The Canadian Tenors

I had the great privilege last month to photograph an event which included a performance by The Canadian Tenors. Although I don't consider myself a fan of this type of music, I was totally blown away by the sound coming from these four talented Canadians. This is one of those rare instances where the live performance was better than the recorded CD.

I've put together a slideshow of their performance and set it to their song, "I Only Know How To Love".

You can find out more information and their schedule of performances on their website, CanadianTenors.com.

Photographing an artist

I think the greatest challenge for a photographer is photographing another artist... especially an artist that works in a different 'medium' than you do. Corey is a musician, a young musician, with loads of talent and a lifetime of creativity ahead of him. How do you photograph something like that?
Well, with Corey it's not too difficult. Here's a young man that knows what he wants and seems to be taking and making all the right steps needed. I've been photographing Corey for quite a few years now and each time we create something unique and fresh. Visit www.coreyheuvel.com to see what I mean.

Snow-Boarding

This past Tuesday I enjoyed an afternoon at Horseshoe Valley Resort. I wasn't skiing or snow-boarding, but photographing the action on the hills from the sidelines. Actually, I was a little closer than the sidelines for some of the shots, as you will see in this slideshow:



The weather was beautiful and the boarders were very cooperative in showing me their 'stuff'. These were some of my favourite images of the day. If you're a snow-boarding fan and would like to copy this slideshow for your own blog or website, just click on the little up-arrow in the bottom right corner and select 'Embed', copy and then paste it into your site.

Enjoy!

Art & Stock Images Now Available!

Finally got myself in gear to start cataloging and uploading my stock and art images. I've got several galleries set up, but they still need some work. It's a start though. By clicking on any image in the slideshow below, you'll be taken to the full-sized gallery page. Once there, if you click on the Galleries link in the top left navigation menu, you'll see the other galleries available. Most of the images in the other galleries are in the one Art Gallery, but they've just been refined to a more cohesive grouping.



By clicking on the little 'up' arrow in the bottom right corner of the above slideshow, you can copy the slideshow (with my permission) and embed it into your own blog, website or even Facebook/MySpace and other communities. Please feel free to pass it on to anyone you like.

Enjoy!

Durango!

I meet Durango as a puppy when photographing his owner's wedding a few years ago. He's turned into a very handsome young man - but still very much a puppy - as most Labs are! This was one of my favourite portraits of him.

A Conversation

Overhead a conversation between a photographer and a writer a few years ago. The writer was commenting on the photographer's work. "I'm very impressed with your work", he said. "You're photos are powerful, vibrant and very artistic. You must have an expensive camera!". The photographer replied, "Well thank you. I'm very impressed with your writing too. You must have an expensive type-writer!".

Makes you stop and think for a moment doesn't it. The camera, like the type-writer, is simply a tool. It's the person using that tool that makes the difference. Photography isn't about the camera, the lenses, or any of the other gadgets you have in a bag. It's the vision, the understanding of the subject and how you use the tools at hand that create a good photograph.

Wedding Professionalism

I've been hearing a lot of disturbing comments lately about wedding photographers. Not necessarily from brides and grooms, but from other 'professionals', like videographers, florist and even clergy!

With the advent of digital photography, it seems that more and more people are getting into wedding photography. The quality of digital cameras and all the technology built into them make it very difficult to take a bad photograph. But photographing a wedding is much more than simply getting a correct exposure and making sure the subject is in focus. Part of it is interacting, cooperating, and working with not only the bride and groom and their family, but all the other vendors that are working to make the day a special one for their client - which happens to be your client as well.

Some of the terms I'm hearing are obnoxious, intruding, rude, hateful, self-centered and other words that I care not to repeat. I believe that most 'professional' photographers are not this way. But there's a new breed of photographer that seems to feel that as the 'artist' they should have total and free control over every situation. The shot is the most important thing - no matter how it affects others.

My philosophy is that if you can help each other, we all benefit, including the bride, groom and everyone attending the wedding. If you need a particular shot, duck under the video camera rather than walk through it. Be quiet when standing beside them so your noises aren't interfering with their recording. If the florist is late delivering the flowers, don't curse them and complain to the bride, come up with poses that don't require flowers and use valuable time for those. Once the flowers arrive, create those portraits - and the flowers are even fresher looking. If the officiant says no flash photos during the vows... don't run up the aisle to photograph them with flash - shoot without flash from the back of the church. There's no sense in ticking off the minister. The bride and groom may not be back to that church again - but you may be!

All I'm saying is that to be a professional wedding photographer, a true professional, you have to treat everyone professionally and with respect for the job they are doing. It does your business no good to interfere with the other vendors of this special day. Work with them to provide the best possible event for your mutual client. You'll gain their respect and maybe next time, they'll be willing to work with you.

Guilbault receives Master of Photographic Arts

We are very pleased to announce that at the Professional Photographers of Canada convention on April 14, 2008, Mike Guilbault, MPA, APPO, received one of the highest awards within the Professional Photographers of Canada in the form of the Master of Photographic Arts.
Mike was presented the award at the Annual Awards Banquet by PPOC President, Walter E. Janzen, MPA, SPA, F.Ph., in London, Ontario. (photo by Helen Traczynski)

The Master of Photographic Arts (MPA) award is a follow-up to the Craftsman of Photographic Arts (CPA) which Mike earned in 2003. The award is presented to photographers within the association (PPOC) that have achieved a high level of skill demonstrated through images accepted into the National Print Salon of PPOC, held annually in conjunction with the convention. In addition, recipients must have provided service to the association or its provincial member associations, and by promoting professional photography within the community.

In recent years, Mike's work has received recognition through acceptance into the Annual Print Salon, receiving several Awards of Merit and Excellence, and the prestigious honour of acceptance into the Permanent Loan Collection of the Professional Photographers of Canada.

A Worthy Quote

Found this quote by Henri Cartier-Bresson.  Kind of summarizes some of my feelings for photography:

"For me the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity, the master of the instant which, in visual terms, questions and decides simultaneously. In order to “give a meaning” to the world, one has to feel involved in what one frames through the viewfinder. This attitude requires concentration, discipline of mind, sensitivity, and a sense of geometry. It is by economy of means that one arrives at simplicity of expression.
To take a photograph is to hold one’s breath when all faculties converge in a face of fleeing reality. It is at that moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy.
To take a photograph means to recognize – simultaneously and within a fraction of a second– both the fact itself and the rigorous organisation of visually perceived forms that give it meaning.
It is putting one’s head, one’s eye, and one’s heart on the same axis." ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson, 1908-2004.

Photographed this tree with it's fallen limb on the way to work last week.  A bit of fog, overcast and light snowfall made for an interesting image.