Water

These shots are from our trip up island last week...

around Telegraph Cove...

Alder Bay...

And Alert Bay...

Natural and historical beauty was endless and the photography came so easy...

S

Barnyard Beauty

The petting zoo in Beacon Hill Park, Victoria is just the best place ever. I had a thing for this peacock and we couldn't get enough of each other. He was a real poser! I was feeling all National Geo and he was walking the catwalk for me. Perfect.

I highly recommend heading there for a photo shoot next time you are in Vic!

S

Birthday Dinner

Nothing but class for my 32nd birthday. A beautiful warm evening called for a sushi picnic down at the Spit in Comox. No table? No problem. These big tires did the trick:) Not award winning photography but I found some beauty and some humour in these shots taken on June 10th:)

S

A Lesson in Portraits

Our June photography lesson was one that I desperately needed and one that I apparently need a few more of. Portraits. I have always avoided structured photo portraits as I have never been comfortable with setting them up. The whole idea of bossing people into a natural looking pose seems completely impossible to me. So, I was hugely relieved to learn a few tricks and tips from the pro, Karen McKinnon http://mckinnonphoto.squarespace.com/display/ShowJournal?moduleId=1378999&SSScrollPosition=247 at our Kitty Coleman Woodland gardens shoot.

I had the chance to torture my fellow classmates and place them in ohsonatural poses amongst the flora and fauna of the gardens. If at first you don't succeed...try try again. And so I did...and I have...and I will. The more I boss people around into portrait poses, the easier it gets. And the more comfortable I get, the more comfortable my victims-um-subjects get. So here are my first few attempts at set up portraits...gasp...these are not my best shots but I am hoping they will be a benchmark to compare against in the future. Hang on...don't go anywhere...stay tuned for the portrait evolution...gulp.

Arran & Sean pure prep at my 1988 b-day party...

Dani and friend Sam working their bad 80s vibe for the camera...

ELM Women 2008 West Coast Fitness Adventure crew pose patiently in Tofino...

Phew...moving on from portraits and back into my comfort zone of plants and nature next...

S

Evening Inspiration

Last night we had the most incredible thunder and lightening storm:) Just as I got into bed a massive crack ripped open the sky and the aftershock of thunder rolled through my belly. Completely awesome. But it was right after dinner that the sky began to fill with dark clouds and the evening light changed into that wonderfully magical studio-style backlight.

I hit the backyard in search of some shots and found a shock of colour as some new flowers had appeared-the first of my poppies and iris' were open and reaching for the electric sky.

Here is what I came up with. A steady hand and slow shutter speeds had to do as I didn't want to run inside for the tripod and risk missing the light.

These were taken with a 4.8fstop and anywhere from 60-150 shutter speed. Flower season has arrived in my garden and I will have plenty of inspiration for the coming months!

Cheers,

S

Violet Urge

Again...I had to have this shot. I feel greedy even now saying it but I do get these urges that can only be selfishly fulfilled by 'taking' the shot and forever holding onto it as one of my posessions. I did my best without a macrolense-I still only have the 18-55m lense that came with my D40 and I really miss my old macro from the old school Cannon. But alas...I got to fulfill my little violet urge and created what I see as a mysterious, rich image.
Happy Monday:)
S

Lines on the wall

The late afternoon lighting was just way too cool to pass up on this one. There was a shot there but I didn't quite know what it was going to be. I just had to have the light. Low evening light was slicing through our bamboo blinds in the bedroom and it painted itself on the hallway wall. Kinda cool...but that's about it:)

S