#567 Guest Student Post

During December we had the chance to take on a photo student from Algonquin College. We both learned. Below is his take on the life of a photographer and a few of his photos.

40 Hours In the Life of a Professional Photographer.

Hi my name is Matt Usherwood I’m a young local Ottawa photographer new to this industry. I had the opportunity to intern with Harry for 40 hours.

To sum up a co-op placement I spent 8+ hours with him for a number of days and do whatever he asks me to do, whether that be cleaning garbage cans (ed. note: it was only one!) to assisting him on shoots. When I first came into this internship I had no idea what to expect.

Matt Usherwood Photo

Matt Usherwood Photo

I’ve been behind the scenes in a photographer’s life. We’ve had discussions on certain topics, he has also answered a lot of questions I’ve had for a while. I had the opportunity to work with him on some assignments and meet some clients. This internship was a big eye opener for me.

I wish I had more time than 40 hours to intern with him.

Matt Usherwood photo

Matt Usherwood photo

When I finish school in April I plan to go tree planting and travel. I don’t know where I’ll live yet but I know I will find work where ever I go as long as I am persistent about it.

Matt Usherwood”

Thanks Matt!

Be sure to check Matt’s photo blog.

Matt Usherwood Photo

Matt Usherwood Photo

#566 Ottawa Photo Studio – open house!

Grand Opening:

OttawaStudioWorks.com

160 Preston St, Ottawa

January 28th & 29th 2011

7-10pm

Ottawa photography studio

Ottawa photography studio

Last summer our new photography studio was born on Preston St. OttawaStudioWorks is our new home to:

The central Ottawa, Preston St location also offers photo studio rentals.

We celebrate the new space with your smiles, experiences and fun this month.

Please join us either January 28th or 29th from 7-10pm. See the new photo studio, gallery space and help the dogs (as well as cats and other animals) of the Ottawa Humane Society and SPCA of West Quebec. To support the good work at the two shelters please bring a:

  • photo of your favourite furry friend
  • can or bag of food
  • cash donation

10% of all workshop & portrait bookings and art sales made during the two evenings will be donated to the shelters. A dog portrait will be unleashed at the open house.

RSVP

#565 We’re back – Happy New Year!

Last week we were in low gear.

We celebrated, skied xc and played outdoor pond hockey as much as the weather allowed, charged the batteries and did some gentle work.

Coming up very soon on the blog we have:

• new photography course listings – to be posted in the next few days

student success report from the Commonwealth Games in India

• student report

• announcement of our photography studio‘s first open house in central Ottawa

• a new Exposed! photo newsletter

• best wishes for all of you, photographically and otherwise!

hockey photography - Ottawa

hockey photography - Ottawa

#564 HoHoHo!

HoHoHo

HoHoHo!

‘Tis that time of year when we celebrate Christmas. We wish you well – whatever you may be celebrating – with big smiles and lots of love.

Between Christmas and New Year we will be relaxing, skiing in Gatineau Park with limited time in the office or studio. We will be checking emails for workshop or photography bookings but will be on a holiday schedule.

The blog will be taking a break for a week, too.

May your skis slide well and your smile be wide over the next week of fun and festivities.

#561 Ottawa Portrait Prices

Running a business is challenging. One of the biggest challenges is developing fair prices for different items. In photography we price by usage and value and complexity of shoot. How will the photo be used?:

  • National advertising campaign in all media?
  • Thumbnail portrait on a web site of a small business?

These uses would be priced very differently.

Anyway there was a recent article in the Ottawa Sun about the price of portraits the city paid Paul Couvrette ( a well respected, veteran Ottawa photographer) to do portraits of public city officials.

Good article. The prices are fair.

Access the article.

Ottawa executive portrait

Ottawa executive portrait

#560 Flash Phobia – Exposed! Photo Newsletter

A student recently sent out a mayday distress signal after a photo event left her perplexed. Flash photography can be a scary thing. Like the student, many people develop Flash Phobia – an overwhelming fear of flash photography. It doesn’t have to be that scary!

In this edition of Exposed! we look at four tips for using flash effectively.

Flash tips - #2 Balancing flash with motion

Flash tips - #2 Balancing flash with motion

#559 – Introduction to Studio Photography Workshop

A couple of weeks ago we ran another Intro to Studio Photography Course at Ottawa Studio Works.

We limit the session to two students to maximize hands on learning – and our students soaked up the experience. The morning was spent learning about equipment, theory and some exploratory light sets.

Intro to Studio Photo Workshop

Intro to Studio Photo Class

In the afternoon two groups came in to test the student’s studio portrait photo skills. It’s a challenging day for the students but they did very well!

Introduction to Studio Photography is now offered to anyone throughout the year. Interested? Just contact us to book your session!

Students success!:

Studio Student Success!

Studio Student Success!

Studio Student Success!

Studio Student Success!

#558 This week

This week we had many adventures.

We started with a nighttime photo safari that brought our photographers out on a near perfect winter photo adventure! We had -4C temperatures with light blowing snow – perfect for some Night Light shooting. Frank captured his version of the fun, below:

Ottawa Photo Safari

Ottawa Photo Safari

We followed with another adventure – capturing corporate portraits in Ottawa. We photographed groups and individual executive portraits for a new client. There were smiles all around including my assistant:

building a set

building a set

I picked up some large prints (thanks Dave Andrews) and have started putting up some fine art in our gallery at Ottawa Studio Works. The walls are coming alive.

The week also includes some teaching – a Creative Fundamentals Custom Course, developing a proposal for a client and  and writing the Exposed! photo newsletter – coming soon.