portraits in an old car

Yesterday I headed out to Stonewall for a portrait shoot with my friend Bev. I got inspired to take some portraits in a woodsy area with lots of bare tree branches (yes, it's May, and we STILL don't have any green leaves out!). The shoot went well, and got especially more interesting once I came across an old car sitting on her property. An old Hornet! I jumped on the occasion and we branched off into another portrait series, this one with her and this old car. I love the look of old 70's cars, and combined with Bev as my subject, I had so much fun doing this shoot!

Photography by Gabrielle Touchette.

an instance of some kind: winnipeg photo exhibit

Thank you to everyone who came out to our opening reception night for our latest photo exhibit at the cre8ery gallery. We had a great turn out and even got to sell a few pieces. The show is now closed but stay tuned for future f/action photo exhibits!

 

Posted by f/action member, Gabrielle Touchette.

Start your long weekend right!

f/action's upcoming photo exhibit is just around the corner! The 4 of us are hard at work, putting the finishing touches on our photo exhibit and getting ready to set up at the cre8ery gallery next week. The opening reception is on Thursday April 21 at 7pm, which happens to be the eve of Good Friday, the start of the long weekend. Yay! :)

Admission is free, of course, so come and enjoy some wine and cheese and check out some local Winnipeg art!

For more info, check out our facebook page or click on our poster:

A love affair with light & photography

Photography is really about a love affair with light. Without that, I'm not sure that photos would really have the impact that they were created to have. When it comes down to it, a photograph cannot exist without light. But take it a little further, and a photograph that inspires and moves you cannot exist without a love affair with light.

I'm a big fan of natural light mixed with studio lighting. Being able to manipulate, guide and master your light is the key to transforming your subjects and immortalizing them with the beauty of photography. And the fantastic thing about lighting is that you never cease to learn and grow as you use it. It's like a painting - you're never quite finished with it. There's always more to add, change and create.

I'm fairly new to using studio lighting and understanding natural lighting. I've had 3 or 4 years to practice, and yet I feel like there's still a really long (yet exciting!) road ahead of me. That's what I love most about photography - always learning and growing, never finished, never done. There's always more to discover, more to capture and more to explore.

 

Posted by f/action member, Gabrielle Touchette.

52-week photo & art project

I've decided to challenge myself to shoot one photo a week and post it by the end of each week (ending on Sundays) for 52 weeks. Inspired by the ever popular 365-photo project, I opted for 52 weeks rather than 365 days, just so that the goal is attainable! I don't want to commit to 365 if I can't pull it off.

I started on February 28th and my progress will be documented on my personal photography blog. I've also added a twist: I've also challenged myself to paint or draw one thing a week and post it as well. So far, I have 3 posts. Check them out!

To follow the 52-week saga, visit:

gabriellephotos.wordpress.com

Posted by f/action member, Gabrielle Touchette.

upcoming photo exhibit at the cre8ery gallery

We at f/action are hard at work on our next group photo exhibit at the Cre8ery. We're pretty excited about showing our work this year and we hope you can make it out to the opening night! For more info, click on the photo:

Solo Exhibit at St. Boniface Collège

Today I spent my morning setting up my Made in China photo series at La Galerie at St. Boniface College. I had a chance to exhibit my series a second time, this time as a solo exhibit. (you might remember my series from f/action's last exhibit at the Cre8ery Gallery)

The photos are now printed a little smaller and beautifully framed, and I'm pretty excited about how they look up at La Galerie. For more information on this exhibit, click here.

The photos will be on display for the month of March and each frame is for sale individually. If you're looking to add some colour to your walls, you might like these ones!

Hope you enjoy. Here are some snapshots from the gallery:

Posted by f/action member, Gabrielle Touchette.

The Uniter - Winnipeg's Weekly Urban Journal

Last week my image of hardcore band, Under Pressure was chosen to front the cover of The Uniter, Winnipeg's weekly urban journal. The cover story is in support of the new book, Call * Response, Present, Past & Beyond, Vol.1 which celebrates Winnipeg's underground music scene, past and present, with proceeds going towards Kids Help Phone.

Posted by Ailsa Dyson

 

Call * Response - Present, Past & Beyond, Vol. 1

A new book celebrating the underground music scene in Winnipeg has just been launched. Call * Response - Present, Past & Beyond, Vol. 1, spans the early days of punk and hardcore music, to the thriving music scene of today. Early images of DOA and Dead Kennedys are showcased amongst new images of bands like Propagandhi and Public Enemy. I (Ailsa Dyson) have 5 images in the book, displayed below. Proceeds from the sale of each copy will go to Kids Help Phone. The goal of the project is to raise at least $10,000 with a minimum of $10.00 from the sale of each book going towards helping Canada's only 24 hour phone and online professional counseling service for youth.

Posted by Ailsa Dyson

Summer in October

It's autumn in Winnipeg and everybody's happy because it feels more like summer. I think I speak for all of us f/actionites when I say that we've been super busy with life, shoots and everything else that keeps artists busy during warm, seasonal stretches of autumn. I had some fun with fellow photographer and preggo friend Sarah Hodges-Kolisnyk (of hodge podge creative) the other day, as we went out to Birds Hill Park to take some maternity pictures. You wouldn't think so, but October mosquitoes are BAD! Despite the itch, I lugged out my flashes and cameras and we took a few shots by some yellow trees and inside a forest. Outdoor portraiture with the right lens, angle and lighting can make anyone happy (especially me). Hope you enjoy.

 

Posted by f/action member, Gabrielle Touchette.

Made in China - Collaged

Ailsa's collaged images from our 4th show since f/action formed almost 2.5 years ago. We are all very proud and happy for one another for producing such a diverse body of work for this show with such ease.

Posted by Ailsa Dyson

Her Rose Folds

Images I took of Melissa McClelland at the West End Cultural Centre in Winnipeg. My favorite shots from the show are these lovely details of her gorgeous vintage dress. This typical live performance shoot was unexpectedly transformed into a fashion shoot of sorts thanks to her wonderful rose  folds.

Posted by Ailsa Dyson

f/action group update

Hello everyone! As you may have noticed, the blog has been a little quiet in the past few summer months... us f/actionites have been quite busy with shoots, traveling, and a bit of vacationing (for those lucky ones among us). Now that summer's about to end, things are starting to pick up a bit more, with preparations for our upcoming group exhibit at the Cre8ery in April 2011. Brainstorming, planning, shooting and printing is underway as we gear up for a new year of new photographic art. We're looking forward to another exhibit and sharing it with all of you!

In the mean time, stay tuned for posts on our current projects and photo experiments....

posted by f/action member, Gabrielle Touchette.

Layers of Greens

There's something magical that happens when you venture out with a macro lens. I've photographed the plants and flowers and trees in the yard at my uncles' cabin countless times, and still, I get so excited about going out again. Things are always new, there are always fresh ways of looking at how branches layer or how flower petals arrange at the end of a stem. Oh, how I love f2.8! (the largest aperture opening on my macro lens). Although this technical number may mean the chance at getting more light onto my digital sensor in most cases, this wonderful number also means extremely shallow depth of field, especially when focusing very closely on small objects. And shallow depth of field means a world of painterly strokes, ephemeral shapes and boundless wonder. You'd think I was talking about a long-lost paradise land, but I guess in a way, that's what I discover every time I go out and do some macro shooting! So here's to yet another stroll in the yard at the cabin. Greens upon greens, splashes of colour and some creepy crawly legs.

Posted by f/action member, Gabrielle Touchette.