love is in the air

It's Spring! And lots of love. I did an engagement photo session for my sister the other day all the way up north in Saskatchewan. Yes, there is life and scenery all the way up there, believe it or not! And here are some photos to prove it. (Taken at Little Red Park in Prince Albert, SK)



Posted by f/action member, Gabrielle Touchette.

Winter Plastic!

Some of you may know that I'm working on a long term project currently under the working title "Plastic Series". The goal of the project is to travel around Manitoba photographing natural and manufactured landscapes using a unique process in which I shoot through a plastic bag. The plastic filter represents the impact of a lifestyle that distorts our recognition, and it also creates some very interesting results in the photographs! I began this project to teach myself more about the surrounding landscapes where I live, and to test my own recognition of them. The project has grown, and I now intend to see it through all four Manitoba seasons before considering it finished. I hope to show this work publicly, but for now... a sneak peak of freshly edited Winter photos!

Posted by f/action member, Dallas Ludwick

Dare To Flare

Haikus by Duncan McNairnay

Fish-eyes wide open
Sun will want to join in too
Flare becomes subject

Shoot into the sun
Light captured through refraction
Brings brilliance to pic

Film is your canvas
Paint without inhibition
And a plastic lens

Make-up and Photography

Curious to see how much make-up you actually have to wear to show through in photos, I photographed my sister right after we got our make-up done at Clinique today (trial session for our sister's wedding). Well, let me tell you, Rachel hardly ever wears make-up, so after her Clinique session, she looked like she was super dolled up. But of course, as soon as she was photographed, you can hardly tell she has any make-up on. This goes to show that having enough make-up is important in portraits, especially if you want it to show through. Of course, make-up goes a long way to pretty-up a face, but there's also the photographer's side of it too. Making sure to get great lighting and to properly optimize the images after makes just as much of an impact as regular make-up does. Both hand in hand can help you to get great results in your portraits.



Posted by f/action member, Gabrielle Touchette.

Happy Birthday Dziedzio

Last Saturday my Dziedzio turned 87 years old.

He's getting ready to start tending to his garden, still lives in the only house he's ever owned, goes for at least one walk every day, is a member of an awesome mall food-court club, sets his own fashion rules, and best of all... can and will dance all night long at every opportunity! Ladies, if you want to learn how to Polka - this is your man!

I often wonder what goes through the mind of an 87 year old who grew up in Poland, began his WWII service as a 16 year old, lost much of his family during the war, waited for his number to be called to "go to a new land", randomly ended up on a Lethbridge homestead of all Commonwealth cities accepting war immigrants, moved to Winnipeg where he met a beautiful and wonderful woman with a similar story, married, had two children that he hardly saw grow up because he worked the night shift building rail lines (including the one that runs in front of my house), located a sister through the Red Cross who had made it on a boat to South Africa, worked, retired, lost his stomach to cancer, tragically lost his wife to an allergic reaction during routine low-risk surgery, quit smoking and regained his health, and now has four grandchildren between the ages of 10 and 29.

They say a picture is worth 1000 words. This portrait of my Dziedzio looking out his bedroom window is one of my all time personal favourites.

Posted by Dallas Ludwick, f/action member

Polaroid Spectra

I was able to track down some discontinued film for my Polaroid Spectra camera. This Polaroid only takes Spectra film, which is obsolete since Polaroid pulled the plug. Once my last package of film is gone I will likely have to retire the little darling.
What makes the Spectra unique is its ability to function with or without a flash, something the standard 600 Polaroids can not do.
The images are a mixture from Winnipeg's China Town and my Wedding reception.
These images have been scanned in order for me to share them with you.

posted by f/action member Ailsa Dyson

Pulling it all together

One of the greatest things about being friends with talented people is that they always need promo shots. They are also clever enough to want every updated image to look creative but slightly different from past shots, so as to keep their look fresh. For the pic above Sarah Michaelson (aka Mama Cutsworth) and Caitlin Brown (aka Mizz Brown) were already late getting an image to the Winnipeg Jazz Festival. About an hour after getting together we had a pretty neat concept, a floor full of records and a decent lighting setup (even a lovely lighting assistant). Sometimes its amazing what a few minds can whip together.
As for the lighting... I had a strobe shooting through an umbrella at camera right as well as a bare flash as rim light at camera left to spice up those shadow areas. The background (or actual ground in this case) is lit with a mix of spill from the umbrella and underexposed tungstin ambient.

What to do...

When you've no one to talk to?

Take a look around...

Photograph all the lovely things!

Posted by Dallas Ludwick, f/action member

Venetian Snares

I had the pleasure of shooting internationally renowned electronica Artist VENETIAN SNARES (aka Aaron Funk) the last time he did a rare show in his home town of Winnipeg, Mb. I ended up focusing a lot on the crowd since they were dancing up a frenzy! I employed my trusty Canon 40D at an ISO of 1600 with no flash for these shots. The result - multifaceted surreal images that convey the music's deep-layered-energetic style, drawing the viewer in for a closer look into the rabbit hole.
http://www.venetiansnares.com
posted by f/action member Ailsa Dyson

from the other side of the lens....

If you feel awkward in front of a camera, you're not alone. In fact, you're one of 12 million Canadians who complain of heart palpitations due to large cameras, especially dslrs, pointed in their direction. Being the subject of a portrait session can be an unnerving feat to overcome, but rest assured, we're all in this together.

Ok, I just made up those statistics, it just rolled off my tongue! But seriously, I wouldn't doubt that that number's accurate. It's very common and more normal than not to feel awkward when being photographed.

For those people, being photographed is something they avoid at all costs. Yet a lot have no choice, and need pictures. Whether it be headshots they need for their line of work or family photos they need for their Christmas letters (who's never gotten one of those?), being photographed can not always be avoided.

But being photographed is not as bad as you may think. True, as a photographer, it is harder to direct someone who doesn't feel comfortable in front of the camera. A person's countenance is directly affected by how they feel. As I'm directing subjects, I often ask those who look visibly uncomfortable: "Are you comfortable?". They'll say no and I'll have them reposition until they feel just right. I ask them the question so they understand that it's important to me that they feel comfortable. (please, gone are the days of the painful awkward studio poses!) Once anyone feels better about their stance or pose, all awkwardness that was once showing dissipates.

I really enjoy the challenge of working with people who aren't so keen on being photographed. Working with people in those situations brings a great dynamic between the photographer and the subject. It gets you talking about the photography -- you're creating interaction and engaging your subject in honest dialogue. Everyone who has a personality and a soul can be photographed beautifully, given the right coaxing, directing and positive encouragement. It sometimes takes a little work, but that work builds trust and energy and the results are often more dynamic and inspiring.

These pictures were taken of my good friend Mandy, and if anyone knows her, having this many photos of her is a miracle. She loves photography and has been a great support and encouragement of my pursuit of professional photography, so she agreed to pose for me for a quick shoot. We worked through a few poses and ended up with some cute shots of her. I'm glad she gave me the opportunity to photograph her, and I hope these pictures will serve as a reminder that no one is impossible to photograph! (seriously, I told her she should use these for an online dating profile. haha)

Posted by f/action member: Gabrielle Touchette