Category: Black & White

Quietly Smiling

Today’s image is another one from Rock, Stock and Barrel’s gig at Irene’s pub in Ottawa. The band’s bass player, always quietly smiling in the background, always rock solid, but never seeking the spotlight.

The bass player

 

Nikon D7100, 18-200mm NIkkor lens. Shooting at ISO 8000
Post-processed with Lightroom and Nik Efex software

Early Morning Ottawa

Today a film image from my recent Ottawa trip. I love the long shadows and dramatic lighting of early mornings.

Downtown early morning

 

Mamiya 645 Pro TL, 55mm/2.8 Mamiya Lens with 25A red filter
Kodak TMax 400 film, developed in Tmax Developer 1+7, 12 min. @ 20 C.

Jill

Today’s image is from another shoot this past weekend in Ottawa with my friend Jill. Jill has been a friend of the family for many years, and it was a pleasure to collaborate with her at this photo shoot. She came armed with many ideas and a strong creative and expressive spirit that made the shoot a success.

Jill

 

Nikon D7100, 18-200mm Nikkor lens
Post production: Lightroom and Nik Efex software

Maggie

One of my shoots this past weekend in Ottawa was with Maggie Kyoko Tan. We had been friends on Facebook, but had never met until this shoot in Ottawa, and she was a delight to work with, as she understands instinctively that posing is (as I have often said) a combination of choreography and acting. We were able to get into a rhythm very quickly, and I am very happy with the (digital) results so far. (Film to come!!)

Maggie

 

Nikon D7100, 18-200mm Nikkor lens
Post processed with Lightroom and Nik Efex

Still Rocking

I had a lot of fun shooting my friend Sue Murphy’s band Rock, Stock and Barrel on Friday night at Irene’s Pub in Ottawa. I was struck by a couple of things: first was the very low light: I had to shoot at ISO 8000, and take a lot of photos to make sure I had an adequate number of keepers. (I made it, barely :-)). The second thing that made an impression was talking to the band: definitely not a bunch of teenagers, the discussion centred around family responsibilities, and how they preferred playing shows that didn’t keep them up past their bedtimes. But once they hit the stage all that was forgotten, and proved (as if it needed proving) that rocking high energy music is not the property of a single demographic.

Sue Murphy of Rock, Stock and Barrel

 

Nikon D7100, 18-200mm Nikkor lens
Post processing done with Lightroom and Nik Efex

Don’t Shoot What You See, Capture What You Feel

In a lot of ways, this image is nowhere near being a realistic depiction of the scene in Ottawa early today: the use of a fisheye optic, the fact that is in monochrome and not colour, the application of a digital equivalent of a dark red filter, all of these in one sense make it unrealistic. On the other hand, what I found amazing this morning was the stark, dramatic lighting and lines in this part of Ottawa. This image shows what I felt, as much or more  than what I saw.

Early morning downtown Ottawa

 

Nikon D7100 DSLR, Lensbaby Composer with Fisheye Optic
Post processed in LightRoom, Nik Efex

Channeling the 1960’s

I had the pleasure yesterday to do a film/digital shoot with my friend Maria Rozynska, who I first met as a fellow cast member in the Alexander Showcase Theatre’s production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Maria is an excellent actor and dancer, and these talents translated well for the photo shoot! The concept for the shoot was 1960’s. Maria provided a perfect wardrobe, and a pair of retro style sunglasses topped everything off. This image is one of the digital shots. Film to come!

At the Fountain

Empty Spaces

Another image from early Saturday morning at the Toronto Beaches. Peaceful, quiet, but filled with the expectant anticipation of throngs of people expected to descend later in the day

Empty Boardwalk

 

Nikon N90s 35mm SLR, 28mm/2.8 Nikkor lens
Rollei Retro 80s film, developed in Rodinal 1+50,
14 minutes @ 20 C

Facing the Sun

Yesterday I went to the Beaches in Toronto early; at 7 am the sun is lower in the sky, making for dramatic lighting and shadows. I’m surprised there isn’t more flare in this image, since I was shooting into the sun.

7 am

 

Nikon N90s 35mm SLR, 28mm/2.8 Nikkor lens with 25A red filter
Rollei Retro 80s film, developed in Rodinal 1+50, 14 minutes @ 20 C

Looking In

I must say I like the vignetting effect of using my Bower fisheye lens (meant for the DX crop-sensor size of digital camera) on a full frame 35mm camera. I feel like I am peering into a separate world.

Outside Robart's Library

 

Nikon N90s 35mm film SLR, Bower 8mm/3.5 fisheye lens
Rollei Retro 80s film, developed in Rodinal 1:50 for 14 min. @ 20 C