Objectif Image

Strobist Boot Camp II

2009-06-22T21:57:00.001-07:00

SB2-Headshot-Ass
Originally uploaded by Objectif Image

I've decided to participate in the Strobist Boot Camp II - mainly to get me shooting again after a long, dry (creatively) winter. I've been reading Strobist on an almost daily basis for about three years now, so it's about time I jumped in. David Hobby, who runs the site, has created a fabulous resource and global community of people interested in off-camera flash.

Assignment #1 of BC2 is a Headshot. ( http://strobist.blogspot.com/2009/06/boot-camp-ii-first-assignment.html ). We were encouraged to shoot an unemployed person as a way of helping someone looking for work. Oddly I don't know anyone unemployed. Guess that comes from being so firmly rooted in a government town.

In any case, this is my entry. A headshot of Mattias dressed in his new TMNT pyjamas. Gotta get this boy in some martial arts lessons!

Part 2 of the assignment, for some level of integrity to ensure people are shooting new material, is that your subject then has to shoot you in the same light you shot the model in. So yes, Matt took this picture of me. Both shot in the back yard about dusk.

Trev n Megan

2009-06-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

Sarah n Megan

2009-06-17T19:46:00.000-07:00

Proud Daddy

2009-06-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

I think the picture says it all...

Sarah and Danielle

2009-06-17T19:31:00.001-07:00

Sarah and her mom.

Sarah

2009-06-17T19:23:00.001-07:00

Sarah on her wedding day.

Columbine 2

2009-06-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

A white version of the same columbine flower.

Spring Flowers

2009-06-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

Our garden is green and colorful. Summer flowers are beginning to bloom, now that the tulips are gone. Here is a remarkably beautiful hybrid columbine.

Thought for the day...

2009-04-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

``Ultimately, we will be judged by how we raised our children.``
R. Sammon

Lucky In Love!

2009-02-16T18:40:00.001-08:00

A short reminder of why I'm lucky.
g

The Pews

2008-11-25T18:55:00.000-08:00

And assuming they had pews in the 1500s, this would have been where the parishioners listend to all those sermons (hopefully not too many on Nehemiah!).

Cathedral Interior 3

2008-11-25T17:22:00.000-08:00

Presumably, from this pulpit, Calvin preached - apparently over 2,000 sermons, according to wikipedia.

During his ministry in Geneva, Calvin preached over two thousand sermons. Initially he preached twice on Sunday and three times during the week. This proved to be too heavy a burden and late in 1542 the council allowed him to preach only once every Sunday. However, in October 1549, he was again required to preach twice on Sundays and in addition every weekday of alternate weeks. His sermons lasted more than a hour and he did not use notes or manuscripts. An occasional secretary tried to take down notes of his sermons, but up to 1549 very little of his preaching has been preserved. However, in that year a professional scribe, Denis Raguenier, who had learnt or developed a system of shorthand, was assigned to record all his sermons. In analysing his sermons, Calvin was a consistent preacher and his style changed very little over the years.

Wonder

2008-11-21T20:21:00.000-08:00

Matt asked to see pictures tonight from when he was a baby. It was fun, wonderful, astonishing and moving to look at photos and remember how tiny and helpless he was... He's five now! Wow.

Here's a photo I saw this evening that, for me, captured the wonder in Alex' eyes, at her newborn child. Wonder and adoration. A sense of pride and, perhaps, astonishment at this beautiful little thing she brought into the world. Good job Babe!

Cathedral Interior #2

2008-11-16T18:57:00.000-08:00

Cathedral Interior 1

2008-11-10T15:07:00.001-08:00

I have a number of interior shots that I will work on and post. This is the first. My problem with all of these was the long shutter speeds, which, even with an image-stabilized lens, were pushing it for handholding.

The Holy Bible

2008-11-10T15:04:00.001-08:00

Could this have been the bible that Calvin preached from? Studied with? Not sure, but it was open in the nave on a stand; open to Psalms.

Pillars of the Reformation

2008-11-09T23:27:00.000-08:00

Walking about the old city of Geneva, I came across John Calvin's church the Cathedral of St. Peter. Turns out the Swiss Protestant churches are celebrating the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin, a formative figure in the Reformation.

I took a ton of photos inside as well as outside. This is the pillars from the grand steps at the front of the cathedral.

Mutual Support

2008-10-30T18:05:00.001-07:00

Taken on a recent business trip to Geneva. If I recall correctly this piece of public art was called Mutual Support and celebrates a mutual defense/support pact between the cities of Geneva, Zurich and Basle from several hundred years ago. Forgot to photograph the plaque

Just because...

2008-09-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

Élysia needed a photo for school. This was taken on a pony ride at the Toronto Zoo in August.

A new love?

2008-09-02T17:47:00.000-07:00

Well, new relationships are never easy. My new 'ami' is a 60mm f2.8 Micro Nikkor. A wee pressy for being good. Or working hard. Or something like that. I've never had a real macro lens before, and this promises to open up a new aspect of photography for me. It should combine very well with gardening, me thinks. I'm finding it a surprisingly demanding lens - it demands careful attention to technique and won't tolerate casual or sloppy approaches. It's contrasty and has, to my eyes, absolutely lovely bokeh and nicely contrasty images. I think this is a friend who repays your efforts, but demands your best. Hmmmm...

Last Days of Summer.....

2008-09-01T14:56:00.001-07:00

Here's a photo of the kids yesterday, enjoying their last days/hours of summer....

Firetruck Ninja!

2008-09-01T14:51:00.000-07:00

Here's a shot of Matt I did for the vestiare at school. It is him doing his (usual) Ninja thing at the kids fair in Waterloo, in front of a Firetruck slide.

Élysia's First Day of School!

2008-09-01T14:48:00.000-07:00

Eli had her first day (half day) of school on friday. This was her setting out.... It went really well! Her wonderful teacher, Rachelle, is the mother of one of Mattias' best friends at school!

Kingston Capitol

2008-09-01T14:44:00.001-07:00

Another take on the Kingston Capitol - Canada's first Parliament building. Taken from the water. 3 exposure image. This has been the summer of dramatic skies, but the HDR allows one to really emphasize them, which enhances this image I think.

Mother of the Bride

2008-08-27T01:53:00.000-07:00

Danielle, mother of the bride, as the service was ending.

Newlyweds!

2008-08-27T01:01:00.000-07:00

Sarah and Trevor!

Happy Groom!

2008-08-27T00:42:00.001-07:00

Happy Bride

2008-08-27T00:31:00.001-07:00

Rock Stars!

2008-08-25T20:22:00.000-07:00

Sarah and Trevor had their rings designed and made in Montreal. These are a couple versions of the many photos I took of their rings. The first photo had a toning treatment applied, whereas the second is almost straight out of camera.

Royal Military College

2008-08-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

Not a particularly notable frame, this was taken from the river boat as we were leaving port. The old building is part of the Royal Military College in Kingston, where Canada's Armed Forces train their officers. My father in law is a prof there. Thought he might enjoy a photo of his work digs.

This was an HDR shot post processed in CS3.

Brothers

2008-08-25T18:51:00.000-07:00

While shooting the 'Reservoir Dogs' shot that I blogged a few weeks back, I also took this close-up of the brothers - Duart and Trevor. It was a natural gesture - big bro puts his arm on his younger brother's shoulder...as if to say...it's finally here, and I'm with you man...it's a big day.

Kingston Cupola

2008-08-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

Canada's Parliament originally sat in Kingston, Ontario. This is shot of the cupola clock from the original parliament buildings of Canada, now City Hall, Kingston.

Summer Fun!

2008-08-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

At the end of a warm day at the African Lion Safari, the kids jumped into the splash pool and had tons of fun. Here is an expressive moment that I think captures it.

We're Back!

2008-08-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

Back from our almost two week vacation in southern Ontario. Images coming up, including of Trev and Sarah's wedding. Here's one of my favorite little models...

Newlyweds

2008-08-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

OK, just before I head out on holiday, I thought I had to post one photo of the newly weds. Taken at dusk, by the Museum of Civ, looking across the Ottawa River towards to Parliament Hill. One SB800 off camera on voice activated lightstand.

You look faaabulous guys!

Servantes

2008-08-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

Oddly enough, second pic from the wedding is the DJ! What gives? Well, two things. I really liked this photo and wanted to work it up. Secondly, turns out I met this guy a few weeks ago when he played a gig for a product launch at work. But I knew him as a spanish guitar maestro. Of course he knew me as a 'shirt'. So go figure. Anyway, here's Servantes - a DJ, but even more, a kickin' spanish guitar player.

I actually worked this picture up a number of different ways. I developed about six different versions and then blended bits from each together to make the final. What I was trying to do was separate him from his background, by bringing out detail in his hair and the rim light, while desaturating his face a bit and then vignetting heavily. I think it worked out. And oddly enough, the original picture is also quite nice.

The Dawgs

2008-08-10T22:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, so shot Trevor and Sarah's wedding yesterday. 13 hours or so of hard work! (Thanks Peter!) Lots of cool pics coming up AFTER my holiday, but, quickly, a pic - a version of the "Reservoir Dogs' shot. Converted to a high contrast BW. Very quick pic, not even sure it's the best. But it's fun.

What a Smile!

2008-07-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

Mattias

2008-07-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

Taken yesterday. I was torn between this and the other one I posted yesterday. I also like this one alot.

Abandoned Shed Chain Detail 1

2008-07-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

Again, two versions, both derived from an HDR processed through Photomatix and then CS3. A coloured version and a BW version, with just a hint of colour in it.

McLean House

2008-07-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

McLean House, 10 rue Principale, Aylmer. c 1840. House of John McLean.

So here are the beginnings of some photos from the house and shed. First the front door, all boarded up. This is what has been attracting me. This is a 3 exposure HDR, post processed in PS. I've created a coloured version and also a black and white version with just a hint of colour.

Abandoned House Portraits 3

2008-07-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

And...brother and sister..together. Sweeties.

Abandoned House Portraits 2

2008-07-20T13:25:00.000-07:00

Continuing in the 'abandoned house studio'...Mattias. Same general treatment as the last photo.

Abandoned House Portraits 1

2008-07-20T12:58:00.000-07:00

So we were poking around an abandoned house on rue Principale today. I actually went there to shoot the house. Been meaning to do this for over a year now. Anyway, I've got some house photos I'll work on later, but wouldn't you know...had the kids with me...and, well...had the 50mm 1.4 and some opportunities presented themselves.....

In this shot I was detailing this abandoned shed, when Eli 'posed', as she is want to do..and, there it was. I've vignetted the edges, lightened her face a wee bit and spotted. Not much.

Mon Beau Mattias

2008-07-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

Another taken this morning in the 'bedroom studio'.

Ma Belle Elysia

2008-07-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

It's been three weeks since I've posted! I've been shooting but too busy to post. Here is a photo taken this morning in the 'bedroom studio'.

Canada Day!

2008-07-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

So we were out and about the Nation's Capital today...lovely day after sooo many with rain! Lots of fun stuff for kids - clowns etc. Though the F-15s flying over were a wee bit loud for shorty...kinda scared him. But..over by the Museum of Civ we saw some facepainting going on. That's always fun. I ran across these two very cute munchkins: one was a 'baby jaguar' and the other had her face painted with flowers to match her dress! Too cute.
g

Classic Eli - B+W

2008-06-21T05:42:00.000-07:00

Hands: Eli Playing

2008-06-21T05:29:00.000-07:00

Smiling Eli

2008-06-21T04:39:00.000-07:00

Lovely Li-li

2008-06-21T04:05:00.000-07:00

...I can't stop. Isn't she lovely?

Beautiful Eli

2008-06-18T21:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Eli

2008-06-16T20:12:00.000-07:00

We were at the soccer park - but Eli wanted to play not watch her big brother play soccer. So off she went with her daddy - who brought along a great big camera that made her feel like a rock star! (I'm so lucky to have such a super little model!) Anyway, 300 photos later, I got a few keepers! I actually got lots of cool photos while she played on this little bouncy thing. She had fun. I had fun.

Flower Girls

2008-06-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

Bride - detail

2008-06-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

Here's another shot - a detail of the bride's dress from behind.

Details

2008-06-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

One of the things we are going to practice next week is 'detail miniatures'..the idea of photographing the little details, in order to contribute to telling the larger story of the event. I did some of this at Humam and Mitzi's wedding, so thought I'd pick a few examples. Here is a bouquet of flowers that, if I remember correctly, was in the middle of each table. They really did have the most beautiful, rich looking flowers.

Wedding/Portrait Photography

2008-06-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

So I'm heading off this week on 'holiday'...I'm going to participate in a three day workshop in Ancaster, Ontario, with David Williams, a celebrated and talented master photographer from Australia. Currently on a bit of a world tour, this appears to be his only Canadian stop. I preparation for this, I thought I"d look at some of my wedding pictures from Humam and Mitzi's wedding in NY last fall. Turns out I have some really nice photos - that aren't of the wedding party, but rather of other guests, such as the lovely and talented Michael and Victoria. I grabbed one of Michael sniffing a wee flower and played a bit with it, toning down the colours everywhere but on the flower. Thought it turned out well.

Princess Elysia

2008-05-28T22:35:00.000-07:00

Elysia, on her third birthday. Wearing a princess dress she received from a friend from the garderie.

Gabriel

2008-05-27T01:15:00.001-07:00

Just to close things off for today, here's a shot of Gabriel. He and I were touring about Pang on this particular day. In this shot he has just found the Youth Centre locked...and he's wondering where to go next...

The Fiord: Spring in Pang

2008-05-27T01:05:00.000-07:00

This is a view down the fiord. Note the dirty brown broken ice near the shore. The fiord was still ice covered and guys were still snowmobiling - though there was water on top of the ice, giving it a very blue/green colour. Quite beautiful.

Farther down the fiord is the entrance to Auyuittuq National Park, at Overlord.

Old Church, Pangnurtung

2008-05-27T00:54:00.000-07:00

Another version of the abandoned church in Pangnurtung, Nunavut.

Church Steeple, Pang

2008-05-27T00:29:00.000-07:00

In keeping with the theme of old buildings, here is the steeple on a very abandoned and boarded up church. Given the historic relationship between the church and the Inuit, including the residential school experience, one is tempted to see this abandoned, decayed structure as something of a metaphor for this rather frayed and neglected relationship. However, there is a newer church nearby...

Old Blubber Station #2: Pangnurtung

2008-05-27T00:26:00.001-07:00

Another view of the Old Blubber Station/Whaling Station, with a view down the fiord. Note the decayed boat in front.

Old Blubber Station: Pangnurtung

2008-05-26T23:26:00.000-07:00

In terms of outside impacts, the major interaction with the Inuit of Pangnurtung was, first through Scottish whalers, then later through the RCMP and Christian missionaries - primarily the Anglican church. The Hamlet of Pangnurtung has a lovely little museum/heritage building which details the story of the the Inuit people. It also has an old Hudson Bay Company Blubber Station - where the Scottish whalers worked with the Inuit to cut up the whales and prepare the blubber to be shipped overseas. Some was boiled down in huge vats, and others were simply cut into strips and packed in brine barrels. The two boats in the picture are actual whaling boats in which the Inuit would go out, with harpoon mounted on the front, to shoot whales.

Abandoned Yellow House #3

2008-05-26T23:12:00.001-07:00

The last of the yellow house, for now. I wish I had worked the scene a little more, I think there were tons more interesting shots here. Nonetheless, an interesting subject, which seems to have so many stories wrapped up inside it's dilapidated shell...

Abandoned Yellow House #2

2008-05-26T23:03:00.001-07:00

A more detailed shot of this weathered old 'shack' and the tank for heating oil. It has seen a lot of winters.

Abandoned Yellow House #1

2008-05-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

A housing crisis grips small northern communities. Pangnurtung is no exception. Families crowd into small units at levels of density we would never accept or imagine in the 'south'. Further aggravating the already critical shortage of housing, more than a few units are incredibly old and condemned - often due to mold.

My eye was caught by this particularly weatherbeaten old yellow house.

Nunavut: Road to Nowhere?

2008-05-26T21:38:00.000-07:00

I was up in Nunavut last week on business. Though the business didn't turn out quite as planned, I was able to do a bit of shooting. I hope to post various images over the next few days and weeks, including some panoramas I took of Iqaluit. However, I'll start with a shot that just had to be taken: a genuine street sign: the Road to Nowhere. A colorful name for a road that does indeed, just dead end on the edge of what is already a small town.

Look Who's Turning 1!!!???

2008-05-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

This is a landmark day. A year ago I wrote: "The purpose of this blog is simple: to challenge myself to post one new picture per week, for one year. The reason: to force myself, through a type of artificial project, to be creative. Or, more specifically, to use discipline - external or intrinsic - to foster and nurture my creativity behind the lens."....

Indeed,..Objectif Image..the Blog..has turned ONE!! I am, if I say so myself, a wee bit chuffed. With myself that is. For having stuck with it. For having tried. Not given up. Come back to it, even when there was so much else going on. It gave me a focus, a discipline, a reason, much as I intended. It made me practice. Think. Try. It did exactly what I wanted it to do. 59 posts in 52 weeks. I did it.

I feel I have improved. I've grown. I've learned. That's what I wanted. I'm on a journey. Mastering photography is in fact a lifelong journey. I've got a ways to go. But I'm not a quitter.

And so, with no further ado, I post the last of the first year photos. In the spirit of comleting the circle, I post a photo of Mattias - the subject of my first photo post. He's a year older now. It's a nice photo of my almost 5 year old son, having a story read to him by his grandpa. Reminds me of the quote: "You may have tangible wealth untold, caskets of jewels and coffers of gold, richer than I you can never be, I had a grandfather (sic) who read to me!"

To celebrate I will be publishing a book: Objectif Image - Year One. More on that later. For now...thanks for joining me.

glenn

Humam and Mitzi

2008-05-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

For a wedding present for Humam and Mitzi, I made a canvas using the photo I blogged last fall. The canvas has a quote from Sheik Shakespeare: I love thee; I love thee with a love that shall not die. Till the sun grows cold and the stars grow old. I love thee."

Joshua: I Dwell in Possibility

2008-05-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a canvas that I made for a friend's son Joshua - taken at his birthday party in a gym. The canvas is designed by Jessica Ditmer. The text reads: "Hope is a thing with feathers that perches in the soul. And sings the tune without words and never sleeps at all. I dwell in possibility." Seemed very fitting for this image - and so warm in colours too.

Elysia revisited

2008-05-11T19:16:00.000-07:00

Thinking about projects I've worked on over the past year but not blogged, I thought I'd post a few. Here is a montage originally made for a 20x20 print - obviously a big wall print. I captures Elysia when she was quite a bit younger than she is now.

It's Fun Being a Kid!

2008-05-09T22:43:00.000-07:00

Well there you go! I've got so many cute photos of this little 'imp', that I thought I'd share a few. It's fun to put them into little montages, so here's another one.

Eli's 3rd Birthday

2008-05-09T21:32:00.001-07:00

Well Elysia's 3rd birthday is coming up, so we need to get some invites done. That's my job I said. So this is what I came up with. Used a photo taken at another little girl's birthday party just a couple weeks ago - she got cool 'elton john' glasses in her loot bag. It's absolutely amazing how she loves the camera and will ham it up and glam it up for me! What a sweetie! And this week she brought home the most heartwarming little song from daycare...sung to the tune of 'are you sleeping,..brother john?"

ma belle mama
ma belle mama
que je t'aime
que je t'aime
vien que je t'embrasse
vien que je t'embrasse
tres, tres fort
tres, tres fort

Oh my...how's that for a total heartbreaker/heartsqueeze coming from your little three year old? Of course we get versions for every member of the family, so I lucked in too! Wow! That stuff is like gold! We really need to get this on video or recorded somehow..her little voice is so strong when she belts it out. It's a cross between absolutely hilarious and absolutely heartwarming. Better than icecream. Waaay better.

Matt at Marina

2008-04-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm experimenting here, with an edgy little look. We were at the Aylmer Marina yesterday, the water is incredibly high, and I snapped this of Matt looking down the line of trees (submerged). I hadn't planned or intended anything, and got playing with it and this is what happened.

Big Brother: Ninja Hero?

2008-04-23T23:24:00.000-07:00

So the kids are thrilled to have the backyard back again...with the snow finally having melted. They had just gotten haircuts and new clothes - and Mattias was pretty excited about his Ninja Turtle pyjamas. I, on the other hand, was keen to see how this 54 point focus tracking was going to work on a four year old boy-ninja.

In the end I was impressed by the speed of the autofocus, the number of sharp shots and the ability to catch the action. Mattias was also quite pleased with his little performance as Michelangelo, and Elysia was just overly impressed with her brother...so I thought I'd have some fun and put this little collage together to capture the moment...seemed fitting.

B is for....???

2008-04-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

I said..times they are a changin...and so another colleague will soon be leaving, and I have dipped into my rich store of embarrassing staff retreat photos to pull out this one. Fraser is a couple weeks away from leaving, and doesn't know about this yet..but I don't think he knows about this blog...

So I've tried a 'Dave Hill' look to this photo. DHill is the 'it' photographer in the States right now...everyone wants to copy him and everyone in Hollywood, NBA etc wants to hire him to shoot them. It's a cool look, though I can't pretend to have really got it, since in any case it starts with some pretty complicated wrap around 3D lighting, which I don't have here.. But I've given it a run for the money, and I'm not unhappy. I really used a lot of layers and masking and touching up to get it this way. I'm not sure if I'm done or not. But I thought I'd blog it nonetheless...

g

Canadian Policy Gangster

2008-04-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

Tis a time of change at our office..my boss recently moved on. I decided to try my hand at a movie poster, so inspired by a poster I had seen of American Gangster, I created a movie Canadian Policy Gangster. I grabbed a bunch of photos from a staff retreat last summer, bought a stock photo of the Parliament building and...6 hours or so later, I had a full size movie poster. I had it printed up and mounted on foamcore and presented it to him at his going away lunch. It was pretty cool - I think he liked it.

Good luck Allen...

g

"The EA"

2008-04-12T21:28:00.000-07:00

One of our colleagues recently moved on to a new job, and I thought I'd make him a photo as a goodbye present. He was the EA to the boss, so I called it "The EA", using a very gothic style font. For the photo itself I gave it a '300' treatment - a la the movie. It really helped that I had been holding the flash off camera and somewhat below his face, giving a spooky, almost Halloweenish lighting. I also sharpened it right up so that it had almost a 3D feel to it - he was almost jumping off the print.

I was rather pleased, considering I spent less than half an hour on the photo - and much of that was spent rebooting my computer several times. He was pleased too. Good luck Alex.

glenn

Winter Observations

2008-04-05T14:54:00.001-07:00

A short slideshow of some of my favourite images from this past winter.

Hoarfrost continued

2008-03-27T17:35:00.001-07:00

Continuing from the previous post, here are a couple interpretations of the same scene.

Hoarfrost

2008-03-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back we woke up to a very impressive hoarfrost over all the trees, with some amazing morning light streaming in. Given it was a saturday morning I was slow off the mark, wanting to drink my coffee in bed...anyway, I managed a few shots in mid-morning, of the sun shining on the frosted trees. This image is one of those.

Lone Sentinel

2008-03-27T16:47:00.001-07:00

Coming back from visiting my parents in Waterloo, we stopped for dinner in Kingston - near the/one of the penitentiaries there. Looking out the window I saw this incredibly striking tree alone in a field. I grabbed my camera after dinner and shot this. The title is inspired by its proximity to the Kingston Pen.

Photo Restoration encore

2008-03-03T12:49:00.000-08:00

So, I'm working on restoring some of my parents old slides, which have been scanned into digital files. This photo is probably 45 years old or so, and I'm not sure if you can tell, but the original is not only discolored, it is also covered with dust. The second image represents essentially three steps (took more than three minutes!): First I color corrected the original, using Kodak's ROC plugin for PS, plus some light sharpening and cropping. Next I 'spotted' and removed dust using the Dust and Scratches filter from within CS3, on a separate layer, then painting out the dust using the History Brush on lighten and darken, as appropriate - a technique I learned from CTEIN's excellent book "Digital Restoration From Start to Finish". Finally I made some tonal adjustments to give the image a wee bit of 'pop'.

If this were a commercial restoration, I wouldn't really be done, as there is still quite a few tiny spots - though you have to get in at 100% view or more to work on them - I've got all the big/obvious ones. However, for a 4x6 or 5x7 print, none of that would really be noticeable. Other work one could consider doing would be a more substantial restoration/cleaning of the wall, which is a bit discolored still. And I could spend more time recovering details from the little girl's face (Diane I believe?), which was obliterated by flash; however that might actually require reconstructing/cloning in some texture and detail from elswhere on the face, and would require a bit more delicate work than I was prepared to do at this time.

So...nothing super special about this picture. But that's why I chose it. A pretty typical example of a family photo that one might want restored - not because it is an amazing photo but because it is an important memory. In this case, I'm relatively pleased with the outcome. The catch is...the dust spotting was/is fairly labour intensive. Any auto - tool runs the risk of obliterating important detail.

Vineyards in Winter - Niagara

2008-01-21T23:46:00.000-08:00

Another shot today from my winter shoot in wine country, near Niagara on the Lake, Ontario. Beautiful country, though winter brings a certain austere beauty which is much different than summer.

Winter Vineyards

2008-01-20T16:13:00.001-08:00

In December I was on a business trip to the Niagara on the Lake region, and at the end of my week took a drive down the vineyard scenic drive down to Niagara Falls. Although it was December and cold, with a fair bit of snow on the ground, I found the regular lines of the vineyards to be visually quite compelling. This shot was taken of a field of vines that had long since been harvested and were just waiting winter out.

Simple Portrait

2008-01-17T10:18:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken with a two light setup, off camera SBs. It was a wee bit difficult to control the light since the 22s could not be powered down. But all things considered I like it.

Aylmer 2007

2008-01-12T07:55:00.000-08:00

Another view of a snowbound field in the fog.

Hot Mamas!

2008-01-10T21:08:00.001-08:00

a video created from photos from the 30th birthday party of 'quatre filles'

This video was created using Animoto (http://animoto.com/)...the coolest little widget thingy on the internet (almost). It automatically produces professional looking, hip vids using your photos. The photos used here were all taken at the 30th bday bash of the four women pictured, in the late summer of 2007 in Montreal. I later produced a photo book using these same images.

And did I mention Sarah and Trevor got engaged that evening, making it an even bigger celebration? Congrats guys!

So anyway, it's all in fun. Check out animoto...and start having fun. The full length vids like this cost $3, but shorts are free.

Did I say 'crank the volume!'?

Fenced In

2008-01-10T20:39:00.000-08:00

With this image I have chosen a high-contrast daggeurreotype treatment. As I worked on it this seemed to fit, just reducing the image to black and white lines. When you increase the contrast like this, the fog just melts away - which can be good and bad. You lose the atmospherics of the fog, but you gain the high contrast image. And because of the fog the original image has very little information in it other than the tree, which makes for a clean end result.

Trees in Fog

2008-01-10T18:33:00.000-08:00

...continuing the theme, this time with a cold-toned photo for a different perspective. I tend to favour warm toned images but it is fog after all...this is quite appropriate as a reflection of the mood...

Ice Fog, Aylmer

2008-01-08T22:24:00.001-08:00

A final image for today.

Alone, Parc Champlain

2008-01-08T21:24:00.000-08:00

This little tree caught my eye - it was so perfectly shaped with lots of fine branches, yet completely naked. I quite like this image.

Cedar in Fog

2008-01-08T21:19:00.000-08:00

This interesting tree - I believe it to be a cedar, though it may be a white pine - looked really neat in the fog. It has lots of character and shape, though the tree to the right makes the image a wee too busy I think. I considered photoshopping it out, but decided that A) that would be waay too much trouble for a web image, and B) I wasn't sure I wanted to alter the reality that much.

Abandoned Bleachers, Parc Champlain

2008-01-08T21:15:00.000-08:00

Continuing with my ice fog theme, I worked up a few more photos this evening. All taken yesterday during the fog (which continues today). This is a shot of a set of bleachers by the Parc Champlain soccer pitch, completely snowed in. A rather wistful take on 'waiting for summer'...

Three Trees in Fog

2008-01-07T18:59:00.000-08:00

And here is another - three trees in fog, Aylmer, Quebec.

Ice Fog

2008-01-07T18:56:00.000-08:00

Today it really began to get warm in the National Capital Region, and we had ice fog all over the place, making it hard to see and drive. Being my last day of holiday before going back to work, I was out driving and just had to run home and get my camera and shoot. I was particularly intrigued by the trees emerging from the fog on the golf course near my house here in Aylmer. Herewith a couple ice fog pictures taken today.

Photo Restoration: old slides

2008-01-06T15:25:00.000-08:00

And now for something completely different: a photo restoration of an old colour slide file from my youth. The boys in the photo are myself and my best friend Tim. I presume the photo was taken by my father.

In fact the slide - now almost 40 years old, is in remarkable shape. The scan itself was done by a cheapy machine, so better results could be obtained with a higher quality machine. But nonetheless the actual slide was pretty good. I didn't even touch anything up. I just boosted the fading colours and increased contrast a bit, added a vignette and a frame and presto...

Not a Wedding Portrait!

2008-01-06T15:07:00.001-08:00

Moving on with my grunging technique, here is another grunge technique - this time on people, which isn't necessarily the best subject for this technique. Anyway, this was not taken as a bracketed HDR shot, instead I had a raw file which I reprocessed about four different ways for different looks and then blended them together, made a few adjustments in photoshop and voila.

November Challenge #3

2008-01-06T15:02:00.002-08:00

I know it is January already (Happy New Year!)..but the reason I'm posting a November photo is I just never got around to processing and completing my November challenge. I shot the photos - I just didn't finish the post processing.

I've been experimenting with an HDR grunge technique and this photo is an example. Processed twice through Photomatix, I blended two different versions of the image together and then made a number of other changes - too many to remember frankly. Not sure I'm yet completely happy with it, but...you can't fart around forever.

So here it is - Oil Tank #2 from Gatineau Park, November 2007.