#967 Custom Photo Course Review – Macro & Fundamentals

Posted on July 2, 2013 by admin

So last week we ran a custom course for Christine who wanted a refresher on photography and an intro to macro photography. We met at a public ornamental garden and covered elements of Creative Fundamentals and Macro work.

How’d she do?
Her photos improved and her confidence grew!

Custom Photography Course – © Christine Payant

And it sounds like she loved it…
(Ok, ok… now, I know I am a good teacher and photographer but comments like these make my teaching worthwhile!):

“Thank you so much for the great Creative Fundamentals custom course yesterday. It was absolutely worth every penny.

I learned so much in just one day and can’t believe I never learned or knew about these skills before. This proves to me just how important it is to continuously upgrade and maintain photography skills in order to get better and better.

Better Photos © Christine P.

You are a wonderful and very patient teacher and obviously a gifted photographer.
Thanks so much for the great custom course.

I will definitely be taking some more courses this summer and fall. I will probably start with the on-line course, to keep me pushing to take more pictures and improve my skills.

Thanks again so much.”

Thank-YOU Christine! I love teaching and I love creating beautiful pictures. I feel so lucky to do what I do!

Better photos through HarryNowell.com! © Christine P.

UPDATE: Christine just sent us an email – she’s been enjoying her new skills! Nice work Christine!:

Macro Custom Photography Course © Christine P.

#966 – Rowing Photo Safari

Posted on June 30, 2013 by admin

Ottawa Rowing Photography – © HarryNowell.com

We hosted a custom Rowing Photo Safari last week with Kelly McKean who works as a performance analyst with “Own the Podium” an organization working with athletes to achieve greater success at international events.

Want the same photo coaching experience? See below.

Kelly wanted to learn some hands-on practical experience shooting sports – photographing a rowing crew from metres away with the support of a veteran photographer (I’ve shot rowing for stock and editorial use…)

The Ottawa Rowing Club deserve a big thank-you for allowing us access to the action – THANKS!

Kelly: “The workshop helped bring my photography skill to the next level allowing me to capture precise skills of athletes in motion. This is key for providing our olympians with feedback on their performance.”

How did the shooting go? We spent the evening reviewing some important photo elements for shooting sports and then following a rowing crew for their evening training session. She did well…

Rowing photography © Kelly McKean

Kelly: “Learning in the uncontrolled environment of a rowing coach boat was really valuable for me. There was a constant need to adapt the camera settings and composition of the photo to the changing environment (light, water, waves, motion of the coach boat, speed of the rowers, etc.).

Harry taught techniques that were specific to capturing the movement of the rowers and to telling a story. I was given several assignments during the photo shoot and Harry provided feedback on the spot.

It was a great learning experience.”

Congratulations, Kelly!

Want the same experience?
The Ottawa Rowing Club is allowing us privileged access to offer this experience to others!

Dates possible are Thursday evenings – July 18, 25, and August 1st.The cost for three hours of one-on-one photo coaching alongside rowing crews is $275 + taxes. One person joins me per evening.

Interested? Let us know…

#962 Rowing Photo Safari

Posted on June 21, 2013 by admin

A couple of years ago I spent the summer shooting at the Ottawa Rowing Club for an assignment for Ottawa magazine. It was a fun job – I rowed at university and my father rowed for Britain in the 60s – that let me relive the fun of the sport!

Rowing Photography for Ottawa Magazine

Ta-daa!
We’re offering a very small rowing photo safari next week on a weekday evening.

The Rowing Safari
We’ll be taking one or two people to the club to experience photographing a training session. I’ll be coaching the photographers to capture the on-land preparation fun, photojournalistically, and then jumping in a coach boat to follow the rowers on water.

Rowing Photography Safari

The session will be an evening of photo learning and opportunities. Approximately three hours of photo fun.

Interested in the spot? Interested in a session later in the summer?
Contact me by email for details…

Rowing Photo Safari

#932 Elmwood School Art Exhibition at Ottawa Studio Works

Posted on April 10, 2013 by admin

Elmwood Art Exhibition at Ottawa photo studio

Elmwood Art Exhibition at Ottawa Studio Works

Last year we hosted the 2012 Elmwood School’s art student’s annual show highlighting their hard work throughout the year. Looking at the work I would not have expected it to be from high school art students!! They consumed all that their art teacher, Heawon Chun, had to offer.

And they are back for another year! Budding artists from Elmwood School invite you to see their work in May at our photo studio – Ottawa Studio Works!

Details:
Vernissage – Friday, May 3rd; 7-9pm
May 3rd-12th, 2013.

Hours:
Wednesday-Friday: 12-6pm.
Saturday, Sunday: 10-4pm.
Monday, Tuesday: Closed.

Ottawa Studio Works
160 Preston St. Ottawa

2012 Elmwood Art Exhibition at Ottawa Studio Works

“The Annual Elmwood Spring Art Show 2013 is a showcase of selected works from the Grade 9-12 programs, presented at Ottawa Studio Works to give the aspiring art students their first experience in the art world.

Heawon Chun at 2012's Elmwood Art Exhibition at Ottawa Studio Works

The standards for the show are high, and the resulting caliber of the works is impressive.

Among the variety of works, the show includes plaster orbs conveying natural and surreal elements all at once.

Grade 9 students began with observational studies of nature to compose original designs, which were transposed into plaster using the ‘reductive process’. In another project, they were challenged to reflect on their inner personal strengths and represent those in symbols, invented or researched, and rendered as a Watercolour Mandala composition.

The show’s works range from diminutive to very large, and include:
• Sculpture
• Painting
• Drawing
• Mixed Media
• Installation

Elmwood Art Exhibition at Ottawa Studio Works

Using the Mix Media, Installation, grade 10 – 12 students were led through various mark making exercises, and found-object sculpting to free them from conventional and potentially restrictive modes of drawing and sculpture.

Elmwood Art Exhibition at Ottawa Studio Works

Older students were opened to an understanding of the relevance and acceptance of mark making as a drawing in the contemporary framework of art. Student’s experiments fashioned breathtaking drawings and found-object sculptures with their personal artistic signatures.

The show is open to the public.”

Elmwood School Art Exhibition

#920 Upcoming Photo Workshops and Classes

Posted on March 12, 2013 by admin

We have our spring line-up of photo courses and workshops lined up.

Coming soon we will be announcing some summer and fall photo fun and are looking for some input – what do YOU want to learn photographically?

Spring Classes
This spring is shaping up nicely. At time of writing there is one spot left in our classic Creative Fundamentals Photo Class – it’s been filling up regularly since 2001 because we’ve figured out ways to help people demystify the mysteries of the camera.

Our spring offerings with Louise Tanguay are filling nicely – last year her Macro course filled early!!

Creative Fundamentals Photo Workshop - Ottawa

Summer and Fall Classes
We will be announcing new workshops soon but how do these sound?:
• Weekend Algonquin Park Triple Barrel Adventure with Harry Nowell and naturalists and Bird Photographers Tony Beck and Nina Stavlund.
• On-Location Lighting with Blair Gable. Last year we had to offer a second session as people ‘demaned’ more!
• Urban Compositions Photo Safari exploring the unseen wonders of the cityscape.
• Summer Sports Photography challenging your cameras to catch the action.
• 2013 World Press Photo of the Year Festivities We’ve run events in past years – packed!
• Post Processing Seminars
• Night Light Photo Workshop A classic and popular session of magic lighting
• Fireworks Photo Safari Figure out the formulas for popping fun.

Blair Gable On Location Lighting Class 2012 - Ottawa

I am getting dizzy just thinking about what is coming up.
Stay tuned as announcements come…

And what photo workshop would YOU like to see us host?

#913 Round-up and a BIG THANK-YOU! – Media and Celebrity Photo Contest

Posted on February 25, 2013 by admin

“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

#901 Why I love Ottawa/Gatineau photo contest update!

Posted on January 28, 2013 by admin

Wow!

The entries are flowing steadily in both the celebrity and public parts of the “Why I love Ottawa/Gatineau” photo contest.

Recap:
Celebrity and Media Contest
We invited celebrity and media to participate in the contest and they have until TODAY to submit their entries.

We’ve already taken in some beauties and can;t wait to see the rest.
Contest sponsors will print and present the photos for an exhibition and silent auction at Ottawa Studio Works on Saturday, February 23rd.

Visit the studio to:
• Donate funds and food to the Ottawa Food Bank
• Bid on the celebrity & media photos – proceeds to the Ottawa Food Bank
• meet the celebrities and media at the studio sometime on Saturday

Ottawa Gatineau photo contest entries

Public Contest
We also invited YOU, the public, to share your views of why you love Ottawa Gatineau. The entries are steadily coming in.

You have until February 16th to submit work to the official contest site – www.facebook.com/OttGatLove. The photo with most votes (you can vote everyday!) wins a spot in the celebrity exhibition!! (high res file needed.)

Join the fun!
Enter your photos.
Vote.
Join us for the exhibition and fundraiser for the Ottawa Food Bank!
Follow the fun on Twitter – #OttGatLove

Thanks to our sponsors:
Artopix
Dave Andrews
Ottawa Studio Works
Patrick Gordon Framing

#894 Pro Photo Program – Student Success

Posted on January 10, 2013 by admin

Yep, we’ve got another graduate from the ProProgram that we’re cheering!!

I first met Morina Reece on our Natural Light Portraits photo class. She was keen to learn as much as possible about photography and people. She then joined the ProProgram which accelerated her learning – not only from a photo aspect but also from a post processing, business, and client aspect.

But enough from me. Hear what Morina has to say:

“The ProProgram has been a delightful, adventure!! Harry’s mantras of “get it as right as possible in the camera” and “do something different” has guided all my photography work and to some extent my personal and professional life!

The ProProgram offered me technical, creative, and business resources, advice, guidelines and encouragement. Most importantly, it provided me with a network of photographers (friends) who were and still are exceedingly generous with their time, guidance, and support. They cheer, motivate and provide me with much needed honest and critical critiques of all aspects of my photography business, not to say anything of the many fun times we have together!

The ProProgram brought me from a fledgling amateur to a confident, competent photographer. Although I am graduating, the ProProgram will always be a part of my life, building and reinforcing my photography skills and passion for photography.

Thanks Harry and the gang!”

Thanks Morina! I am proud of you!!
Please join us in cheering for Morina’s work and success in photography.

#875 New Ottawa Photo Safari – Molten Glass-Blowing!

Posted on November 19, 2012 by admin

We’re excited to add to our photo workshops listings a hot new photo safari – glass blowing.

From furnace to finished glass your photo skills will be tested as you face challenges of light, composition and timing the fast paced action in the studio.

Ottawa photo safari - glass blowing!!

We have arranged to bring photo fans to a glass blowing studio in Ottawa. The action heats up as our hosts build glass art before your cameras.

This safari is most suited to photographers comfortable with setting exposures in manual mode. This photo safari will test your skills!

ottawa photo safari - glass-blowing!

What’s the difference between a photography workshop and a photo safari?
• In photo workshop, we set up multiple photo sessions to teach specific elements within a photography niche.
• In a photo safari, we bring photographers to a shorter, single session with the emphasis on photo fun offering tips to maximize results.

Details:
Tuesday, January 29th, 2013 (7-9pm)
$75 + taxes
Due to space constraints this photo safari is limited to six participants. We work on a first come, first served basis!

To register visit the Glass-Blowing Photo Safari page!

Ottawa photo safari - Glass-Blowing!

#867 Night Light Photo Course in Victoria BC

Posted on October 30, 2012 by admin

We’re excited as we prepare to trek to Victoria in November to present one of our most fun workshops – Night Light.

I’ve said before it’s not our most popular (we only offer once or twice a year) but it is one of our most fun workshops. You see, there’s photo magic involved. We help you photograph things you cannot see with your naked eye.

Night Light photo course

Night Light – Ottawa sold out in this year – we had a fun group who learned tons of fun ideas and techniques – everything from:
• capturing stunning skyscapes as the daylight sky gets sucked into night blackness.
• using flashlights to paint everything from statues to trees to words in thin air.
• using camera flash (SB units) to capture elusive ghosts in photos.
• two techniques to turn normal traffic into rivers of light or race cars among laser beams!

Night Photo Course Before Light Painting

Night Photography Course - Light Painting!

Ottawa students said:
“Excellent; night photography has always been intimidating and frustrating. No longer!” JM
“Harry was patient & challenging – love it.” JK
“You do a great job, Harry. Don’t change.” Anon.

Join us in Victoria, BC as guests of Luz Galley.
Registration Details.

Night Photography Course - Victoria BC