#652 Custom Photo Classes – Student Success

Posted on July 28, 2011 by admin

We regularly get calls from people who cannot make it to our regularly scheduled photo workshops in the Ottawa area.

Soooo, we offer most of our photo classes as Custom Courses allowing people to learn the material offered on our workshops at a pace and schedule that suits them.

Recently we ran two sessions for individuals that wanted to learn about specific elements of photography.

Daniel is soon to be a new father and he missed an opportunity to learn about photographing children so his wife sent him on our Custom Course tailored to his soon-to-be new duties as baby photographer!

We put him through the paces of our Creative Fundamentals geared towards photographing babies, newborns and children and we brought in a special little cutie for the final part of his session:

Baby Photography Workshop

Baby Photography Workshop - silhouettes!

For the second session Bernadette asked us to cover Creative Fundamentals and an intro to macro photography. She is only in Canada for a month and contacted us to help her. We set her course based on her photo wishes – she wanted to learn about landscapes and close-ups:

Landscape Photo Class

Landscape Photo Workshop - Ottawa

Well done people. Please cheer for our students!!

#651 Reader’s Photo of the Month

Posted on July 26, 2011 by admin

It’s that time of month – where we agonize a bit on the Reader’s Photo of the Month. Only one photo wins. And that’s the problem. We get some good entries – more should win but there can only be ONE winner per month in our contest!

This month Morina Reece cam out on top with this entry:

Reader's Photo of the Month Photo Contest Winner - Ottawa's Morina Reece

Morina supports her photo saying:

“Kristine asked me to do a photo shoot of her in both dance and yoga clothing. She specifically asked for a “light and airy” feel.

I decided to bring some props to help achieve this feel – scarves, feathers etc. Kristine also brought some interesting props too. Firstly, I decided on a white background for strong contrast and a very clean look. In this photo we chose the turquoise scarf to contrast and brighten up her darkish clothing and hopefully bring an airy feeling to the picture.

It was a little awkward at first as I didn’t quite know how to have her pose with a scarf that would look natural. We tried a few different positions with the scarf but it wasn’t achieving the look I thought she wanted.

It suddenly struck me that “music” might be the answer. We chose some energetic music and instantly she transformed into a dance teacher with lots of expression and fluid movements that matched the scarf’s flow. This pic captured a fun, light and airy look.”

Nice work Morina – some last minute inspiration made the day!!

For her hard work Morina receives a subscription to Canadian Geographic Magazine. Many thanks to Canadian Geographic for the prize!

Canadian Geographic Magazine

So, some of you may ask “Why didn’t MY photo win?!”

There could be many reasons. We look for the following criteria when picking our short list and ultimate winner:

Good solid photo. Technically well shot – good exposure, in focus in the right places, etc.
Good composition – an obvious focal point and well laid out
Something different, something new
Some accompanying text that tells the story of your shot – we’re not as fussed with camera info and shutter speed. We’re looking for inspiration and creative process.

Please keep trying. Send us your photos and accompanying text! We have another fine prize for next month’s winner – a premium print by renowned printer Dave Andrews. Dave is not just a printer – his work is displayed in Museums and Galleries across North America by artists who come to him for his lifetime of printing skills.

Dave Andrews - Ottawa Printer

Need some help with your photography to help win fame, fortune or our prizes? Consider a photo class or workshop!

#650 Photojournalism Presentation in Ottawa

Posted on July 24, 2011 by admin

Blair Gable photographing Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Photo by Jason Ransom)

We are so excited to announce what’s coming August 18th to Ottawa Studio Works.

Blair Gable, independent photojournalist and all-around interesting guy, will be giving a presentation, showing his work and sharing his experiences.

Blair specializes in political news coverage, professional sports and environmental portraiture. He’s had inside access to federal politics that has enabled him to photograph some of the most powerful presidents, prime ministers and royals in the world. (He was recently assigned to cover Prince William and Princess Catherine while they were in Ottawa!)

Photo of Blair Gable with Chief of Defense Staff

He regularly shoots for Reuters News Service, Macleans Magazine, the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and National Post newspapers and his work has been featured in Ferrari, MORE, Zoomer, Profit and Canadian Business Magazines.

I hope you’ll join us on the 18th to hear Blair talk about his 10 years of shooting as an editorial photographer – from community newspapers to international news wires. His photo work will be exhibited as well.

Photo of Blair Gable with the pack by Justin Van Leeuwen

When: Thursday, August 18th, 2011; 8:00pm

Where: Ottawa Studio Works, 160 Preston St. Ottawa

How much: Presentation is by donation

RSVP appreciated!

About Blair Gable

Blair’s career started at 18 while he was shooting for his high school year book. Blair went to Loyalist College to study Photojournalism. Between college terms he worked as a photographer/reporter/page designer for the Goderich Signal-Star newspaper and immediately after graduation began an internship at the Ottawa Citizen followed by stints at other local newspapers. In 2005 he accepted a staff position at the Ottawa Sun leaving after only two and a half years later to work as an independent photojournalist.

Plus – World Press Photo of the Year Exhibit – Group Visit

Preceding the presentation at Ottawa Studio Works we invite you to join us for a group visit to the World Press Photo of the Year Exhibit at the Canadian War Museum. This is our third year attending as a group and the exhibit has wowed our crowd!

World Press Photo Exhibit

World Press Photo Group Visit

When: Thursday, August 18th, 2011; 6:30pm

Where: Canadian War Museum, front doors, 1 Vimy Place, Ottawa

How much: Exhibit is free

#649 Bike Race Photo Safari Review

Posted on July 21, 2011 by admin

Last week we ran the Bike Race Photo Safari – we had a good turnout and people were challenged by the fast paced fun.

Ottawa Bike Race Photo Safari

Participants learned about isolating riders full frame (and in focus), stealing facial expressions from speedy cyclists, accentuating the speed with some panning and telling the story from the start/finish line.

Ottawa Bike Race Photo Safari

Applaud the participant’s photos in this post – they did really well! They also sent their safari thoughts:

“Harry’s many tips (focusing, exposure, ways to capture cyclists) were so simple and easy to understand and yet made a huge impact on my images!” Sarah

Ottawa Bike Race Photo Safari

“Harry, you are constantly coming up with innovative workshops. This Safari was brilliant! It gives us seasoned photographers opportunities to shoot something different and brush up on our skills. (ahem… exposure).

Thanks so much for being Harry. You are always so consistent with making sure everyone understands the concept and getting it in our cameras. I have been to a number of workshops and the instructor is just busy getting his own shots, really. You are the best instructor out there.” Cheryl (ed note: Cheryl makes me blush!! Thanks Cheryl)

Ottawa Bike Race Photo Safari

“I quite enjoyed it, it was the perfect race for a safari and I picked up some good tips for achieving manual focus. You have an excellent teaching style and will definitely take more courses from you in the future.” Jeff

#647 Bluesfest photo coverage for the Sun

Posted on July 18, 2011 by admin

On Saturday night as our Music in Print photo exhibition came to a close I covered Bluesfest for the Ottawa Sun – specifically to shoot the comeback performance of ‘Death from Above 1979‘ – a punk/rock band from Toronto.

Bluesfest coverage for Ottawa Sun

The crowd was rocking and rowdy and the music harsh – as was expected!

Bluesfest coverage for Ottawa Sun

Our ‘Music in Print’ exhibition received much attention and media coverage including Peter Simpson at the Ottawa Citizen. It is still open – by appointment – until mid August.

Bluesfest photo coverage for Ottawa Sun

In August, Reuters photographer Blair Gable takes over at the gallery of Ottawa Studio Works with a photojournalism presentation and show in conjunction with the War Museum’s presentation of the World Press Photo of the Year Exhibit.

Come join us August 18th – 6:30pm for the World Press Exhibit (War Museum) and 8pm for Blair’s presentation at OttawaStudioWorks – 160 Preston St, Ottawa.

#646 Where are they now?

Posted on July 14, 2011 by admin

I met Hagen Hohn almost two years ago when he signed up for his first photo classes based in Ottawa. He was keen. So keen that he enrolled in our ProProgram.

Hagen Hohn photography

He took to the program well – taking many classes, meeting regularly for sessions to discuss his advancement and pursuing some shadowing with others in the industry. Hagen quickly developed good skills and followed his passion towards cars and photography. He graduated from the program in 2010.

Hagen Hohn photography

We still connect regularly and I recently asked him to share what he is up to now. He answered, below:

“With the start of the summer ‘car’ season, I’ve been pretty busy trying to get as much face-time with as many people in the car enthusiast world as possible. That means hitting as many of the show-and-shines, car shows and events as possible. And there are a lot of them: 33 car clubs in the Ottawa valley and some special interest groups adds up to an average of 8 events each week. I’ve also made several presentations to local car clubs, on how to improve their own car photography.

Hagen Hohn photography

Building my portfolio and continuing to develop my style has also been a focus through the summer. In addition to the print portfolio, I am working at continuously evolving and changing the content and photos on the web page.

Finally, the printing business I have targeted towards photographers, has done fairly well, and from the feedback I’ve gotten, clients seem to be happy.

Hagen Hohn photography

Overall, the summer is tracking to my 5 year plan: two large weekend long jobs and a few individual clients have allowed me to ensure I am tracking to client and market expectations.”

Visit Hagen’s site and blog and join us in cheering for his passion and business!

Hagen Hohn photography

#645 Bike Race Photo Safari in Ottawa

Posted on July 12, 2011 by admin

Tonight we had a good turnout and great weather for the Bike Race Photo Safari in Ottawa.

Ottawa Bike Race Photo Safari

We had a wide range of photographers – some have taken our photo classes before and some are newcomers. Our mission tonight was to cover a criterion bike race like the one we shot in June.

Ottawa Bike Race Photo Safari

Cyclists race a closed course of about 1km ensuring to give ample opportunity to try new photo skills. The pack comes by about every minute!

Ottawa Bike Race Photo Safari

I doled out challenges and the photographers ate them up – I was impressed with the results I saw quickly at the safari. Stay tuned – we hope to show some of the student successes on the blog soon. And judging from the smiles at the end of the night the photographers enjoyed the adventure!

Ottawa Bike Race Photo Safari

And a big thanks to the organizer, Ross, who made this all possible!

Ottawa Bike Race Photo Safari

We have another photo safari coming up fast – the ‘Fire-Breathing, Unicycle-Riding, Flaming Juggler Photo Safari!‘

#644 At the photo studio…

Posted on July 11, 2011 by admin

Over at our sister site we have a blog featuring happenings in the Ottawa photo community including links to “Who’s Doing What” – teasers leading to other photographer’s sites and the interesting projects and work they do.

Ottawa Photography Studio

What will you find? Links to:

Coverage of the recent royals visit
In-the-field reportage of the recent rain storms and floods in Ottawa Gatineau
Announcement of a show featuring everyday Muslims that “breaks down the barriers of ‘difference’“
bike race coverage on Preston St.
photographer, Tony Fouhse’s ongoing work with Stephanie, a recovering addict

There are new posts every few days.

Visit the blog at OttawaStudioWorks.com

Ottawa Studio Works - photography studio

#643 Music in Print Show Opens

Posted on July 7, 2011 by admin

It’s up.

This week we prepared for the Music in Print Exhibition and Print Sale featuring work from the last ten years of Ottawa’s Bluesfest, Jazzfest, etc.

Please come and visit Friday and Saturday from (approximately) 4-8pm and next week – Thursday to Saturday evenings.

Join us at Ottawa Studio Works – 160 Preston, Ottawa – and you may see the Blind Boys of Alabama, ZZ Top, George Clinton, Ben Harper, Great Big Sea, Feist, Broken Social Scene and many others:

Ottawa Studio Works - photography studio and gallery

Ottawa Studio Works - music photography exhibition