Category: Portraits

Sometimes there is more art than space

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Faith

This is the very first image composite I created when I was just learning how to use Photoshop. I still think it is one of my best.

On my trip home to visit my family in May, I went through most of the stuff I left behind when I moved to Vancouver, and as usual brought back a few things with me. Among everything I reclaimed two long lost giclée prints I did of this image in a workshop at Toronto Imageworks many years ago. They’ve been sandwiched carefully between paper and cardboard waiting for me to do “something” with them. It can be one of the downsides of being a creative person, to have more creations than one person usually has wall space for – and so some become gifts to appreciative friends (though not these.)

100 Strangers

1/100 - Bill MacEwan

3/100 - Megan Cole

Brittney blogged about the 100 Strangers project on Utata’s Daily Ink a few weeks back and it got me thinking about doing this as a project myself. The challenge: Take 100 photographs of at least 100 people you don’t know. Approach a person or group of people and ask for permission to both take a photo of them and to post it to this group.

I gave myself an easy start by asking people I met at Launch Party 3 – a local networking event and a situation where most people are already expecting to be photographed. Because I was shooting with the Olympus XA loaded with 800 ISO film, I had to make use of a “studio” lighting set up someone had in one corner of the room. Lucky for me this was there, otherwise it would’ve been to dark for my camera. The above two photos are two of the four I shot that evening. I don’t think they make for particularly good portraiture, but I felt frustrated by the limitations of the Olympus XA. It won’t be what I use from now on, if I can help it.

Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at www.100Strangers.com

Madhatter

Madhatter

If you’re staying in town this weekend, there are two events I’d recommend checking out.

My lovely friend Kirsti Wakelin, has been getting all sorts of wonderful reviews for her illustration work in a children’s book called, “Looking for Loons”. This Saturday December 8th is the official launch of the book at Christianne’s Lyceum of Literature and Art, with the author in attendance. If you have any kids in need of a present this Christmas why not pick up a copy of the book, AND have it signed by Kirsti. More details below.

One of the “craftshows” (really an artisan and designer sale) I look forward to at this time of year, is the Shiny Fuzzy Muddy. It’s a group show and sale featuring a nice variety of merchandise by local artists, designers and, crafts people. It starts today at 5pm and is on until Sunday. For a full list of participating artists check out their site.

Book Launch: Looking for Loons
December 8, 4pm
at Christianne’s Lyceum of Literature and Art
3696 West 8th Ave, Vancouver (8th and Alma)
the event is free and it’s requested that you RSVP: lyceum /at/ christiannehayward /dot/ com or 606-733-1356

Shiny Fuzzy Muddy
at video in studios
1965 main street, vancouver, bc
(between 3rd & 4th on the west side of the street)
Friday – 5 to 10 pm, Saturday – 11 to 5 pm, Sunday -12-5 pm

Ethereal

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Amari is the lovely lady featured in a new series of photos I shot last week, of which the above photo is a part. She teaches classes at the yoga studio I frequent here in Vancouver. We began the session shooting portraits and various yoga poses, but due to limitations with the shooting space I wasn’t happy with how things were going. I decided to suggest an idea I’ve had on my mind for ages – placing the model behind a backlit piece of fabric – and off we went in a better direction with the shoot. I’m very happy with the results and have a few other ideas I’d like to try in a similar way.

The nile queen

The Nile Queen

Links to two items I have really enjoyed:
An interview between the lovely Chris Keeney (CK on Flickr) and pinhole photographer Katie Cooke. I hadn’t encountered her work until now, and am grateful to CK for taking the time to talk to Katie and bring her work to my attention.

A link from Kirsti, to a montage of 500 years of female portraiture on YouTube. It’s wonderful to watch, but it bothers me almost all the featured drawings/paintings are of white European females.

Silhouetted Kirsti

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Silhouette.jpg

The above photo was taken with a holga, using studio strobes as the light source. The lovely Kirsti Wakelin is the model, and she is one of my favorite people to photograph. The holga I was using doesn’t have a hotshoe because it’s the type with a built in flash, so I was firing the strobes using my light meter as the trigger and set the camera shutter to bulb. Let’s here it for improvisation… 😉

I attended the Earth Day celebrations at Jericho Beach yesterday, and was interested to hear some of the history of the area. Jericho has been at various times the site of a native village, a whaling station, and an army base, and began as an estuary where three rivers met with the ocean. I was also excited to learn of the Jericho Beach stewardship program. They meet once a month to weed out invasive plant species and restore Jericho to it’s “natural” state.

Kirsti close-up 2

I haven’t felt much like updating my photo blog lately because I’ve been pondering what exactly I want to do with this thing. It’s in need of a proper design, featuring a portfolio and contact section. I should also add a link to my new etsy store. (Now I can proudly say that I sell my work.)

There is a small show of Holga photos on display at the Pendulum Gallery. The work is by local Vancouver photographer Trevor Brady, and will be on display until April 21st. I liked seeing Holga photos printed very large and bold. It gave me a few ideas for things to do with my own work.