Dreaming in Lomo... Double Time!

I just love Diana! Her vibrant colours, attention to detail (but only some of it - she's picky) and constant begging to be double exposed! She's a real charmer.

If you haven't gone Lomo... you don't know what you're missing!

Revisiting Old Photos

It seems like forever since I was in photography school, and looking back at work I did last year feels like I'm looking at someone else's work. It's amazing how a lot of us students evolved creatively throughout the year, and even more so in the past year since graduation. Still, though, there are times that I look at some images from school projects and I feel a sense of renewed inspiration. One of the things that I greatly improved on since finishing school is optimizing. I was pretty conservative when it came to optimizing my images before starting school. By the end of the year, I was all over the high contrast saturated look! Yum yum. So recently, as I was browsing through some old images, I rediscovered a fun photo session I had done with my friend Bev. At the time the optimizing hardly did anything to boost the photos, so I decided to re-optimize them, to bring out more pizzaz. So here they are, from my "Transformation" project, shot in 2007 and re-optimized in 2009!




Posted by f/action member, Gabrielle Touchette.

Anyone's Son Will Do

Posted by f/action member Ailsa Dyson

Lomo Love!

Do you feel the love? Ahh, sigh.... my heart's been cross-processed!

Posted by f/action member, Dallas Ludwick

Product photography - first shot

This is the beginning of my very first attempts at product photography, and I obviously need a little practice (nothing tones your lighting technique more than glass). Overall I think it went ok. Clean enough, but it lacks a little interest. The product is organic local hemp oil and I think my approach was too clinical to appeal to the sorts that might buy such products. I would appreciate any advice or criticism.

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