DeRailed Band Photo Shoot ~ Ottawa Valley Photographers

It is no secret that our family and music go hand in hand,  so it probably comes as no surprise that Steve and close friend Chris are working on recording a CD!  It is a long process to get a CD ready for recording and Steve and Chris have been writing their own music, and lyrics…I have been lucky enough to hear some of the songs they are working on and so far I am loving it.  I am probably the one family member with the least amount of musical talent, but I take pictures and band promo shots were needed, so this is where I could help…Jenn has more musical talent than I do but we still rock the photos better than we would rock the recording studio so this was our way of doing our part and being able to help out.

The band is called DeRailed…so, we wanted to do the pictures on old railway tracks but finding them in Renfrew County is really hard to do. (If you have any suggestions where we can find some please leave us a comment or email us: specialtreasuresphotography@gmail.com) We luckily have a great piece of land where we hunt every year and there used to be rail tracks that ran right along the edge over an iron bridge (It is actually an OLD wooden bridge so I have no idea why we call it the Iron Bridge!) It made a great location for pictures.

Thanks boys we had a great time helping get your promo shots done and are so honoured to be a part of this awesome adventure!!  Can’t wait to hear the finished CD!

LOVE is in the AIR

This busy wedding season has gotten off to a great start. Love is certainly in the air. We have kicked it off with Colleen and Eugene’s gorgeous church ceremony and  formal photographs. The couple was a delight to work with. Eugene has to be one of the most down to earth men that we have ever met and Colleen was radiant both inside and out on their special day.  We have also chosen to include a few different images from two recent engagement sessions. Both of these couple’s are getting married later this summer and we can not wait to be a part of their special moments!  Three very different couples who are all so deeply in LOVE!  It is very inspiring to us to be so close to the True love that makes the world go round. It is our hope, always, that we capture the essence of each couple individually…

Our Awesome Visit to Exposure Show ~ Ottawa Valley Photographers Head to Toronto

May 31-June 2
Toronto, Ontario

We were very excited about our weekend in Toronto at the Exposure Show.  (www.exposureshow.com)

We were up and on the road just after 6 am and ready for the very long drive to Toronto.  (I know some people don’t think 4.5-5 hours is a long drive but I do)  We arrived at the International Centre in Mississauga around 10:30, we had a great drive and traffic was light so we were excited to be there.  After finally finding a parking place (which was at least 5 minutes away from the door) we grabbed our gear and headed in!  HOLY COW!  We couldn’t believe all the people…are there really that many people who love everything photography as much as we do?  Apparently yes there are!

We planned to attend several presentations and visit as many vendor booths as we possibly could and I would say mission accomplished. The entire show was awesome!  We Loved it! I was worth the 5 hour drive, almost like we died and went to photography heaven!

Exposure Show!
Speakers, Presentations and Keynotes

We did see several presentations, and got meet so many of the presenters who were walking around through out to show and welcomed questions or would recognize us from attending their presentation and stop to chat.  It was very cool.

Dixie Dixon was fantastic! First of all she is adorable, she is so energetic and was really inspiring.  She is a fashion Photographer She talked about shooting what you love, and wasn’t afraid to talk about the mistakes she made along the way and what she learned from them.  Her work is really great!  You can feel the connection with her subjects in her work.  Check out her website: www.dixiedixon.com  And Dixie, thanks for the shout out during the presentation and I LOVE my new t-shirt!

We also saw Sam Sciarrino who did a presentation on Contemporary Wedding Photography.  Sam Sciarrino is an internationally known Master Photographer and winner of the SWPP 2011 Contemporary Photographer of the Year 2011. He is the owner of Horvath Studio of Photography in Toronto.  He talked a lot about lighting with speedlights and using reflectors, so we both learned a lot.  His Images are also inspiring and awesome!  www.horvathphoto.com

Bob Harrington was also great, he did a presentation of 40’s glamour lighting, I loved that he had a model and demonstrated his lighting set up and showed how he moved his lights around to get the best lighting.  So again I learned a few really great tricks.  http://www.robertharringtonstudios.com/

Scott Kelby is totally a ROCK STAR!  His presentation ran over time and I could have seriously sat there all day to learn from him.  Plus he was super funny!  He had some really great tricks that I wasn’t aware in Photoshop and some better ways to do things I already knew, so I am really glad we lined up and were able to see him.  I just wish he had a handout of some kind because I couldn’t write fast enough!  http://scottkelby.com/

Kristian Bogner was also a presenter that we truly enjoyed.  He is a World Class Professional Photographer who is well acclaimed and has won the highest Canadian photographic honour, the Commercial Photographer of the Year for Canada Award from the Professional Photographers of Canada Association not once but twice!  http://kristianbogner.com/

There are so many things we saw that I really could write for a full day and still not cover everything from the show!  We saw other presenter that were great, Henry’s Camera did an awesome job booking some of the best presenters in the Business.  Dave Cross was great too and I feel like that shout out really doesn’t do him justice.  He spoke with us for quite a while and I learned a lot, thanks to his assistant who walked us step by step through the software too!  http://www.dcross.com/  Michelle Valberg  http://www.michellevalberg.com/ is also amazingly inspirational.  She loves what she does and you can feel that from her, it makes you love her work, as she speaks with such passion for the area and subjects she shoots! Being around some of the most amazing people in the business and they were so friendly and so willing to share their knowledge was really a great experience.  I can’t thank them enough for what they taught me and the inspiration that I took away from the show!

Speakers, Presentations and Keynotes!

I didn’t want to leave the Nikon booth, but I learned a lot and have finally decided which camera I want.  It’s funny I thought I knew before I got there!   I was convinced and I mean really convinced, nothing was going to sway me…that the D800 was my next upgrade…but being able to pick them up, try different lenses and play with the buttons and menus I have decide to go with the D600.  I was so sure I wanted the D800 which was what a mentor suggested should be my next camera but once I added a grip I didn’t like the feel as much in my hand as the D600.  Once you add the 70-200 lens the D800 was soooooo heavy!  The D600 was a great fit for me, and felt like it belonged in my hand, let me be honest any camera feels comfortable in my hand, but the D600 felt beyond awesome.

Now this is Heaven on Earth for a Nikon Shooter!

I loved that the booths were set up we were able to try out stuff and ask questions, I really loved being able to try out all the camera bags and camera straps, which has help me decide which ones I want.  Again I thought I knew before we got there but after trying out few on I have changed my mind again!  To Steph at the Think Tank booth you rock I appreciate you help picking out the perfect rolling bag!

I don’t know who the gentleman was at the Cotton Carrier booth but you rock too!  I am loving the 2 Camera Vest!

We also had a chance to shoot a model and try out the Photoflex lights.  I felt for the model who had to sit there all day while hundred (probably thousands) of photographers lined up and crowed around to shoot her. You are a trooper and I love the images I captured.  Several booths had models or areas set up so you could give their products a try but this model was my favorite!

Loved this model and the Photoflex System

 

Over all we loved the show, We would definitely go back!

Thanks Exposure Show and Thanks Henry’s for a great weekend.  To all the presenters thank you for sharing, teaching and being truly inspiring!