80 years and still going strong

I had the pleasure of photographing William and Edith today, along with the entire extended family, 38 in all. I went on location, as I usually do, packing my lightweight lighting kit. This kit consists of 4 small strobes, 4 Pocket Wizards, a large 3' x 4' softbox, a medium softbox, and some umbrellas and stands. For this group I needed only to use the 2 boxes (one from either side) and occasionally I would put a Lighttools grid on the large softbox as the group size changed. The best part of shooting on location like this is the ease for the client. There were 13 kids aged 5 and under there. Imagine having to go to the studio! Anyways, many thanks to the family, and best wishes for 2008.

Jeff

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Merry Christmas indeed!

I have taken the last week off from posting due to the holidays and being out of town and all, but now it is time to get back in the saddle. So a big thank you goes out to my wife who got me a set of 4 Pocket Wizards for Christmas. To those of you who don't know, PW's are about the best radio trigger devices out there for off camera flashes. As a result, I have had to modify my existing 550EX strobes to take a mini plug trigger for the PW's to work with them. I am happy to say that was a successful operation, although time consuming, considering you only have to make 4 solder connections. If you are considering doing the mods to your own flash, drop me a line, I'll spell it out for you on what to do. Perhaps I will have some examples of the PW's at work to post soon.
Jeff
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Framing order

Whew! I had a rather large print and framing order (my largest to date actually), along with some other print and framing orders that I have been rushing to get finished for Christmas. I am Glad to say that I am finally finished. I have been working on it all week, trying to pull off last minute jobs from all my vendors, who did come through for me in the craziest time of year for them as well. For that I am very thankful. I don't know how many people have the patience to have me calling them twice or even 3 times a day for 3 days without killing me when I finally come to pick up my order, but for that I am also grateful. Now it is time for some Christmas shopping!

Jeff

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Museum Glass

I don't know what they coat this stuff with, but it is amazing. I am working on a large custom framing order for a client that has museum glass instead of the regular glass or the matte finish glass in it. Aside from the fact that it is really expensive to make cutting errors on, (1 botched cut is costing me a small fortune) it blows me away. I will have to post some photos of the museum glass vs regular glass for you to see. If you really want to be able to enjoy what is on the other side of the glass, then this is the product for you. Once mounted, from most angles you can't even tell it is there. I highly recommend it for the discerning customer.

Jeff
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Another busy weekend

Well, as usual, this weekend was busier than I anticipated. I attended 3 Christmas parties, 2 as a guest, and 1 as the photographer. So I had a pretty good time this weekend. I also had plenty of things to try to wrap up. I am re-doing my website and getting new business cards printed, so I did some work on that too. I also managed to shore up the single largest print and framing order I have ever received on Friday, and make some family portraits for a super nice fellow from Russia. Since they all showed up for the portrait session in white, (contrary to what I suggested on the phone when consulting them about wardrobe mind you) I decided to make the image of them on a white background. This keeps their faces as the primary subject, otherwise a white shirt on a darker background will always draw the attention away from the face.

Jeff

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Christmas play

You have to love the school Christmas play. The kids get to perform, and I get an excuse to make some images. I love how the kids look to their parents and wave and smile. I try to capture that moment when they make eye contact with mom or dad and flash that genuine smile filled with pride and excitement. Then there is also these moments where God only knows what the kid is thinking. At least he doesn't have his finger up his nose like the photo of me at my grade 1 play.

Jeff

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Headshots

I was hired to shoot the board of executives from the Edmonton Soccer Association. No, I am not an assassin, I was merely making images of them. Those of you who know David Hobby will see I have used one of the techniques he discussed for using the specular reflection on the background to separate the subject. This was done with 3 portable flashes, a softbox and reflector. The results were quite pleasing.

Jeff

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Santa photos

This afternoon I spent with a bunch of kids and one recognizable old fella. The Summerside community was having thieir annual Christmas party which included Sleigh rides, skating, snacks and of course photos with the big guy. As I tried to tell the kids, face time with Santa goes a long way. Yet still some of the tykes were skeptical of this large strange man who's face they could not see. The photos were great, and so was Santa, even in the face of rejection. The great majority though were thrilled to have Santa come to vist and couldn't wait to get on his lap to tell him all about their list. I look forward to next year.

Jeff

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Family portraits

I was shooting another family today in their home in Sherwood Pk. This was one of those days when things don't always go your way. The couple had plans this evening, so I arrived early, so I would be ready to go when the kids got home from school. Unfortunately, the kids were home as planned, but the parents were not. When they finally did make it home, it was already 4:45. So we only had time for one location, which is a shame since they have such a beautiful home, and we had planned on doing some inside and outside shooting. But with time against me, and all the natural light now gone, I quickly set up the gear, popped a few test frames, and was ready to go. I even had enough time to get some individual shots of the kids. I can't wait to show you guys all the photos.

Jeff

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Family Canvass

When it comes to family portraits, nothing is quite like having a large wall portrait done on a canvass. I had the pleasue of working with Martin, Rene, and family on their family portrait. This image I made really lends itself well to the 20x24 canvass. Rene thanked me the other day for suggesting the larger size to her, since whe was originally going to get an 8x10. She tells me that she absoultely loves this image and enjoys it every day. It is hanging prominently on the wall by the kitchen. That is what being a photographer is all about, sharing your talent so that others may create lasting memories of events past, and relive the joy of those events indefinitely.

Jeff

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Engagement photographer

I had the pleasure of working with Kevin and Shallen on creating an engagement portrait. Kevin just emailed me with their final selections. We wated until the sun was going down to get the really warm low angle light and I also augmented it by a slave flash with a CTO gel. The result was the beautiful warm tones seen here. I am looking forward to the big day, and will definitely post some of those photos when the time comes.

Jeff

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What a weekend

I haven't posted for a few days since I have been utterly swamped. I was making portraits at a Christmas party for Canadian Dewatering on Saturday, shot video all day Sunday for a new national medical clinic, and did a family portrait session today. Oh yeah, in case you thought Friday was free, you are mistaken. I was in meetings with the designers for a new project launch. To top it all off, my wife had her annual cookie exchange party too. So I guess I also shot a bunch of crazy ladies.

Here is a beautiful photograph of Don and his family enjoying the winter snow. You wouldn't know it from the smile on their faces, but it was some kind of cold. I think I got frostbite from my light stand after carrying it for about 10 seconds. Regardless of the cold, the cheerful disposition of the models and the falling snow really made the day. You guys have a beautiful family, and it is nice to work with people who honor their commitments. When most people would have pulled the plug on the shoot due to weather advisories, you just kept right on schedule. Thank you, and I'll get those prints to you soon.

Jeff
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Tiny Dancer

This is a image I made of Renee, a dancer from New York who likes to pay me a visit for new headshots every time she comes to town. This year was no exception, and I think we really got some nice shots for her portfolio. I was using the new light modifiers on my large softbox to control the spill, and shooting on a white background. The EggCrates from LightTools worked brilliantly, and I was able to darken the white cyclic to near black even though I was merely 3-4 feet from the 4' softbox. Thank you Renee for testing out the new setup, and I can't wait to hear the responses you get this time on your headshots.

Jeff

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The albums are rolling in

Just in time for Christmas. All of the album orders from the last few weddings are starting to arrive, and do they ever look great. Here is a sample of Melissa and Joels album. What a great time we had! It was a pleasure to work with you guys and be part of your festivities. Everyone was so friendly and fun to hang out with. Best wishes for the future.

Jeff

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Family photos

My wife was asking me today about doing some new family portraits for Christmas so we can send them out to people. Since I was already in the studio playing around with some backdrops, and my number one modeling assistant, I obliged. This is the result of the shoot. It was tons of fun, and I really like the casual nature of it all. So everyone can have a rockin' Christmas this year from our family to yours.

Jeff

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Digital negatives and reproduction

I had the pleasure of helping out Susan & Richard (a couple whose wedding I shot this summer) the other day. Susan bought some frames which were off size, 5.5" square, and had some prints done up from the DVD of digital negatives I gave her of the wedding. Needless to say, the print quality of the discount lab she used was not exactly what she was hoping for, and the size was also slightly small for her frame (she cut a 5x7 into a 5x5). So I touched up the negative, and had the prints done at a pro lab and you can see the results for yourself, in this photo of 2 photos, especially in the bouquet. (This was, as it turned out, the most important part of the subject since the shadowbox frames were to contain a dried piece of the flower arrangement)

The lesson here is that when your photos really matter, it is always best to get them done by a professional. Both the editing and the printing. The couple were both very pleased with the result and that is what makes me happy in the end.

Jeff

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My downfall is online gaming!

I am not talking about poker, roulette, or even bingo, but a game more sinister and unsuspectingly addicting than all of the above put together! That game is of course called Scrabulous. It is a Facebook application that I actually did install, and now I am hooked. I come to the computer every couple of hours to check on one of the 7 games I am playing simutaneously. I am not going to ever get anything done around here again. But seriously, if you have Facebook, you should play. It is a ton of fun, and up to 4 people can play simultaneously.

Jeff
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All work and no play

I was actually quite productive this weekend, and thus I haven't posted in a couple days. I managed to get all of my outstanding projects compiled, edited, and completed. It is good to know that the monkeys of photo shoots passed are off my back. I do think however that I have given myself carpal tunnel syndrome from all the mouse work. So to top it all off, my friend and fellow photographer Michael came over today, and we fooled around with making red/blue 3D images that turned out pretty cool.

You have to try this out for yourself. You will need some color gels though to view it. For you photographers out there, I know you have a pack of Rosco samples in your bag you can use. I am reasonably certain this is exactly the tomfoolery they had in mind when giving you those samples anyway. Right?

Jeff
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Great lighting gear

I have been working with a company on their website, doing mostly coordination and photography for the site. It is nearing its final stages, and I thought I'd give you the 411 on Lightrein. They sell photographic lighting equipment. Which in itself is no big news, but it is some of the items they have that are remarkable. The strobe lights they carry are equipped with extra powerful modeling lights, which really makes them actually useful, as opposed to the crummy 150W light in most strobes. Better yet, is the soft box light modifiers, called Egg Crates, which allow you to control a soft source the way you would conrol a hard light with varying degrees of spill. These have to be seen in action to be truly appreciated. When you can have a 3'x4' softbox 3' away from a white cyclic, and not get any spill on the cyc, that is amazing. The site should be up in a couple days. www.lightrein.com check it out!

Jeff
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A good meeting

I was fortunate to have spent the evening with some of the best photographers in the province at the PPOC Alberta dinner meeting. It was good to see everyone, I am sorry that I was unable to attend the conference a couple weeks ago in Canmore. I was surprised by the turnout tonight! I was great to have about 15 of the students from the photography program at NAIT join us for the evening. There is nothing quite as inspirational as listening to some of your peers talking about what excites them. The speaker tonight gave us insight into what makes a good photographer, and it is less to do with the process and technical aspects of the photos, and more about how to establish rapport with the clients. I couldn't agree more. I am often asked via email to send a price list for a wedding session. I seldom ever do this, since to me, it is far more important to meet face to face and make a purchase based on the chemistry between photographer and client than to shop by price point. After all, I will be with you more than just about anyone else that day, and we had better have fun together!

Jeff
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Edmonton Maternity Photographer

Today started like any other, except for the fact that the wind was 200km/h!! I was glad to be inside shooting a beautiful mom to be. I really loved the sari she brought along, it really made for some beautiful colors and textures in the shots. After all was said and done, she ended up with a really nice set of photos for a series in her babies room. Thank you for being so good, even though your feet were getting swollen! It was a pleasure to work with you.

Jeff

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Custom Framing in Edmonton

Some of you may not know, but I offer a full service photography business, including custom matting and framing.
I have been doing a couple of framing projects over the last couple days. They turned out amazing! I did 5 diplomas for a surgeon here in Edmonton, and a large canvass for another family. I really enjoy the framing. I made some beautiful shadow box mats for the diplomas, and the client was so impressed he gave me an $85 tip!
(I guess that's why doctors drive Ferrari's and photographers don't)

I also met with some nice people today about an upcoming wedding this summer, and finished editing a print order from a previous wedding for Richard and Susan.

Jeff
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New look

I have been talking with a couple of web designers about a new look for my website. I really need to take it out of the dark ages. Since I am not much of a web designer myself, I need it to be simple enough for me to maintain and operate on my own. So you will not be seeing any crazy flash animations and embedded Java hoo haa here. Just a clean new look, and some really great photos, because that is what I know how to do. Hopefully the new and improved site will be up before Christmas.

Jeff

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Not so slow time

Well I booked a shoot today for a family/ couple/ pregnancy photo. I am really looking forward to it. I really enjoy doing pregnancy photos. I love to capture the magic and beauty of a child carrying woman, and still make her look like a glamour model. See you on Saturday C. I know you'll love your photos.

Jeff
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About time!

Well, I have finally started a web log. I suppose it makes sense to start this in the slow time, then I can actually keep it up to date, even though there will be little to report for a while. I hope to keep the world appraised of the cool things going on here at Trident Photography. More to come in the future...

Jeff