Last month we offered our regular monthly newsletter and offered a critique session to the homework challenge we offered.
February’s newsletter was all about perspective – how to show depth in your two-dimensional photos.
Al G, who’s taken many of our workshops, gave his perspective on the subject. We like it! A lot.
Thanks Al. Stay tuned for March’s newsletter, homework challenge and opportunity for critique! Join the photo newsletter list.
Perspective photo critique - © Al Garner
“WOW,” popped in my head as I stood in the quiet, empty studio late Saturday night. Saturday was the finale of a very fun photo contest and campaign to raise awareness and $dollars for the Ottawa Food Bank.
© Peter Simpson's entry into the Photo Contest
On Saturday we opened the doors to celebrate the photo efforts of Ottawa’s media, celebrity elite, as well as, the general public. We challenged them to photograph “What I love about Ottawa/Gatineau” and they rose to the test!
Many people flowed through the studio doors including:
• Mayor Jim Watson
• Ottawa Citizen’s Peter Simpson
• CBC’s Alan Neal
• Ottawa Magazine’s Sarah Brown and Jane Corbett
• Public contest winner, Christophe Ledent
… and many, many more.
The Citizen's Peter Simpson and his entry in the photo contest (BarbMcKenzie photo)
The photos were auctioned and should now be on their way to beautifying the new admirer’s walls.
Danielle Donders (Danigirl.ca) and her entry! (BarbMcKenzie photo)
Bidding started early – the first person showed up before we were open (I was shovelling the front step with our young son perched on my hip!) and talked her way into an early bid because she REALLY wanted a chance to purchase Sandy Sharkey’s crows and this was the only time she could make it. And it continued all day.
Ottawa Councillor David Chernushenko and Jo-Anne from the food bank manage bids. (BarbMcKenzie photo)
People also bid generously on items donated by local businesses. A big thanks to them:
• $50 gift certificate for the Henry’s Photo Store
• Prize Package from Ottawa 67s Hockey Team
• A signed print of the Canadian Women’s Hockey Team; gold medal winners
in Vancouver 2010 (donated by Ottawa councillor David Chernushenko)
• A box set of two films: Powerful and Be the Change (donated by Ottawa councillor David Chernushenko.)
• $50 gift certificate from Mountain Equipment Co-op
• $50 of deliciousness from ‘Une Boulangerie dans un Village‘ (aka Old Chelsea Bakery)
• $100 gift certificate to Zak’s diner
Christophe LeDent - winner of the public contest (BarbMcKenzie photo)
And thanks to the local businesses who offered their services to produce the photos for the auction:
• Artopix – Digital Printer and long time print service provider in Gatineau (Hull).
• Patrick Gordon Framing – Custom framing, repair and installation serving fine artists and art dealers.
• Dave Andrews – Fine Art Printer. David is humble but provides printing service to high end artists and clients. His prints hang in prestigious galleries across North America.
• Ottawa Studio Works – Ottawa Photo Studio on Preston St. and the home of HarryNowell.com for photo exhibitions, portraits and photo classes.
Thanks to the local businesses!
Mayor Jim Watson's photo in the photo contest!
… A big thanks to the participants of both the online public contest and the celebrity contest. See the entries in the public contest (thanks Allison Burnett for pulling this together!)
See also Christophe Ledent’s post on the auction.
CBC's Alan Neal (R) and Harry Nowell (BarbMcKenzie photo)
Media and Celebrity Participants:
Sandy Sharkey (Ottawa personality)
Stuntman Stu (Majic 100 Radio Host)
Jim Watson (Ottawa Mayor)
David Chernushenko (Ottawa City Councillor)
Peter Simpson (Arts-editor-at-large for The Ottawa Citizen)
Graham Richardson (CTV News Anchor)
Alan Neal (Host of All In A Day, CBC Radio One)
Ian Black (Climatologist, CBC News Ottawa)
Sarah Brown (Ottawa Magazine Editor)
Jane Corbett (Ottawa Magazine Art Director)
Trevor Greenway (reporter – Low Down to Hull and Back News)
Andrea Tomkins (Blogger)
Peter Tilley (Executive Director – Ottawa Food Bank)
Ottawa Food Bank's Peter at the Photo Contest! (BarbMcKenzie photo)
And more thanks to support people:
• Sarah, Samantha, Jo-Anne and Peter from the Ottawa Food Bank
• Barbara McKenzie and Morina Reece, photographers (and past students of the ProProgram) for providing support and photography.
• Allison Burnett and her digital marketing class at Carleton U. for coordinating the Public Online Contest
• Early brain-storming collaborator Kathryn.
• Cait and Quinn for all their support!!!
• And a BIG thank-you to all of YOU for sharing, tweeting, blogging and cheering for the event.
Final Results!!
So how did the campaign do?
Because of all the efforts of many people, awareness of the Ottawa Food Bank increased significantly in a traditionally quiet time for the charity.
$1529.85 was raised for the Ottawa Food Bank.
That supports a lot of families directly and indirectly!
Sarah at the Food Bank says “Thank you so much. This is an amazing contribution!”
Thank-YOU!
It was fun. Stay tuned for more fun! What would you like to see next?!
Stay connected with our Facebook page.
CBC climatologist Ian Black's entry into the photo contest
It’s almost here!
The Media and Celebrity photo contestant’s work is all done:
• Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson
• CBC’s Ian Black and Alan Neal
• Ottawa Citizen’s Peter Simpson
• CTV’s Graham Richardson
• Sandy Sharkey
• Majic 100’s Stuntman Stu
• Ottawa Magazine’s Sarah Brown & Jane Corbett
… and other Ottawa personality’s photos are waiting to be auctioned to raise money for the Ottawa Food Bank.
© Sandy Sharkey’s “What I love about Ottawa/Gatineau”
• Celebrity photos are hanging in the studio.
• Additional auction items are ready forbidding…
• We’re putting up last minute touches.
• Public contest photo slideshow is almost ready.
We’re just buzzing while waiting for YOU to come and bid on the photos / prizes to raise money for the Ottawa Food Bank.
Big thanks to donor sponsors:
• Henry’s
• Mountain Equipment Co-op
• Old Chelsea Bakery
• Ottawa 67s
• David Chernushenko
• Zak’s Diner
… for the additional prizes!
And thanks to:
• Patrick Gordon Framing
• Artopix
• Dave Andrews
… for producing the artworks!!
See some recent previews of the show:
• Ottawa Citizen
• Postcards from the Mothership
• Ottawa Magazine Weekender
Exhibition and Auction
Want to see the celebrity and media photos? You’ll have to visit exhibition and auction raising money for the Ottawa Food Bank:
Ottawa Studio Works
160 Preston St. (between Gladstone and Somerset)
Saturday, February 23rd
Noon to 8:30pm.
Auction and “People’s Choice Ballot” runs until 7pm.
Presentation at 8pm
See you there!!
Ottawa Food Bank
Remember last week’s post?:
“We’re starting a new feature on the blog – we’ll be bringing you a fun, recent photo story.”
Well, I’ve been following John Chiara for a while – doing something different: very, very large format photography.
Fun for me. Hopefully for you!
Ottawa Photo Contest - 1st place: © Christophe Ledent
It’s been a race down to the wire.
In the public component of the Media and Celebrity Photo Contest the last week has been exciting as the top three photos have flip-flopped in lead of likes on the Facebook platform.
The winner’s photo exhibits along with the media and celebrity photos and gets auctioned off to raise money for the Ottawa Food Bank.
Ottawa Photo Contest - 2nd Place - © Helen Morris
And the photo that landed top spot?
• Christophe Ledent‘s photo of central Ottawa squeaked into the lead.
• Helen Morris came just 8 likes behind with her photo of a foggy winter canal.
Congratulations to all contestants!
Auction and Exhibition this weekend:
We hope you visit the Auction and Exhibition!
Details
Saturday, Feb. 23rd
Ottawa Studio Works, 160 Preson St.
… to see and bid on prints (and other prizes.)
Ottawa Photo Contest - 3rd Place
An Honourable Mention!
We’re a week away from the auction and exhibition of the Media and Celebrity photo contest that will raise money for the Ottawa Food Bank.
Ottawa Food Bank fundraiser!
• The celebrity’s photos are being prepared.
• The studio is transforming for the show.
• The public part of the “What I love about Ottawa Gatineau” contest is almost closed (and there’s a race for the most ‘liked’ photo!)
And we have had some great support for the Ottawa Food Bank fundraiser from the community.
A BIG thank-you to the people/business’ below who have donated auction items for the exhibition:
• $50 gift certificate for the Henry’s Photo Store
• Prize Package from Ottawa 67s Hockey Team
• A signed print of the Canadian Women’s Hockey Team; gold medal winners
in Vancouver 2010 (donated by Ottawa councillor David Chernushenko)
• A box set of two films: Powerful and Be the Change (donated by Ottawa councillor David Chernushenko.)
• $50 gift certificate from Mountain Equipment Co-op
• $50 of deliciousness from ‘Une Boulangerie dans un Village‘ (aka Old Chelsea Bakery)
A BIG thank-you to the new sponsors who are helping us raise money for the Ottawa Food Bank at the OttGatLove Photo Contest Auction and Exhibition.
Details:
Saturday, February 23rd
Noon to 8:30pm.
Ottawa Studio Works
160 Preston St. (between Gladstone and Somerset)
Auction and “People’s Choice Ballot” runs until 7pm.
Presentation at 8pm.
Oh, and by the way, some of the photos are AMAZING!
Visit the auction and exhibition at Ottawa Studio Works on Saturday February 23rd. Support the Food Bank and meet a celebrity!
Our photo newsletter hits the airwaves today and with it comes a new option based on the successes of our Online Photo Program – a photo critique!
New Perspectives
Photos are supposed to depict what we see but they cannot show three dimensions.
That’s a problem!
But there are ways to show depth perspective within a photo – and this week we offer photo tips to help you create better photos with depth – read the whole article.
Photo Perspective - tips on depth
New option – photo critique!
This month we are drawing from the successes of our online photo program – people like the program’s video lessons, notes, feedback from the group but they LOVE the group video critique of member’s photos:
Preview an Online Program critique session from the Online Program’s “Closer” challenge. Directs to YouTube…
So, as an introductory offer we are will critique your newsletter homework through a group critique video for $5. See the newsletter for details.
We’re starting a new feature on the blog – we’ll be bringing you a fun, recent photo story.
Why?
To get you inspired, trying new things and just keeping your photography fun.
Where do the stories come from?
• We sometimes find them via Facebook. Subscribe to our Facebook Page!
• People feed us links and fun tips
• My own discoveries
London Olympics Photographer – with a twist
This week we feature a very fun story of a London Olympics photographer. Most photographers at the Olympics are using very current, high powered, usually Nikon or Canon cameras.
Our featured photographer this week shot the Olympics using a very modern version of a camera launched in 1912. Photographer David Burnett shot with the modern Graflex Speed Graphic from the 1940s.
Graflex large format camera
Graflex large format camera
The Graflex is probably one of the most successful press cameras ever – it was first sold in 1912 and ceased production in 1973. It’s a very compact, large format, 4×5 press camera. It’s still very available and popular because of its small size and availability.
So Mr Burnett shot the Olympics on a camera that, if you’re fast, could expose a few exposures a minute. That’s far behind the leaders of the equipment pack that shoot 11 frames per second.
How did Burnett’s photos tun out?
See for yourself, but I think they’re brilliant…
We’ve been running the online photo program for almost a year – helping people make better photos at their own pace. Last month’s challenge for members was ‘white.’
It was a simple challenge – to photograph something white and to have it come out white in their photos.
Try it – it’s not that easy!! Your camera gets fooled by any scene that is predominantly white or black.
Online photo class - © Allan C - classic whites!!
Members of the program learned tips and tools to make their whites white!
This month I was told “This one was tough!”
Other comments:
“Thank you for the push to see everyday things and then turn them into something creative. I liked the white bathroom and the fact that not all wedding dresses are white in your video. … I think that the greatest challenge for me was taking the time just to slow down, think and to really see what is in my day to day environment.”
Online photo course - © Eveline B. - white bubbles
“I questioned the cost before joining. But now that I have completed 3 months I believe that it is an excellent value.”
“The monthly feedback video using Lightroom is the best part; besides receiving technical and composition feedback on your own photos you see how the other students interpret the same assignment.”
“I like the format it works well for me. I’m not an avid or expert photographer but enjoy the monthly challenge which makes me think about composition. I always learn something even though some of the technical stuff is not for me or my camera!”
“I like how hands-on this course is. The monthly topics cover both technical and non-technical aspects of photography. I like the focus of the monthly assignment. I think the pacing of the course is good. You have sufficient time to fully explore the monthly topic and to get useful feedback via the forum.”
“…friends said the course was too expensive. Yet they own $3000 cameras with various high-end glass. Wrong priority for them I think 🙂” ed. note – this is common but it’s like buying a jet airplane and not investing in flying lessons. True, it’s less hazardous skipping the training with a camera but I often see people loaded with expensive equipment take technically poor photos because they do not want to invest in training!
Online photo program - © Cheryl K - white snow!!
This month we introduce ‘simple studio lighting‘ or how to light subjects at home with lights you already have.
Challenging? Yes!
Fun? Yes!
We just surveyed members of the online program and will be using their comments to tweak the program in the next few months to make it more streamlined. Stay tuned!!
Photo Contest Update!!
We are starting to make room at the studio for the (trumpets blare) Media and Celebrity “Why I love Ottawa / Gatineau” Photo Contest to support the Ottawa Food Bank.
The celebrity media photos are FUN! I was happy with the photos from contestants.
Exhibition and Auction
Want to see the celebrity and media photos? You’ll have to visit exhibition and auction raising money for the Ottawa Food Bank:
Ottawa Studio Works
160 Preston St. (between Gladstone and Somerset)
Saturday, February 23rd
Noon to 8:30pm.
Auction and “People’s Choice Ballot” runs until 7pm.
Presentation at 8pm
Reasons to visit the exhibition and auction:
• meet some celebrities
• see some artwork
• buy some artwork!
• support the Ottawa Food Bank!
• Bid on other prizes from sponsors!
Public Photo Contest
The public photo contest is roaring along with many fabulous entries – and a race for most votes that wins a spot in the exhibition with the celebrities! Enter and/or VOTE by clicking on the camera symbol.
Visit the Facebook event page.
Follow #ottgatlove on twitter!
Ottawa Gatineau photo contest