to shoot a suitable album cover for his upcoming release, “Man of the Year.” The theme he wanted was “overcoming adversity,” and he wanted to know how I’d approach it. I took it as a fun challenge, sent him a few ideas, and we agreed to make it happen.

Upon meeting Drega, I was instantly impressed by his calm demeanour and laid back attitude. I was half expecting a “rapper personality,” and he was the complete opposite. He really was down to earth. I felt we hit it off very well, staging a number of different shots on Toronto’s Sunnyside Beach. I used two strobes for this shoot, the sb28 and sb26. I shot without umbrellas because there was a light breeze at the lake (Didn’t want any of my investments taking flight and departing from me). It was also still pretty bright for 7pm, so I found myself going into high f-stop territory and blasting the strobes at 1/1 or 1/2. Of course, I also shot without the strobes and mixed in some natural lighting.

The one that Drega chose for the album cover is the photo that I’m blogging about in this post. I like his selection. The 9-foot lifeguard chair that he’s leaning on acted as a useful prop that inspired some of the best frames from the whole shoot. One thing I’m beginning to notice from these strobist shoots is that I don’t necessarily direct my models too much. I’m still trying to figure out whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. I like to think that I can capture my subjects in a “natural state,” so I’m not sure how much I should interfere with how my subjects pose for the camera.

All in all, another good experience. I wish Drega all the best in his music career!

Concept Shoot, Part Deux

return to the earth
Originally uploaded by bongopix

In another effort to prevent my creative energy from stagnating, I recently collaborated with model/makeup artist Katie for a concept shoot. We discussed a bunch of possible ideas, and then Katie mentioned her admiration for Tim Burton imagery. Okay; gothic. Scary. Cryptic... I haven't done that before! I immediately fell in love with the idea. The concept naturally morphed into shape. She was going to wear an old wedding dress and a small-town Ontario church was going to host our location.

As hard as I tried to get my strobes to create some interesting lighting effects, I kept leaving them behind. This church and graveyard were defeating my lighting ambitions. I wasn't getting the kind of light I wanted. In my head I was telling myself, "Not scary enough!" This shoot was an important learning experience for me because I approached it with a "this will definitely look better after post-processing" kind of attitude.

The instantaneous results displayed on my camera's tiny LCD screen were not exactly flattering. The combination of my model and setting, I told myself, would materialize into a successful shoot. I was going to entrust photoshop to help get the kind of gothic effects I was aiming for. And I suppose (you be the judge) that's what I achieved in the end. So there are three things I learned:

1. Strobes aren't always going to do the trick.

2. I am a "one-trick pony" strobist. I need to learn to do more.

3. Photoshop is a natural and necessary part of the process.

All in all, another great experience. Thank you Katie for modeling and Gary for driving.

forest shoot - July 11th

don't be afraid
Originally uploaded by bongopix

On a very hot day in July, I met with Steph and Mel for a concept shoot in Toronto's High Park. It would be my second time collaborating with Mel. We met earlier in March for a fall fashion shoot in Kensington Market. We decided to approach our next project from a different angle by adding a second model and basing the shoot around a creative concept. I had expressed my desire to do something ironic with a forest theme, and Mel supplied a ton of ideas that would fit perfectly into the plan.

As I’m finding with every project that I do, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had never shot in such a shady area before, let alone in a forest. I found myself using my 18-55mm more often than I ever had for a shoot like this. The 50mm, coupled with the cropped sensor of my rebel xti, just wasn’t fitting as much scenery in the frame. I used a mix of natural light and my sb28 strobe. I briefly tried incorporating a second strobe, but it didn’t seem to be necessary.

I’m really beginning to appreciate the sun. Being able to read natural light is proving to be very useful. For instance, we had one planned shot with one of the models holding a picture frame and poking her head out. The strobe was lighting the frame and her face. I dunno, it just wasn’t working for me. I didn’t have a snoot to isolate the flash solely on the model’s face. The picture frame shots looked a lot better in a nearby field under the muted sunlight (it was extremely cloudy). I’ve always loved looking at clouds, and now I can appreciate them even more!

All around, I am very happy with the results. This shoot officially marks the beginning of my creative projects. I’ve got one more coming up tomorrow, and another one that is waiting to be edited in Photoshop. I would appreciate any feedback that you might have about the results.