Ottawa Portrait Workshop

On the weekend we ran our Ottawa based portraits workshop. This course covers the groundwork for people pictures from technical elements to managing people in the pictures.

Ottawa Portrait Workshop

The course is intense and participants earned their rest on Sunday – it’s a tough course with lots to learn. Stay tuned – student results will be posted in a week or so. Below is some of the fun. See some of last year’s results.

Ottawa Portrait Workshop

Coming up next week is the Composition Photo Safari and Photographing Pro Hockey is just around the corner.

Ottawa Portrait Workshop

A big thank-you to models, students and our hosts at the gallery!

Ottawa Portrait Workshop

Dancing Horses - Ottawa Photo Safari

In April we have confirmed a visit  to some dancing horses near Ottawa. Some lucky photographers will have the opportunity to photograph graceful horses and their riders as they train for the discipline of dressage.

We will spend two hours exploring stables, horses and the training arena or outdoor training area with your cameras.

Challenge yourself to capture the beauty, power and precision of the horses.

Dancing Horses Photo Safari

Date:

April 15th, 2012; 1-3pm

Location:

30 minutes from central Ottawa – car pooling is encouraged!

Cost:

$75 plus taxes = $84.75

Register by contacting us to reserve your spot. We ask for payment (credit card by phone or cheque in the mail) and a complete registration form.

Enrolment is limited to ten people. Challenge your photo skills in April!

Dancing Horses Photo Safari

Dancing Horses - Ottawa Photo Safari

Last year Mercedes Déziel Hupé completed many of our photo classes to graduate from the ProProgram. Trumpets cheered and people applauded.

Mercedes took the ProProgram as she wanted to strengthen her résumé for communications work in the Arts community. Having photo skills is a benefit when looking for work in comms fields.

Others participate in the ProProgram for different reasons – the most common is looking for a career change as someone’s interests change or due to layoffs.

What is Mercedes doing now?
Mercedes now works at the Ottawa Art Gallery – a non-profit, public art gallery.

… And she continues to pursue her personal passion in dance and photography as she presents her first exhibit this week at Avant Garde this week.

Details:

Ballet in the Streets

Vernissage: Thursday, January 12 at 7 pm

Avant-Garde Bar & Gallery

135 1/2 Besserer St, Ottawa

See you there!

"Ballet in the Streets" photo exhibit - Mercedes Déziel Hupé

Mercedes describes “Ballet in the Streets”

“This collection of photographs is my tribute to my time as a dancer, from classical to contemporary. Through photography, I embrace a new side of this otherwise ephemeral art form.

I have been inspired by great photographers such as Lois Greenfield, whose studio approach to dance photography is unmatched. I am also inspired by the “Ballerina Project” which is a New York based phenomenon that celebrates the Big Apple as a creative hub.

Originally from the Capital region, I have experienced Arts as being overshadowed by politics. I photographed ballerinas and contemporary dancers in urban and industrial settings to emphasize how different they are from the environment in which we live. Despite the fact that they seem to stand out, the idea is the showcase the beauty and relevance of dance, especially in this fast-paced image-led world.

The dancer is a complete artist; from daily regimen to rehearsal, to exercises and performance. A dancer embodies strength, yet the dancer is surrounded by precarious circumstances. Dance changes everyone, from the performer to the spectator, the hobbyist and the photographer.

A dancer can be molded, but a dancer is usually born. It’s in the urge to move, to feel beauty and life, through your body. I wanted to show how dance shows through very easily. And how it is part of a dancer’s life, every day, everywhere.

By presenting dance outside of its normal frame of reference, whether that be the stage or the classroom, I state not only the existence, but the effervescence of dance in the capital region. I wish to render dance accessible and encourage reflection by bringing the dancer to the street.“

We have another new workshop coming up in Ottawa. This time photojournalist Blair Gable teaches participants how to light subjects on the go.

The course – On Location Lighting – draws on 10 years of experience covering Obama, the Queen, Toronto Blue Jays, Princess Kate for editorial clients like MacLean’s, Globe and Mail, Reuter’s.

Blair Gable photographs Jose Bautista at Blue Jays spring training for MacLean's Magazine

The nature of his work forces him to create beautiful photos in very short timelines. He had to develop quick, lightweight & effective systems to make world leaders and superstars shine… in 15 minutes or less.

You may remember Blair from his photojournalism presentation in August 2011 at Ottawa Studio Works. It was packed.

Dates:

• Practical: Saturday & Sunday, April 21, 22, 2012. (9am-2pm)
• Critique: Sunday, April 29, 2012. (9am-12noon)

Location: Workshop is held in central Ottawa and at Ottawa Studio Works.

Cost: $400 + applicable taxes

Join us for this workshop. We’re lucky to access Blair’s talents. We ask for a $125 deposit and complete registration form to hold your spot. Contact us to register.

Blair Gable photographing Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Photo by Jason Ransom)