Today’s image of model Keira Jade was taken in Kensington Market in Toronto last week. It was very hot and fairly crowded, but we were both struck by the continued politeness we encountered, as passersby made every attempt to stay out of the shot, either by stopping and waiting, or going behind me, all the while saying “Sorry.” Sometimes the stereotypes are true!
(Mamiya 645 Pro TL, 150mm/f4 lens, Tri-X at E.I. 1000, developed in Diafine 3+3)
When I take portraits, it’s all about the eyes and expression, and I love the expression worn in this image (taken on the way to PAB 2012) by Adam Gratrix, an extremely bright and creative podcaster from Surrey, BC. His energy really come through here I think!
(Pentax ME Super 35mm SLR, 50mm f1.4 lens, Tri-X @ E.I. 1000, developed in Diafine 3+3)
Today’s image is the latest in my ongoing “Old Friends” project, shot while I was at PAB 2o12 in Ottawa earlier this month. It features my friend Susan Murphy (who was also attending PAB 2012), and her long time friend Cheryl. It had been a while since they had met up in person, but the bond of friendship between the two was quite clear, and both delightful and touching.
(Pentax ME Super 35mm SLR, 50mm 1.4 lens, Tri-X at E.I. 1000, developed in Diafine 3 + 3)
To me, it seems that part of what defines the feminine is time: the onset of the monthly cycle of fertility at puberty, the ticking of the biological clock until its end at menopause. In addition, for many women independence and self-actualization involve transcending time, and refusing to be imprisoned or have one’s self-worth shackled to this definition.
Today’s image (NSFW, so just a link), explores this idea, the struggle against being the prisoner of time. The model is a powerful, strong and independent woman who will not surrender to the passing of days.
Today’s image is of Miranda, an actress and musician from Hamilton. This image is from a shoot for my “Broken” project, for which she brought a long a great broken pearl/bead necklace. The vase was a great garage sale find — 25 cents! If you look closely, you’ll see me 🙂
Every now and then, I’m lucky enough to capture an amazing expression in a portrait — one that has complexity and subtlety, and in this recent image of model Julia Lewis, the expression she created is really quite something. Every time I look at this image, I see something new and different in her expression. At the end of a rather iffy week photographically speaking (models not showing up, weather-related shoot cancellations, technical screw-ups), getting this image made for a very positive end to a not so positive week. 🙂
(Mamiya 645 Pro TL, 80mm f2.8 lens, Fuji Neopan Acros 100 film, developed in HC-110, dilution H)
Today’s image has a touching story behind it. Caitriona the model (who is also an artist) had messages me saying she had to be a bit late for the shoot, due to an unavoidable issue. When she arrived for the shoot, she told me that a close friend of hers had passed away that day. I asked if she was still up to shooting (and would have understood if she wished to cancel the shoot) but she said her friend had also been an artist, and would have wanted her to keep going, keep creating. When I showed Caitriona the first images from the session she remarked that doing the shoot definitely helped her out.
(Photograph made with Mamiya 645 Pro TL, 80 mm f2.8 lens. Arista 200 Ultra film, developed in Rodinal 1:50 for 1o minutes)
The term “Lomography” refers to using old/cheap cameras such as Holgas to create images that may suffer from technical defects (light leaks, vignetting, out-dated film), but achieve a certain style and mood as a result. I have a new term, “Blowmography” for when I blow it technically, but the resulting mess looks interesting. Lomography is on purpose, Blowmography is accidental. This image (from the shoot with model Caroline in downtown Toronto) is an example of Blowmography — I developed the film (Polypan F) in the wrong developer (an extremely low contrast special purpose developer meant for another film, Adox CMS 20) and got a very muddy, thin negative. I cranked up the contrast on the scanner, and got this. I thought the colour shift artifacts, and the emphasis of some surface defects on the made for an interesting vintage shot.
Today’s image is NSFW, so all I can do is add a link
The model in today’s image is striking in her power and intensity. Although nude images often imply submissiveness and objectification, in this image the model makes it very clear that she is in the image on her own terms, and is definitely not submissive!
Today’s image is of Kaitlin, a model I worked with recently. I really went wild with the post processing on this one, to get the heavy glamour glow I like. The background is an old curtain I got at a thrift store for about $5.00 sometime back; I love its pattern and texture.
My Third Eye 