2017 Gallerie Magazine Fall Issue - English

THE ACCREDITATION ISSUE + THE NOT SO GLAMOROUS SIDE OF SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

3 AWESOME LIGHT MODIFIERS YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF & CREATIVITY WITH LUC CHARPENTIER

ISSUE 17 // FALL 2017 // THE ACCREDITATION ISSUE

CONTENTS 7

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3 Awesome Light Modifiers You’ve Never Heard Of

THE NOT SO GLAMOROUS SIDE OF SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

J. Carey Lauder shares his tips and tricks for mastering Sports Photography

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ACCREDITATION DEADLINES

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BOTANICAL ACCREDITATION

Krista Powers shares her successful Botanical Accreditation submission.

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NATURE ACCREDITATION

Explore the world around us with Danielle Barabe-Bussieres’ recent Nature Accreditation.

P HOTO BY L IN D S AY AD L E R

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FINE ART ACCREDITATION

Lisa Charbonneau shares her successful Fine Art Accreditation Submission.

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3 AWESOME LIGHT MODIFIERS YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF

Take a moment to explore the unique capabilities of spot attachments, telezoom reflectors, and parabolic umbrellas with Lindsay Adler.

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CREATIVITY WITH LUC CHARPENTIER

Luc Charpentier is a recent PPOC Fellowship recipient. Learn more about his images and thesis on creativity and

experimentation in digital photography.

DEPARTMENTS

4 Letter From The Chair 29 My PPOC 30 Concept To Cover

CO V E R P HOTO BY WAYN E K AUL BAC H. READ MO RE ABO UT THIS PHOTO ON PAG E 30.

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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR to contemplate the future. I realized I was becoming somewhat, oh… slack in the goal department when it comes to my health and photography business.

Louise Vessey (right) MPA SPA F/ PPOC Atlantic PPOC National Chair

SETTING GOALS Happy New Year!

I’m actually writing this on a long flight after spending 2 inspiring weeks in my birth land, England. I enjoyed reconnecting with my closest sister, many cousins, aunts, and uncles. It was amazing to explore everything from Britains rolling countryside, quaint little towns to the huge cities such as London and Manchester! I had a lot of time to think about my history, heritage, life, and

GALLERIE is the premier magazine for professional photographers across Canada.

Each issue features award-winning images, editorial information, technical and feature articles, advertising, and member services. All photographers are welcome to view the digital versions on our website.

The new year is of course, the most common time to set resolutions but I prefer to call them ‘goals’. No matter how long you have been in business as a photographer or how old you are it is important to set goals.

Without goals we become stagnant and complacent, and end up just going through the motions.

I have goals set as the Chair of PPOC to do strategic planning to create a goal for our future and plan the steps to get there. I am also setting new goals in my business and for myself personally and creatively.

SUBSCRIPTION All PPOC members receive the printed issue directly to their doorstep. On-line issues are available to all photographers.

To be added to our email mailing list please contact the PPOC office (info@ppoc.ca) indicating your province of residence.

Additional printed copies of Gallerie are $6.95, plus postage. Please contact the the PPOC Office.

INTERIM EDITOR Bruce Allen Hendricks, MPA 204-227-9447 - editor@ppoc.ca

SUBMISSIONS Articles and member stories are welcome, please submit them to the editor for consideration.

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You don’t have to wait for New Years Day to set resolutions/ ‘goals’ of course, and they don’t have to be big intimidating ones!

If you change what you do every day, you change your life!

What do you hope to achieve in your business and in your photography and how will you get there?

Louise Vessey MPA SPA F/ PPOC Atlantic PPOC Chair

It’s so easy to be overwhelmed and easily distracted with so much coming at us all the time. My goal is to focus on attainable, realistic goals. Goals like ‘clean up the studio’

Gallerie is published three times annually; February (on-line issue) June/July (print and on-line) October (on-line issue)

DESIGNER Melissa Woodward, CPA

so I have a calmer work space, to contact a model to photograph so I can explore something different creatively, to blog and post to Instagram more regularly, and to come up with a personal photographic project (that may or may not involve cats).

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THE UNIVERSE

IN A SNOWFLAKE WORDS AND PHOTOS

BY DON KOMARECHKA

THE NOT SO GLAMOURS SIDE OF

SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

F

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY JAMES CAREY LAUDER CPA, F.PH.

or close to 40 years I have been involved in various aspects of sports photography. It started in high school for the usual ones: football, basketball, track and field, badminton, etc. The one that I really loved was team handball and covering a student/teacher game brought me my first award in the Metro One Photo Contest.

Being involved in commercial photography kept me busy but I still managed some sports photography, and mainly concentrated on Slo-Pitch, covering annual tournaments over the years.

We fast - forward to about 13 years ago and I started teaching photography at Tec Voc High School in Winnipeg. We have a large sports program so I was

back into photography in a big way covering all the usual high school sports.

I talked to a friend and got into a few Bomber games and worked a couple of years at Winnipeg Goldeyes. Over the past 4 years I have been shooting the Winnipeg Jets for local blogs and websites and bounce between covering the games for Upper Deck cards and USA Today.

GEAR TO HELP:

As professionals you should have most of the gear needed to produce quality images. Here’s my basic checklist: Newer cameras have a flicker control feature that is a great feature for indoor

events. Many venues have older “sparking” lights that are always flashing off and on. They flash so quickly we can’t see the flashing but with a fast shutter speed you can often get an underexposed image, overexposed image, green cast image and a magenta image all contained in a short burst. Flicker control senses when that stopping is occurring and won’t let you trip the shutter. In using this feature for over a year now I have never found it to be a hindrance or not getting that keeper photo.

As much as you only need that one photo for the cover or feature image, many cameras now can shoot 10 or more FPS ( frames per second ) and Fall 2017

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when you are trying to get images of a whole team of players, it is great to have a lot to choose from and sequence shots are another up-sell for a client, a nice triptych of actions shots.

Good, if not great glass. I have spent a lot more on my lenses than my cameras over the past ten years, but the glass hangs around while the cameras are replaced.

For covering field sports; baseball, football, soccer, etc the first really great sports lens I bought was a 400 / 2.8. You are going to put out some serious cash for this but the images it produces are second to none. Great in low lighting situations and producing a nice blurry background , it is a standard lens for most sports shooters. Many will also use a 600 or even 800 if they are at the opposite end of the field where the action is happening.

The latest addition for Canon (Nikon has had it for a while), is a 200-400 F4.0 that provides that much more versatility when the action is almost right on you.

Canon produced a 100-400 F4.5-5.6 that is amazing outside but just way to slow for most indoor venues.

The working lens for many portrait and sports shooters is the infamous 70200F 2.8. It is THE lens for rink sports and

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allows for a good view of the net and when pushed, could still get a decent image to the opposite end.

To get started, a 50 F1.8 on a crop sensor camera will do a good job for fairly close images. It’s a pretty fast focusing lens on servo ( more on that later ) and just concentrate on shooting on the close end, the action will be back to you in a few seconds.

To capture the sense or feeling of the event, it is good to do a few wide/ super wide - angle shots of the venue. If possible, 24mm and wider and a fisheye will give a very unique look to establish the game. If possible, try to vary shots with a low and then some with a higher perspective look.

With heavy glass or even the 70-200 I will always use one of my 4 monopods.

One is specific for the 400, but a new carbon fibre is nice and light and can compress low if I want to sit down on the field to get a super low angle shot.

Not just the stabilization aspect but just taking the weight off your neck and shoulders allows you to concentrate and focus on the event.

As nice as it would be to use supplemental lighting, it is next to impossible in most venues. Flash on camera is frowned upon but if you can get strobes

up high enough into the ceiling, trigger them with radio slaves it will certainly give your images that extra kick. I recently have been using a couple of monos when shooting roller derby and it has provided great rim light accents to an otherwise very flat lighting venue.

The only aspect is the recycle time is not fast enough so I am careful watching the action for those peak moments.

EXPOSURE, WB, FOCUS AND OTHER STUFF:

In a controlled situation, i.e. inside, I will always shoot manual. ISO range is anywhere from 1600-2000 , in an NHL venue to 2500-4000 and in most community rinks to upwards of 6400 in a pool/diving situation. I will almost always set my aperture to 3.5 to give a bit of focus wiggle room and still keep a good blurry background. Shutter speed is everything to stop action and I try to get a minimum 1/1000 of a second, it’s pretty rare to get up to 1/2000 at an inside event. Even at those high shutters a speeding ball or puck will still have a bit of blur, which is not the end of the world. For some games a shutter speed

might go down to 1/400 so I would just focus on the action near the net and looking for those shots where there is a stop in the action such as a basketball player going up, stopping for an instant, and then dropping back down.

For outside shooting, I will usually use Aperture priority as lighting conditions can constantly be changing. I still often need a fairly high ISO, 400-1000 with an aperture of 3.5 to get a decent 1/2000 shutter speed. In backlight situations I might use the +/- compensation to open up the shadows a bit. It’s amazing how much fill will bounce off a field even though it is a pretty dark surface.

When shooting sunset time events keep an eye on the sky as the sun goes down very fast and before you know it you can be shooting at 1/250 unless you boost up your ISO. As I am usually shooting JPEG files, for a variety of reasons, I try to hit my WB (white balance) as best as I can and I use three regular settings. In a good venue I will set a special Kelvin Colour temp to match the conditions, if the venue is old or has a variety of light an AWB (auto or average white balance) can work, outside will be daylight or could be shade and if a late night event with mixed light I may use AWB. I keep an eye open for any white or black surfaces in the venue that I will be able to use to colour balance in PS later on when editing images.

As good as AWB is for most bad lighting situations, that setting can be thrown off with just a variety of different colours on jerseys and may require extra balancing later on.

Most sports has an action component and lots of movement. The servo setting will be able to cover most events and can be tweaked in the menu settings as there are different adjustments for a variety of situations. I will use just one focus point to give a precise focus.

As long as you can track the action on that point your focus should be pretty bang on. With something like basketball, one shot focus can work by setting your pre-focus on the net and just waiting for the action to come to you.

Test your lenses as you may find some focus faster than others and it could mean the difference between a sharp image or one for the trash bin.

TIPS AND TRICKS AT THE VENUE:

Probably the single most important aspect of covering sports is understanding the game. Watch a game either in person or on TV and check to see what other photographers have shot. There are sweet spots everywhere but there can also be some dog sites that will just not produce good images. Some teams favour a specific area of the field or rink and once you see where they are going often you can position yourself to take advantage of the plays. Check where the other photographers are shooting from to get locations. Don’t ask a minute before the whistle if you have any questions. Get to the site early to check things out, where you can and can’t go.

Most venue managers are pretty good if you need a ladder or to give the plexiglass a cleaning.

Check out where lighting is the best, many venues have bad lighting and bulbs burnt out, often right over the net!

The action will be back. Moving up and down the venue can be a waste of time, unless you are documenting a specific player. Shooting behind the offence gets good passes by the quarterback, running plays and sacks but receptions can be far away. Being 20+ yards in front of the play gives a good position for receptions and running plays. In football in 15 minutes teams are switching sides so if you need a variety then stay put but move if you are wanting offence images.

Shooting low can produce a more dramatic look, but keep in mind of the action on the field and make sure you can escape the play if needed. Sitting is not recommended unless you are covering Tim Bits events (ages 4-7). Try to have two camera bodies, one with a telephoto and one wide angle for when the action comes right at you.

Virtually all hockey rinks are netted so you can’t shoot from above and you are limited to covering the game through scratched plexiglass. Hunt around the rink for the cleanest piece of glass to shoot through. Try not to angle your camera too much as the glass can distort your image. If I can shoot near the goal I will not shoot much past the blue line, maybe as far as centre ice. I always shoot without any lens hood so I can get as close to the glass as possible

to prevent any glare or reflections from behind my shooting position. Glass can add a bit of colour shift but nothing that can’t be fixed in LR or PS. Getting there early will give you time to talk with rink personnel to maybe help you clean up the glass to get rid of streaks and smears.

LAST BITS:

For speed editing I recommend Photo Mechanic used by all journalists covering sports who need to file images quickly. It’s also a great way to import or change metadata and caption your images.

I’ve never got into using LR so I do my post-production work in PS. Outside shooting will usually have a pretty decent WB, but inside venues often need slight or major adjustments. Our gym colour was so bad with off colour green walls, fluorescent/daylight bulbs so we tacked up large white poster paper to use to adjust colour in PS. Sometimes just look for a white board, or a black baseboard that will work in a pinch. A bit of a pet peeve is ice that does not look nice and clean white. I’ll up my curve adjustment, click on the white button below the graph and click on the ice to get a bright white. The only drawback to this is the start of the period when the ice is grey and not frosty. It takes just a few minutes into the period to get a snowy covering.

While a whole event would probably fit on a 16 gig card, shooting hi-res jpegs, if filing images, I will switch out and download cards at the half or between periods. Talking about jpegs, my regular clients need images the night of the game, so jpegs fill the bill, in addition to fast downloads and not buffering during shooting when you may miss a play in the action.

And it’s not always about the action.

Before the play “portraits” and after the play celebrations can be just as effective at telling the story as that amazing catch or tackle. Sitting in the dugout, hanging around the bench may be the only time when that player is on the field. It’s a good idea to shoot warm ups too as a player could be out in the first play and then there is no way of getting any images of that player.

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James Carey Lauder CPA, F.Ph, resides in Winnipeg, Manitoba and has been a PPOC member for 17 years. Starting in photography in junior high, it has been his passion for over 40 years. A graduate from the Red River College Photo Tech program, his employment has taken him through retail camera sales, a summer intern photographer at the Free Press, film lab processing at a TV station, commercial table top photography for 23 years to currently his 13th year of teaching photography to Grades 9 and 10 at Tec Voc High School. While through these years he has done freelance work for several clients and managed to cover the occasional wedding. Sports photography is his main after hours interest but enjoys landscape and commercial stock photography. When there is still a couple of hours free in the day, Carey has been teaching classes to young magicians for the past 20 years and hangs out at the magic counter at Toad Hall Toys pitching magic to bigger kids.

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2018 ACCREDITATION

DEADLINES It’s never too early to start preparing for your next Accreditation submission, be it a new category for you or a re-submission.

If you haven’t achieved a new Accreditation in a while make 2018 the year you challenge yourself and demonstrate your photographic ability further by proving you can deliver above average professional work in a new category.

Mark these dates on your calendar and start combing through your hard drives and planning assignments in search of images.

Pre-Accreditation Deadline January 8th, 2018

Accreditation Deadline

Judging Date

January 22nd, 2018

February 17th, 2018 (Winnipeg, MB)

March 5th, 2018

March 27th, 2018

May 5th, 2018 (Richmond, BC)

June 5th, 2018

June 22nd, 2018

July 14th, 2018 (Edmonton, AB)

September 10th, 2018

October 1st, 2018

October 27th, 2018 (TBD)

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J ER EM Y KO RE SKI , ADVE NT UR E P HO T O G R AP HE R

with Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM

Watch the film at Canon.ca/L Canon is a registered trademark of Canon Inc. © 2017 Canon Canada Inc .

ACCREDITATION: BOTANICAL IMAGES BY KRISTA POWERS

BY ALPH LEYDON

PPOC ATLANTIC REGION PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2016, KRISTA POWERS’ PATH TO PHOTOGRAPHY WAS NOT A DIRECT ONE. SHE COMPLETED A DEGREE IN KINESIOLOGY FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK, AND THEN MOVED TO TORONTO WHERE SHE COMPLETED A SECOND DEGREE IN PUBLIC HEALTH FROM RYERSON UNIVERSITY. Upon grad-

uating, she subsequently worked for the Government of Ontario, Ontario Parks, and then Ottawa Public Health as a Certified Public Health Inspector, for the first decade of her career. It was not until she found herself living with a debilitating illness that she first connected with her inner artist. “It forced me to slow down and begin to heal myself through my passion for all things creative” says Powers.

Largely self taught, Krista enrolled early on in a night school class in photography, the only prerequisite of which was that each student use a fully manual camera. Krista found a 1977 Nikkormat at a local Pawn Shop. From there her love of the medium blossomed. Upon the birth of her first child her desire to capture family memories was fired up. She now had a strong purpose and an ever-changing subject at the ready.

Her aspiration to capture the inner beauty of her family was ignited and her skills behind the lens grew.

In the early years she would often cruise the PPOC website and think “One day I will be good enough to join”. That day ultimately came in April of 2015 when a friend’s phone call, while she was perusing the site,

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gave her the final push she needed.

From that point on her passion has grown stronger, her knowledge has deepened and she has become more confident in her artistic vision. She gives full credit to her membership in the PPOC for much of what she has learnt and for her personal development in the past few years. She enjoys having her images judged and having the opportunity to share and discuss her ideas with like-minded people. It gives her work purpose and credibility, she feels.

holds a PPOC Accreditation in Fine Art/Photo Décor and finds great joy in helping others to see their beauty through her portrait work.

Krista’s advice for those sitting on the Accreditation and Competition ‘fence’ is to just dive in, give it a try, use PPOC’s Pre-Accreditation Review service, and seek a member’s help. – “Just go for it” she encourages. “We are not getting any younger… LOL!”

Krista finds inspiration everywhere in the world around her, but she feels particularly connected with nature.

Through regular meditation she finds quiet and peace, which in turn is amplified by her exploration of our natural world.

Favourite of her Botanical Accreditation images is that of her Autumn Leaves. She feels very connected to leaves and the Fall Season in particular. “It is the last display of Mother Nature’s abundance before winter sets in.” She preserves these memories with an ever-growing collection of book pressed leaves. Krista also

Krista’s work can be viewed on her website at: www.kristapowersphotography.com

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ACCREDITATION: NATURE IMAGES BY DANIELLE BARABÉ-BUSSIÈRES

BY ALPH LEYDON

IT IS 4:30 A.M. ON A WARM MID-JULY MORNING. THE SUN WILL NOT RISE FOR ANOTHER HOUR BUT THE SKY IS BRIGHT AND DANIELLE BARABÉ-BUSSIÈRES IS ALREADY TROLLING THE BANKS OF THE RIDEAU RIVER IN THE VICINITY OF HER OTTAWA, ONTARIO HOME.

Surrounded by nature she is at peace and feels transported to a world of her own. Looking this way and that, observing every detail, she stops frequently. She turns over a rock, she brushes away a small gathering of leaves which reveals an exotic mushroom that has sprung to life in these early hours. Her technique is honed through many years of experience. She selects her macro lens, connects a diffuser to her strobe, and selects a low output setting. She kneels to focus on the minute details of her subject. Capturing it from many angles until she is satisfied, she then moves on to continue probing and exploring.

Danielle describes herself as a spontaneous person. In nature she will deal with whatever presents itself.

She knows her gear and she understands light. She lives in the moment and shoots to please her own ideals of creativity. She enjoys experimenting and constantly challenging herself.

But it was not always that way!

Following a photography workshop and on the recommendation of the workshop leader, Danielle first joined PPOC in June of 2014. Shortly thereafter she submitted 10 images for a Wildlife Accreditation. She had 7 of her 10 images accepted and was delighted. Upon many subsequent

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submissions to complete her Accreditation she was unsuccessful. She felt deflated, defeated and upset to the point that she actually left the PPOC. Determined to strengthen her skills she enrolled in further workshops and continued to practice her craft. In time, her knowledge and confidence grew but she still felt something was missing. Danielle rejoined PPOC in September of 2016 and has not looked back. As PPOC-ON Eastern Branch Treasurer she is actively involved, attends every event she can and says her fellow members are like family to her. She has leveraged the ‘Pre-Accreditation Service’ and used the feedback received to successfully complete her long sought-after Wildlife Accreditation. At the same time

she applied for an Accreditation in the Nature category and was rewarded with an EXCELLENCE. “I will never walk away from PPOC again” she says with a chuckle.

Danielle’s style has evolved and matured over time. Her skill and passion have grown and she is now driven to explore new challenges.

What is next for Danielle? ”I’m soon taking a workshop in portrait photography with Claude Brazeau to take me out of my comfort zone” she shares. ”I’m also excited to expand on my post production and compositing skills as I hope to achieve Accreditations in Portraiture and in Fine Art” she adds.

Danielle has no doubt that her goals will one day be met, as she knows her PPOC team is behind her all the way.

Danielle’s work can be viewed on her website at: http://www.daniellebarabebussieres.com

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ACCREDITATION: FINE ART IMAGES BY LISA CHARBONNEAU

BY ALPH LEYDON

IT’S ALWAYS INTERESTING WHAT STARTS OUR RESPECTIVE JOURNEYS INTO THE WONDROUS WORLD OF PHOTOGRAPHY. LISA CHARBONNEAU CREATED AN ONLINE SHOP 8 YEARS AGO AND QUICKLY DISCOVERED SHE NEEDED GOOD PHOTOS OF HER PRODUCTS. SHE BOUGHT AN INEXPENSIVE DSLR AND HAS NEVER LOOKED BACK. Lisa didn’t succeed with her very first Accreditation submission “Nature”.

Her response, it was “almost better I didn’t get it the first time.” She openly listened to the judges response to her work creating an opportunity to improve her photography for this submission and beyond. She is currently Accredited in Nature, Botanical, Animal and Fine Art/Décor, has earned several PPOC awards and won the Canadian Wildlife Federation 2016 Reflections of Nature Contest.

Lisa was introduced to PPOC by a friend and reflects on how the journey continues to make her a better photographer. Her early foray into photography had her focused solely on the subject. Becoming aware of the ‘frame’ and utilizing it effectively was a turning point.

Although she has done both product and portrait work, Lisa’s true passion is fine art. She heads out into the world and responds to “what catches her eye” finding she is often drawn to details others don’t even notice.

You know those moments something stands out, compelling you to explore it further… Lisa’s inspiration is often realized while gazing at condensation on windows or inspecting weeds and

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insects. Out of explorations, a love for macro photography has grown!

She does enjoy photographing children, but states, as an introvert, the experience of photographing people tends to drain her energy. Lisa gets her photography out into the community by exhibiting and selling her artwork at a local restaurant. Although she doesn’t shoot for stock she does sell her work through stock agencies.

“I shoot what I love and if it sells it sells.”

The first image in Lisa’s most recent

Accreditation Fine Art/Décor, is a black and white study of a prickly looking specimen strategically placed towards the upper right quadrant of a pure white background. The focus is quite perfect providing a sense of motion and depth alongside a carefully constructed point of view. What could it be? Interesting how we always feel a need to ask versus simply experiencing an image. It is a weed growing in her driveway! More to the point, these images exude a sense of emotion generated through motion and colour. They touch this viewer with a subtle nuance of quiet emotion.

One of the challenges she faces when selecting photographs for Accreditation is keeping the judges out of her head. She finds she has greater success going with her gut.

Her advice is “just go for it”. It’s always been a win-win for Lisa. She either earns her Accreditation, one of her images is accepted at salon or she learns and improves her visual acuity.

Lisa alludes to Ansel Adams’ commitment to “preVisualization” when she speaks to the emotional excitement she experiences “when you get that

shot you envisioned in your mind!” An intriguing photographer who saunters into the world waiting for details to catch her attention then massaging angles and exposure to illicit the desired response…

Lisa’s work can be viewed on her website at: http://www.bubblegirlphotography.ca/

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3 AWESOME LIGHT MODIFIERS YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF WORDS AND PHOTOS

BY LINDSAY ADLER Many photographers believe they own ‘too much gear’ while others are under the impression that you can never have enough!

softboxes. It is possible that your kit dives a little deeper into less common modifiers like a beauty dish, ring lights or snoots.

Though there is a great deal that can be achieved with essential photographic tools, there is a lot that can be said for having the right tool for a specific job.

There are so many different tools that exist, and some specialty modifiers provide you exciting creative results!

There are many different categories of light modifiers, each one providing different practical and creative results. Light modifiers attach to your strobe or speedlight and change the quality of the light in your photograph. There is no one ‘best’ modifier though many photographers have staples in their tool kit.

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I’d like to take a moment to share 3 awesome light modifiers that you have probably never heard of! These may not be your ‘go to’ modifiers in the future, but they can certainly be a source of inspiration for an upcoming project or may help you solve a creative problem in the future!

Let’s take a moment to explore the unique capabilities of spot attachments, telezoom reflectors, and parabolic umbrellas.

1. Spot attachments, aka Spot projector This is a modifier with creative possibilities unlike any other!

Years ago I fell in love with a beauty advertisement in which the model had a beautiful pattern of light projected on her face. The light created a captivating swirl pattern around her eyes and cheeks with striking crisp edges.

At first I thought that the light pattern had been cast by a digital projector, yet when I attempted this technique the light was not as crisp nor the edges as defined.

I did some research, and discovered a light modifier referred to as a ‘spot’ attachment. The spot modifier is attached to the front of the strobe, where it concentrates light into a focusable beam. This, however, is only part of the process. The modifier simply gives you a very focused spot of light. But what about the patterns?

Tip: Depending on the brand of strobe you use, the modifier may have a slightly different name. Typically they are some variation of spot, multispot,

or projector. They may have different names, but fundamentally they achieve similar results. Profoto, Broncolor, Bowens and Elinchrom (as well as several other brands) all have spot attachments!

Tip: Depending on the brand of strobe and modifier you use, there are different sized gobos you need to purchase. Be sure to read your product specifications before buying your gobos!

Next, you’ll need to purchase something call ‘gobos’ (sometimes referred to as ‘go betweens’). These are cutout patterns that you place within the modifier. This is how you select the shapes that will be projected upon your subject or the background.

The options are endless... venetian blinds for film noir, floral patterns, stripes, spots, and more! There are hundreds of gobos available online and if your vision is extremely specific you can even have a shape custom created to your specifications!

I’ve since used this tool in fine art nudes, beauty shoots, film noir and more. A spot modifier is unique and gives you a one-of-a-kind effect!

Here is an example of one beauty shot where I used this light modifier for dramatic effect on my model’s face. In this example I used a venetian blinds gobo projected on the face with two rim lights with barn doors illuminating her jawline.

I wanted the light to captivate and add another level of interest to this photo so that it was more than a pretty girl with jewelry. A spot attachment was exactly the tool needed for this concept!

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2. Telezoom Reflector (aka Long Throw)

Second, by adding a grid to this light, it becomes even more concentrated.

This can help you create incredibly defined shadows on a surface and can also be a fantastic tool to imitate a spot light from the movies.

Want dramatic shadows and crisp light? You may want to check out this unusual modifier!

A telezoom reflector concentrates light over a longer distances with very dramatic fall off of light. In other words, when using this modifier your light doesn’t spread out much and when it hits your subject the shadows are crisp and dramatic.

Though not necessarily a staple in every photographer’s kit, it has a few fantastic uses.

Perhaps you have heard of a zoom reflector or basic reflector that goes on a studio strobe. These basic modifiers are used to control the spill of light. Telezoom reflectors are similar but have a much deeper shape that forces the light in one direction and further prevents spill.

The result? Concentrated light with lots of contrast and deep shadows.

First, if you are trying to throw light evenly over a long distance, this may be a fantastic modifier. For example, let’s say that you have a subject on the edge of a cliff and you want to light them in a wide shot without the light in the scene. This telezoom reflector will keep the light concentrated over a long distance and just illuminate your subject.

Here is a dramatic example of one fashion editorial I shot using this modifier. The shadows are deep and dramatic, and I intended to emulate stage lighting effects.

In this particular setup I used a single strobe and placed my subject in the corner of the room with the telezoom reflector at a high angle. By placing her in the corner with the single light, I was able to create very defined and unique shadows.

This is exactly the light modifier I needed to create the effect and mood for this bondage and theatrical inspired editorial!

Tip: The vignette and shadows you see around the edges of these images were achieved in camera.

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3. Parabolic Umbrellas By having more depth to a modifier, you have more control of the spread of light. Usually the deeper the modifier the more focused the light remains. We’ve already seen this to be true of the telezoom reflector, but this concept also applies to umbrellas and softboxes.

a deep umbrella that is easy to assemble but gives more control over light.

Tip: Profoto has Deep Umbrellas in many variations, Westcott has the Zeppelin in several sizes, and Broncolor has the “Para” series of umbrellas.

A downside of umbrellas, for example, is that they do not offer much control over the spread of light.

A large umbrella may create a softer light source, but the light spreads out in all directions. By having a deeper umbrella, however, you give yourself more control over the spread and direction of light. Furthermore, the added depth often gives a bit faster fall off of light.

In this fine art image, I used a Westcott Zeppelin 47in as my light source to the right of the subject with both diffusion panels. This helped to create soft and sculpting light on the face and body. On the left hand side of the frame I used a V-flat (fill card) to soften the shadows. Notice the drama and control of light I was able to achieve with this deep umbrella with diffusion panel.

When I want more control of light, or a soft light source with a bit more drama, a deep umbrella or parabolic umbrella is a must have!

Wrap up: Now we’ve added three more unique types of modifiers to your arsenal of knowledge as a photographer.

Perhaps you might not run out to buy one of these tools, but when the situation calls for it, you’ll know just the right tool to solve your visual challenges!

This is why deep umbrellas and parabolic umbrellas exist-- to control the spread of light.

Here I’m talking about an entire category of modifiers. There are deep umbrellas, parabolic umbrellas, deep softboxes, parabolic softboxes. Each one offers different results but has the same goals in mind- controlling the spread and fall off of light.

Amongst fashion photographers, extremely deep parabolic umbrellas are widely popular for their soft and glowing light with crisp shadows.

Many photographers shooting on location enjoy the ease of use of

give me soft light with more control.

Be sure to check out some of my online education for tutorials of lighting modifiers, lighting, Photoshop, posing and more!

While I would almost never just use a basic umbrella, I often use deep and parabolic umbrellas to

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CREATIVITY ACCORDING TO LUC CHARPENTIER

WORDS BY SÉBASTIEN LAVALLÉE PHOTOS BY LUC CHARPENTIER The Fellowship title is rarely awarded to a PPOC member and for good reason: it is the highest distinction that can be received. To become a Fellow, a member must ‘submit images displaying superior photographic ability, as well as a 7,000 word thesis of a technical, specialized or general photographic nature’. Luc Charpentier is one of the members who received such honours. His images as well as his thesis about creativity and experimentation in digital photography, was accepted by the professional Photographers of Canada earlier this year.

on certain subjects, certain images.

Then, knowing what the judges were looking for, I added those details, graphics, explained the composition, colours, everything. I explained where every image originated from, why I made them, and I got a positive response from the judges.”

Luc Charpentier is a Master Photographer (MPA) 4th bar who also received nine Accreditations from the PPOC. After graduating in photography from the Vieux-Montréal college, he’s been working as a full time professional photographer since

with light, etc. The information is the same [from one art form to the other], there’s a common ground.”

Some 23 years ago, Luc was inspired by his friend Daniel Fyen, who was then teaching graphic design, when he got his Fellow title with a thesis on the graphic construction of images. Daniel asked Luc to help him laminate the images he wanted to present: “At that moment, I started to think I would one day do the same thing”, says Luc. Several years later, he admits doing all this work first and foremost for himself, not to ‘impress the crowd’. He felt that he was at the specific point in his career where he was able to share his knowledge with his colleagues.

Sharing knowledge was the main motivation throughout his career: “If I stay alone, doing my own thing, without talking to any colleagues, I limit myself since I’m missing out on learning possibilities. By meeting colleagues, I can grow as a photographer and that is true, for me, in any domain. I’ve never been afraid to share my ‘recipes’, I’ve always explained from A to Z how I proceed to make my images to anyone who asked me.”

In this thesis, Luc gives access to his photographic creativity, it’s a deep dive into his creative process and how he created some of his best images. He gives us details on all the different steps of execution: “The first time I submitted my thesis, it was not accepted. I was not explaining enough, I did not put enough details

1974. It was during the course of his college degree that Luc got to learn more about art history, a fundamental aspect of an artist life for him: “It’s important!

For example, if you look at Rembrandt’s work, you can understand composition subtleties, how he works

Luc was initiated quite young to photography. His father was a professional photographer and Luc was already assisting him on weddings at about 11-12 years old. He was carrying equipment. When he was 16 years old, his father gave him his first camera and the responsibility to work for him as a photographer. Luc started to define his photographic style. He also learned a great deal Fall 2017

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from colleagues.

“Since I was involved in convention organization, I was meeting with other photographers such as Frank Kristian, who inspired me quite a lot.

I’ve also learned a great deal about the commercial approach of André Amyot. What the others are doing, they have a reason to do it the way they chose and who am I to critique?

I can’t denigrate others’ work. I must have a great deal of respect for them and what they do.”

tographer push the concept to bring their image to the next level. This is what I try to achieve in my own work.”

This is indeed his favourite part of his work: bring each image to it’s full potential. The simpler the subject, the more you can work on them for a maximum impact. Luc is trying to ‘challenge the people who see the image’. Anyone can make a good photo, but achieving an excellent image is harder and requires more work from the maker. It’s this desire

was using this as a baseline: bring concepts that we rarely see. I once sent a kodalith blend with a traditional film, a white tree on a green bac ground, and the judges did not quite know what to think of it!”

According to Luc we must, more than ever, leave a huge place to creativity in our work as photographers: “We’re all different while doing the same job. Our strength is to be able to help others, and help ourselves, by being inspired by one another. It’s all part of a whole, for me. If we ask ten photographers to photograph the same subject, a beer for instance, I would be curious to see the results of all of them, how far did each pho-

to always create something new, to innovate, that dictated Luc’s choices through the years. We must, according to him, keep an open mind and not fear change: “When I was young, there was only black and white film.

Colour film came later on, and then digital. That’s a fantastic evolution: we can now make things that were impossible before. I always loved to create never-before-seen things, less common concepts. In competition, I

colleagues, impose yourself a little because if you stay in the background it will not be easy. A good education is excellent, but professionals that have been working in the field for 15, 20 or 30 years are an endless source of information for a young photographer.

I’ve never kept my door shut and I think it’s important to share what we know.” An inspiring piece of advice that should not surprise any PPOC member.

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One last advice for a new photographer? “I would advise to meet as many photographers as possible, to see how things are done. Go knock on some doors according to what you’re interested in, assist

MY PPOC

MEMBERS SHARE THEIR STORIES Why am I still a member of PPOC? Let me count the ways!

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS OF CANADA (PPOC) is a diversified group of creative artists dedicated to the highest standards in professional imaging. We welcome photographers of all genres to join our community of dedicated professionals.

PPOC offers photographers a way to rise to professional status. Educational opportunities, networking, direct member benefits and the ability to earn awards and designations will assist in your potential for growth and economic improvement.

Meet new friends and mentors and take advantage of the wealth of experience and knowledge.

Once an Accredited member, your personal area of specialty and images are promoted on our website so clients and other photographers making referrals know who to contact.

CONTACT 1-888-643-PPOC (7762) Phone: 519-537-2555 Info@ppoc.ca www.ppoc.ca MAILING ADDRESS: 209 Light St. Woodstock, ON N4S 6H6 Canada

I joined the Professional Photographers Association of Manitoba in 1979, which automatically made me a member of PPOC. I was very keen to attend events, even though I had a one hour drive each way to attend these events.

But, I wanted to be surrounded by other photographers. At that time, there were very few (about 3) photographers in my town of 6000 people. So, if I wanted to learn from many, I had to make the drive!

In 1980, at our Annual General Meeting, I arrived and sat in the audience. Before the meeting started, the President asked if anyone knew how to take Minutes, as their secretary had just resigned. I raised my hand (I had been a secretary for 11 years) and I was asked to join the Board. Well, I was then ‘voted’ in to be a member of the Board. Spending time with the other 9 members of the Board about once a month, gave me a great opportunity to get to know them all very well and I did visit their studios and ‘picked their brains’.

I ended up serving on the Board in different capacities till 1993 when they changed the By-Laws to limit the amount of time you could serve on the Board! So I took a year off and was reelected the following year. My position now is ‘Advisor to the Board’. I have to say that serving on the Board was the BEST thing I could have done for my business. It gave me an opportunity to run my business more efficiently (by observing how PPAM was being run); it helped me when I hired staff; it help me to go to each one of the Board members for advice in many different aspects of situations that might have arisen with clients, and also when I wanted to enter competition. Remember, those were the days before the internet, so they truly were my lifeline to knowledge. I have formed great friendships with many people in the

Marlene Fast HLM, MPA, SPA, F.Ph.

Association and still call many of them my close friends.

Image Salon Competition. I must say that entering my images to be judged was an eye-opening experience for me! The first few times when my photographs were not accepted into the show were devastating! I wanted to quit. I asked myself, ‘What do they know?’. But then, I sat in on the judging and heard the comments and talked to the judges after they were done and got some great advice. I entered again and did a bit better. In 1995, my image titled ‘Les Petites Mademoiselles’ won Top Child Portrait in Canada. I was in the audience when it was judged. In those days we were judged by numerical score and I saw that one judge gave it a 100. My heart stopped. The final score was 94 (which would be an Excellence these days). Someone asked me if I was disappointed that I had not received a perfect score of 100 from all the judges. I thought about it for a minute and say, ‘No...if I would have scored 100, what goal would I have to go after? This will make me try harder to get that elusive 100.’ It made me a BETTER photographer - because I kept striving for that. Without ever entering competition, I would probably have said my photography was ‘good enough’.

That’s just two reasons of why I am a member and believe in the power of belonging to this great organization.

Fellowship and the push to get better in my photography.

I know I would not be where I am today without PPOC. Fall 2017

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CONCEPT TO COVER

WORDS AND PHOTOS

BY WAYNE KAULBACH Thar Desert This image was captured when I was conducting a photography/travel workshop in India (through Langara College) in January, 2016. We were touring the province of Rajasthan and we were on a camel trek outside Jaisalmer... close to the Pakistani border. I had 7 students with me and I did orchestrate and stage the set up. I asked our guide to walk the camels along a sand ridge approximately 100 meters away. My instruction for the students was to get separation with our guide and the camels. The first time through, the guide was right beside one of the camels so we sent him out again with ‘fresh’ instructions. This capture came on the second go-round and with the sky turning a nice shade of orange, all the elements came together nicely. It definitely lent itself to a long, skinny

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landscape format and really not much was done in PS except saturation, contrast and vignette. My students were thrilled with their respective results and a few of them took our guide and camels out at sunrise to try again.

My first trip to India was in 1986 and I immediately fell in love with the people and the country. I like to tell people that flying to India is like flying to another planet. It is a 5 sense assault and I mean that in a good way. India is just so different from our life in the west, so if you are looking for a true adventure I would highly recommend it.

In 2014 our family spent 9 months traveling around the world and I was fortunate to take my wife Michelle and 2 of our children to India. We also did a camel trek and it was one of the highlights of our trip. Back in 2014 we travelled with our respective Fujifilm X-Pros plus five 16GB cards, 2 batteries each. My

go-to lens was the 35-mm f/1.4 XF R and my camera bag was approximately 8 X 6 X 5 inches. It was liberating to have such a small pack of gear but for my 2016 trip I went back to carrying a larger pack and I am very happy I did. Inside were my Canon Mark 111 EOS 5D with my 2 fav lenses: 24-70 2.8 and my 70-200 2.8 which was the lens I used on this image.

Again I find myself heading back to India this coming January, 2018 and am excited to return to a country that I truly love. *Best time to travel to Rajasthan is December to March as the temperature is 28 degrees and sunny every day. By the time April rolls around the thermometer averages well over 40.

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With features inspired by D4S and D810, the D750 brings dazzling image quality, cinematic video capabilities and pro-inspired handling in a nimble design with a tilting Vari-angle LCD and built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. nikon.ca Fall 2017

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Photo © Michael Clark

“In short, the

High praise from, Michael Clark, one of the world’s leading adventure photographers. On a recent shoot, Michael was invited by Elinchrom to put the

ELB 1200 unit

ELB 1200 through a rigorous whitewater workout. In Michael’s estimation, the unit passed with flying colours, saying, “I don’t think there is any other flash system on the market that can deal with the torture we dished out and survive!”

While using the ELB 1200, “I got some of the best images of my entire career.”

is damn near perfect!”

The ELB 1200 in a nutshell Strong, powerful, lightweight and weather-resistant – ideal for lifestyle, portrait and action – the ELB 1200 represents 1200 Ws packed into a portable battery pack, and is by far the most capable all-purpose battery-powered flash unit on the market.

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