the white backdrop

The lovely actress, Vanessa Parent-- most recently seen in the new web series, The Jim Show.
http://www.thejim.tv/

and of course, The lovely kitty, Jewel ( my first real pet ever).

It's very rare that you will find a white backdrop in my portfolio. In fact, Generally I'm opposed to the idea of bringing in a backdrop at all (unless it's for a product or food shoot). The way I see it, the world around us is filled with interesting natural and man made textures and colors that can be controlled with light, aperture and composition. Maybe I just like the problem solving aspect? But I don't happen to like looking at a portfolio when it's obvious that the photographer shoots everything the same way.
In this particular shoot, the graphic designer requested a white backdrop so that Vanessa could easily be cut and pasted into another scene.

A pristine white backdrop is easier to create than expected, as shown in the above image, I just used a wrinkly old fabric! and I didn't even steam or iron it.
So how does it look flawless behind this adorable pair?
It's all in the light!!!
The backdrop gets it's own light + the key light on Vanessa creates cumulative lighting that overexposes the white until it appears flawless. The rule is if the backdrop is at least 2 stops over the exposure of the subject it should look pretty clean!
Traditionally, Photographers will flag the background light to create separation. In this case, I wanted to go for a bit of an ethereal look... that makes Vanessa's hair appear so soft and also provides a nice subtle rim light.

The neat thing is that the fabric wouldn't even have had to be white!!! I could have use a gray one and still achieve a white backdrop just by pumping so much light onto it.

puzzle

This time I really do just like it.

isolation

Sometimes...I don't really have much to say about an image. I just like it darn it.
This was taken on film set as well--they were just random stills that I grabbed and really have nothing to do with the film at all.
(once again...I'll keep you posted when this awesomely funny indie feature from www.unpavedproductions.com is released).

I guess I could talk about how cool it is to have a bright orange background :)
Or about how pairing these two pics together tells a story...
Ahhh I got it! Today's lesson is about ISOLATION! YAY!
I wish I could show you a bird's eye view of the entire room (it wouldn't be fair to reveal it before the movie comes out) but if you saw the high paced hustle that was going on this day, you would understand why this is noteworthy. I'll try to recreate a bit of the experience.

Between actors, hair, makeup and production crew, there were about 12 people with agendas running around in approximately 400 square feet or so.
Lights were being set up, actors were being dressed and primped, director of photography was setting up his camera angle and the set deck guy was buzzing back and forth with efficiency stealthily setting up this party scene...balloons, streamers, goodies, etc.
This lovely gentleman was waiting around for at least an hour before graced the set with his one line. He found this corner and was standing, waiting and watching... trying to stay out of the way really.
And I was standing, waiting and watching...trying to stay out of the way really.
I put my long lens on and was sneaking shots here and there.

So though these images seem clean and intentional... they weren't :) However, what is important to note here is that one's ability to ISOLATE a subject with composition can create an illusion of being clean and intentional-- Ahh haa trickery! Rather, the ability to
extract peaceful elements even in absolute chaos.

Sometimes in photography...nothing is as it seems.
and still, "a picture is worth a thousand words."


And I thought I had nothing to say today. :)

i love cookies

These were taken on an independent feature film set last weekend. Stay tuned for more details!!
France Perras is the lovely actor

how you frame it

Tomasic family fridge=my art

O.k, so this is a pretty obvious one, but it's a matter of paying close attention to detail (and once and a while I need reminders).
Though this fridge is only 2 x6 feet or so, depending on a subtle movement of the lens...everything changes.
It really depends on what you are trying to say with your image, but as you can see from the pictures above (in this case quite literally) composition really does matter.
In most shoots, I'll switch up lenses, take a few steps back or closer. I actually move around quite a bit to discover new things about each subject. And that's exactly why my sister won't go on a hike with me if I bring my camera--she can't understand why it might take me 20 minutes to shoot one flower.

Shooting for the Edit

Hello! Meet Brad Cran. He's Vancouver's official Poet Laureate for 2009-2011 and tax accountant by profession.
I shot him for TORCH magazine--They're featuring him in an upcoming article about interesting professions.
Fellow photo enthusiast, he's responsible for a very cool project in town that holds a photography contest for Vancouver's downtown eastside residents. The winning pictures are compiled in a book and calendar that the residents then sell for a profit.


http://www.hopeinshadows.com/

Most recently, he's also been getting a bit of publicity on his political statements regarding the Olympics.

Check out his very cool blog:
http://bradcran.com/vancouver_verse/

In regards to Photography:

So Brad was preparing for tax season when I was scheduled to shoot. He had only been in his new office for 2 weeks and was obviously very preoccupied with getting set up and corralling new clients. There was a locksmith drilling through a metal door frame, and phone calls every few minutes... not to mention walk in clients that he attended to with much care (this was not an ideal photo shoot situation). Clearly he is in high demand. (I imagined that this must be what it's like to shoot a celebrity...I surrendered to a momentary fantasy of being in the White House shooting the president). :)
Knowing that he was a very busy guy and that it would be hard to get him out of work mode for long, I decided to keep things as simple for him as possible.
I scan the room and take a moment to do a little impromptu conceptualization.

Fact. Ok... he has two professional identities.
How do I represent both in one image?
Fact. aside from a standard desk and couch, his office is bare and the walls are white (not incredibly inspiring).

Unless I took Brad out of the office or concocted a magical set within his office, I knew that this image would rely heavily on lighting. But wait...there is so much more fun to be had. For once...instead of doing everything possible to spend as little time in front of my computer as possible, I decided to put my degree in Digital Imaging to good use.

Set up: 5 minutes --one strobe-- specular (with no diffusion) and one reflector for fill

Though this image was created in broad daylight, I was able to create a spot light effect and black out the background by pumping up my strobe to be several stops brighter than the ambient light of the room (a very convenient tactic when dealing with cluttered or unappealing backgrounds).

Shooting time: total of 15 minutes shooting time scattered in between phone calls and walk ins

Photoshop fun: give or take 2 hours. (well all those little numbers and layers are pretty time intensive but at least I could settle down in my peaceful office with good tunes and tea).

I wanted the letters and numbers to appear to be his essence...emerging from his being...in a state between his conscious and actualization on paper/screen. I used several layer effects and played with opacity and perspective to create shadow like figures.

Anyway. If anyone has any Photoshop questions I am more than happy to answer in exchange for a martini or a cup of tea + a cookie. mmm cookies :)

Happy Photoshopping!