Harry Nowell Photo Blog

#949 New Challenges – iPhone photography!

admin — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:57:49 +0000

In this month’s Exposed! photo newsletter we explore what new challenges can do for your photography as I embrace the world of iPhone-ography.

accomplished iPhone photography © Blair Gable

Call me slow if you’d like, but I’ve never been an early adopter of new technology.

I bought my first digital camera well after most others and it took until last week for me to jump into the world of smartphones with an iPhone. And the challenges of new technology opened up some interesting doors.

Read more about why I take time to adopt to new technology and how your photography can grow by becoming a beginner at something again!

iPhone photography © HarryNowell.com - start of my new learning curve!

#948 Summer Portraits Photo Class

admin — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:39:49 +0000

Better photos

Summer Portrait Class!
We keep getting asked to run our portrait course in the summer (usually run in Jamuary) so we are running Natural Light Portraits in July!

It’s one of our most popular courses – perfect for capturing informal (or formal) portraits at summer events – weddings, BBQs, birthday parties or at family gatherings.

Better birthday portraits!

Why it’s Popular!
It’s popular because we take people from their fundamentals of photography to specific portrait elements of photography. We cover some technical elements:
• exposures with portraits in mind – ie what shutter speeds and apertures are appropriate for different scenarios.
• introduction to use of flash in portraiture
• choice of different lenses for different portraits

Better people picture

We also explore the creative side of portrait photography:
• location selection – dealing with the harsh light of midday sun.
• elements of style – what is most appropriate for you and your portraits – candid or formal portraiture?
• working with people to create natural looking smiles and emotions (this is hard!)

Want better people pictures?
Join us this summer for some portrait fun!

Natural Light Portrait Workshop

#947 – Tulip Photo Course Successes!

admin — Fri, 17 May 2013 02:46:46 +0000

Tulip Photo Safari - © Morina Reece

Thanks to everyone who got up really early to take advantage of Louise Tanguay‘s wealth of experience in the macro, nature, tulip photo department.
The safari was well attended!

Tulip Photo Safari - © Lynn Gaulin

The photo safari met this week with a quick lesson and lots of practical tulip shooting.

They loved it:
“Here are a few shots from my best day off in years. It was my first try at macro photography and I loved it.”

Tulip Photo Safari - © Cheryl Kreiss

Louise is also teaching our Macrophotography Photo Workshop at the end of May – it’s currently full but, so far the waiting list is empty. If you want a spot you could be first in line if there is a cancelation! Just send us an email.

Tulip Photo Safari - © Johanne Blain

Tulip Photo Safari - © Stéphanie Beauregard

Tulip Photo Safari - © Taylor Shurie

#946 – New adventures? – iPhone photo

admin — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:23:29 +0000

Soooo, I am looking at iPhones, mostly to assist work.

Not so much for client photography but to support blog work, Facebook and other promotion work. I get tired of pulling out the big (lovely) cameras and going through the whole production needed to get a photo on Facebook, etc.

I DON’T love the techy-tech of photography and I usually a bit behind the leading edge (for good reason! – cheaper and early bugs often get resolved by the second generation.)

What’s your experience with Smartphone photography?

Update… I did it. iPhone. Now I am learning. Can’t wait for Blair Gable’s Smartphone Photo Safari.

Smartphone photography course - © Blair Gable

#945 – From the Web – Photo Distractions

admin — Mon, 13 May 2013 02:19:28 +0000

Some more photo fun from the web this week…

• Simplicity
Read about Peter Belanger. Who’s he? He shoots many of the amazingly simple (and beautiful) product shots for Apple.

• British Copyright Law Angers Photographers
Read about new British Legislation that changes copyright protection.

Photo Tip #167 – Take time to see. It’s amazing what’s right in front of your camera if you take time to look!

• Photo Tips Website Update
Almost a year ago we started posting Photo Tips and other tidbits on our Photo Facebook Page.

People have asked about the tips and if there’s a place they can all be seen more easily. Soon!
We hope to launch a site in the next two weeks. Stay tuned…

#944 Elmwood School Art Exhibition

admin — Fri, 10 May 2013 10:48:58 +0000

A while back we mentioned the Elmwood School art exhibition at our photo studio.

The Vernissage was last Friday and it was packed. Students, parents and the public packed the studio to see the artwork.

Elmwood Art Exhibition

It’s worth seeing. One visitor this week came to see the exhibit as she passed the studio. Her reaction?
“This artwork is done by high school students?!”
Yes!

You only have a few days left to see it! The exhibition closes Sunday, May 12th!

Elmwood Art Exhibition

Details:
May 3rd-12th, 2013.

Hours:
Wednesday-Friday: 12-6pm.
Saturday, Sunday: 10-4pm.

Ottawa Studio Works
160 Preston St. Ottawa

Elmwood Art Exhibition

Read a review by Marita Cockburn BA, MA, MFA:

“An exhibition of the work of grade 9-12 students, the second annual Elmwood Art Show sets an impressive precedent for high school art programs in the Ottawa area.

Drawing, sculpture, painting, photography, and mixed media mingle in the gallery space, producing a strong aesthetic end product. The works also present a convincing conceptual framework; indeed, a thorough understanding of any of the works is predicated on this conceptual underpinning.

The exhibition engages with several themes, among them the notion of place, space, and the conception of public and private identity; but, while complex ideas are at the heart of most of the exhibition, the works sustain a refreshing and admirable simplicity. Perhaps most rewarding for the audience, however, is that, embedded in each piece there is evidence of these young artists’ intellectual and creative processes, as they expand their consciousness. It is both exciting and a privilege to share and engage in this experience.

At the show’s opening, the artists conducted themselves impressively, often times volunteering insights on their work to the guests. The handbill was also helpful for navigating some of the work. Further, for the week-long exhibition, most of the students provided extended (and cogently written) artist statements that outlined the creative process, an acknowledgment of the evolution of the work, from its inception to its completion.

Credit should go to Elmwood art teacher, Heawon Chun, for directing the student work in a conceptual direction – high school art is all too frequently trapped in the material and concrete realm. Acclaim, however, should also go to the participating students, who skillfully met the challenge presented to them by their teacher.“

#943 – Music Photo Contest – Send in your best shots!

admin — Tue, 07 May 2013 04:16:04 +0000

This week we announced the John Rowlands’ Music Photography Exhibition at Ottawa Studio Works.

Today we’re very happy to announce (and invite you to) Best Music Photo Contest.

Enter your best shots from any music event:
• Crowd shots
• Performers
• Musical Instruments
… anything related to music. We want to see your bet shots!

Vote for your favourite shots. Encourage your friends to vote. You can vote every day!

Music photography contest

The Prize

On May 25th the person with the most votes will get a free print of their photo to be hung at the John Rowlands Music Exhibition.

That’s right, your photo could hang alongside John Rowlands’ portraits of some of the biggest icons of Rock & Roll history!

Music photography contest

Details:
• Visit the Music Photo Contest (based on the Facebook platform)
• Click on the camera symbol (top right)
• Like the page and register
• Upload up to three photos
• Vote like crazy (you can vote every day)
• Encourage your friends to vote, too!

Exhibition Details:
Saturday, June 8th, 2013
noon-9pm (approximately)
Ottawa Studio Works;
160 Preston St., Ottawa

Fine Print
The winning photo will be contacted – a large and suitable digital file will be needed to produce the exhibition photo. To enter you must be the owner of the copyright and have rights to post the photos! We reserve the right to remove photos that do not honour these rights! You authorize Harry Nowell Photography Inc. to use your photo to promote the contest and exhibition – you retain full copyright of your photo.

Enter and vote soon.
Vote often!

#942 – Announcing the Music Photography Exhibition of John Rowlands!

admin — Mon, 06 May 2013 03:45:11 +0000

David Bowie - © John Rowlands

Last year we ran our second Music Photography show at the studio. I was contacted by John Rowlands about his music work.

As I learned about the sheer depth of his work my jaw continued to drop! It seems he has photographed EVERYBODY in rock and roll with any significance.

Rolling Stones
Beatles
Bob Dylan
Elton John
James Brown
BeeGees
David Bowie
Elvis Presly
etc, etc, etc.

John’s music career started from humble beginnings:
“John Rowlands, a 13 year old teenager who lived in a part of Ottawa called ‘Manor Park’ was a big fan of the popular recording artist, Brenda Lee. With an advance on his 10 cents a week allowance, money made from his 77 drop morning paper route, and cash made from helping the local milkman he bought a ticket to the Brenda Lee Show. Sensing that it was a long shot that she might ever be his girlfriend he took along his father’s camera, a single roll of film and 12 very large flash bulbs…”

And his career grew quickly from there! John has just returned from a show at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London featuring his portraits of David Bowie.

And soon he will be featuring his work at our photo studio – Ottawa Studio Works. It’s a one day show highlighting some of John’s fabulous work.

Details:
Saturday, June 8th, 2013
noon-9pm (approximately)
Ottawa Studio Works;
160 Preston St.

John’s prints will be exhibited and available for sale!

We will be collecting donations for the Ottawa Food Bank, too!

Ottawa Food Bank

Stay tuned for the Music Online Photo Contest where we ask you to enter and vote for your favourite music shots, ever. The most liked photo will have a chance to be exhibited alongside John’s work at the studio – details coming this week!

#941 Photo Class Update

admin — Fri, 03 May 2013 13:57:26 +0000

Smartphone photography

Our spring photo courses are filling up in Ottawa:

• Spring’s Creative Fundamentals filled up – and dates have been set for September’s class in Gatineau Park.

• Macro Photography with Louise Tanguay is full – email us to be put on the waiting list!

• Tulips Safari with Louise is close to full!

• There is still some room on the Waterfall Safari and Smartphone Photography Seminar/Safari with Blair Gable.

Waterfall Photo Safari

• On-Location Lighting with Blair is still a long way off (October!) but last spring sold out quickly!

• And the Online Program always has room for you! People are discovering this relatively new program and loving it!

• We’re looking at offering our popular Natural Light Portraits course this summer because you keep asking. What do YOU think?

#940 Online Photo Course “Slow Photo” Results

admin — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:56:55 +0000

Last month’s challenge on the Online Photo Class was “Slow Photos.”
Members were asked to shoot at slow shutter speeds of 1 second or longer. That’s tough – just try it! Much of the time it’s hard to even shoot at one second because there’s too much light.

Members, as usual, wow-ed me with their creative ideas. They took the info and lessons I presented in the weekly material sent via email, web and private Facebook forum and created some beauty!

Online photo members enjoyed it, too!

“I’m not sure why it took me so long to come aboard, I knew about this ages ago. I was certainly in a funk with photography and now feel inspired to shoot again.

I enjoyed the informative critique video very much and learned a lot through that review and exercise. I’m glad I signed up for this online program. Look forward to more…”
G.R. April

Slow photography - Online Photo Class!

“I had a couple of main goals when I signed up - have fun, actually get out and shoot, enjoy the process.

So far all of these goals have been fully met… I have been out shooting more in the last two months than in the year before that!”
A.G. April

“Once again a fun challenge with lots of learnings. I particularly enjoyed experimenting with light painting.”
M.M., April

Join us for “Fast Photos” in May.