Day 150, 365 Day Project.

A new look for my boy Cool. Cool shows his new glasses. Taken this evening outside after his final choir practice before they head off to Lethbridge for four days. Canon 7D, 24-70 f2.8 @ f7.1, 1/80 sec at 200 ISO.

Day 149, 365 Day Project.

After all the rain we had late last week we have the opportunity for some wonderful cloud formations as late afternoon evaporation happens. I shot a number of images but liked this one best with the trees in front. Canon 7D, 24-70 f2.8 @ f11, 1/1000 sec at 200 ISO.

Day 148, 365 Day Project.

Shot May 29th.

A look in my lead lined fridge of just some of the film stock I still have available to me to shoot. The Kodachrome is out of date and can no longer be developed as a chrome film, but is still useful as a Black & White stock.

Day 147, 365 Day Project.

May 28th's post as I was having trouble accessing the blog the last few days.

Found a patch of Tulips while I was downtown at Olympic Plaza. Using the Canon 7D and 24-70 f2.8 I shot a number of images of the flowers. Shot at 400 ISO, 1/400 sec at f10.

Day 146, 365 Day Project.

Well it continues to rain here in Calgary so what to shot but raindrops on tree branches. Pulled out the 70-200 f2.8 and the Extender EF 2X II and put them on the Canon 7D. I set my ISO at 1600 in order to get the shutter speed up to 1/400. The f stop for this shot at these settings ended up being f10. I then took the screen off the front window and opened it so that I would have a clear view. So shooting from my dry living room I was able to squeeze off a number of frames till I got one I liked.

Day 145, 365 Day Project.

(Sung to the tune of Taxi by Harry Chapin)

It was raining hard in Calgary, I needed one more shot to make my night.

A tulip up ahead caught my eye, I got in real tight.

I think you'll do my tulip new, you look really nice covered by the rain.

It just sat there dripping, I knew I had my shot all the same.

It took a while as I adjusted my shutter speed, then I glanced to see if my f stop was right.

A smile came to my face slowly, as I clicked off a couple of frames.

I hope you don't mind my taking liberties with a classic song but it really fits well with the weather in Calgary lately. I was looking for a way to show it so I headed out into the front yard where our tulips are in bloom. Umbrella in one hand and the Canon 7D in the other I got down low to frame the tulip. I had predetermined that I wanted f2.8 on the 24-70 lens. Knowing I would be hand holding and in real tight I wanted to shoot at faster shutter speed to eliminate camera shake so I set it to 1/200 sec. To achieve this I had to set the ISO at 200, which was not bad as it was raining hard so thus very overcast. This also helped to bring out the richness of the color as this is exactly how the camera recorded it, no adjustments in photoshop.

Day 144, 365 Day Project.

Attended the Calgary Children's Festival today with Luke's playschool. Luke was hanging on me the whole time so it made taking photo's a little difficult. That as well as being told that we were not allowed to use flash in the theatre made it a challenge. However the Canon 7D performed very well in the constantly changing light as I set it to 12,800 ISO and aperture priority. Using the 24-70 f2.8 set at f4 the camera choose 1/250 sec. I set the white balance on Auto and let the camera do it's thing. I liked this one as there was some movement and the ribbons were frozen. It was a good time and all the kids had fun.

Day 143, 365 Day Project.

Had to go downtown this evening as Cool had his choir rehearsal at Knox United Church. After we checked him in Luke and I wandered down to TD Square to look around. All the shops were closed so we just wandered and I shot a couple of images with my iPod camera. The above was of one of the flowers and I processed the image in Pictureshow using the pinhole filter and the IdigoGrey to convert it to B&W. The photo below shows the massive skylight they have added to the building. With the rain and low clouds I liked the way the buildings were obscured in the background. This one is pretty straight other then the frame added in Pictureshow.

Day 142, 365 Day Project.

This is a tiny Incense holder that my wife has and I like the shape of it. Shot with the iPod touch and processed in "Pictureshow" and the VerticalQuad filter.

Day 141, 365 Day Project.

Experimenting with the small LED light that I used a few days ago once again. I pulled a few of my favorite candies, Swedish Berries, out of the bag and set them on a black piece of material. I then set the Canon 7D and 24-70 f2.8 on a tripod with cable release and framed up the shot. Then at 100 ISO with a 2 second exposure at f22 I proceeded to move the light back and forth from behind the berries to make them glow.

Day 140, 365 Day Project.

I was sitting in the living room looking out the window when I saw the setting sun coming through casting a wonderful light on the window latch. I quickly grabbed my Canon 7D with the 24-70 f2.8 and adjusted the setting for the lower light to 1000 ISO, 1/160 sec and f2.8. However I forgot that I had done a custom white balance on the little LCD light's the previous night and had left the camera on the custom setting. It gave this funky lime green color and although I did shot the image correcting the white balance for daylight, I found this one to be more interesting. It is one of the things I have grown to like about digital, that you can do more with white balance then you could with film. One of the things on my list to experiment more with.

Day 139, 365 Day Project.

We were out shopping the other day and I came across a small light panel in a dollar type store. The thing has 24 led lights and is battery powered. I figured it could have some uses so I picked one up for $3.

So tonight I took this light source and my watch and brought it in to the studio. Setting the camera up on a tripod and attaching the cable release I proceeded to try a few different shots. This was the one I liked. My Canon 7D was set for 1.6 seconds @ f22 on the 24-70 f2.8 at 100 ISO. White balance was set on auto. I then painted the watch with the light by first bringing it close and then backing it off as well as moving it slightly to stretch the reflection.

I'm looking forward to experimenting more with this small portable constant light source.

Day 138, 365 Day Project.

I shot this image around 10:30 pm on Thursday May 19th in the parking lot of Chinook Mall. I had just arrived to attend the 12:01 screening of "Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides" with the intention to shot the days image inside the theatre complex. However as I was parking I liked the way my head lights shone on the "Mini" across from me in the parking lot. I got out of my car and framed up the above image. Once I got inside I used "Instagram" to crop the image as well as the tilt and shift on the app to keep the logo sharp and soften the rest. I then used the Heffe filter. I would have posted it last night, but had no Wi-fi to do so, thus the post today.

On another note the movie was quite good, but I think the 3D made it a little harder to watch. Maybe it was the abundance of action which seemed a little more distracting in 3D and the lack of the little details that the merit the medium. Avatar did a great job with this but "POC - OST" doesn't get it right. The other thing I noticed was the type of fans the franchise has generated as a large number of the crowd were dressed in their pirate garb. Still I would recommend checking it out as it is a good film.

Day 137, 365 Day Project.

Decided I wanted to try a self portrait today using the iPod touch camera. The idea was simple as it has the camera on the screen side allowing me to see the image and compose it the way I wanted. The first step was to decide on the lighting, in this case one Alien Bee with a 20 degree grid spot and using the modeling light as the source. Then looking at the screen moving my position till I achieved the lighting that I liked. Next was to bring it into Pictureshow and looking for a funky art look. Originally I thought the Pop Art Filter would give a Warhol look. The image below is with this filter. However I liked the look of the MultipleExposureBlack (above) and thus it was my main choice for the image of the day.

Day 136, 365 Day Project.

A wonderful sunset to end a very full day. Was up early to get Cool off to school, then a school council meeting followed by a number of errands. I am so glad that the sun sets late. This was taken at 9:30 this evening, Canon 7D, 70-200 f2.8 @ f9 at 140mm, 1/160 sec at 400 ISO.

Day 135, 365 Day Project.

While I watched my students shoot the lovely Breanna once again for the advanced lighting class I was struck by her earrings. I immediately knew what the shot was that I wanted for today. So I worked myself into the rotation and shot about 12 frames doing a close crop and just having her angle her head till I achieved what I wanted. Shot with the Canon 7D and the 70-200 f2.8 @ f5.6, 1/125 sec and 100 ISO. I like that the earring is slightly out of focus as had it been sharp it would have competed with her eyes. I knew the 100mm focal length would give me just the right amount of softness thus my lens choice.

Day 134, 365 Day Project.

One thing I am learning in this project is to think ahead about how the final image will look. Ansel Adams called it previsualization, seeing the image before you even trip the shutter. With today's tools we have available to us we have to know even more what they can do and the final results. One of the tools I have grown to appreciate is the camera in the iPod touch and the "Pictureshow" app. It has quickly become one of my favorite tools as I learn what the different filters can do.

Over the last few days I have watched as the warm weather has brought the tulips up and have been waiting for the right moment to shoot them. Loving the colors and knowing that they are a product of Holland which is the home of the great painter Vincent VanGough I wanted to use an effect to give a painterly feel. I think i achieved that in this image.

Day 133, 365 Day Project.

Today was a busy day for me teaching at SAIT. Wrapped up my basic lighting course in the morning and then had a my Wedding photography class in the afternoon. We had a nice day which was perfect as we were doing our out-door shoot. We had a young model as our bride and two couples for engagement shots. This was one of my favorites from the day and was shot in the stairwell of the parkade on campus. I like the sense of motion and the overall flow to the image. Canon 7D, 24-70 f2.8 @ f8 and 58mm focal length, 1/125th sec at 400 ISO.

Day 132, 365 Day Project.

Working with my long lens yesterday I decided to try to shoot the moon this evening. Due to the longer days the moon rises when the sky is still bright blue and I watched and waited until some clouds blew in close to it. I liked the way that this particular cloud seemed to cradle the moon. Canon 70-200 f2.8 with Canon extender EF 2x II, focal length 400mm, f10 at 1/640 hand held, 250 ISO.

Day 131, 365 Day Project.

As blogger was down yesterday here is my image from May 12. This is Luke who is just learning to play soccer. He was finally confident enough that I did not have to run with him on the field and this allowed me the opportunity to take some photo's of him. Canon 7D, 70-200 f2.8 at 85mm and f 32, 1/250 and 800 ISO.

Day 130, 365 Day Project.

From tonight's basic lighting class. This time turning the grey background purple using a gel on the Alien Bee 1600 head. Main light was a Larson 3'x4' soft box on an Alien Bee 800 head. Canon 7D, 24-70 f2.8 @ f8, 1/125 sec at 100 ISO.

Day 129, 365 Day Project.

It is interesting how you can start out with one idea when you set out to shoot, but quickly adapt to the situation before you. The above image was what I thought of when I saw the dandelion through the front window. I went let's juxtapose the good and the bad together in one image. So laying on the ground I caught the Lillie's and dandelion together thus achieving what I set out to do. However I like the flowers so I figured I would shoot them by themselves.
(above f22, 1/320 sec, 800 ISO)

This was the next image I took and when I realized how busy the background was with the window and the rose bush I felt it was unattractive. I knew I had to do something to resolve the problem. So I went inside to my production room and retrieved a piece of black mat board. I then placed it between the flowers and the rose bush (see below).

(above f22, 1/320 sec, 800 ISO)

Getting down low I shot the following image series. The first one was my favorite and there has been some post production work to eliminate some leaves. I think it made for a stronger image. All photo's were done with the Canon 7D & 24-70 f2.8. Other technical details below each frame.

(above f8, 1/250 sec, 100 ISO)

(f22, 1/320 sec, 800 ISO)

(f18, 1/60 sec, 100 ISO)

(f8, 1/320 sec, 100 ISO)

(f8, 1/320 sec, 100 ISO)

Day 128, 365 Day Project.

From tonight's Advanced Lighting class at SAIT. Lighting style was one Balcar mini-Z with a Hensel Beauty Dish to the right side at f5.6 and 5/1o stops with a second Balcar mini-Z on the ground with a Chimera Small Strip soft box at f2.8 and 5/10 stops. Canon 7D, 24-70 f2.8 @ f8, focal length of 70mm, 1/125 sec at 100 ISO. Background by Madcamp Backgrounds.

Day 127, 365 Day Project.

It's Mother's Day, did you call yours today? Inspired by the fact that Mother's Day is one of the busiest day's for phone calls I decided to try and take mine and make an interesting image from it. Using the Canon 7D and the 24-70 f2.8 wide open I tried to give a bit of shallow depth of field. Shutter speed was 1/500, f2.8 at 3200 ISO. Light was from the fluorescent fixture in my office.

Day 126, 365 Day Project.

Had a very good day at SAIT today. Taught two classes, one in basic lighting and the other in wedding photography. Decided to use an image from the basic lighting where I showed them how to us gels to get different coloured backgrounds. This was an orange gel lighting my grey/blue muslin background. Love the vibrancy and warmth it gave to the image. Lights were two Balcar Mini Z's, one for the background and the other with a 4' x 18" Larson strip soft box. A reflector was added to the shadow side. Canon 7D, 24-70 f2.8 @ f 8, 1/125 sec at 100 ISO.

Day 125, 365 Day Project.

The last couple of mornings as I walked Cool to school I noticed that some ducks have taken up residence in the melting water of the outdoor ice rink behind the Dalhousie Community centre. I decided to go back after dropping Cool off and took my Canon 7D with the 24-70 f2.8 and the Canon extender EF 2X II. Shooting at 400 ISO at 1/400 sec @ f10 and 400mm focal length I waited for the ducks to move.

Being protected by the fence of the rink these two seemed to have had a sense of safety as they nestled their beaks under their wings completely ignoring me as I moved closer. I tossed a few stones into the water and that did not phase them. It wasn't until I jingled my car keys that they stirred. I got a number of shots, but this one I found to be the most interesting.

Day 124, 365 Day Project.

This shot was taken on May 5th, but I had an exhausting day and after getting the boys their bath and off to bed, I to fell sound a sleep. I thought this was a fun image of my boys as they buried themselves in the bubbles of the bath. Using the iPod touch once again I brought the image in to Instagram and choose Brannan filter. I did adjust the colour balance a bit in photoshop after.

Day 123, 365 Day Project.

The first flower in our flower bed to bloom this spring. Got down on the ground and close to it to get the shot. The sun was full so I took a reflector and used it to cast a shadow across the scene in order to reduce contrast and make the colors pop. Canon 7D, 24-70 f2.8 @ f11, 1/125 sec at 400 ISO.

Day 122, 365 Day Project.

Well I have reached the 1/3rd mark for this project. It has been a struggle sometimes, but I have managed to keep the run intact. One of the things I have found in following this project is that I have opened my mind to the possibilities that digital has presented. I have had a good mix between my DSLR and the iPod touch camera. Each suit different purposes. I am finding the touch, which I used for today's image, and the various apps to be wonderful for creating abstract and different images. Again I used the "Pictureshow" app as it seems to have the most variety to work with. Well now to keep the momentum going and complete the other 2/3 of the challenge.

Day 121, 365 Day Project.

Sands through the Hour Glass. A metaphor for changing times. As we saw tonight, the political scene here in Canada has seen a change in the way people in this country think. What will the future bring, only time will tell.

Canon 7D, 24-70 f2.8 @ f4, 1/50 sec at 1600 ISO.

Day 120, 365 Day Project.

A nice spring day and I ventured out on the back deck to find some of the boys toys that had been buried by the snow all winter. Using the iPod touch I picked the Hipstamatic app this time and tried a few variations. The one I settled on was the Kaimal Mark II lens with the Kodot XGrizzled film. I decided to bring the image in to photoshop and added a bit more contrast to the image as well as adjusted the color balance and saturation.