Announcing the engagement of Alanna and Les

Just wanted to take a quick minute and post some photos from an engagement shoot I did last week. As the Christmas song says "Oh the weather outside was frightful" -4 Celsius and these two kept laughing and playing right up till dark.





I thought it a nice touch given the cold to have a little nose kiss with the love heart in the Christmas tree

Nose kisses were the order of the day








These two show the love they have for each other in every smile. Such a perfect couple.








Thank you Alanna and Les for allowing me to share in this special day and I look forward to the wedding in just a few short weeks

A new restoration

Hey everybody. Sorry I have been off again as of late. Things have been super hectic, but I wanted to just stop by and post a couple of words and showcase some of my latest restoration work. Feel free to read on about some exciting upcoming things for ChrisTopher Films.

But first. Here are a series of photo restorations I have been contracted to fix. You need to have a passion for this kind of work cause you will never get rich doing it, but the rewards of seeing your clients eyes sparkle with a tear, are sometimes the best reward.





 Take for example this photo from last year that some of you may have seen in A Guide to Restoration also seen on this blog.





This photo had a value to the client that was so big and she had been told by several other restoration outlets it was impossible to restore. She wasn't looking for a high res digital photo; she just wanted to see her children when they were babies again.



Now this next photo was entirely different. Look very closely at the banner and you will see the photo was taken in 1901. This client entrusted to me, over anybody else, a photo that is 113 years old. Every time I moved it I had to ensure it remained rigid and flat as it was crumbling, soon to be lost forever. Now it can be printed over and over again.






Finally my latest which I have had for quite some time. I know nothing about the photo or the family who it will go to. It is a gift from one friend to another and I truly hope they like it.

Oh and the big news. Starting in September I will be hosting with support from Sardis Public Library and Fraser Valley Regional Library a new drop in camera club. My goal is to do in person what my attempts are to do on this blog, learn and educate from and for likeminded photographers in Chilliwack and the Fraser Valley

Number One Reason Not to Throw Away

Sometimes when you take a photo and look at it there is no feeling, no emotion. The photo just falls flat and dull. Throw it away. That's it save some room on your hard drive and DELETE. OMG did I just say that. What I really meant was keep it, save it, cherish it, and look at it at a different time. Today I will show exactly what I mean. I took a photo that was that dull, delete photo but looking at it later I found a surprise in that photo. That never would happen if I just hit delete. Read on to learn more.

Very often when you are out shooting you pop off a couple hundred photos. You know that there will be some jewels in that mix and you will see them right away. Others are blurry and out of focus and just not usable. Then there are the questionable photos. These photos are what I refer to as Facebook quality, standard snap shot. Nothing special. What if they are, can you see them in a different light?

Take this photo I shot recently. The performer is an amazing "Crooner" Ron Boudreau. I approached him about a month ago to take some photos of his performance and he invited me back to his latest show at Chances Casino. After sifting through about 300 photos for the evening this one struck me as not bad, but not emotion evoking.




I scrolled through the photos a few times and this photo just kept calling me. I loved the expression on his face, the background has a quality of interest but too busy for the performer. It wanted something, so I sat for a long time and really looked at it. Since it was loaded into Lightroom I finally just started playing with some of the sliders and cropping.

First off let's minimize the back ground some and move the subject to the left third of the photo. Next we need to fix the exposure some and finally let's go black and white. Some photos just lend themselves to that one treatment. It's not something that should be used every time but that was exactly what this photo kept saying to me. It matched the performer, the location, and the lighting.

Here is the result and I don't think anyone would be disappointed in this.

And there it is folks. DO NOT throw away a photo that is on the border just sit quietly and let the photo tell you what it needs. Not every photo will but sometimes you will find that jewel in the rough

5 Posing Tips For Unforgetable Portaits

How many have a camera pointed at them and suddenly you feel as awkward as you were in junior high looking to ask or be asked to your first dance. Then when you see the photos you see all the negative features you hate about yourself. Read this week's blog for
5 critical tips to posing for unforgettable portraits. I will let you in on secrets that will make you look 10 years younger and 15 pounds lighter, all without Photoshop.





1) Look at what's in your closet. Colour is key; you want what you wear to compliment your background. This means looking at a colour wheel, colours that lie close to each other are considered to be balanced and peaceful. Colours that are opposite are complementary, but not always in a pleasing fashion. Blue and yellow, almost opposite create very striking images, whereas green and red can clash very heavily. Keep this in mind when selecting clothing and makeup, or outfits when taking group portraits. You will want outfits to be balanced for a better photo.

2) Hair is next, what style is best for you. Wear what is comfortable for you and don't try a new style just before your session. If you don't like your neck line change it by using your hair. This is a brilliant technique. Never use your hair to "Frame" your face, it should be over one shoulder only and usually turning your head a little to the right, showing the left side of your face gives slimmer and shorter lines.



3) How much makeup is too much? This is mostly determined by the portrait style you are wanting. Glamorous photos in evening gowns and jewels should be complimented with darker and somewhat heavier makeup. If the upcoming shoot is just a casual jeans and blouse then wearing your standard amounts with a slight enhancement of the eyes and cheeks would look superb. Again if you have challenged areas then highlight or accent the areas you like to diminish the attributes you are not crazy about. When working in the Glam realm heavy accents of eyes or lips are good but never both.

Singing Artist KAT

4) Now the question "What do I do with my arms." Nothing looks more awkward then a person standing arms hanging at their side lifeless and sometimes even stiff. If you look at yourself in the mirror standing and admiring that new dress or shoes look at your arms. They are always slightly bent or maybe even crossed. These arm stances evoke emotion and your arms give out as much expression as your eyes.






5) Finally the single most important tip I can give. Usually people try to pull away from the camera they are trying to get away from it but when you do it creates double chin, tight expressions and a very poor photo. Photographers, professional or amateur, are telling you chin up and this isn't terrible advice but this pose does not look natural and you the subject tends to look stiff. The better way is to thrust your chin out. Now I don't mean force it out to the point where you look as stiff as your chin up, just a gentle little push forward, doing this reduces double chins and smooth's lines over your whole face giving you that slim jaw and neck.

Try using some or all of these tips and you will find your portraits look more natural and unforgettable.

Shooting Video: Should You?

Now for something completely different: I am tasked this weekend with recording a good friend's wedding. Now, I have shot some pretty successful videos; however, I have never shot a wedding. A wedding is the single most important day in a woman's life and I am honoured to be a part of that. But should I shoot this? Well, when the chips are down, as they say: shoot away.

Recently, I read that for the first wedding to shoot, you really shouldn't take point. This is superb advice: you should never be solely responsible for the memories of this special occasion as a first timer; try to be an assistant or just help cover some less important aspects of the day.

With these tips in mind, you may ask why I'm so willing to put myself out there on a special day and on such short notice. There are a few reasons: The person I am doing it for has a photographer already hired and it is that person who will be responsible for the memories of the day. Secondly, I am very close to this person and all she wanted from me is to film her vows. Sadly, her grandmother isn't able to attend due to health reasons and both parties desperately want to be together. That is probably the biggest reason I have agreed. In these circumstances, everything is pretty well-covered, and I should be able to video the vows no problem, since it's a straight-forward shot.

When I was tasked to take care of this special event I hit the internet to find as many articles as possible to augment what I already knew about videography. This includes shooting style, equipment needed, and all other aspects of shooting a video (versus photographs, which is where my expertise lies).

Today is the day before the event, and I have begged, borrowed, and purchased the extra equipment I need. This includes a pan-head tripod, second and third body, lots of fast memory cards, lenses, and a suit.

But if all she wants is a little video of the vows, why all the fuss? I have very often blogged about the client being in charge, and they are, but for this example I have a good friend who invited me as a guest and doesn't want to impose on me to work during what is supposed to be a fun occasion for all. I, however, am at odds with my creative self and want to produce the best video of my career, so will go out of my way to provide a professional level movie of her special day.

As the countdown is on I will cut this short, but I will write next week with how things went and possible post a short excerpt of the final movie.

Feel free to comment about experiences you have had shooting outside of your comfort zone -- we can all do with a little advice!

Giving control to the client: candid photography

As a photographer there are many clients that we meet with on a regular basis. You might be a studio photographer and have people come to you. Maybe you're a magazine or newspaper photographer who freelances for a variety of publications. Or maybe, like me, you do a little bit of everything and wear a variety of hats. This week I did some portrait work, and I discovered that I'm photographer who prefers candid photos to formal poses.

Candid portraiture is a bit of an emerging area of photography, and the type of portrait photography I like looking at and shooting best. There are some very special shots out there to take if you watch for them and are ready to shoot, and I find that catching candid moments can be far more effective than putting people in poses and expecting them to smile.

The problem with candid portraiture, however, is relaying that style to a prospective client. When people hear the phrase "portrait photographer," their first thought is a studio environment -- and it takes some time for them to wrap their head around this candid philosophy.

I met with clients the other day who fell into this type of category. This wasn't their first time hiring a professional photographer, and they actually have a portrait sitting two or three times a year. They've had the studio experience, had portraits taken on a cruise ship, and a variety of portrait experiences. Our session together was definitely not their first time at the rodeo.

But before this, they had always been told where to be, how to stand, when to smile, what to do with their hands -- and so on. Do they have some amazing shots to show? Absolutely. That style of photography produces very nice, traditional shots that will stand up to the test of time.

But that's not my style of portrait. I'm a candid photographer, and I don't want to control anything.

So when they asked me where I preferred to do the photo shoot, I gave them an answer they probably weren't expecting.

"I've only known you folks for about five minutes," I said. "What gives me the right to tell you what you will like in an environment? What are your ideas?"

What a difference that made in the rest of our time together.

After they warmed up to the fact that they were in charge and I was there to capture their moments without interfering, the ideas came flooding out. Given the chance to explore and make their own decisions, they came up with about a thousand concepts and ideas in terms of locations, clothing choices, and subjects -- meaning their dogs were included in the photos.

This is great creatively speaking, because they'll end up with exactly what they want. But on the other side of things, this is also a great place to be in as a business: we likely won't be able to tackle all these ideas in one session, and assuming they're pleased with how the photos turn out the first time, they'll automatically turn into repeat customers. They'll not only be pleased with how the photos turned out, but proud of the role they played in the shoot -- meaning the photos will hopefully be passed around more so than they would normally and the name of my business will spread by word of mouth.

Keep this in mind. Find your niche market, study it, create it if you need to, and ultimately stay true to it. As I've said before, there are certain aspects of your business that define you as a professional. Stay true to those areas, so when a client hears about you and your work they will get the same experience and energy you provided for the person they heard about you from.