Category: Photography

  • Canon Flash Notes

    The Canon flash system has some interesting quirks (or features) that may trip those coming from other systems, especially Nikon. The biggest confusion is how the camera P and Av modes handle the flash exposure differently and this is the primary intention of this post. Flash in Program Mode The P (Program) mode flash behaviour…

  • Solved: Canon 600EX-RT flash not turning on

    I’ve had several situation where the low battery warning symbol on my Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT shows when I turn on the flash, even though the batteries are fully charged. The flash refuses to turn on despite trying to Clear settings, removing and installing fresh batteries, etc.  This has annoyingly happened on a few shoots. I…

  • Vancouver Photo Marathon 2011: The Documentary

    “Vague” – 2010. Nikon F5, 70-300VR, exposure unknown Last year I competed in the Vancouver Photo Marathon (#12x12yvr) and ended up with a theme winning photo for “Vague”. “Vague” happened to be one of the easier themes for me to devise as I instantly had an idea for what to do with it. Executing it…

  • A Brief Fling with Film at the Vancouver Photo Marathon

    Last Sunday, I dusted off my trusty Nikon F5 film camera and several lenses, and took part in the Vancouver Photo Marathon, a 12-hour photo contest event in which participants were given 12 themes (one theme released an hour) with which to take pictures in the exact order of the themes. Yes, this was a…

  • London Drugs Print Quality – Wet versus Dry Technology

    Backgrounder I recently had a chance to compare some prints made on the new “dry printing” technology from the photo labs at London Drugs.  I had a print previously done by them on the traditional photographic chemical “wet” process (often referred as silver halide technology) and was able to informally compare with a new print…

  • Nikon AF-S 50/1.4G and Sigma 50/1.4 DG EX HSM

    I’ve had the fortune to have these two lenses to shoot with for a while now.  I own the Nikon (Nikkor to be exact) and the Sigma was a nice loaner from Gentec International, the importer for Sigma in Canada.  I figured I might write down a few thoughts. Introduction The "normal" 50mm lens is…

  • Jay Maisel’s Workshop

    Friday night, New York City.  The body is aching, the stomach is still full, the brain is shot.  Welcome to the final day of the 5-day workshop by Jay Maisel.  I have mixed feelings:  I'm tired, mentally overloaded, and homesick, yet feeling sad that this all-too-brief little world of 8 people is coming to a close.  We've…

  • A year with the D3

    A year has passed since I rushed out of work to pick up my Nikon D3 at Lens and Shutter and arrived 10 minutes before closing time.  I had previously filled out the application form (aka Customer Worthiness form) that Nikon Canada was requiring all prospective purchasers to fill out and send in.  At the…

  • Joe McNally’s lighting workshop

    I attended a 5-day lighting workshop in Vancouver (organized through Vancouver Photo Workshops) with Joe McNally a couple of weeks ago.  Joe's a great, down-to-earth, self-effacing guy, pretty much as he comes across in his blog, and he worked us and himself hard.  Beyond his huge volume of published work with National Geographic and Life magazines,…

  • Shannon on location

    I spent the good part of the day photographing Shannon Ostrom, budding model and actress who’s already been an extra on some local productions like Smallville. She has such a charming, youthful look to her, always smiling — it took until the end of the shoot before she managed to get a little attitude in…