#348 Andrew Balfour – On Assignment

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New workshop details are in!

Prominent Ottawa studio photographer Andrew Balfour will be sharing secrets of the studio with students fortunate to be taking this course. Andrew will open the workshop at his studio and share some theoretical ideas of studio lighting with some hands on demonstrations.

Days later Andrew will meet the group at a prominent Ottawa dance school – Dance with Alana – where photos will be created. The practical session simulates an assignment and Andrew helps guide students through the process of assessing the location, lighting and preparing for the action.

Over the session students get some practical hands on shooting under Andrew’s guidance.

Details:

  • Thursday, Nov 12th 7 – 9:30pm; Andrew Balfour’s studio in the Glebe by Lansdowne Park.
  • Sunday, Nov 15th 4 hour practical shoot at Dance with Alana in the Glebe – time being confirmed.

Cost: $275 + tax

Included: Instruction, use of studio equipment, shooting time.

Andrew Balfour - On Assignment

Andrew shooting at DanceWithAlana.com

Who is Andrew Balfour? Check his website. Or read the interview below:

HN: What is the highest profile shoot you have done?

Andrew Balfour: A few months after 9/11 I shot a sold out dinner where Prime Minister Jean Chretien was keynote speaker & President of Israel was guest of honour. Security was nuts with RCMP & Mossad everywhere. I was given a spot 70 feet from the podium to shoot from, but luckily was allowed to move once the speeches started & oddly by the end of dinner security was so relaxed that I was 3 feet from the dignitaries.

HN: What was your scariest assignment?

AB: 15 stories above Confederation Square in the bucket of a crane at morning rush hour (oh yeah the temperature was -30C), climbing on icy rocks at the edges of Rideau Falls to get the shot I wanted, photo flight in a Cessna also -30C that day.

HN: What was the assignment you enjoyed the most?

AB: Whatever’s coming up next!

HN: Who have you photographed?

AB: Prime Ministers, Governors General, Bank of Canada Governors, Diplomats, all kinds of people, all ages from a few days old to late 90s.
See course details.

Sign up for the course.

#347 Public Speaking

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Last week we spoke to a group about the declining stock photography industry. The session was lively with some good questions.

Photo public speaking ottawa

Someone asked “What equipment do you use?”It’s a common question.

I answered “It doesn’t really matter – it’s how you use it that makes the difference.”

It’s true, of course. For most people – aside from file size considerations and reasonable file quality issues – your Canon Rebel or Nikon D3x matters less than how you use it. People get hung up on camera bling when they’d be better off putting their cameras to use as much as possible!

“Yeah, yeah.” he said. “But what camera do you use?”

“I’m not going to tell you! I use film cameras and digital cameras. I like wider angle lenses.” I smiled.

Someone wrote to me after the show: “Good pictures, good content, Good sense of humour.”

Need a speaker? Ask about our rates.

#346 Top tips for capturing fall colours

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Looking out my office window at Gatineau Park near Ottawa the leaves are sporting their fine fall colours. It’s a magical time of year to get out of your car.  Wander creatively and soak in the magnificence the boreal forest has to offer.

Fall Colours

I discovered a fine article posted at digital-photography-school.com (ahem in Australia of all places!) with top tips on shooting fall colours.

It looks like a wet week in this region but the overcast skies and glossy wet leaves can pump up your colours. As photographer J David Andrews once told me “It’s always perfect weather to shoot something.”

Get out there and explore with your cameras. Remember to go slow and observe. Often, less photos will get you more successes!

#344 Creative Fun – students – Part 1

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On Wednesday night we finished the first section of our Creative Fundamentals Photography Workshop with the critique session – it’s always fun to see what different people choose to capture and how they interpret similar opportunities.

The second session starts Thursday – a fresh, full group of eight students.

Below, a selection of student photos – more tomorrow.

Creative Fundamentals Photography Workshop Ottawa

Creative Fundamentals Photography Workshop Ottawa

Creative Fundamentals Photography Workshop Ottawa

#343 Hourly Photo Project – October 2nd

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Prolific Ottawa blogger Andrea ‘Quietfish’ has an interesting photo exercise set for October 2nd. It’s a fun activity to try!

Andrea, of a Peek Inside the Fish Bowl, is a local writer and blogger. She writes about the Ottawa arts scene, crafts, healthy living for parents and kids, and photography. I check her blog to find out what’s happening in the local blogging scene.

Check her photo fun.

Have a Peek Inside Andrea’s Fish Bowl.

#342 Creative Fun

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We took Creative Fundamentals students out shooting in Gatineau Park on the weekend. We had perfect weather and a good group.

This is our most popular course and students progressed steadily over the day. We also stumbled across some brain like fungus – it was big and spectacular – see below. I have seen nothing like it!

We meet again on Wednesday for the critique session. On Thursday we start all over again with the second section of Creative Fundamentals.

Below – a few photos:

Photo Workshop Ottawa school

Photo Workshop Ottawa school

Photo Workshop Ottawa school

Photo Workshop Ottawa school

Photo Workshop Ottawa school

#341 Annie in the news

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Earlier we reported some trouble brewing for renowned portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz. Reports said she had borrowed millions secured by her life’s work and properties. Speculation arose that she might lose big time. It seems the dust is settling some, according to the Photo District News article.

Photography is not all about photos!

And in other news we are posting our photo of the week shot for a stock assignment. Enjoy:

Biplane photo

#340 More Value of Photography

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I have talked before about he Value of Photography and below are some more thoughts.

Often organizations replace experienced working photographers with donated or free  photos. Working photographers don’t come cheap and I can see the incentive to save money. But a business’ image or presence is one of the most important factors in attracting  new clients. Experienced photographers or photo training for key staff can help achieve better results than free photos.

Check these two private school’s websites. How do the photos and web sites compare?

School A

School B

Both are good schools that compete to attract students. Investing in experienced working photographers or photo training for staff can improve first impressions.

A colleague once told me of a former client who said the best thing about their volunteer photographer’s work was that he gave free photos. A photo is a photo, right? Not so much!

H