It’s that time to say THANK-YOU to people who make this blog possible. Claude and the gang at Artopix.ca support this website to help keep the content flowing.

I have worked with Claude for 15 years for proofing, developing and printing. Some of my finest work has been processed at his lab. Please make a visit to the lab – 91 Laval St – Hull to see what they do, photographically.

Artopix.ca

In other news there are two events coming up this weekend:

• Developing an Art Show from Idea to Creation to Show and Sales
Sunday, October 3rd, 1pm.
$20 suggested donation
Location: Creative Wheel Centre, 327 hwy #307, Val des Monts,  on Sunday, October 3rd, at 1 pm. Contact Dominique at creativewheel@rogers.com for details.

• CAPIC presents Heather Morton and “Rules and Expectations from the Art Buying World”
Sunday, October 3rd, 6.30 – 9.30pm.
Location: ADOBE Building
KLONDIKE ROOM
343 PRESTON STREET, Ottawa
STUDENTS / CAPIC MEMBERS $10
NON – MEMBERS $25

I do some work using a traditional 4×5 camera that holds film the size of a small post card.

Why?

The process forces you to slow down and be exacting with your photo work. Each exposure takes patience, thought and time. The results can be stunning. AND the results can be printed to enormous sizes with exquisite detail.

I recently found a producer of Large Format Cameras that produces custom, very large cameras including panoramic large format cameras. Very nice!

4x5 large format press camera

I had some quiet time on Sunday and soaked up some recent news over a leisurely breakfast. I was very happy to see photographer Tony Fouhse‘s face on the front page of a section of paper.

Tony has won the bi-annual City of Ottawa’s Karsh Award – given to “an established professional artist for outstanding artistic work in a photo-based medium.” That’s a pretty big deal!

I have met him a couple of times, briefly. He’s been around and accomplished a lot. I’d suggest you go see his show and read his blog, ‘drool‘. It’s pretty fun.

He is talking  at the Karsh Masson Gallery Sunday, October 3 at 2 p.m.

Nice work, Tony.

I was going to show more portraits but found two upcoming events that are coming up FAST:

1. Louis Helbig‘s work Beautiful Destruction is showing at the Ottawa City Hall Gallery. It delivers breathtaking aerial shots of the devastation happening in Alberta’s Tar Sands. Show ends September 26th!

2. David Trattles, social documentary photographer, is coming to Ottawa next week to lead his soc doc / photojournalism workshop (it’s now full) and is also featured in a Culture Days talk organized by the Ontario Art Gallery next Friday 24 September at 12:30 pm at Arts Court. If you cannot make his workshop be sure to see his show.

At the end of the summer, I was working for a client for a simple executive portrait. I pulled out a lens and, yikes, it was not behaving properly! It did not share info with the camera (aperture) and autofocus would not work.

I did a quick troubleshoot but quickly went to another lens – I have some overlap in my camera bag. Otherwise the shoot went well – the client was happy with the results.

I took the lens to Canadian Camera where they know I rely on my equipment for work. They had the lens repaired swiftly – phew! They have helped me twice in the last couple of years.

It’s always stressful when something like that happens on the job – not only are you paying attention to your work but you have to problem solve… quickly!!

And it’s always good to have a backup camera, lens and plan! I usually travel with two bodies and a selection of lenses appropriate for the job – I shoot mostly with prime / fixed focal / non-zoom lenses and have an 80-200 f2.8 for events.

Event Photography - Ottawa