A month down already !!!

Wow end of January already here, was only a few weeks ago, we were all fighting holiday traffic.

A quick self-portrait done in the office with the Canon 5D, 50mm f1.4 1/640 ISO400
And quick blast through Aperture 3.0 and a preset called Simply Silver .

Suddenly February is here, today is a spring day here in London,ON a balmy +8c.
Its been up and down, one day rain , the next a snow storm then rain, throw in a day like today and your not sure how to dress till you look outside.

Great example is this pic from Jan 3rdth at 9am ish , out the top of the office.

And then 4 hours later , like nothing ever happened !

Been a quiet month though, passed quick.
Did manage to get out for some pics and pick up some new business photo wise.

First up was The Wrecks playing at Sunny's in St Thomas,ON. Great band, great players.

The Lead Guitar Player, was suffering miserably through a need for some tooth surgery , but still managed to get up and wail away the night.

Brought up memories of seeing Rick 'Flash' Dion playing the hotels and bars of Timmins,ON so many moons ago, nailing every solo.

Have to admit I enjoy taking pics of the bands playing in London and area, though gets a little tiring when your dealing with my usual lack of sleep issues and then going out at 10pm on a Friday night after relaxing for a few hours at home.  OK am sounding old but....

Attended the London Wine and Food Show, as a guest of Lotus Thai Restaurant, St Thomas,ON.
Take a few pics of their booth and of course sample some food.

Small statue outside their booth .

The ladies of course made sure i was well fed while i was there.
Recommend their restaurant to anyone.

Interesting though was i showed up early, before opening and simply walked in , camera swinging.
No one stopped me, asked for my pass or who  I was with, even security said 'hello'
hhhmmmm gonna have to try that some day at the John Labat Centre and see if I can get in through the back door for pics.

Lots of food and wine of course, and some nice displays, like this fruit arrangement from Edible Arrangements here in London, actually not to far from the office.

And some Creme Brule from Aroma , a Mediterranean restaurant here in London at Richmond and Piccadilly. If your looking for a taste of Spain, it is the place to go.

For the price I recommend them, as the average plate was around same as The Keg, but honestly a whole lot better. Feels and tastes like someone actually cooked your meal, the heart and soul of the Chef is in the food.

Latest fun is through a posting in Flickr and hooking up with a website called www.airbnb.com.
Basically a Bed and Breakfast online service, with everything from a room for $20 a night to a Hong Kong apartment for rent at $2000/night.  So i am now the local London rep for any requests to take pics of client places, be it a room , shared or whole apartment.

My first assignment was a place in London available for rent by the night, great old house close to downtown. Really nice couple own this.

The idea is to get natural light pictures (if possible) and get the basics of the room , so people have a sense of what they will see when they get there.

You also highlight cool or interesting features of the room or place, as points of interest. There are some limitations, must be very hi rez pics and only in landscape view like you see here.

An actual paying photo shoot, and my first real one.

So that got me thinking about my own vacation plans.

If you remember from last year, I was getting all set for a whirlwind trip of Japan. Had bought my ticket and then 3 days later , earthquake tried to sink Japan into the ocean forever.
Well that credit has been sitting with our warm hearted friends (I say that very very sarcastically) at Air Canada waiting to be used and about to expire.

So what do I do with it ?
Cant transfer it, cant split it, and must fly from Canadian soil.
So the options are wide open, could go just about anywhere and decided to return to Barcelona, Spain.
As much fun as it was the last time (September) really we crammed a lot of  city into 3 days and actually missed out on a quite a bit. So this will be a week in Barcelona, really take my time, act like a real tourist and see everything, especially what we missed out on in Sept.

Instead of trying to Priceline some Holiday Inn, I used the Airbnb site and looked at a complete apartment for a week. The advantages being, no housekeeping barging in each morning to fluff your pillows, an actual kitchen to be able to have some real food, specially when it comes to breakfast. Being able to get up and enjoy a coffee and food without leaving the room and not paying 20euro is a great option. Also mean can have goodies on hand for travel snacks and night time.

After searching around and a few emails, found an apartment in The Gothic area , blocks from the beach and harbor.

View Larger Map

As we know from the last voyage most things are in walking distance, and even then the metro is fantastic there and pretty cheap. Getting around the city is least of the issues when there.

Here is a view of the actual apartment living room, with windows open to the street below.
These are from the Airbnb website

That wall and window would be great for some pics - will try some self portraits there.
will have time and got space to pull back the furniture and redecorate haha
And bedroom shot

we will find out how much photoshopping was done , once inside haha.
Kind of like a bachelor apartment, with a small efficiency kitchen.

Oh ya the place has wifi so no 8euro a day trying to get internet in the hotel.

Now just have to figure out the best time to go and get it booked before end of March, when my ticket expires.

Noticed something on the door of the Terrain a few weeks ago and made a point of taking a picture.

These stones were from a walk on the beach in Port Stanley in 2010. I need to remember to take one out and add it to my small collection in the house.
If you don't know, when I go places, if I remember , I pick up a stone , bring it home, wash it and then mark the place and date on it, and add to the collection.

Took this tonight, so you can see what they look like.

I can read  a stone and remember the place, who was there, why I was there.
Much better than any souvenir that you can buy on the street, and will outlast any picture I have taken.

Few more photo ops coming up this weekend, possibly a new band to take pics of,  and another photoshoot for Shisiedo at The Bay, Masonville Mall, London,ON.

Travel plans being put together for the new year also but nothing really set yet.

Later......

Happy New Year !!

2011 is over - great year - really no complaints about it at all.

Did not get to do a pic New Years Eve, oh well next year - haha

Finished off the year with some pic sessions.

First was a promotion I got involved in at the Shiseido counter at The Bay , Masonville, London,ON.
This started form a conversation this past summer, while picking up some product to bring to China.
Started off with "I am flying out tomorrow and need this...", where I was going, what i was doing , the subject of pics came up (of course) and then a promise to return to show what I saw in China and share camera talk. 

My original idea was to offer my services at The Bay for any woman who had a complete makeup session done, to take a few head shots, for no charge, email them. add some something to what they were already getting and to push myself outside my comfort zone once again.

It all finally happened in December, when I got contacted by the Shiseido Manager back in October , asking if I would work exclusively with them on this idea. 
Can't say no can you !!
Clientele is primarily Asian, the product is well known Japanese company.

This  would be exclusive to that counter, special invitation only to the customers.
 So took a small room in the store used for facials, and transformed it into mini-studio !!
White paper on the wall, barely squeezed in and then i was pushing my back into the drywall to get some distance between me and the subjects.

 One thing i realized after is I was getting a lot of yellow cast from the wall on the right, bouncing back into the pics . Next time will bring a piece of left over paper or white sheet to put on that wall.

First up was a lady from Hong Kong, amazing smile, after a few minutes she really warmed up to the camera and started to have fun.

Followed by sisters, Jie and Lila, originally from Shanghai.

We know who the poser is !! Lila had previous experience with having her photo taken back in China and used it to her advantage. Lucky me !

The experience forced me to talk to them , find something to take them away from the camera pointed at their head, get them comfortable, find that smile or look that speaks about who they are.
Not easy, 
Remember that next time you have pics taken at some large chain store photo studio and then compare them against pics done by a professional studio.  The difference is the person behind that camera, what they bring to the table, what they see, how they feel.  Big Box stores can pump them out at high volume, camera, lights all locked down, every pic the same. Like a cookie cutter or photo copier.



I will be doing this again ! learned alot and will be smoother and more confident the next time around.

To close off the year, I actually ended with thet Gents that helped me really get out there at the start of the year back in May 2011. Hurtin Merv and The Boys were tearing it up at The Wortley Roadhouse, London,ON.

Calm before the storm as they say. 

The Wortley Roadhouse has been in business since 1990, caters to a real broad range of customers, though seems the average person is past 40 and has a few dollars to spend.

The Wortley was its usual Cougar and Sausage fest - haha.

That's Merv down on the dance floor, doing what he does best, keep the customers happy. That's at least 8 women standing there taking it all in.

Place was packed, boys were playing their usual, so took advantage to get some shots,  like above , behind the band.
Few extra of Mr Greg on skins, he usually seems to be in the shadow of front men Ryan (bass) and Terry (guitar) holding it all together. So his turn to be in the spot light.

Would say am starting to see a difference in some of the pics I am taking of music groups now versus at the start of the year. Pushing past my fears to get those shots.

Next up Bender at the Eastside this coming Friday and then Sabbath Only Sabbath, with opener Nail  on Jan 28th.  Should be good shows.

All the best to everyone in 2012. 
I encourage everyone to get outside, take a camera, take pics, push yourself.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure.” Helen Keller

2011 Closing out fast !!!!

Wow !!
Another year has blown by at high speed.
Is it my imagination or are they getting faster.

Another year of experiences, another year of learning, another year !!!
Even with the parts not so great still no complaints from me.

China, Spain, Hong Kong, South Carolina.
Working outside my comfort zone taking pics, meeting people.

This year i pushed myself to get out of that comfort zone when its comes to taking pics.
Meeting new people, making contacts.

Thanks to everyone that endured my lens pointed in their direction and the pop of the flash !

Taking that step last May and hooking up with Hurtin Merv and the Boys


Bender , opening for Moxy Dec 16th at APK Live, London,ON


another wacky stage layout ! Guest guitarist Guy Miskelly filled in, super amazing chops ! would like to see him again.

Nice shot of Mr Jim McCormick's fabulous Sonor kit, to bad lighting was to rough to show the great color this kit has (yellow) though this B/W image did not hurt it in the slightest. Thinking a planned pic with Jim and his kit would be kinda cool and something new to try.

Though have to say that Moxy was a let down after seeing Goddo. No question about the talent or abilities, but music wise just didn't feel it. And from a personality point of view Goddo was way ahead. Still nice getting out to see some people play

Guitarist - Earl Johnson (Moxy) and Bassist - Jim Sanson (Zon)

Russ Graham (Killer Dwarfs)

Drums - Kim Hunt (Zon) and Bassist - Jim Sanson (Zon)

Had opportunities to take pics of  Longway , Nail, Scott Brunelle, Moe Chile.

U-Turn playing Rib Fest this past summer.

Finally found out who these guys were playing at Gathering on The Green in Wortley Village, earlier in the summer.  They were laying down SRV in a big way, solid !!!
Tim Woodcock and the Thunder Kings

Tim Woodcock - guitar , Jim Corbett - Bass and Ed Pranskus - Drums

Thank you , Rick and Chuck from Twisted Rock Starz , giving me a chance and granting me access to Goddo and Moxy for pics and more to come.

Girls who let me take their pics, Princess Vicky, Miss Katie, Tracey, Eden

Miss Tracey was in for some pics, part of her making changes to herself and recording it all as she proceeds. Thinking once she has achieved her goal , I can put together a series of pics showing her progress.

Of course managed the obligatory "Girl With Bass" photo to post online with others. The Cort Curbow always looks good when held gentle embrace of a woman.

Also had Miss Katie back in the "Studio" with her friend Kathryn, taking pics for a Xmas Gift Calendar for Kathryn's soon to be husband.

I managed to get a pic of Kathryn, using the Canon 5D. That camera seems to have something special when it comes to taking portraits. If you have done your homework with settings etc. 

Patrick ! ha The Peavey 5 String will never be the same after being 'manhandled'

The Bay and Sheseido gave me a chance to be part of what they offer their customers. As part of a promotion, select customers received a package consisting of a makeup session with Isaac and then photo's.  Once everything has been approved by Sheseido I will post some here to see. Chances are if everyone is happy this could be an ongoing opportunity for me. More on that one in the new year.

Lotus Thai Restaurant in St Thomas, I had spoken about this place and ladies that run it all. Finally had the chance to go out and take some pics of the great food they create onsite.




My last pics of the year will be with Hurtin Merv and The Boys playing the Wortley Roadhouse this coming Friday.
Its a cougar fest there and being a Friday and a New Years weekend should be quite the fun. Am sure some candid photo's be taken.

Cannot resist showing the great Green Xmas we had down here in London, and maybe not much different for a lot of you out there. Went for my annual Xmas day walk, covered 12km and took a few pics along the way, this one from Springbank Park,London,ON

And of course how could we pass a week or even a day with out a Starbucks coffee pic !!

Am now waiting for my GOLD membership card after keeping myself well caffeined for the last few months - took 25 coffee's to get there. All that so i can get a free one on my birthday , oh ya and refills !

Will  break into the New Year and 2012 gently. No muss , no fuss.
I have an idea for a final pic for the year, but will see what the weather is doing on the 31st to see if we can make it happen.

My Canons Back and there's gonna be pictures ! (sung to the tune "My Boyfriends Back - The Angels"

She is back from repair, cleaning and firmware upgrade !
looking shiny and new with the wonderfully gooey Canon 50mm f/1.4 mounted on front.

Definitely a difference between that and the T1i !

That Canon 50mm f1/1.4 can be fun lens to play with on the right occasion, this is great example of Bokeh , Japanese for blur or asthetic quality of the blur.  Only really possible with this type of lens at this close to the subject.
Rain drops on the car window with some stop lights in the background.

Last few weeks has been kinda quiet. Though did get out to see and listen to Moe Chile  play at Coffee Culture, Richmond St,London ON.

Truly great guitar player and singer, and part of a duo called "The Gate".   Did a handful of original material as well as some Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.  He was a connection through other musicians and Facebook.

Moe plays a Carperelli Spirit of 69 in Zebra wood - beautiful piece of wood !!

Only other fun was honorable mention for a photo contest run by Black Rapid Straps (i have one). Nice product that you sling over your shoulder or neck and lets you carry a DSLR and big lens with ease and little fatigue. If you have a big camera and are using the supplied strap, you know how after a day of wanking that around your neck, your ready to drop the whole thing in the nearest dumpster and get  Point and Shoot (small camera). 
It was received for the sunset pic taken at Goderich,ON

You have seen a few pics of me wearing mine.

Here with the Canon T1i and Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8



An alternative to the Black Rapid is a new product I found at Vistek, called the Matin Fast Access Strap. Basically a Chinese clone of the Black Rapid but with neoprene shoulder pad. Little less money and i like the neoprene pad.

Next on the photo agenda is The Lotus Thai Restaurant in St. Thomas,ON.  Had met them at one of the festivals in London this summer, a food purchased turned into would you take pics someday.

V.K. and Pom run the show there.

Try to take some good pics of their food so they can use on their website.  Will be working for food. That's next week , so looking forward to that , something to put on the portfolio.  And maybe credit for free meals haha.

Just a short update, more to come next week after food pics.  And Xmas is around the corner.

Till then....