Recently I have had the pleasure of working with Heather Laura-Gray on a number of dance projects. One of these projects resulted in the set of photos seen here. This is a series of 7 photos. Check back tomorrow for another new pic on the series!

You can find more about Heather and her projects at urbanflowproductions.com
Check out her groundbreaking Industry Dance training program at industrydanceprogram.com (website designed by me).

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The last shot in this series of pics is another portrait headshot of Alex. Another fantastic look. Enjoy.

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It’s been over a month since my last post and a lot has changed since then: I bought a Canon 7D and have since all but retired my Canon Rebel XSi.

Pretty much everything I post from here on will be shot with my 7D. Also, a wicked feature of the 7D is remote flash trigger. So now I can fire my speedlight wirelessly off camera! This makes for the awesome freedom to light my subjects without being tethered to the flash. You will definitely see an improvement in the quality of shots in the future.

Im also changing my watermark on all new images from the shootyouintheface.com bloodstain to a simple design of my name that compliments the image both in position and color. While I still like the bloodstain watermark I think it’s a little too “edgy” for some people.

About the image: The shot was taken at my house with my friend Alex. It was another random creative photoshoot and we produced some amazing results. This pic is one of my favorites and kinda reminds me of a makeup ad in a magazine. Im going to post more photos from the same day over the next week–stay tuned.

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Another photoshoot of mine during the summer of ‘09. It was possibly the most ambitious one I had done at the time; we had balloons, streamers, and props. However things didn’t turn out as well as I had hoped and I learned a boatload from the shoot.

First: Plan your location beforehand! Even if you don’t have a specific location in mind, at least have a general idea of an area you want to go that will have the look you want. And keep in mind the background (Im not a fan of the condo backdrop). Also, mind the light! Had we shot in this location in the morning rather than the evening then I could have used False Creek and downtown as my backdrop instead. I also wouldn’t have had the sun blinding my model and forcing her to squint half the time.

Second: Time management! If you only have three hours to shoot, don’t spend 2 of it on hair and makeup. Usually it takes at least a half hour to iron out the kinks and get the model comfortable in front of the camera. With only an hour to shoot, it is very hard to get more than a handful of quality shots.

Third: Be prepared! Don’t leave anything at home. If you think you may need it, bring it! If you think you may need a bounce, bring it! If you think you may need touch-up makeup, bring it!

With all that being said, we still did manage to get some cool shots from the day and have some fun. I have at least one more batch of photos from the shoot I want to upload on here in the future.

Model: Alexandra Turple
Makeup: Adrienne Baycroft

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Haha oh man I love this pic. These photos were taken the same day as the previous post’s photos. Gemma was doing her hair in the washroom and I snapped some shots for fun. You never know what photos you’ll get when your shooting without a purpose or plan and sometimes you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Thanks again Gem!

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Okay so it’s been awhile since I posted any daily photos on here, but for good reason! At any given time Im working on at least three client projects, so sometimes, when crunch time rolls around, I have to put my personal work aside to deliver the goods for a client. But I am happy to report that Im finishing up a long-time project and have some spare time to contribute to my own projects again!

I shot this set of photos a few months back. A gorgeous friend of mine, Gemma Bishop, is a fantastic model and after our first incredibly successful photoshoot we had been talking about doing another one. While I have yet to upload the photos from the first shoot (Im saving them for the moment) I have this set of photos from a successive shoot that was more casual.

Of all the models I have worked with so far, Gemma has been one of the best. She has the impressive ability to act out many of the expressions I call out to her with ease and believability-not to mention that she is stunningly photogenic.

I will have more photos from Gem in the future.

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Last spring I did a photoshoot with an actor friend of mine, Kendra Anderson. It was my first photoshoot and I didn’t know much of what I was doing really. But I still managed to get some awesome shots.

This was the best shot of day-and still one of my favorite photos.

Model: Kendra Anderson
Makeup: Adrienne Baycroft

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I grabbed these shots at the Creative Mix convention I attended a few weeks back. In the exhibition hall of the convention there was a backdrop and lights set up for anyone to use. David Aiken, one the speakers at the convention, was an enthusiastic and animated model to say the least.

The lighting was fantastic and it revived my desire to go all out and buy a lighting system and backdrop to take my photography to the next level-whenever I can afford it that is.

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It’s official, Vancouver Fashion Week has taken over my blog!

Today’s photos are from Paul Hardy’s runway show at VFW last saturday night. Paul’s show was an interesting challenge for us photographers. Instead of the models pausing at the end of the runway as usual, giving us a chance to snap some shots of them posing, they turned right around and walked away, making shooting good photos difficult. I could sense the other photographers frustration at this unforseen change in plan. However, I kind of enjoyed the change of pace.

As a photographer I find runway photos got boring pretty quick. Sure the designs and models change constantly, as well as the hair and makeup, but the photography formula basically stays the same: take the standard photos of the model approaching, the poses, and the exit. Not much room for creativity. So I looked for every opportunity to break from the norm and I found Paul Hardy’s show a good opportunity to experiment with photo composition.

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When I was at the Opening Gala for Vancouver Fashion Week I had a chance to talk to some of the designers of the show. One of them handed me a business card printed on sheet metal. The clothing label read “Ginger Martini.” I commented on her interesting card and asked what her name was. She replied, “Ginger Martini.” I smiled and asked what he real name was. Again she said, “Ginger Martini.”

I chose these photos to show some of the peices from her line because, like the “cape” or the golden fleece, the photos are unconventional-at least for runway photos.

Come back for more “conventional” runway photos of Ginger Martini’s line in the near future.

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