Here is a review of some of the fun from our blog in 2009:

January

• Student Success! Valerie, a photo student from the Hockey Photography Workshop, gets a photo job getting her inside access to the Ottawa 67s.

• Amazing footage – flying Norwegians Some amazing video footage. I’d love to try it but it’s be terrifying!

• Five Photo Goals for the New Year – Exposed! Photo Newsletter

• Workshops – We ran the Hockey Photo Workshop and Natural Light Portraits with good reviews!

Ottawa Hockey Photo Workshop

February

• Alaskan Photographer Featured – We featured outdoor adventure photographer, Laurent Dick. I trained in the mountains with Laurent many years ago!

• Post-processing – Cheating or tweaking? – Exposed! Photo Newsletter

• Dave McMahon and Lise Meloche photographed – We photographed this Olympian – World Cup duo:

Assignment Photography Ottawa

March:

• Ottawa Magazine feature – Our work on the National Team Whitewater Training site hits the News Stand.

• Stumped – Camera’s Creative Blocks – Exposed! Photo Newsletter

• Iceland Dispatch – One of the dispatches from our guide on our Iceland Photo Tour – Kent Larus Bjornsson.

• Craft Conference in Ottawa – We were invited to speak at this event hosted by the Onatario Craft Council

• Photography for Communications Professionals – We presented a photo course for communications staff. It was very well received!

Photography for Communications Professionals

April:

• Stock Photography – what’s going on? We wrote the first of three parts on trends in stock photography

• Assignment spotlight Two of the fun assignments of note – we photographed the work of a timberframe builder and a furniture builder:

Photo Assignment Ottawa

May

• Wedding season – We highlighted some wedding work

• Mastering advanced motion techniques – May’s Exposed! photo newsletter sped up the action:

Exposed! Photo Newsletter - Ottawa

June:

• We taught the Urban Landscapes Photo Workshop and a Sport Photo Workshop Very fun indeed:

Sport Photo Workshop

July:

• David Trattles Workshop Launch – We announced the David Trattles Photo Workshop – very popular and coming back in May!

• Bluesfest Business – We highlighted the business side of photography:

Ottawa Bluesfest

August:

• Five Myths of the Photo Business – Our August edition of the Exposed! newsletter brought inn a huge spike of traffic. I think we hit a nerve!

• Sport Photo Event – We ran another sport photo workshop with horses:

Sport Photo Workshop

September:

• Quality vs Quantity – Our Exposed! photo Newsletter hit a common myth – more photos does not necessarily mean better photos!

• Creative Fundamentals – We ran two sections of our most popular workshop

Creative Fundamentals Photo Workshop

October:

• Assignment Spotlight – We posted some work we did for the Canadian Senate.

• Top Tips to get your photos noticed – Our October instalment of the Exposed! Photo Newsletter

NightLight Photo Workshop - October and March

November:

• Assignment Spotlight: We shot some fun for an Ottawa private school.

• Custom Course – We ran one of these popular sessions for people who want personal attention or cannot make the dates of regular courses:

Custom Photo Course - Ottawa

December:

• Creative Networking Seasonal Social – Two and a half years ago I started a networking group for people working full time in creative fields. We now have 165 members receiving news with 10-25 different members attending monthly sessions.

• ProProgrammers blogs – Many of our ProProgram students started their route to photo businesses this year.

• Dog Photos at the SPCA – We continue to assist the SPCA with a photo fundraiser. We have help from Santa and this year one of our ProProgrammers also photographed to gain experience.

SPCA photo

Coming soon – “Sport Photos of 2009”

Three cheers for one of our newest ProProgram students – Sandra Finner. She joined the programrecently. She has started her new blog and says about the other ProProgram photo students:

“It’s encouraging by being in their company; it makes me feel like I’m moving forward in the direction I was hoping to.”

And really, that’s one of the benefits of the ProProgam – surrounding yourself with supportive people with the same goals. Congratulations Sandy!

Check her blog regularly and cheer her along in her development.

Her self portrait, below:

Sandra Finner Pro Photography Program

Christmas is coming soon and we will be taking a few days of fun. We will be posting some items over the holidays. Next week we will be posting some favourite photos of the year.

In the meantime have a very merry break. My wife, Biscuit, Santa and I wish you all the best (one of us doesn’t like to be in photos!)

Merry Christmas!

Last week we had a fun and full week including photo work and Custom Courses covering the material of Creative Fundamentals Workshop. I taught the material in very different locations – one in a warm, indoor city setting and one in the wilds of Gatineau Park. Both participants did very well and left smiling. See photos of them in action below:

Custom Photo Course Ottawa

Custom Photo Course Ottawa

Request for models

Coming up in January we are teaching Natural Light Portraits and Studio Sessions. We are looking for people interested in receiving portraits just for helping the students learn the fine art of portraiture.

What’s involved?

We are looking for people to have fun at the other end of the camera! I need some regular, everyday people to ‘model’ for this year’s students. You do NOT have to be tall, short, big, small, cute or rugged – all you need is to be yourselves.

In past years, models have included:

• moms/dads and child(ren),
• newly engaged couples
• actors
• athletes
• individuals
• small business owners
• etc, etc.

Requirements
We are looking for ten to twelve groups of one or two people to have their portraits taken by the new students. You need to convey to the learning photographer who you are and why you want a portrait taken. It is the photography student’s responsibility to ask you the questions, put you at ease and take a fine portrait.

Time commitment
I would ask that you be available for a few hours in an afternoon in January:

1. January 16 or Jan 23 (Portraits in a central Ottawa, indoor public site)
2. January 17 or January 24 (Portraits in a central Hull studio)

Payment
• Students are asked to offer some photos to the models as a thank-you. I will arrange the photos get to you after the course.
• Past models have enjoyed the session – one photo course graduate said she learned more about photography from the modeling experience!

Interested?

Contact Harry@HarryNowell.com if you are interested. We will accommodate as many requests as possible! Please let me know which date you could commit:

January 16,  17, 23  or  24

Studio Workshop Opportunity

We also have a solo student participating in a Custom Course Studio Session on January 17th and she is looking to learn with one other person. The session offers six hours in the studio learning about lighting and portraits.The student results can be very nice!

The first half of the session centres around learning about lighting. The second half involves working with models. The current cost for two people is $400 (each person) + taxes and includes access to studio and some studio lighting. All you need is an SLR and lens(es).

Interested?

Contact Harry@HarryNowell.com if you are interested.

Today B&H sent a pretty great overview of currently available high end cameras – see the link below.

Now I am the first to preach to students that when it comes to quality photos the camera is a distant second to the human operating it. But I am often curious as to what is out there. I am looking to invest in a new body in 2010.

What is B&H?

They are, I believe, the biggest photo retailer in the world. Their flagship store in NYC is enormous.

Read B&H’s “Pro-Level DSLRs: The 2009 B&H Holiday Buyers Guide”

Coming to the blog next: Broomball photos and a review of the Working Creative Networking Group’s seasonal social broomball match.

Cutting edge photo equipment

Reader Lois Siegel sent a BBC link to a video about a french artist JR who has pasted people’s faces on prominent buildings in Rio. Pretty fun.

Thanks Lois!

Last post we mentioned a full week. So far so good. Review and photos to come.

Harry's big face

A good week is developing. Here’s some of what’s going on:

• Nathalie Madore shot some dog portraits at the Aylmer SPCA as part of her ProProgram work experience. Check her blog for a review of the event. It looks like it went very well! Congratulations Nat.

• This week is fairly busy with a nice mix of assignment shooting, teaching and administrative elements. Included will be custom courses and some photo work for a team of lawyers.

• I purchased a new lens: the powerful 50mm f1.4 fixed focal length lens. I’ve been looking for an excuse to buy this inexpensive (~$375) little gem and a low light portrait shoot this week and some good sales were all I needed to justify the lens. I have often spouted about the powers of large aperture lenses.

Have a good Monday,

Harry

Christine joined the ProProgram this fall and she is working towards her dream of running a family, maternity, newborn and baby portrait business.

Check ChristineDenis.com and her blog and cheer her on!

Christine Denis Photogrpahy