Vancouver Photographer | Vancouver Photojournalist | Vancouver Editorial Photographer

Monkeying Around with Peanut Butter Pictures

2012-01-11T17:33:00.001-08:00

Food Photography for Monkey Butter Peanut Butter

Happy New Year! I have ambitious goals for my 2012 photo blogging that I have already fallen behind on but let's kick it off by digging into some food photography! These photos are from a shoot I did for Vancouver's new Gourmet Peanut Butter Company... Monkey Butter. This is a great new business here in Vancouver and their product is absolutely delicious, not to mention fun to photograph! Go find yourselves a jar... the white chocolate pretzel was my favorite!

La Vie Hipstamatic

2011-12-17T13:40:00.001-08:00

My Favorite Hipstamatic Photos of 2011

San Francisco, California

Just sharing a few of my favorite Hipstamatic photographs from 2011. Definitely not too shy to admit that shooting with this camera is a blast. It's small, it's always with me whether I'm traveling, running or just out to lunch(interpret that however you like)... and it is makes it easy to take photos and go unnoticed. So here are my favorites from a fun year of iPhone photography.

Jericho Pier, Vancouver, British Columbia

Beach St. and Hyde St. Protesting 1 year anniversary of the BP Oil Spill, San Francisco, California

Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California

Phish Concert, Gorge Amphitheatre, Columbia River Gorge, Washington State

Mom dances away the sun on the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, Sunshine Coast, British Columbia

5 km mark of the Terry Fox Run, Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia

Dairy cows in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Planet Earth looking a lot like Planet Mars, somewhere over Colorado

Granville Island, Vancouver, British Columbia

East Vancouver, British Columbia

Dog Mountain, North Vancouver, British Columbia

My alley, Kitsilano, Vancouver, British Columbia

Stapleton, Denver, Colorado

Flying into Denver, Colorado

Printing Hipstamatic Photographs...

2011-12-15T14:16:00.000-08:00

As photographers, the most important photographs we ever take aren't going to be the ones we shoot while on assignment. The most valuable pictures we make will always be the documentary we shoot of our own life and the people in it. Those are the pictures that will end up on our walls, and the walls of our loved ones, for years and years to come. As a photographer, I shoot my assignments with pricey DSLR's and a selection of lenses that can be obnoxious and obtrusive to carry around when just trying to kick back with family and friends. When I shoot my life, I usually prefer something that's unobtrusive and easy to carry around.

This year, I've been photographing my life with my iPhone and specifically, the Hipstamatic camera I brought for $1.99 about a year ago. It has been a great camera for a few reasons...

#1. It's always with me... and as the brilliant Chase Jarvis slogan goes... "the best camera is the one that's with you."

#2. It's a small camera... making it easy to carry and go unnoticed as you snap great pictures of your family and friends.

#3. It's an affordable toy camera! For years I carried around Holgas, Dianas and other toy cameras in my purse to take fun pictures of my family and friends with but the cost of medium format film and processing adds up... especially when it is hard to predict how your image is going to come out with these funky cameras. With the Hipstamatic, I have a camera that works similar to the toy cameras I loved experimenting with in the past plus I have more options of lenses and films. While I have always wanted to keep shooting film and stop its looming disappearance... I have to admit, I love the money I save by shooting with a digital toy camera.

So over the past year I've acquired a pretty good year-in-review documentary of my own family while shooting with my iPhone, specifically the Hipstamatic. Now that those sleigh bells are ringing and Christmas is around the corner... it's time to make to make some prints for all those important people, my family, who let me take their picture.

Time to figure out how to print my Hipstamatic photographs...

Basically, I was happy to find this is all relatively easy and there are two ways you can print the photos you take with your Hipstamatic.

Download photos from your Hipstamatic onto your computer and then print them yourself... either at home, online or at a local lab.
Order prints through the Hipstamatic application.

So let me walk you through how to print your Hipstamatic photos each of these two ways...

How to download your Hipstamatic photos onto your computer and then print them...

When I first got my iPhone I was completely stoked by the outstanding camera that rested within. I had always only shot with SLRs and then DSLRs and so it was my first point and shoot camera. It was always in my pocket or purse and I began taking pictures right away. I quickly had well over 1,000 pictures and between music, apps and photos, the 16 GB on my iPhone was not enough. Time to figure out how to save these pictures on a hard drive.

For those of us who aren't obviously tech savvy... how to get the pictures from your iPhone to your computer can be perplexing. There is no obvious way to do this when you connect your phone with your computer to sync in iTunes. So... this is how...

How to Copy your iPhone and Hipstamatic Photos onto your Computer

As you can see in the image above, your Hipstamatic photos are automatically saved into your iPhone's photo library. To get photos from your iPhone library to your computer or a hard drive follow these instructions:

Mac users - The easiest way to get your iPhone and Hipstamatic photos from your phone to your computer is through the program Preview.... follow these steps:
Plug your iPhone into your Mac
Launch the program Preview... (it came with said Mac - check your Applications folder)
In the FILE menu... scroll down and select the option "IMPORT FROM iPHONE"
You can either select IMPORT ALL or select which photos you want to IMPORT
You will also be able to select a folder to import your photos to. I usually select a folder on an external hard drive but if you just select import without selecting a folder... then the place to look for your photos will be the 'Pictures' folder on your Mac.
PC users - The best way to do this is to chuck your PC out the window and get a Mac but if you don't want to break the bank.... then you can get the pictures off your iPhone by doing the following:
Do not run iTunes and plug your iPhone into your computer
A popup will appear and ask what to do with the device; select "VIEW CONTENT"
Find your photos through the folders displayed and copy into windows accordingly
Printing your iPhone Photos

Now that you've successfully downloaded your photos onto your computer, it's time to print. Option A is print using your photo printer at home. Probably a lesser quality but usually cost effective. Option B is my favorite option and that is to print at a local lab.

To do this, you'll copy your photos onto a CD or jump drive and take them to the lab of your choice. Really, they are just iPhone photos so any old lab should do. I used the Kodak kiosk at the Lens and Shutter on Broadway in Vancouver. Since the Hipstamatic photos are an odd shape... square... you will need to select a bigger paper size and then chose the "SHRINK PHOTOS TO FIT PAPER" option so your photos are not cropped. So... if you want 4 x 4 " photos you will select 4 x 6" on the kiosk... for 5 x 5" photos select 5 x 7".... for 8 x 8" photos select 8 x 10".... and so forth.

When the photos are printed, they will have a couple inches of white space on either side of the image so you'll need a steady hand and good scissors or better yet, a paper cutter to trim them up but voila, you'll have your Hipstamatic prints, they will look good... and printing them this way is probably the most affordable option.

How to Print your Hipstamatic photos through the Hipstamatic App...

The Hipstamatic application actually makes it fairly easy to print photos through their own HipstaMart Print Lab which then ships the photos to your door. The advantages of doing it this way is that you don't need to bother with transferring the photos from your iPhone and bringing them to a lab... and you don't have to deal with finding a paper cutter to slice the empty white space off your prints either. I'm still waiting to see how the prints I've ordered arrive... and will update with a post on their quality at that time... but in the meantime, this is how you order the prints of your photos from your Hipstamatic app.

First select the photo you want to print... once selected, you'll see on the right side of the screen the option to "Order Prints"

Once you've selected "Order Prints" - you will select your size... options are 4", 7", 10" and 30"

Next pick your quantity... if you want to add other prints to your order, select the button that says so and you will be taken back to your Hipstamatic library to add additonal prints...

Like I mentioned above, I'm still waiting to see how my Hipstamart Lab prints compare with the prints I made at the local Kodak kiosk. Stay tuned for that update. For now, here is how the prices compare between these two options:

4 x 6" at the Kodak kiosk was .35 each
4 x 4" at the Hipstamart Lab is 4 for $4.99, 24 for $9.99 or 96 for $34.99... so the more you get, the better the deal... if you get just 4 it's 1.25 each, 24 and it's .42 each and 96 makes it .36 each.

So no matter what... the kiosk is cheaper but very comparable if you order in bulk. Through the Hipstamart you can also get 7", 10" and 30" prints at reasonable rates.

One last tip for people shooting with the Hipstamatic that plan to print their photos...

If you plan to print BIG, then you are going to want to select the largest file size possible on your Hipstamatic camera. To adjust file size when shooting with the Hipstamatic you push the lever to the left of your lens to the highest option/biggest yellow circle available. See below if you're wondering what I'm talking about.

Hope this has been helpful, now go print some Hipstamatic photos before the holidays are gone.

Chicago Wedding Photography: Congrats to Kelly and Zeke!

2011-11-28T09:18:00.001-08:00

A Halloween Weekend Wedding in Chicago...

Beautiful people make beautiful weddings... fact. I had the honor of photographing Kelly and Zeke's wedding at the Hyatt Lodge in Oak Brook last month and it was a great time. Some reasons why it was great to photograph this Chicago wedding:

I love photographing weddings in the greatest place on Earth, which is without a doubt, Chicago(and in this case, its greater surrounding area). Photographing Chicago weddings is a great excuse to visit my hometown and see my family - and I also think, as a photographer, you see the world better in the places you love.
Secondly, being someone who loves Chicago and is genetically tied to Chicago's Irish culture, I loved shooting a wedding that celebrated Chicago Irish-ness?(don't know if that's the correct word!) Kelly and Zeke had an Irish band play their ceremony and cocktail hour... they even had many old Irish ladies listening and the music went well with Kelly's Irish blue eyes!
Fall foliage! This was a Halloween weekend wedding and the weather was amazing! The Hyatt Oak Brook Lodge is beautiful and it happens to be on the McDonald's Campus which is a beautiful landscape.... lots of foliage... and in this case, fallen leaves even landed on the cake! (See below)
Dance photography at weddings is one of my favorite things as a wedding photographer and Kelly and Zeke had a very enthusiastic dance floor.
Cheeseburgers. As mentioned in item #3... this wedding was held at the Hyatt Lodge on the McDonald's campus in Oak Brook... so if you are going to have your wedding at the nucleus of affordable cheeseburgers, then the said cheeseburgers may make a popular late night snack. Kelly and Zeke made sure their dancing guests had a great late night snack when trays of McDonald's cheeseburgers were delivered to their dance floor... see below for pictures, guests were literally jumping for joy!

More photos from this Chicago wedding after the jump...

Seattle Wedding Photography - Congrats to Melissa and Justin!

2011-11-08T20:50:00.001-08:00

Had a blast photographing a wedding in the Seattle-area last month! Justin and Melissa were married at the Woodmark Hotel in Kirkland and it was an honor to do their wedding photography... It was an uncharacteristically gorgeous day for October in Seattle... bright blue skies and warm temperatures. The wedding was beautiful and the dance floor was packed from the moment the band started playing! Gotta love a wedding where everybody gets down on the dance floor!

Many more wedding photos after the jump...

Chicago Wedding Photography - Congrats to Aric and Amanda!

2011-10-30T00:27:00.000-07:00

I had the honor of doing the wedding photography for Aric and Amanda's wedding last month at Germania Place on Chicago's Gold Coast. There is nothing better than being able to work a fantastic wedding in my hometown! I'd categorize this wedding by its great location, beautiful couple, fun reception and an epic, epic bluegrass hora! I love shooting dance floor photos and Aric, Amanda and their guests gave me plenty to shoot! Just relieved I didn't get trampled!

Many more photos after the jump!

Documentary Photography and the Disappearance of the American Family Farm...

2011-10-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

Two great multimedia documentary photography projects and one really cool commercial on vanishing family farms...

Before we start... watch this...

The American family farm has historically been an essential part of the American economy, diet and landscape. In recent decades, corporations have assumed the roles once fulfilled by private family farms - taking over the land and consumers that were crucial to the survival of individual farmers. This development has left many farming families with an identity crisis... what will their role in society be without the farm that has been part of their familial identity for generations?

The evolution of the family farm is interesting to watch as slow food movements have been gaining momentum. Throughout the United States and Canada, slow food movements that celebrate food, sustainable farming and agricultural heritage have been cropping up (no pun intended). These movements have the potential to breath new life into small private farms as the public is increasingly embracing food that is produced with thought.

The pessimist in me thought that these movements would only thrive with smaller businesses and communities but the Chipotle commercial above shows that sustainable farming might be making a comeback in corporate America. It's hard to believe a corporation once owned by McDonald's produced something so celebratory of small family farming. I thought the commercial was a sign of a promising future for private farming.

The commercial also reminded me of two excellent documentary photography projects that tell the story of the disappearance of the American farm. Be sure to check the clips below out.... both are from the documentary multimedia site MediaStorm. Watch them as they are incredible examples of outstanding documentary photography displayed in a multimedia format. Let me know what you think!

1. Common Ground by Scott Strazzante

The American family farm gives way to a subdivision - a critical cultural shift across the U.S. Common Ground is a 14-year document of this transition, through the Cagwins and the Grabenhofers, two families who love the same plot of land. See the project at http://mediastorm.com/publication/common-ground

Remarkably well done - beautiful juxtaposition of the qualities of life we all share.

2. Driftless by Danny Wilcox Frazier

Pemberton and Tofino Travel Photography Clips

2011-09-20T19:34:00.000-07:00

Tofino Surf Culture Photography

One of the things I miss the most about working as a photojournalist for a daily newspaper is seeing my pictures printed and published on a daily basis. I think most photographers would agree that it is always satisfying to see pictures you care about shared on news stands. I used to love getting my daily paper in the morning and seeing how the editors had run my photos from the previous evening. When you got a good shot... you couldn't wait to see it in print and you never had to wait long, just until the next day.

Last fall, I was sent by British Columbia Magazine to shoot two separate stories. The first was a travel article on Pemberton, B.C. The second was a story on surf culture in Canada's surf mecca, Tofino. Both stories were a blast to shoot as they were in two of my absolute favorite places in British Columbia. Pemberton is a gorgeous town with a ridiculously good food scene and even its own vodka, gin and whiskey at the Pemberton Distillery and as I've said before, I love shooting surfing in Tofino because of the great vibe of the town and really, the best photography assignments are those that can be shot while barefoot at the beach!

After being in a newspaper photographer job where I am used to seeing my photos printed within 24 hours... you can imagine how excited I was to get my issues of B.C. Magazine in the mail and see the photos I had shot almost 12 months ago! Here are the clips of my photographs... link here to see some outtake photographs from the Tofino surf culture article.

More photography clips after the jump!

Pemberton Travel Photography

A Different Kind of Sports Photography...

2011-09-10T01:56:00.001-07:00

A Lone Rock Climbing Image and an Epic Video of a Great Photographer in Action

I've done a lot of sports photography over the past few years but there is one sport where my experience... and my ability to gain any further experience... is extremely limited. That sport is climbing. Combing through my archives I have thousands of football, baseball, tennis, hockey and surf photographs but there is only one climbing photograph that I can remember snapping. In 2004 I took a road trip through Yosemite National Park and photographed a half-hour star trail as it moved over Yosemite's famous vertical rock formation, El Capitan. I was sitting in the valley below El Capitan that evening as the sun went down and as the light disappeared I noticed a constellation of lights on the surface of the rock begin to twinkle. A friend pointed out that these were the headlamps of the rock climbers spending the night on the face of El Cap. I was shooting with my F100 and the now extinct ektachrome and decided to try and shoot a star trail that that also captured the lights of the climbers. I did not have a cable release so to shoot the 30-minute star trail I had to keep one finger on the trigger the entire time... which is why you can see a bit of camera shake on the stars moving through the sky. Shooting film without a cable release I had no idea what my image was going to look like and was happy when I picked up my processed slides the next week and voila, saw the frame shown above. My first, and possibly last, rock climbing photograph.

I have no experience with climbing so might as well leave great climbing photography to the photographers like Jimmy Chin who are obviously outstanding climbers themselves. Last month, I was reminded of my solitary rock climbing photo when Camp 4 Collective shared this video featuring Jimmy Chin On Assignment. The video features Chin shooting on El Capitan, the same Yosemite rock formation that I shot 7 years ago from the safe confines of the Yosemite Valley. When I shot El Cap, a cold beer was in my left hand while my right hand compressed the trigger of my F100. When Jimmy Chin shoots El Cap, let's just say his approach is a bit more involved. This is great video of a great sports photographer at work... check it and enjoy...

On Assignment from Camp 4 Collective on Vimeo.

A Great Run... Time to Share...

2011-09-08T02:04:00.000-07:00

The smoke from the riots has long cleared the air, the windows at the Hudson Bay Company have been restored and the boys in blue are back in town... skating at UBC to prepare for another great season of hockey. June seemed too soon... but now may be an ideal time to share photos from the Vancouver Canucks outstanding run to game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Congrats to the Boston Bruins on winning the Stanley Cup and to the Vancouver Canucks... for treating their fans and city to a memorable run... here are some pics...

Interested in more on the Vancouver Canucks??? Canucks mega-fan and sports journalist Carson just spent 40 days driving 12,000 km across Canada with his family to visit the 179 hometowns of 379 Canucks who have played for the team at some point in the last 40 years... what a trip! Be sure to check out more on Carson's odyssey at the 379 Canucks website here...

Muscles, Tattoos and Blood... Oh My! Photographing UFC 131 in Vancouver...

2011-07-14T16:34:00.000-07:00

I made my UFC debut last month... as a photographer, not a fighter. I photographed UFC 131 in Vancouver and having never shot or even watched UFC before; I had no idea what to expect. Photographing new things is always interesting but when the new things you are shooting involve blood, tattoos and creative nicknames like "The Polish Experiment"... then shooting new things quickly becomes a blast!

Here are some photographs to take you through my first experience with Ultimate Fighting...

My first fight... American Darren Elkins defeats Japan's Michihiro Omigawa...

My first knockout... Heavyweight Joey Beltran over Aaron Rosa...

My First Blood... Canadian Nick Ring makes James Head's head bleed...

Best Nickname... Krzysztof Soszynski as "the Polish Experiment" ... the heavyweight defeated Mike Massenzio...

First standing submission.... Middleweight Chris Weidman traps Jesse Bongfeldt with a standing guillotine choke...

My First Flash Knockout... Sequence of photos of Sam Stout's knockout of Yves Edwards...

My First Main Event... Junior Dos Santos defeats Shane Carwin...

.... and some other random photographs from UFC 131 in Vancouver ...

Donald Cerrone defeated Vagner Rocha

Mark Munoz defeats Demian Maia

Kenny Florian defeats Diego Nunes

Whistler Wedding Photography

2011-06-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

June was a bit of a crazy month... weddings, engagement sessions, a night with the UFC and oh yeah, the Stanley Cup Finals in Vancouver. So finally, here I am, in July, getting caught up on my blogging that probably should've been done in May! The first thing I'm going to share are from a great wedding I did the photography for at the Nita Lake Lodge in Whistler over Memorial Day(U.S. Holiday) weekend....

Musings on the Whistler Wedding of Josh and Jillian...

Ever since I met Josh and Jillian last fall, I've been excited to shoot their wedding. There are a couple reasons I was excited... First, they were planning a wedding in Whistler. Who doesn't love an excuse to head up the Sea-to-Sky highway for a weekend? Second, they were an enthusiastic, caring and kind couple; excited about their wedding, their Icelandic honeymoon, their life together and what really sold them as a great pair to me was the fact that they were keen to stop for Honey's Doughtnuts - (possibly the best in the world) - when we did their engagement session last fall in Deep Cove.

Here are some photographs from/musings on their beautiful Whistler wedding! See more and...

Seriously, how did groomsmen tie their ties before the iPad?

Exchanging thoughtful gifts before exchanging vows...

Why dance the hora once when you can dance it twice!

Never undervalue what a great band can do for your wedding reception! The Young Executives, a Vancouver-based band, rocked Josh and Jillian's wedding.

Winter in Harrison Hot Springs

2011-05-26T14:35:00.000-07:00

As promised in last month's Canucks blogpost, I am going to be using my photography blog to share more.... wait for it.... wait for it.... photography! So today here is a quickie post sharing some travel photos I shot last winter(2009!) for a travel article that ran in 2010 winter issue of British Columbia Magazine. The article focused on Harrison Hot Springs and the Hemlock Valley Ski Resort; both places are within a couple hours drive from Vancouver. I love photography assignments that allow me to explore a new destination and give me the freedom to photograph a wide range of subjects. These are just a few outtakes of photos I liked from the article that didn't run and at the bottom of the post you can check out the clips of how B.C. Mag ran it....

Conflict Photographers as Perceived(or Misunderstood) in Pop Culture

2011-05-11T16:24:00.004-07:00

Above: Clockwise from top left: war photographer Larry Burrows killed in 1971 while covering conflict in Vietnam; photojournalist Ken Oosterbroek was killed in 1994 while covering violence leading up to South Africa's first free elections; photographer Chris Hondros was recently killed while covering conflict in Libya; photographer Robert Capa stepped on a landmine in Indochina in 1954; photographer/filmmaker Tim Hetherington was killed recently while working in Libya; photographer Kevin Carter took his own life in 1994, shortly after being awarded a Pulitzer Prize and shortly after his friend Ken Oosterbroek was killed in the field Below left: The book cover to "The Bang-Bang Club", written by photographers Joao Silva and Greg Marinovich Below right: Movie poster to the film based on the book.

DISCUSSION ON CONFLICT PHOTOGRAPHY

"Why photograph war? Is it possible to put an end to a form of human behavior which has existed throughout history by means of photography? The proportion of that notion seems ridiculously out of balance but that very idea has motivated me."

-James Nachtwey, from the documentary "War Photographer"

Conflict photography has been discussed a lot in recent months. The dialogue seems to be continuing everywhere.... on photojournalism blogs, photography websites, in newspaper articles, on the radio and even at the bar after a night at the movies. Why the heightened interest in conflict photography? There are a few reasons:

In March, New York Times photographers Lynsey Addario and Tyler Hicks were kidnapped while covering the conflict in Libya. The well-respected photojournalists were subjected to several days of brutality before being released.
On April 20, two well-known photojournalists, Chris Hondros and Tim Hetherington, also covering the Libya conflict, were killed during a mortar attack in Misrata.
Two days later, "The Bang-Bang Club" is released in theaters across the United States. The film is based on the book written by photojournalists Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva and is the true story of the lives of 4 photojournalists as they cover the hostility in South African townships leading up to the country's first free elections.
In October, Joao Silva, one of the photojournalist's who wrote the "Bang-Bang Club" was critically wounded while covering the war in Afghanistan. Silva stepped on a land mine losing both of his legs and sustained other serious injuries.

This combination of events has placed conflict photographers and what they do under a microscope. Conflict photographers are our line of sight to what is happening in our world. They routinely risk their lives so that we can be better informed without leaving the comforts of our protected communities. I believe war photographers are the world's most passionate anti-war activists. They carry their gear into hostile environments to at least inform the rest of us and at most, inspire us to take action for the greater good of our global community.

It has probably been eight years since I first read "The Bang-Bang Club." The book was written by photographer Greg Marinovich and the recently injured Joao Silva and recounts their days as part of a group of photojournalists nicknamed "The Bang-Bang Club." The group was known for photographing ANC-Inkatha violence in South African townships leading up to the first free elections in South Africa and also included photographers Ken Oosterbroek and Kevin Carter, both of whom died in 1994. (Oosterbroek was shot while working, Carter took his own life.) When I read the book it left an impression. It provided a unique perspective into the lives of photographers covering war and it grew my appreciation for photographers who take great personal risks in the hope of enlightening society.

BANG BANG CLUB MOVIE REVIEW

My positive response to the book left me very curious to see how Hollywood would re-write "The Bang-Bang Club." So off to the theatre I went despite dismal reviews of the "The Bang-Bang Club" by, to name a few, the Globe and Mail("The Bang Bang Club fizzles with compromises"), The New York Times, and the Hollywood Reporter. The first line of the NY Times review states that "Taking pictures is oh-so-painful in "The Bang Bang Club," a based-on-real-life saga that turns bloody reality into bloodless drama." Ouch... The Hollywood Reporter's review stated that rather than concerning itself with the "wartorn backdrop of South Africa, circa 1994" the film "concerns itself with sex/drugs/rock 'n' roll-lite lifestyle of its quartet of young, white, male protagonists." Yikes.... check the trailer below to see a preview of what we're talking about.

After watching the movie, my advice to you is to just read the book or if you really want to learn more about this group of photographers, just read these interesting blogposts(or any of those listed in the link list at the bottom of this post) interviewing Joao Silva and Greg Marinovich on the so-called "Bang Bang Club." In my opinion this movie did not do this book, these photographers or conflict photographers in general, any justice. The movie seemed too focused on the group's affinity for partying while glazing over the immeasurable value of the photographs these men produced. Worse, I do believe a Hollywood movie such as this one has the potential to negatively affect the public's perception of conflict photographers... turning photographers who work war zones into cavalier camera carrying cowboys. I don't think that perception of conflict photographers appropriately honors the memory of those who have died in an attempt to acquaint the world with the realities of war. In "War Photographer," Christian Frei's documentary that follows conflict photographer James Nachtwey, Nachtwey put it well....

"...everyone cannot be there and that is why photographers go there... To create pictures powerful enough to overcome the diluting effects of the mass media and shake people out of their indifference. To protest, and by the strength of that protest, make others protest."

That quote, that message, is the message I wanted to get and hoped the public would get from the Bang Bang Club movie... Unfortunately, the message was missed and as people exit theaters across the country, they are discussing conflict photographers in the context of hasty voyeurism rather than thoughtful activism.

So for my review, I would say read the book because Silva and Marinovich's story is worth it. Then, once you finish, if you want to see a movie that adequately represents the motivations and routines of war photographers, then I would recommend seeing "War Photographer" or at least watching the clip below.

LINKS TO RECENT ARTICLES ON CONFLICT PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE BANG BANG CLUB:

Photojournalist Katie Orlinksy writes about being in Libya with Chris Hondros and Tim Hetherington
"The Inner Lives of Wartime Photographers" - NY Times Magazine article written by Bill Keller and based on interview with photojournalists Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva
Full transcript of Bill Keller's interview with photojournalists Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva
"Two War Photographers on Their Injuries, Ethics" - Excellent NPR interview with photojournalists Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva. Extensive dialogue on the ethics of conflict photography and why they do it....
NY Magazine: "The War Photographers That Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros Left Behind"
LA Times: "War Photographers Change Their Focus" - Photojournalists react and reflect on their approach to war photography after the deaths of Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros
Support photojournalist Joao Silva
Lynsey Addario talks about being a woman war photographer on the NY Times Lens Blog
Chris Hondros talked with the Chicago Tribune about being a conflict photographer shortly before his death
4 NY Times journalists recount their days being held captive in Libya
Lynsey Addario talks to NPR about her experience in Libya
Photographer Vincent Laforet remembers Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros who died "doing what they loved to do"
"Why We Need Women in War Zones" by Kim Barker
Vanity Fair article: Sebastian Junger Remembers Tim Hetherington
Chris Hondros' work in Libya shown on NY Times Lens Blog
"Restrepo": Tim Hetherington's Academy-Award nominated film
Video of Lynsey Addario being interviewed by Charlie Rose
Photographer Greg Marinovich's blogpost after his longtime friend Joao Silva was injured
"When It Turns Sour" - Greg Marinovich's blogpost the week that Hondros and Hetherington were killed/Bang-Bang Club movie release
Tim Hetherington's last interview given to Outside Magazine
NY Times Lens Blog: Interviewing Joao and Greg on the Bang Bang Club

Photographing Planet Earth - from a comfortable cruising altitude...

2011-05-01T17:32:00.001-07:00

Would you prefer a window seat or an aisle seat? Do you like having to get up every time the person next to you goes to the bathroom or do you prefer to sleep undisturbed with an extra wall to rest your head on? Do you enjoy the beverage cart periodically running over your foot or do you prefer having a rare aerial view of the planet you call home? You may be able to tell by my sarcasm that I am a window person.

I love my window seat. Each time I fly I have the opportunity to see our home, Planet Earth, from the unique vantage point of 39,000 feet above ground. I get to see how the mountains rise up from the plains, how rivers slither through the landscape, how the ocean greets the land and how minute that we, meaning Earthlings, actually are.

I've always believed that astronaut William Anders' photograph, taken in orbit, of the Earth rising over the Moon, has to be one of the most influential photos ever taken. The frame represents the first time that we, the human race, saw our blue planet in brilliant 70 mm color film. It was the first time that we saw, in color, how small and fragile we look in the scope of the universe. In terms of appreciating and treasuring our vulnerable environment, this has to be one of the most prominent photographs ever taken.

Astronaut William Anders photo, titled "Earthrise", taken on Christmas Eve in 1968.

Commuting via 747 from Vancouver to Chicago isn't exactly orbiting the moon, but it does provide an opportunity to see something unique. With the ease and frequency that we utilize air travel, we tend to take for granted the portraits of our planet breezing by the window. The Earth is an evolving creature, a constantly changing organism, and every time I fly I am given a unique perspective to photograph our precious home. Here are some examples of photographs of our Planet Earth, all have caught my eye from a comfortable cruising altitude.

Picture Effect Magic iPhone App Review

2011-04-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

San Francisco street car photograph with color splash effects added using the Picture Magic Effect iPhone App. (This photograph was taken using the Hipstamatic iPhone App; Lucifer Lens; Pistil Film)

WHAT 1980's MUSIC VIDEO DOES THE PICTURE EFFECT MAGIC iPHONE APP REMIND US OF?

Picture Effect Magic is a free iPhone photography application that allows you to creatively edit your mobile phone photography with funky, easy-to-apply effects. Examples of the effects that can be added through this iPhone app are splashes of color on a black-and-white photo, mirror effects, rainbow effects, paintbrush effects, neon light effects or, as shown above, you can turn your photo into a sketch. The effects are fun to play around with and in my opinion, tend to give your iPhone photos a very cheesy, 1980's MTV look. In fact, when I first played with the sketch effect shown below, I was instantly reminiscent of a certain 1980's music video. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Sketch effect added to a photograph of False Creek in Vancouver using the Picture Effect Magic iPhone App.

POP CULTURE QUESTION OF THE DAY: What 1980's music video does this app seem to celebrate?

If you guessed "Take on Me" by A-HA... then congratulations, you've correctly answered the pop culture question of the day! Your reward... drum roll please... you get to watch the Funny or Die version of the video!
Take on Me: Literal Video Version - watch more funny videos

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE PICTURE EFFECT MAGIC iPHONE APP:
The color splash effect works well and makes this application worth the space on your iPhone. This effect lets you easily desaturate parts of your photo while retaining the color in others. I like combining the color splash effect with my Hipstamatic iPhone photos, as shown above and below.
It's FREE
This iPhone app offers a large selection of unique effects to add to your photos
Easily save, email or share your photos on Facebook or Flickr
Gives me a somewhat legit excuse to post "Take on Me" by A-Ha onto my photography blog
WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT THE PICTURE EFFECT MAGIC iPHONE APP :(

I love the '80's and am a child of the '80's but let us face the facts: the 1980's were cheesy, as was that "Take On Me" video and as are the effects that you can use through this iPhone app. Sometimes cheesy is great, like in the video posted above, but usually, I'd rather leave my pictures be or make more subtle color adjustments using a different iPhone app such as Photoshop Express or the Best Camera App. As you'll see in the examples of Picture Effect Magic effects below... while the app successfully adds funky effects to your iPhone photos, most of the effects are tacky looking and at least on my iPhone, they go completely unused. Other effects are just plain bad, turning your photographs into completely unrecognizable patterns of swirls that an a 4-year-old and a stencil kit could easily create. (See the swirl effect example to see what I mean.)

10 EXAMPLES OF PICTURE EFFECT MAGIC EFFECTS

Here are some examples of Picture Effect Magic Effects.... note that this top image is the original iPhone photograph, taken on a wedding photography trip to California, that I am working with.

1. Solarize Effect

2. Neon Effect

3. Ice Effect

4. Sketch Effect
5. Sepia Effect - If you really want to make your photos look old, Old Photo Pro iPhone app is a better choice. If you are just looking to desaturate or add sepia tones to your photos, I would recommend trying the Best Camera App or the Photoshop Express iPhone app...

6. Swirl Effect - What?

7. Diffused Effect

8. Glow Edge Effect

9. Comic Effect

10. Wave Effect

Vancouver Canucks President's Trophy Season

2011-04-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

Today I am going to use my photography blog to.... GASP.... share my photography! In recent months, perhaps years, I have been inconsistent with posting and sharing recent work but those days are gone... from this day forward, sharing my photography will be one of the main purposes of this blog.

As you may know, the Vancouver Canucks have had a historic season grabbing their first ever President's Trophy with forward Daniel Sedin grabbing the Art Ross Trophy. Tonight is the eve of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs and the people in Vancouver are bracing themselves for what they hope with be a long successful playoff run. On the eve of the playoffs, here are a few photos from Vancouver's 2010/2011 season...

More photographs of Vancouver's big season after the jump...

Old Photo PRO iPhone App Review

2011-03-30T15:04:00.000-07:00

Skating on Lake Louise in December 2010

A Brief Note on Timeless Images...

Is there an image more iconically Canadian than that of a hockey net set up on a frozen lake? Outdoor ice hockey says Canada the same way baseball and apple pie say America. The only picture more Canadian that I can think of would be one of Sasquatch double fisting Kokanees and maple syrup while listening to the Tragically Hip. Since I'm confident that picture doesn't exist*, I will maintain that if there is an image to represent Canada's national identity, its heart and soul, it would be one similar to the one I snapped with my iPhone while driving past Lake Louise in Alberta last December. The picture is of a hockey net beckoning a pick-up game in a frozen and beautiful place.

The 21st century photo I took may have been shot with the most technologically advanced phone on the planet, the iPhone 4, but regardless of how current my equipment is, the frame itself is timeless. It could've been taken in 1980 or 1940 or 1880.... because since photographers have been taking pictures, Canadians have been braving the cold for a game of hockey.

There's an app for timeless images such as this. It's a free iPhone photography app that successfully makes the photos you take with your iPhone in 2011 look as if they've been folded and stored in the family bible since 1880. The Old Photo Pro iPhone app functions to turn your current mobile photos into the ancient looking images you only really see while combing through shoeboxes in your grandmother's basement.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE OLD PHOTO PRO iPHONE APP :)

It's FREE.... which also makes it very hard to give a bad review here...
It successfully makes your iPhone photos look older than dirt. Sepia tones, jagged edges and fold lines can all be added to make your photo look like a relic from grandpa's wallet!
Easy to use... see below...

WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT THE OLD PHOTO PRO iPHONE APP :(

The images may look older than Jessica Tandy on your monitor but I am doubting that the old photo effect is still successfully achieved once you try printing a picture processed through this application. This may be unfair criticism because I haven't yet tried it but between the low resolution of these files and the newness... if that's a word... of the paper they would be printed on... it would be hard to achieve the authentic look that is seen on the screen. I also don't think the jagged edges and the paper folds would translate onto photo paper unless the paper you printed on was worn down in its own right.

HOW TO WORK THE OLD PHOTO PRO iPHONE APP:

If anything, the Old Photo Pro app is easy to use and as soon as you load a photo into the application... the app processes it into something that appears old-fashioned. There are two editing screens that you can navigate to through this application, as shown in the image above. The first editing screen, shown on the left, allows you to add sepia or cyan to the image, adjust contrast, color, tone and brightness. The second editing screen, shown on the right, allows you to adjust the paper and edges of the photograph by adding folds and tears etc.

* If you have an image of Sasquatch or anything more Canadian then a hockey net on a frozen lake than please share the link!

Photoshop Express iPhone App Review

2011-03-11T11:11:00.000-08:00

iPhone photograph taken over the Rocky Mountains. Converted to black and white, contrast, soft blur vignette and border added using the Adobe Photoshop Express iPhone application.

WHAT IS THE PHOTOSHOP EXPRESS iPHONE APP?

Adobe Photoshop Express is a FREE iPhone photography application that allows you to quickly and easily edit your photos. Using this app, you can crop and straighten your photos, make color and contrast adjustments, add borders and funky effects and share your photos through facebook, twitter, email or photoshop.com. Photoshop Express is pretty consistently ranked as one of the most popular iPhone photography applications... I'm guessing its non-existent price has a lot to do with that but it shouldn't be overlooked that this is a great app that gives you more control than most photo editing apps when it comes to toning and making your camera phone photos POP!

Mobile phone photograph edited using PS Express iPhone App. Saturation, a soft vignette blur and border added.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE PHOTOSHOP iPHONE APP :)

It's FREE. Why pay for something when you can get it for free? Typically free things are free for one specific reason... because they suck. Still, most consumers will try a free product before they will spend any cash. The Photoshop iPhone App was the first photography application that I downloaded for my phone because it was free and to my delight, it didn't suck.
EASY TO MAKE SUBTLE ADJUSTMENTS TO PHOTOS. I've found most iPhone photo editing apps make it easy to add filters or effects to your photos but can be frustrating as it is hard to control to what degree you want to use that filter. One thing I really like about using this app is that you can quickly make subtle adjustments to your photos - without making them look overly tweaked. Photoshop Express makes it easy to boost your colors with a subtle saturation adjustment or a simple exposure adjustment. The filters provided with other editing apps often leave no control over how much saturation or contrast you want to add, leaving your photos looking overly funkified.*
QUICKLY SHARE and STORE YOUR PICTURES. Photoshop Express makes it simple to quickly upload your photos to the usual suspects... facebook and twitter. I don't know if this makes the Photoshop Express App unique because really, just about every iPhone camera app I've seen is all about quickly sharing your snazzy, edited photos on social networking sites. In fact, I would say if you develop an iPhone camera app that doesn't allow users to do this, you've blown it. One thing that is unique to the Photoshop application is that you can also upload and store your photos at your own personalized photoshop.com account. The free photoshop.com account gives you an online gallery space where you can show off your photography. It also provides an online storage space for your photos so if room is getting tight on your iPhone, you can store them on the photoshop site. This website also lets you edit your photos on a bigger screen using Photoshop Express and allows you to store and edit your other photos as well. External storage space online sets the photoshop application apart from the pack.

Poor dog left out on the fun in Vancouver. Edited and filtered using the Photoshop Express App.

WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT THE PHOTOSHOP iPHONE APP :(

When it comes to making subtle and realistic adjustments to your iPhone photos, this is an awesome app. It is also important to keep in mind that this is a free app, so anything you don't like isn't necessarily money down the drain. When it comes to adding funky effects, filters and borders - there are other apps that do it better. The sketch function on this app just seems to pixelate the image and while some of the effects filters, such as the vignette blur, look great... others are downright cheesy, such as the rainbow filter. I also was hoping to find more creative borders to choose from for my photos. I like the film emulsion border but other than that, most of the borders were either a variation on a standard white border or just did not seem interesting.

A Vancouver card game. Soft Black and White Filter with white border.

* Definitely a made-up word meaning overly tweaked.

Best Camera iPhone App Review

2011-02-27T16:57:00.000-08:00

iPhone photograph taken somewhere over the Gulf or San Juan Islands at a cruising altitude between Vancouver and Seattle.

Filtered and shared using the Best Camera App.

IS THE BEST CAMERA THE ONE THAT'S WITH YOU?

Definitely. Great photographs of found moments are constantly presenting themselves to us in everyday situations and we don't always have our expensive and bulky camera gear with us. What do we always have with us? Our phones! It may be a tool of last resort but our iPhone cameras are often the only tool we have to photograph some of the visually stunning things we pass during our everyday routines.

"The best camera is the one that's with you" is a phrase coined by the Seattle photographer who developed this iPhone camera app, Chase Jarvis. Chase Jarvis is a well-known commercial photographer and the thing I like most about him is that he is all about sharing his knowledge and ideas with anyone who is interested. Many photographers seem strangely secretive about their work and techniques but Chase Jarvis always seems to be thinking of what he has to share. His blog is his main tool for sharing his ideas and knowledge and on it you can learn about everything from his black and white post-production techniques to his studio's photo editing techniques to how to print and hang a photography show. With the culture of sharing Chase has developed on his blog, I was not surprised when he developed his own iPhone camera app that let you edit and easily SHARE your photos with the world.

iPhone photograph taken just before landing in Denver. Edited and shared using the Best Camera App.

WHAT IS THE BEST CAMERA APP?

The Best Camera App is a well-named iPhone application that costs $2.99 and was developed by Seattle-based photographer Chase Jarvis. This application lets you creatively filter and quickly share your iPhone photos. The application is easy-to-use with 22 filters that you can use individually or stack onto your pictures. The Best Camera makes it simple to share your iPhone photos through Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, email or the application's live photo sharing site at thebestcamera.com. Best Camera App creator Chase Jarvis has also published a book of his own iPhone photography called "The Best Camera is the One That's With You."

iPhone photo on Cypress Mountain in Vancouver, B.C. made cooler/more wintery with Best Camera App filters

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE BEST CAMERA iPHONE APP:

Easy to use
Wide range of filters to experiment with
Quickly share your photos on multiple sharing sites
This application saves your filter "recipe" so you can remember the combination of filters you used and get the same effect in the future
Control over file sizes

Best Camera App filter selection and file size selection

WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT THE BEST CAMERA iPHONE APP :(

While the Best Camera App offers a lot of photo filters to work with, I often find myself wishing that I had more control of the degree to which each filter is used. Each filter can be used on the photos at either 100% or 50% but there is no way to move between these. Now, if I was using actual glass filters on a film photography lens I would not be able to easily adjust the strength of each filter either but... after years of being spoiled by easily adjustable computerized filters in programs such as Photoshop, I'm left wanting a little more control.

Using Best Camera App filters to a photo taken in English Bay, Vancouver, B.C.

HOW TO EDIT YOUR PHOTOS USING THE BEST CAMERA APP:

One of the things I like most about the Best Camera iPhone app is that it is easy to use. To edit your photos using this application, just follow the steps.

1. Either take your photo with the Best Camera app or select a photo from your iPhone's photo library.

2. Scroll through the photo filters at the bottom of your screen and test them out. When you see one you like, hit 'apply' to apply the filter to your photograph. Stack as many filters on top of one another as you like.

3. If you want to go back and erase any filters, you can hit the button on the top right side of your screen. This will take you to a screen that shows you your filter "recipe" or the combination of filters you've used to get up to this point. Click the X to delete any unwanted effects.

4. Once you are done, you can save it back to your iPhone photo library or instantly share it through a number of social media sites.

SHARING YOUR iPHONE PHOTOGRAPHY WITH THE BEST CAMERA APP:

As I mentioned before, Chase Jarvis, the photographer who authored this iPhone app, is all about sharing. Sharing ideas, sharing techniques and sharing photos. It's therefore not surprising that an iPhone application with his stamp on it makes it extremely easy to share your photos. The Best Camera App makes it easy to quickly post your edited iPhone photos to Facebook, Flickr, Twitter OR to the Best Camera App's photo sharing site, thebestcamera.com.

The site is dubbed, by itself, as the "worldwide hub of mobile photography." Whether it is or isn't, it is certainly fun to see an online showcase and sharing site of exclusively camera phone photography. The site gives you your own Best Camera profile that stores all your photos and their Best Camera recipes and also showcases the most popular photos recently posted. This sharing site is simply a celebration of camera phone photography and it's entertaining to log on and see all the iPhone moments happening across the globe right now.

Bestcamera.com gives iPhone photographers their own profile page.

The site showcases its most popular mobile phone photography.

Photojournalism and the Hipstamatic App

2011-02-26T11:57:00.000-08:00

IS THE HIPSTAMATIC CAMERA A VALID TOOL FOR PHOTOJOURNALISTS?

Photograph above by Damon Winter from his third-place POYi winning feature picture story titled "A Grunt's Life". Winter used the Hipstamatic App to take the photos.

Ironically enough, while the Hipstamatic app celebrates the charming and imperfect appearance of old film photographs, I maintain that an app like this only abbreviates the already short life expectancy of film photography. Can use of the Hipstamatic also truncate the public's confidence in trustworthy photojournalism?

The Hipstamatic versus photojournalism controversy seems to be a hot topic on photojournalism blogs since Damon Winter, a well-respected photojournalist for the NY Times, recently won third place feature picture story in the Pictures of the Year International (POYi) competition for a story called "A Grunt's Life". The story was shot with the Hipstamatic app and features photographs of G.I.'s on the front lines in Afghanistan killing time as they wait for what comes next.

To place in POYi is to receive one of photojournalism's most prestigious recognitions. The rules of the POYi contest state that "no masks, borders, backgrounds or other artistic effects are allowed" and as we previously discussed, the Hipstamatic app uses filters to add borders and give your photos the effect of old medium-format photographs. This is where many photojournalists have stated their concern. Are your pictures altered if you use the Hipstamatic app? Can they truly serve as a record of the truth? If photojournalists continue to use the Hipstamatic app in their work, will the Hipstamatic app diminish the overall quality of photojournalism?

Several respected photojournalists have weighed in on this subject and links to their postings are below. Damon Winter's response to the Hipstamatic controversy is eloquently written and poses an interesting question: If the Hipstamatic is an invalid tool that distorts a true moment, then aren't all of our cameras and many of our methods invalid?

Isn't shooting with an extremely shallow depth of field a form of distortion? What about using a long lens to compress a scene? How about getting exceptionally close to a subject with a wide angle or a fish-eye? Doesn't shooting with two bulky digital bodies and a bag of lenses sometimes affect a subjects awareness of a photographer whereas an iPhone camera can often go unnoticed? Back in the days of film many photographers started shooting with Ektachrome for those nice warm tones. To this day, many photographers will meter for the highlights so their shadows dramatically go to black. All of these are great methods to help photojournalists tell their story and their use has rarely been called into question but it is true, they technically distort a scene to bring a photographer's vision to life.

In the end, and this is just my opinion, it's about a photojournalist's vision and not the camera he uses to tell a story. Photojournalists tell a story and they use the tools they need to get it done. In this case, Damon Winter successfully told a story with his tool, which just happened to be the Hipstamatic.

Hear are some blogposts from talented and respected photographers on the subject:

Hipstamatic and the Death of Photojournalism - Matt Buchanan

There's an App for Photojournalism - Chip Litherland

Drawing the Line - Logan Mock-Bunting

Through My Eye, Not Hipstamatic's - Damon Winter's Reply

Hipstamatic iPhone App Review

2011-02-16T22:59:00.000-08:00

Hipstamatic Photograph taken above Illinois using the John S lens and Pistil Film from the Williamsburg Hipstapak

WHAT IS THE HIPSTAMATIC iPHONE APP?

Inspired by the Kodak Instamatic camera, this application puts computerized filters over your regular iPhone camera to make your photos look like the aged and beautifully flawed medium-format photos that you typically see when poking around through old shoeboxes in your parent's closet. Using the Hipstamatic app, your iPhone takes on the look of an old toy camera with an extensive selection of instantly interchangeable lenses and films. These "lenses" and "films" are actually computerized camera filters but regardless, your end product has the look of vintage photographs. The end result is an application that combines the ease of digital photography with the fun of experimenting with old cameras and films.

After the jump...
- Likes and Dislikes of the Hipstamatic Camera...
- How to work your Hipstamatic iPhone App...
- History of the Hipstamatic Camera...
- Examples of Hipstamatic Lenses and Films...

Girl at a coffee shop in Kitsilano shot with the John S lens and BlacKeys Black and White film from the Portland Hipstapak

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE HIPSTAMATIC iPHONE APP:

The fun of experimenting with an old toy camera
The price... $1.99 (An additional 99 cents if you want to add extra films and lenses) You will not find a more fun camera at this rate. When I showed my Dad the Hipstamatic and told him it was "one ninety-nine".... he assumed I meant $199 and thought it seemed reasonable.
The speed... The Hipstamatic camera lets you see and share your photos with a 10 second "processing" turnaround. This app introduces the ease of digital photography to the traditionally fun but SLOW old toy camera. To appreciate how much faster the Hipstamatic is than your Holga, thing about the steps you have to take to see your photos if you are shooting with actual medium format film... Once you buy your quirky old toy film camera, likely for more than $1.99, this is what you have to do before you actually see one of your photos... 1. Go to the camera store... the first store you go to, the one right in your neighborhood, likely doesn't sell the medium format film you need for this camera so find the store in your city that does still sell the film and go there! 2. Shoot your 36 exposures 3. Go to the lab to take it to be processed... NO, not that lab! The Kodak kiosk at the London Drugs cannot hang with your medium format film so you need to find the super special professional lab in your city that is still processing unique formats of film and go there! 4. Now wait a week while your film is processed. 5. Now go back to the film and voila! A week and at least $20 later you have pictures! Plastic film cameras are creative and fun but there is no arguing that they cost time and money!
Interchangeable "lenses" and "films"... When you buy this app for $1.99, it comes with 3 different "lenses", 3 different "films", a standard black carrying case and a couple of strobes. As is the case with any camera, depending on what combination of lens and film you choose, the effect to your photograph will be specific to the gear you select. In the case of the Hipstamatic, the lens and films work as filters that make your end result look like a medium-format film photograph... complete with the lack of white balance and light leaks you may get shooting with a toy film camera.

Vancouver restaurant photographed with the Lucifer VI lens from the Portland Hipstapak and Pistil film from the Williamsburg Hipstapak

WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT THE HIPSTAMATIC iPHONE APP:(

The noise that you hear is the sound of more nails being hammered into film photography's coffin. Everything that is good about the Hipstamatic camera, (the speed, the price, the quality) is toxic for actual film photography. It's ironic because the application itself celebrates the look of film photography while also contributing to its inevitable disappearance. In recent years, toy cameras have been popular alternatives for those wanting a different and more creative look to their photography. Toy cameras were quirky and had something that digital cameras could not offer. The Hipstamatic changes this. Now there is a fast, cheap and easy high-quality alternative to toy cameras and it will be interesting to see how long they can stay on the shelves. In the meantime, might be time to scribble another blogpost reflecting on the days of film photography.

HOW TO WORK THE HIPSTAMATIC APP?

The Hipstamatic turns your iPhone into an plastic toy camera but if you're feeling a bit digitally in-ept and it doesn't seem as self-explanatory as a plastic toy camera... then refer to these diagrams!
When you open your Hipstamatic app... your view will be the one below. Select your lenses and film before you start taking photos and then reverse to the viewfinder screen when you are ready!
This is what your viewfinder will look like. Remember that the Hipstamatic functions very similar to a toy camera and what you see through your viewfinder will not always be what ends up in your photo's frame.
To chimp or take a peak at the photos you just made you push the bottom left button of the screen and BAM! This is what you see.... All prints are also saved into the photo library on your iPhone. Click directly on an image to see what lens and film you used to make the photograph.

THE HISTORY of the HIPSTAMATIC APP

The Hipstamatic celebrates the way pictures looked 30 years ago which is why we shouldn't be surprised that the Hipstamatic camera was actually first developed in 1982. That's right, the Hipstamatic is wholly a child of the film photography generation. The camera was conceived in Wisconsin by Bruce and Winston Dorbowski, the late brothers of Hipstamatic App creator Richard Dorbowski. The original Hipstamatic was a 35 mm view finder camera, shooting 28mm by 28 mm photos that had a plastic body and a plastic lens. Link here to read how Richard Dorbowski honors his brothers' passion for art and photography with the Hipstamatic App.

Hipstamatic photograph of Vancouver's English Bay with the Kaimal Mark II lens and Kodot XGrizzled Film

EXAMPLES OF HIPSTAMATIC LENS

Here are some examples of the effects of varying Hipstamatic camera lenses on the same film. All of these images were taken with the Hipstamatic Kodot XGrizzled film, looking down on planet Earth, somewhere between Chicago and Seattle.

JOHN S. Lens - Part of your included equipment. Saturates and adds a vignette effect.

JIMMY Lens - Part of Included Equipment - Adds a greenish, yellow hue to photos

KAIMAL MARK II Lens - Part of included equipment, low-contrast, pinkish hue to photos

HELGA Lens - Sold with the Williamsburg HipstaPak, low contrast, purple, red hue

LUCIFER VI Lens - Sold with the Portland HipstaPak. Saturated colors, sharp focus, burns edges and add red strips to photos.

CHUNKY Lens - Part of the Mac & Milk Fashion FreePak, cinematic tones, warm leaks

EXAMPLES OF HIPSTAMATIC FILMS

Check out these examples of Hipstamatic films. All of these photos were also taken while soaring across planet Earth, somewhere between Chicago and Seattle... closer to Chicago.

BLANKO Film - Included equipment. Simple "rudimentary" film, white border. (John S lens used in photo)

INA'S 1969 Film - Included equipment. Rounded corner, textured border, resembles films of the 50's and 60's (John S lens used in photo)

KODOT XGRIZZLED Film - Included equipment. Meant to look like print paper that was not properly squared in a paper holder under the enlarger. (John S lens used in photo)

BLACKEYS BLACK & WHITE ULTRACHROME Film - Portland HipstaPak. High contrast, monotone images with a black border and a date stamp for this month, 30 years ago. (Lucifer VI lens used in photo)

CLAUNCH 72 MONOCHROME Film - Portland HipstaPak. Grainy warm monorchrome film with a black border. (Lucifer VI lens used in photo)

PISTIL Film - Williamsburg HipstaPak. Appears like medium format slide film with black borders, top of the image has a "sheen finish, giving the appearance of a reflection." (John S lens used in photo)

In-Depth Reviews of the Best iPhone Photography Applications!

2011-02-15T13:45:00.000-08:00

Which iPhone Photography App Should I Buy?

The big news in the world of the telephone this month is that Verizon Wireless is now offering the iPhone to its 90 million plus subscribers. How is this relevant to the world of photography? A lot of people are about to have a revolutionary camera. I know the word "revolutionary" might seem a bit dramatic, but unless you look in the future, you will not find a camera that allows you to take, extensively edit and easily share high-quality photos as well as the iPhone 4 does. So congratulations to the first million Verizon Wireless users who already have an iPhone... you also have a ridiculously fun camera!

There are an insane amount of creative and entertaining photography applications to choose from for your iPhone so since I'm already obsessed, let me be your guide. Each week, I plan to do reviews of some of the best, most popular iPhone photo apps.....

To get started... here are the 5 iPhone photography applications that I'll be reviewing, comparing and testing out this week... and I'll try and continue to do one every week until there is no more space for photography apps on my iPhone!

1. The Hipstamatic! - $1.99 - Full Review

"Digital photography never looked so analog."

The pictures you take with this application will look like photographs that you thought could only be found stored in a shoebox in the attic(or basement or closet) of someone over the age of 50. The catchphrase of the Hipstamatic is "Digital photography never looked so analog" and it's appropriate... The Hipstamatic photo app turns your iPhone into an old, plastic toy camera with interchangeable lens, a selection of filtered strobes and an intriguing assortment of films. For those photographers who never process the film from their Holga, this app is your new best friend.

As you can see below, the Hipstamatic transforms your iPhone display to take on the look of an old toy camera while also giving you the benefits of a digital camera.

In the photographs below you can see samples of two of the Hipstamatic's unique looking "films". It was just a month ago that I was dwelling on the past and remembering film photography on this very blog but as it turns out, we still shoot film in the future... we just no longer have to commit to 36 exposures!

Here are a couple pictures I took in my Vancouver neighborhood this morning. When was the last time you took photographs with a vintage look like this without having to wait(and pay) for a film processing turnaround?

More information and a full review of the Hipstamatic iPhone App here...

2. The Best Camera App by Chase Jarvis - $2.99 - Full Review

"The Best Camera is the One That's With You"

Seattle-based photographer Chase Jarvis developed this iPhone app that makes it simple to shoot, edit and share your iPhone photography. Chase is one of the first people to really celebrate the possibilities of iPhone photography.... or at least he is one of the first people that I heard celebrating iPhone photography. As his saying goes, "the Best Camera is the One That's With You..." Exactly. Chase has published a book of his own iPhone photos and launched an online community that allows people using the Best Camera App to easily share their iPhone photos with fellow iPhone photography enthusiasts. The Best Camera App offers 14 funky and/or corrective photo filters that can be used and even stacked on your iPhone photos to create unique, compelling images.

iPhone photograph taken over the San Juan Islands on a flight from Vancouver to Seattle. I used a combination of Best Camera App filters for creative effects.

More information and a full review of the Best Camera iPhone App here...

3. Photoshop Express - FREE - Full Review

No beer tastes as good as free beer.

Not a bad philosophy with beer so I decided to try it out with iPhone apps which is why this is the first photography app I downloaded. As it turns out, the philosophy checked out! The Adobe Photoshop Express iPhone application is an excellent and fast photo editing program that will make your iPhone photos pop and allow you to quickly share them.

iPhone photograph taken over the Rocky Mountains in route to Denver. Used Adobe Photoshop Express to desaturate, add contrast, add a vignette blur and border.

More information and a full review of the Photoshop Express iPhone App here...

4. Old Photo PRO - FREE - Full Review

Guess what? You no longer have to live until you're 90 to see pictures that you took when you were young looking older than dirt. With Old Photo Pro, another photo app I downloaded just because it is free, you can instantly transform a photograph taken with your new, shiny, iPhone 4 into an old family relic. In fact, I bet if I showed this photo to my Grandmother she'd be racking her brain to remember if she went to Lake Louise before or after the war... "It must've been before because we would've had to bring the kids with us after..."

iPhone photograph taken at Lake Louise, Alberta in December 2010 and made older than dirt with the Old Photo Pro App. As a side note, is there anything more Canadian than a hockey net on a frozen lake?

More information and a full review of the Old Photo Pro iPhone App here...

5. Picture Effect Magic - FREE - Full Review

Before you click over to the full review of this application, a short pop culture quiz.

Please look at my original iPhone photo of an In-and-Out Burger in Goleta, California below and then look at the effect I added to the photograph using the Picture Effect Magic iPhone application.

Pop Culture Quiz Question:

What 1980's music video are you thinking of right now? Find the answer in the photo app review...

More information and a full review of the Picture Effect Magic iPhone App here...

A Vancouver Wedding Photographer Can California Dream...

2011-01-18T23:44:00.000-08:00

I'm just going to go ahead and say that the idea of photographing a wedding in a warm climate between November and February is one of every Canadian wedding photographer's dreams. Yes, I am taking the liberty of speaking for all Canadian wedding photographers and saying that we love warm weather in the winter! I'll admit I shouldn't complain about the cold weather being based in Vancouver because really, Vancouver is significantly warmer than the rest of Canada in the winter... it's the San Diego of Canada! But I'm not really complaining about the temperature. The problem is just the rain..... from November through February, the rain can be unrelenting and every once in a while, you need to dream up some sunshine.... so I would like to take this opportunity to thank Matt and Brittany for California dreamin' this Vancouver photographer some sunshine!

Here are some things I loved, in addition to the weather, about photographing Matt and Brittany's wedding in Carpinteria, California!

They didn't forget to add a personal touch to everything!

Weddings are personal... so when planning your cake, decorations, jewelry, I love seeing a personal touch added to all the details! Matt and Brittany had a little bit of a love bird theme going which all their guests initially saw on their invitations. They kept with that theme for their party planning and used love birds as a cake topper.... with the personal touch of an L.A. Dodgers hat on the boy bird. (Matt's a big time Dodger fan.*)

Brittany's mother Cindy and her friends did an amazing job helping make this wedding happen! Among many other things, they put together everything including the bouquets, centerpieces and.... the beautiful earrings that Brittany wore!

They found an old Rolls Royce to use in the photos!

I believe that some credit may go once again to the friends of Brittany's mom for pulling through on the Rolls. I've said this in other wedding photography blog posts before... no photographer will ever complain about having to incorporate an old Rolls Royce(or any other old, cool car) into the wedding photography. Plus, being chauffeured around their hometown of Carpinteria on their wedding day was an obvious treat for Matt and Brittany....

They took me to the beach for their wedding photos!

I've said this before... the best photography assignments are the ones you can shoot while barefoot on the beach! Okay, okay, I'll admit I kept my boots on while shooting Matt and Brittany but I COULD HAVE taken my shoes off. So therefore, this wedding beach shoot is included in the best photography assignments category. Any time that you could potentially take your shoes off on a beach while working is a good time. Add a great couple and it's a blast!

They picked a great venue... which made for a beautiful ceremony!

Matt and Brittany got married under the sycamore trees at the Carpinteria Lions Park. It was a great indoor/outdoor space for an all day celebration and a beautiful outdoor ceremony.

And finally, they gave the bridal party tequila just before the group portraits!

I'm just saying it may have helped loosen everybody up!**

* At this point you are obviously wondering: why is Matt a Dodger fan? Honestly, I can't help you figure this out. We all love a Dodger dog now and then but seriously, I don't have an explanation. I do have an appreciation for all baseball fans though... no matter how delusional their alliances may be.

** I can only recommend this on a case by case basis.

Remembering Film Photography (While Simultaneously Uploading Digital Photos)

2011-01-03T11:46:00.001-08:00

5 Things I'll Miss About Shooting Film!

Congratulations to everybody who has a few old rolls of Kodachrome sitting in the back of their refrigerator... you are now the proud owner of a collector's item! No more nice bright colors. No more greens of summer. Mama just took our kodachrome away...

This is the big news that moved through the world of film photography this holiday season. Kodachrome, the world's oldest mass-produced color reversal film(and one-time muse to Paul Simon), is no longer being produced by Kodak and as of 12/30/2010, can no longer be processed. Dwayne's Photo Service in Parsons, Kansas, the last Kodak certified photo lab to process Kodachrome, processed the film's final rolls before taking the world's last functional K-14 processing machine out of service. Kodak gave the last roll of Kodachrome to photographer Steve McCurry... a deserving recipient.

Since digital photography rode into town on its big white horse, photographers have been talking about an inevitable death to film photography. Slowly, industry leaders like Kodak and Fuji have discontinued their once popular films and photo papers, favoring the production of digital photography materials. Each time a great film is discontinued, photographers sing its praises, as if mourning the loss of an old friend.... one they likely haven't been in touch with in many years...

If film photography could survive on sentimentality, business would be booming. A film is discontinued and a chorus of memories of living room slideshows is sung. People fondly reminisce about the sound of the projector clicking to the next slide as their family would enthusiastically watch their shared memories decorate the living room wall. Unfortunately, the same people who reminisce about living room slide shows also switched to digital as soon as the technology was there... and as they sing their praises for the dying art of film photography, they simultaneously upload a photo(taken 30 seconds ago) to a potential audience of 200 million people on Facebook. Film photography just doesn't stand much of a chance when digital technology is faster, more efficient and less expensive... especially when the people who love film the most, have long-since switched to digital photography.

I would count myself as one of those photographers singing praises of the dying art of film while simultaneously uploading a flash card full of digital photos. I'm sad to see Kodachrome go... but really I haven't bought a roll of film, of any kind, since I did a film is not dead photography project two years ago. Oh well, I'm still allowed to reminisce.... so I was looking through some old slides the other day.... and I thought it would be nice to do a list of the 5 things I'll miss when film is gone forever. This could also be titled 5 things I already miss since really, I don't use film anymore. Away we go...

5 Things I'll Miss When Film Photography Officially Dies

(Told With Some of my Favorite Old Film Photographs)

1. Seeing those nice bright colors for the first time as you check out your images on the lightbox....

There's a build-up to this... You go on a trip. On the second day, you take a killer photo. You label the roll and then you wait until you get home to take it to the processing lab. All week you think about how you can't wait to see that photo. This isn't digital. You don't get to browse through the images on the LCD screen on the airplane home. You have to wait. Then you drop it off at the lab and have to wait an hour? Three days? A week? Finally... the time passes and your film is ready. The anticipation has been driving you nuts! You pick it up, throw it on the lightbox right there at the laboratory and get your first look at your image with all its glowing colors.... pictures never look as good as the first time you see their nice bright colors on the lightbox!

Bright colors on an American landscape near Fresno

2. Film prongs!

The classic look of film. The iconic symbol of photography. RIP prongs.

Film prongs frame Save-On Meats, East Vancouver

3. Experimenting with filters to saturate and distort color...

Sure... now we have filters in photoshop but that's just not as much fun. Testing a new set of filters and waiting until your film gets processed to see that it gave a picture the result that you wanted, to see that you nailed it, is fun.

Playing with warming filters at the Bodie Historic Ghost Town in California.

4. Surprises.

Sometimes when you make it to the photography processing lab to finally take a peak at some of your images you get a few surprises, like the pictures below. At the time I didn't know anything about photographing star trails and had never photographed a star trail before. I was in Yosemite National Park as night fell and looking at its famous rock formation, El Capitan, when I noticed you could see the headlamps of the rock climbers spending the night on their climbing route. I took one short exposure of the big dipper and the climbers and that picture is the top photograph shown below. After taking that photo, I thought I would experiment with photographing my first star trail. I saw that some of the head lamps were still moving up the face of El Cap so I thought it could end up being a great photograph of a star trail above and the climbers below. Since I didn't have a cable release with me I was going to have to compress the shutter on my F100 manually while trying to hold very still to avoid camera shake. So I did that with my left hand while I drank a beer with my right and then I waited about a half-hour. I had no idea if it had worked and only took one frame because I didn't want to waste the whole night shooting star trails incorrectly. I was completely shocked when I looked at the photos on the lightbox at the photo lab and saw it had worked. The stars look a little shakier than they need to be, but I successfully got the stars and the rock climbers.... it was a surprise and I was thrilled!

Star Trail Photographs in Yosemite National Park of the Big Dipper and Rock Climbers on El Capitan

5. Using your photographic knowledge, not your LCD screen, to take the picture you want!

Film is money and every exposure you got wrong shooting with film was a waste of money. You learned where to take your meter reading and to get your composition right in the first frame. Using your LCD screen to check your exposure and composition wasn't an option. In this photo I knew the wrangler was going to come in for a saddle soon. So I went into the livery, took a meter reading of the lit wall shown in the background (since I wanted the cowboy and the saddles to be in silhouette) and waited for him to walk into the frame. This just in... this is something we can still do with digital cameras! Pre-visualize and use your knowledge to calculate the appropriate exposure.... avoid looking at your LCD screen!

Photograph of a Cowboy in Goleta, California

What will you miss when film photography officially croaks? Or should I ask, what do you already miss about film photography? (Since you've probably been shooting digital for the better part of the past decade!)

How to be a Full-Time Surf Photographer... (and why I'll probably never be one...)

2010-12-17T00:23:00.000-08:00

Getting Wet with Surf Photography and Photographers Jeff Flindt and Clark Little

I've mentioned this on the blog before. The best photography assignments are the ones that you can shoot while barefoot on the beach. Essentially, the best photography assignments are surf photography assignments, even when you're a photographer in British Columbia. I love photographing surfing and surf culture but it is only one part, a small part, of my job as a photographer... I also love shooting photography assignments while wearing shoes on dry land and that's a good thing because I could never make a full-time living as a surf photographer. Why not?

To be a full-time surf photographer you have to eventually get more than just your feet wet. You have to leave that cozy spot where you were barefoot on the beach, you have to grab your camera and go for a swim* and once you're out there, you have to be able to swim like a fish. There may be an exception or two out there, but I don't think it's a stretch to say that the top surf photographers in the industry take a large percentage of their photographs from the water. A quick flip through any surf magazine will reveal this to be true. Why don't I just go get in the water? Let's be honest.... I'm from Chicago, I'm not a born surfer and I am don't have the confidence to swim and shoot in 12-ft waves... or 3-ft waves. I'm just not well acquainted enough with Mother Ocean and I can live with this, for now. I won't rule out giving it a try one day but for the most part, I believe someone who is an admittedly weak and unconfident swimmer has no place being in the water in dangerous and unfamiliar waves. So until I get confident, I'll be shooting from the shore.

That said, there are plenty of incredible surf photographers out there who are literally out there(in the water) and so, for those of us who can't be or at least shouldn't be, we get to admire their work. One such photographer is Jeff Flindt, an editor and photographer for SURFING magazine who has made a name for himself as one of the world's top surf photographers. Flindt is taking on a new documentary project and was originally released back in November but stumbled upon it when browsing aphotoeditor.com this a.m.

The project is called Wave Hunter and showcases Flindt talking about his work as a surf photographer in the water. In the first minute of this trailer he distinguishes the difference between shooting surfing from land and shooting from the water. So for those of us who can't, or at least shouldn't be shooting in the water, you can get a taste of what it is like by letting Jeff Flindt take you into the water with this trailer...

Want to see more? This clip will take you into the shorebreak with North Shore (Hawaii not Vancouver) based photographer Clark Little...

* I might want to recommend a water housing if you do "grab your camera and go for a swim."

Travel Photography: Harrison Hot Springs for British Columbia Magazine

2010-12-06T15:39:00.001-08:00

I spent some time last winter photographing Harrison Hot Springs and the Hemlock Valley Ski Resort for British Columbia Magazine. Uncrowded slopes and warm soaking pools make the area a great B.C. winter destination. The pictures accompany writer Bruce Grierson's article in the Winter 2010 issue... so go get your copy today!

To see additional images from my time working in Harrison Hot Springs, check out this photo gallery on the British Columbia Magazine website...

Support Joao Silva and Check out the Vancouver Documentary Class Blog!

2010-11-10T10:54:00.000-08:00

Two quick things:

1) Support Joao Silva - if you can...

Joao Silva, a South African photographer and Bang-Bang club member who originally gained recognition photographing the hostility in the apartheid's final days, stepped on a mine while on assignment in Afghanistan late last month and lost both of his legs.

A photoshelter website has been set up on his behalf where prints can be bought/donations can be made. Link here to support Joao Silva.

Link here to read about this incident and Joao in the NY Times.

2) Vancouver Documentary Class - Now Online!

This fall I started teaching a documentary photography class at the Focal Point Visual Arts Learning Center here in Vancouver. A blog has been set up to showcase the work of the students and share interesting links and information on documentary photography.

Link here to view the blog, explore the student's work and find more information on documentary photography!

The Best Photography Assignments...

2010-10-17T17:07:00.000-07:00

...are the ones that you can shoot while barefoot on a beach. Even if it's October and that beach is in Canada? ESPECIALLY if it's October and the beach is in Tofino, British Columbia... What's not to love about any assignment involving surf photography? Any day that you can show up to work in flip flops, or better yet, work with your feet dipped in the ocean, is a good day.

So I left Vancouver to spend the end of last week in Tofino, B.C. on a couple of photography assignments, partly focusing on photographing the last couple days of the 2010 O'Neill Coldwater Classic. Now it is the COLDwater Classic... so logically the surfers are likely sporting 5 mm wetsuits and most sensible photographers had their rubber boots on to photograph the action but not me.... this is partly because I don't own said boots and partly because anytime you have the opportunity to work barefoot, you should! Even if the water is frickin' cold, just wear a bunch of layers up top, perhaps some long johns and keep warm socks in the car to delight your numb feet at the end of your day.

This was the Coldwater Classic's second year in Tofino and both years I have made the trip to check out the event. The event went well with amazing surfing to watch out on the familiar and beautiful beaches of Tofino. Local Tofino surfer and 2009 Coldwater Classic champ Peter DeVries was eliminated in the round of 16 by Australian surfer Josh Kerr.... who went on to be the 2010 Coldwater Classic Champion. Here are some of photographs of the action on Chesterman Beach in Tofino last week...

2009 O'Neill CWC Champ Peter DeVries surfs Thursday during the round of 16 against Josh Kerr of Australia.

Above, Hawaiian Hank Gaskell competes in the 2010 O'Neill Coldwater ClassicTofino; Below, South African Rudy Palmboom surfs at North Chesterman Beach in Tofino during the 2010 O'Neill Coldwater Classic

2010 O'Neill CWC Champ Josh Kerr surfed to victory in four heats on Thursday on got a mouthful of champagne to celebrate.

Above and below: An odd day in Tofino for two reasons: 1) Sunshine 2) Julian Wilson surfing the local break at North Chesterman Beach

The Coldwater Classic scene at North Chesterman Beach in Tofino.

New Zealand's Richard Christie on North Chesterman Beach in Tofino, B.C.

Julian Wilson(foreground) and Josh Kerr walk out of the water after the quarterfinals of the 2010 O'Neill Coldwater Classic in Tofino, British Columbia.

Sebastian Zietz competes during the O'Neill Coldwater Classic Series Event in Tofino, British Columbia.

Cory Lopez and Tonino Benson crowd a wave during the O'Neill Coldwater Classic in Tofino, British Columbia.

Photographing Hurricane Katrina: 5 Years Gone...

2010-08-29T23:48:00.000-07:00

Three weeks after Hurricane Katrina, water spills out of the cash register at Dean Martin's St. Bernard Parish restaurant. Martin had returned

to salvage what he could from the business. The restaurant was overtaken by water damage in post-Katrina flooding.

A destroyed home that floated into the middle of the road in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.

Post-Katrina graffiti in the lower ninth ward, New Orleans.

It has officially been 5 years since Hurricane Katrina washed New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast away - so here is a blog post on my personal experience covering Hurricane Katrina.

I was among the millions who helplessly watched as the storm hit and then levees then failed, flooding much of New Orleans. Before the storm, I believe that people in the United States, (and in Canada where I now live,) had such faith in our infrastructure that should a natural disaster of an unprecedented scale occur, services would be in place to provide for those left without shelter and food; people would be cared for. We'd seen images of people suffering before, but they had almost always been people across oceans, in foreign lands.... people that we could not relate to. So it was particularly horrifying when we saw the images of our neighbors in the Gulf left in a situation where there was no system in place to care for them.

An American flag is all that is left of a destroyed home in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.

It was through photography that the problems in New Orleans became real to people. I never would've believed the stories unless I had seen the photographs; people left without rations at the Superdome, people waiting on their roof for rescue in the lower ninth ward, the elderly laid in a makeshift hospital ward in the baggage claim conveyer belts at the airport. The photographers who covered Katrina early-on awakened the nation to an immediate crisis in the Gulf but also informed the nation of its own false sense of security. Several photographers worked around the clock to bring images of the Katrina disaster to the world and I can particularly remember Vincent Laforet's images of Hurricane Katrina as being shocking and eye-opening - link here to check out those images and see Vincent Laforet's blog post on the 5th anniversary of Katrina.

Reporter Kate Brennan on our trip to cover the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

My experience photographing Hurricane Katrina came several weeks after the storm, as families began returning to New Orleans to see what was left of the place they had always called home. I was working for Florida Today newspaper in Brevard County, Florida when reporter Kate Brennan and I were sent to follow a family as they returned to their home in Chalmette, Louisiana, part of New Orleans' St. Bernard Parish. Attached are some photos from our trip as Dean and Michelle Martin explored their lifetime community that had been washed away. They did not find much that wasn't waterlogged and destroyed, but the spirit of their community remained intact and they began the rebuilding process almost immediately and were able to return to Chalmette permanently just nine months later. The infinite destruction of New Orleans after Katrina was easily one of the most heartbreaking things I had ever seen but seeing the Martin's quickly going to task on rebuilding their home made me optimistic that, slowly, the reconstruction of a safer city will be completed.

Michelle Martin clutches her bedpost as she takes in the damage to her Chalmette, Louisiana home

just weeks after Hurricane Katrina.

Michelle and Dean wade through water in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana to see what is left of Dean's

father's home.

Michelle and Dean recover their commercial fishing boat, "Almost Heaven", after Hurricane Katrina.

Dean commented that the boat was now "Nothing but Hell."

How to Throw a Carnival-Themed Wedding

2010-08-25T17:34:00.001-07:00

7 tips and tricks to planning a carnival theme wedding

So as it turns out I'm a thief. These tips and tricks are stolen from the newly married Damien and Lynn; I was the photographer for their carnival-themed wedding last weekend in Maple Ridge, B.C. I'm not proud of being a thief but let's be honest, when you photograph a wedding day carnival (where the sideshow characters are the bridal party themselves) set with a pristine British Columbia backdrop, the first thing you want to do afterward is start handing out carnival-theme wedding planning tips so you can photograph more carnie weddings!

As Damien and Lynn's wedding photographer, I noticed a few things that they nailed in regards to making their carnival wedding come to life. So stealing from them, I offer this....

Carnival wedding tip #1: Don't be afraid to let things get a little odd - in fact, embrace all things creepy.

Let's be real. Odd characters such as the lizard man, the wolf boy and the bearded woman have historically been part of the lineup at carnivals. Damien and Lynn did not dismiss this, in fact they embraced the opportunity to become the featured sideshow characters at their wedding carnival. Is there anything creepier than a bride and groom wearing rabbit and pig masks on their wedding day? You tell me.

Is there anything cooler than a bride and groom having their wedding party wear creepy masks on their wedding day? Nope, nothing is cooler than that.

Carnival wedding tip #2: Cotton candy, popcorn, taffy apples and hot dogs.... yes please.

So the first thing we think about when we think of a carnival may be the odd - for lack of a better word - characters associated but the second thing we think of is definitely the food! Damien and Lynn had it all, sweets, rock candy, chocolate mustaches and the official carnival staples which are undoubtedly cotton candy, popcorn, taffy apples and hot dogs! They even had a catgroomsman serving the cotton candy.

Carnival wedding tip #3: Give the kids cotton candy and beer*..... see what happens.

I'm just saying it's one way to get the party started.

Carnival wedding tip #4: It may be a carnival, but that doesn't mean great shoes aren't important.

Carnival wedding tip #5: Get your feet wet, even if you're wearing great shoes.**

Carnival wedding tip #6: Carnival prizes.

Carnivals are fun because everybody walks away a winner, Damien and Lynn made sure this carnival was no exception.... fake mustaches, pirate eye patches, airborne rangers, fortune fish and homemade jam were all among the prizes guests got to take home.

Carnival wedding tip #7: It may be a carnival, but it's also a wedding. Be sure to observe all the great wedding traditions such as the joyous ceremony, sincere toasts and a memorable first dance.

After photographing this wedding, I'm certain that these two carnies are in for a lifetime of fun and happiness splashed with sprinkle of absurdity.... I don't think they'd want it any other way!

So there you go, now get planning your carnival wedding!

* I don't actually recommend this and the child in this photograph is not drinking real beer, I just thought it may be funny to make it seem like he was. It is, in fact, root beer. It's possible that real beer and cotton candy may have a more calming effect on a child than root beer and cotton candy, but I do not endorse any attempts to explore this matter.

** Tip #5 applies only in cases when there is a body of water to get your feet wet in. For those of you want to get your feet wet but are planning carnival-themed weddings in landlocked states, I guess I suggest a dunk tank, or gold fish game pond? In Damien and Lynn's case, they had Whonnock Lake in Maple Ridge, B.C. (Their wedding venue was the Whonnock Lake Centre, about an hour from Vancouver, which gave them space to set up their carnival with a beautiful B.C. backdrop.)

10 Ways to Make Your Wedding Photographer Happy: Becca and Andy's Chicago Wedding

2010-06-23T14:42:00.000-07:00

Squeezed in some wedding photography on my most recent trip home to Chicago and was happy to photograph a couple that could write a book on how to make their wedding photographer happy. Andy and Becca's wedding took place at the Byron Colby Barn in Grayslake, Illinois. Becca was a natural in the role of a bride, and why wouldn't she be, her last name actually is Bride. No joke, she fit into her role gracefully while reminding us throughout the day that above all, the bride and groom are supposed to have fun!

From Becca and Andy's Chicago area wedding, here are some photographs that highlight 10 ways to make any wedding photographer smile and in the meantime, pull off a great day for your family and friends to celebrate:

1. Add a personal touch to everything. Becca and Andy did this throughout the day. Andy, a pilot, lowered the garter to the single men at the wedding reception using a remote control helicopter, Becca hired a bluegrass band to entertain their friends during the cocktail hour, and the couple brewed their own beer for the party. No reason to stop there... Andy and his groomsmen, all pilots, also substituted paper airplanes for rice when they walked out of the church.

2. Laugh at the wedding photographer when she's trying to be funny, even when she's really not :(

3. Dance under lots of twinkling lights.

4. Provide Silo-vision. I just made this word up... it means "the world as viewed from the bottom of an empty silo." If you can situate the bar for the wedding at the bottom of an empty silo, it becomes a very fun place to take out of the ordinary pictures.

5. Pick a great venue to photograph!

6. Find an old, colorful car to use in photos. Cherry red is preferred but no photographer will ever complain about a baby blue Lincoln Continental!

7. Make out in front of a spot-lit silo.

8. Do the hora, even if it's not a jewish wedding.

9. Relax.

10. Walk into great natural light by accident when also standing in front of a mirror.
I have no doubt that Andy and Becca will continue to have fun for a very, very long time. Thanks for having me along to photograph a happy and memorable day!

The Good Old Hockey Game...

2010-05-19T23:45:00.000-07:00

Pictured above, Kyle Wellwood during Game 3 against the Chicago Blackhawks at GM Place in Vancouver.

So it has been quite a few months.... but I am turning over a new leaf so expect to see many more blog posts from me starting now with some sports photography. I spent a few days in the past month covering the Vancouver Canucks in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In the two and a half years since I moved to Canada, I have definitely caught the national virus which is, of course, hockey fever. So I was happy to shoot a few games of this year's playoffs at GM Place in Vancouver for Icon SMI. These are a few images of the Vancouver Canucks from their first round series against the Los Angeles Kings and their second round series against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Want to see more hockey photographs? Just link here to see more pictures of the Vancouver Canucks 2010 playoff run...

Pictured above, Mikael Samuelsson was on a role early in the Vancouver Canucks playoff run. Here he celebrates a Game 2 goal against the Los Angeles Kings with defender Shane O'Brien.

Pictured below, Canuck defender Shane O'Brien makes his way into the penalty box during Game 2 against the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference quarterfinals.

Pictured below, Rob Scuderi and Henrik Sedin hit the glass during Game 2 of the Western Conference quarterfinals against the Los Angeles Kings.

Picture below, Dave Bolland of the Chicago Blackhawks and Daniel Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks agitate each other in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

Tofino Time: 5 Days Gone

2009-11-05T11:37:00.000-08:00

I have since returned from a five day Tofino photography trip. The trip was a success and Tofino local Peter DeVries came out the winner of the Coldwater Classic Surf Competition I was partly focusing on. The photography from this trip is part of a bigger editorial photography project on the west coast of Vancouver Island and here are some sample photographs of things I shot away from the surf during my 5 days in Tofino. Plus a couple more pics of Peter DeVries during his epic competition....

Tofino Time: Wave Riders

2009-10-29T17:31:00.001-07:00

Just a few more photographs from yesterday where the competitors were surfing a good distance off shore at Cox Bay. It made for an ideal opportunity to get some overall photos of waves. Sorry about the lack of captions but here on more pics from my 3rd day in Tofino shooting the Coldwater Classic.

Tofino Time: Day 3

2009-10-29T02:45:00.001-07:00

Today the Coldwater Classic Canada lived up to its reputation as the "coldest event in professional surfing" as surfers competed in a blustery Cox Bay and comfortable overcast skies gave way to rain in the afternoon. No matter how wet or cold my feet were at the end of the day, and no matter how unprepared I was without rain gear for my camera.... it was still a very nice day to photograph some waves. More pics later....

Tofino Time: The Desert of Tofino

2009-10-29T02:18:00.000-07:00

A series of pictures that I took yesterday afternoon, towards the end of my second day in Tofino, have been among my favorites this week. The photographs are of a group of people, a couple of them carrying longboards, walking on the sand between north and south Chesterman Beach. Yesterday was quite windy out here and so dried sand was blowing over the wet sand which made the beach look similar to a wind-swept desert. The group was walking at the top of the beach and I was down by the water so from the angle I was shooting, it looking like a group of people with surfboards walking through the desert. I find that humorous because as anyone who has ever been here will tell you, Tofino is anything but the desert. Not only does more rain fall here than almost anywhere else in North America, but the land here is absolutely entrapped by water, Tofino itself being situated on a peninsula! Anyway, here is this series of photos, behold the desert of Tofino, British Columbia....

Tofino Time: Day 2

2009-10-28T01:43:00.000-07:00

Tofino time has ticked into day 2.... It was another sunny day on the west coast of Vancouver Island and the O'Neill Coldwater Classic got underway first thing this morning at North Chesterman Beach in Tofino. The story of this competition has without a doubt been local Tofino surfer Peter DeVries who had the top score on Sunday and advanced again today. These are a couple photographs from the morning shoot(more to come manana) including a strip of DeVries showing his stuff during heat 8....

Matt Myers watches the waves while preparing for his heat.

A group of surfers walk between North and South Chesterman Beach as wind blows along the sand.

Tofino Time: Day 1

2009-10-27T00:37:00.001-07:00

This morning was spent frantically getting organized back in Vancouver to make the lunchtime ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Vancouver Island and drive across the island in time to take some pictures while there was still some daylight.

Success. I pulled up to the parking lot of Tofino's epic and appropriately named Long Beach just before sundown with the chance to take a few photographs of people wrapping up their day in the surf.

Why am I here?

The O'Neill Coldwater Classic Surfing Competition is happening this week in Tofino and I thought it was the perfect excuse to get out of Vancouver and photograph one of my favorite places in British Columbia(and the world.) Today was the first day of a five-day photography trip to Tofino where the plan is to do some surf photography and work on some other photojournalism projects that have been cooking in my head for awhile.

Here are the pics I could grab as the daylight disappeared...

More pics tomorrow as I head to the competition and have fun with nothing to do but make pictures.