Andrew & I had the awesome opportunity to borrow some studio lights for the Halloween weekend.  We had so much fun getting a little studio setup in the garage and playing with some real strobes.  We learnt a lot….we experimented a bit, and then finally arrived at a setup for shooting onto a white backdrop.

We had a blast using the studio during a birthday / halloween dress up party with the Willms family, friends and nieghbours.  This definitely was an experiment that we felt great about….both in the process of figuring it out and in the actual shooting.  Great times!  Here’s some samples of what we came out with.

And a bunch more…..

What a great time with friends as we finally were able to follow through on our “portrait party” idea.  This shootout was a bit different than the previous ones….but nonetheless it accomplished what we wanted it to….we got our cameras clicking….stretched ourselves a bit….and came out with some great learnings.  I think the best part of it was actually just getting back into the “chase” so to speak….

We came out with a few good images and these ones come with a benefit as we tried to capture some updated family / kids shots for a bunch of friends.  It certainly was great to just be out on a warm October morning and have all of our little ones playing and running around.

Here’s a few I came out with.  The lighting was a bit of a challenge as we were in full sun and close to midday…but I guess no better way to learn than to attempt it in challenging circumstances.

Enjoy….
Jon

Not much good happened last night from my club hands and nervous persona.  Nonetheless, I apparently agreed to post photos of every “shootout” that we have.  So here we go, I tried to mitigate the humiliation by only posting a couple of photos.

In all seriousness, getting out with the camera is always special.  Maybe it’s just time away from the busyness of life or the allure of making a great image.  Whatever it might be it’s special.  Photography is my muse. I need to go out and chase it more often but even if it’s once a week it’s worth it.

So I think the photos I came back with weren’t great but I did learn something from every photo.

The photo below could have been really great but I didn’t spend enough time working the image.  I got nervous and felt self-conscious so I quickly snapped a photo and moved on.

Anyway, it was a brilliant night filled with laughter and a chase….of the muse of course.

Cheers Jon…it’s always fantastic, no matter the results.

Well….we decided to get out and do another shootout….this time we were inspired to attempt some street photography.  In the planning and thinking about the shootout, both Andrew and I were very excited about the idea of getting out and shooting….and trying to get some great images walking around downtown.  Tonight, we headed downtown and hit the exchange district….but things didn’t quite go the way we thought they would.  I know for me…the moment I stepped out onto the street with my camera gear I froze.  All I could do was feel intimidated, sheepish, self-conscious, and nervous.  Instead of walking around and immersing ourselves in the action around us, we kinda stayed off to the sides…not sure of ourselves, and just very timid.

My images definitely reflected my own confidence level (or lack thereof).  However, the shootout itself was a great success for both of us because it helped us become aware of ourselves and aware of what it actually takes to properly do street photography.  Even though the images we came away with were not altogether inspiring, it has left me now with an intrigue to try it again because I now have context for what it will take to do better.

Of course we had lots of fun, lots of laughing (mostly at ourselves) and we ended up coming away with a few (a very few) images that kinda worked….and it was certainly a growing exercise for both of us.  As we have made it a requirement to post our images from EVERY shootout as part of the growing process, here are the ones I am willing to share

We were joking that tonight we tried to chase the muse, but it was nowhere to be found.  Thanks for another great shootout Andrew….can’t wait to hit the streets again….and next time we’ll bring our confidence.

What a fabulous time we had shooting with Rena and Rod. Rena was a superstar and persevered through the heat while Jon and I hammered the shutter button.

I hope it was worth it Rena!  We think it was.

Here are a few more that made the cut.

Well….we finally got around to doing our second “shootout”.  This time, instead of simply photographing each other, we had some test subjects.  We had SO much fun out there and the light was absolutely beautiful.  We stayed out longer than we thought just because we couldn’t leave the light.  The mosquitoes eventually chased us away.  This was a great evening out and we got some shots for a marvellous couple who are expecting in just a short while.  Congrats Rod & Rena….thanks for letting us use you as our test subjects.  Nice work Andrew….so fun to work with you as always.

Just click on any of the pictures below to see larger sizes.

Well….we decided that we would try something out this summer.  As much as we can, we just want to enjoy our cameras and enjoy the process of learning to shoot better photographs.  So….we are going to be doing what we call “shootouts”.  This is just a time that we go out with the sole intention of experimenting….finding some new creativity…..learning….failing….probably failing a lot…..but enjoying the photography craft.  We headed out on our very first shootout and tried to find some interesting things to shoot.  We ended up at the gravel pits near Springhill, and we had some fun.  We experimented with off camera flash, homemade ring flashes, and just natural light.  We shot different things we could find as well as using each other as test subjects…..next time we really need to find some better looking people to photograph  Anyway, we ended up with just a few that we aren’t too embarrassed to post….well, I’ll speak for myself anyway.  Thanks for the fun night Andrew….can’t wait till next time.