Enjoy the Ride

I saw "Cuff the Duke" at the Horseshoe Tavern tonight. It's one of my favourite venues to enjoy music because they have no issues with camera's brought to shows (in fact, they didn't even check my bag when I went in - next time, I'm packing water!). But it also has a host of fantastic bands any night of the week - and you can practically stand on stage you get so close to them!!

Cuff the Duke is a fantastic Canadian indie band. They've released 3 albums since 2002, with the latest released this year (their 4th) produced by Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo. They have built quite a following across Canada, and the show was packed with fans. I was surrounded by no less than 5 cameras in the front row capturing the great spirit and music of this band.

While I was admiring all the 5d Mk 2's around me I noticed a really disturbing trend amongst the shooters. Everyone spent way too much looking at the LCD screen after they shot a set of photos and failed to just enjoy the show. As much as I was there to take photos, I was mostly there because I admired the music and had never seen them live before. There is nothing like a live show when the musicians are talented, and the crowd sings along. I admit, I did glace at my LCD periodically, but I was not about to scroll through all my shots while the show was going on.

Digital cameras have created amazing advances and access to those that might not normally have invested in this art-form. However, I think people need to stop using the LCD like it was key to taking a good photo. The only thing I rely on my LCD for is a quick check that my exposure is correct (to a degree) and that my framing is on. I definitely don't rely on it, nor check it constantly, like some of these shooters were.

People need to peel away from the LCD, take note of their surroundings, and enjoy what is around them. We are blessed to live in a city where world class musicians can share their talent 2 feet from us. We, as photographers, need to enjoy the ride we are on.

On the Web

Today is a big day on my career path as a photographer. It's something that, I feel, solidifies me as a pro, and gives me something to share and be proud of.
My website went live today.
My business cards are printed and ready to hand out.
I have 2 new jobs booked in the next couple of weeks.
People are starting to take me seriously as a photographer.

But now, the real work happens. I begin to really market myself to those "key" clients and accounts that I want to land. Those that might not otherwise look at me, with just a flickr account. Flickr has been fantastic for my education and career thus far, and will continue to be. But there is nothing like a professionally designed website to really represent what I am currently as a photographer.

I have big plans for this site in the future. More sections, integration of this blog, and perhaps a bio. But for now, it shows what I am capable of doing and represents the jobs I want to book.

I am thankful and proud of the steps it took me to get here, and I can't wait for the next steps to come.

Baby Steps

I've been very fortunate over the last couple of weeks to have a few of my photos included in some great online sites. One was due to pure luck (and my love for music), while the other attributed to a concentrated effort to promote myself and shoot daily.

1) Fazer Magazine - At a recent show for God Made Me Funky, I had the pleasure of meeting one of the writers who had reviewed their new CD. My photos ended up accompanying Alex's article on the show and the new Disc: Photos/Article Link here.

Lesson #1: ALWAYS have business cards on you. I had run out the day before and forgot to replenish my stock, luckily I was able to get the writer's email but I missed a valuable opportunity to market myself properly to a future collaboration-partner.

Lesson #2: There is nothing like capturing a live show! It's definitely becoming one of my favourite photographic pursuits. I have made it a rule to learn how to photograph artists with no-flash, however stage lights are a killer! My new rule is to shoot a LOT - sometimes stage lights give unbelievable effects, but the moments are fleeting.

2) BlogTO / Nuit Blanche. At the annual overnight arts event, here in Toronto, and a perfect opportunity for photography. My main focus was to photograph using off-camera flash work (strobist style), however I also managed to get some nice shots of the artists at work with available light.

BlogTO is a fantastic site that supports local photographers through their Flickr group site, from which they populate their articles and reviews. My photos were used in a review of the Distillery District. I've been contributing steadily over the last few months and finally, I see my photos on their site. Thanks BlogTO!

Lesson #3: Never delete any photos in your camera. I had actually taken a series of the above photo. My finger hovered around the delete button with this one, when I was distracted by a phone call. I don't know why I was about to delete it, other than I had a lot of the same shot. But this was the only one in which the artist was pointing at his work (which I think ads to the charm of this shot).

Lesson #4: It's nice to have a game plan, but don't ever let it distract you from any event that materializes before your eyes. Although my goal that night was to experiment with off-camera flash, most of my best shots were available-light.

FYI - my favourite "strobist" shot of the night was this one (it's also really nice to have friends that are patient and willing to model over and over and over again):