Archive for November, 2008
D700 Test at Luxy Club
Posted by Ryan in Uncategorized on November 26, 2008
1/10 sec, f2.8, ISO 3200, 17mm
This past weekend I was able to put the Nikon D700 through its paces in a challenging environment: Luxy Club in Woodbridge. The event was City Gala, which featured a fashion show and live musical performances in a very, very dark club, peppered with the usual assortment of coloured spotlights, seizure-inducing strobes, and other flashing nonsense typical of clubs everywhere.
1/4 sec, f4, ISO 1600, 17mm w/flash
Six hundred exposures later, I can tell you the camera performed extremely well. It focused quickly and without trouble in the dim light and I was able to fire off multiple bursts with ease, which is how I captured the above shot of Ashley and her friend dancing.
1/400 sec, f1.8, ISO 3200, 85mm
Most of my shots were done at ISO 1600 and 3200, although I also tried a few at ISO 6400 and was amazed at the results. The photos looked better than my Nikon D200 produces at ISO 1600. The D700 paired with the 85mm f/1.4 basically creates light where there is none. Scenes that were exceptionally dark to my eyes came alive on the LCD screen, bringing out detail that I couldn’t even see in the dark club. Amazing!
Model above is my fabulous sister Kirsten Visima, doing what she does best.
Cassandra and Ashton
Posted by Ryan in Kids, Pretty Girls on November 24, 2008
The young lad with the curly hair you see here is Ashton, already a troublemaker at just 5 months of age when this photo was shot. The image at the bottom of this post is Ashton’s mom, Cassandra, who celebrated her 21st birthday yesterday! She looks pretty good for having had a baby one year ago, right?
I was introduced to Cassandra through my friend Lauren, who met her at a club via some friends, one of whom was Cassandra’s cousin. Lauren thought Cassandra and I could make some great photos together, so she hooked us up. I picked up Cassandra from the train station on a blustery December day in 2006. She was nervous, quiet, shy. She’d always aspired to be a model, maybe even on the level of Playboy, but never pursued it seriously. Five shots in to our session, Cassandra had to cut it short and go home due to illness.
At the time, I chalked it up to nerves, maybe a few too many drinks the night before, or perhaps she simply didn’t like me. Turns out she was just sick.
That was 2006, and my how things change! In mid-2007, Cassandra told me she was happily pregnant with her first child and engaged to be married. Cassandra’s modeling dreams would have to be put on hold for a little while longer. Cassandra ballooned up to 200lbs during her pregnancy, but quickly shed the weight with the help of a personal trainer after giving birth.
I photographed baby Ashton in May, and at the end of our session, Cassandra asked if I could take a few photos of her too. Sure, why not? Oh, what a monster I unleashed. Shortly after, Cassandra joined ModelMayhem using some of the images that I shot to start off her profile. A firestorm of activity led to modeling gigs with a few other photographers, and a proper shoot between Cassandra and myself, the results of which you see below.
It was nearly two years in the making, but we finally got it done. Happy 21st birthday, Cassandra, and happy 1st birthday Ashton! I look forward to photographing you both again soon!
Tania
Posted by Ryan in Uncategorized on November 11, 2008
Say hello to Tania. Curvy, gorgeous, and although you can’t tell here, she has possibly the best smile I’ve ever seen on a human being. As we live about 130km apart, we’ve only photographed together twice, but both times produced stellar results. The image above is from our most recent shoot in September 2008.
The best part about shooting with Tania is the awesome team she assembles before I even arrive. Her family and friends all pitch in with styling, wardrobe, hair, and locations, which make our jobs as photographer and model so much easier! So thanks to Adrianna, Enrico, and Stefania for all their help and I look forward to working with everyone again soon.
See more of Tania on my Flickr photostream.
Best Swimwear
Posted by Ryan in Uncategorized on November 10, 2008
Two things usually manifest themselves when I see people commenting on photos of pretty girls. Firstly, they usually compliment the model on how good she looks. Secondly, they ask where she got her outfit.
I usually bring my own swimsuits to shoots for the models to wear, so I’m always on the lookout for top-quality stuff as well as good bargains! My absolute favourite place to shop for swimwear in person is H&M, especially at the end of the season when everything is marked down. The designs are usually pretty basic, bright colours, nothing too outrageous or ugly. Just simple swimwear. Tops and bottoms typically go for $12-$15 each at regular price, marked down to 50% off when they want to get rid of them. Occasionally I can get a complete bikini set for $10, which is pretty good value considering I might only ever use it once.
Online, the choices are vast. Some of the most ridiculous/slutty swimwear I’ve ever seen comes from Wicked Temptations. Their suits are typified by very revealing cuts and extensive use of metallic fabrics. I’ve ordered from them twice but was unhappy with the service and probably won’t go back. There are other places to get swimwear in these same styles…
…such as Dangerous Curves. I’ve never ordered from them, but their styles are very similar to Wicked and have a good reputation. The value of the swimsuits isn’t stellar — after all, they’re not much more than a couple pieces of string and fabric sewn together, for $40 or $50 a pop. If you’re thinking about outlaying serious cash for swimwear, I implore you to check out Mayra Collection, which has some of the sexiest (not slutty) and modern designs. Custom-made by hand, I simply can’t say enough good things about her designs. I’ve been up-close-and-personal with some of the pieces at fashion shows and photoshoots, and the quality is top-notch. Prices typically range between $115-$140 (Canadian), which is fabulous considering it’s custom. Mayra is also a great person to deal with! Check out her MySpace and ModelMayhem pages for more photos of the designs. My personal favourites are the one-piece suits, as I think this is where Mayra really excels.
Highlights:
Triangle top with metal embellishment, $140
Braided connections, $130
Eva Simon models this $135 suit
Above: Brandi Latimer‘s striped bandeau top and matching bottoms are from the Mayra Collection. I’m generally not a fan of bandeau tops, but when you’ve got a body like Brandi’s and a design like Mayra’s, it all comes together.
Things I Don’t Believe In: Titles
Posted by Ryan in Uncategorized on November 1, 2008
The worst thing in the world that I could do as a photographer is give one of my images a title of “Untitled”. It’s probably the most pretentious thing that I can think of, followed closely by titling any image something vague, mysterious, or littered with big important-sounding words.
A friend recently brought up an interesting point — “titling is the art”. I’m still not sure how I feel about that, so I’m gonna let it fester in my brain for a little while longer.
Because most of my photos are superficial images of pretty girls, they don’t get titles any more complex than the subject’s name. But when I create something a little more artistic, do I have an obligation to give it a meaningful or interesting title? I don’t believe so. The viewer should think what they want to about the image, and not what I tell them to via manipulative words.
Above: a photo that lacks a title but probably deserves one. The tied-up heart was created by the same friend who provided the quote above about titles. What if I titled it “Love”? What if I titled it “Hate”? See the dilemma I have? Let it all hang out in the comments.
Photoshop Disasters
Posted by Ryan in Uncategorized on November 1, 2008
My new favourite thing in the whole world is Photoshop Disasters, a compendium of hilariously atrocious Photoshop mistakes.