vtography.com blog

A Diptych of Wendy

vtography — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:45:32 +0000

From our hotel shoot in Ottawa a few weeks ago, which you can read more about here.

Stripes

vtography — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:01:08 +0000

Charlotte Lit by Clamshell

vtography — Sun, 13 May 2012 15:50:56 +0000

I love clamshell lighting. I’ve mentioned it a couple times here on the blog before. I don’t use it nearly enough, but I always love the results.

The Return of Wendy

vtography — Sat, 12 May 2012 08:40:59 +0000

The last time Wendy was seen around these parts was way back in October 2010, when I first met her on one of my many trips to Nova Scotia. We unfortunately had to abort our planned shoot while I was there last summer (damn you, Nova Scotia weather!) but we still enjoyed a couple lovely meals together and a swim at my hotel pool.

It’s fitting, then, that these photos were also taken at a hotel, although not in either Toronto nor Halifax oddly enough. Because we’re odd ducks, we did this in Ottawa. Yup. Just because.

Here’s Wendy in black and white…

…and colour…

…and somewhere in between…

Last year around this time I took hotels to task for generally sucking. However, the Marriott in Ottawa where I stayed was a nice change of pace. I first stayed there last year while they were renovating and things were kind of a disaster. The one thing that stuck with me from that visit was the stellar floor-to-ceiling windows that let tons of light into each room. So with that in mind, I booked with them again and was very pleased.

Firstly — complimentary wireless internet. Big win. And at a 4-star hotel no less, which is definitely not the norm. There was no explanation from the staff (my room rate did not include free internet) besides just a friendly remark from the desk clerk that we could login to their system and any charges would be reversed upon checkout. A bit of Googling revealed that this particular Marriott charges for internet access Monday to Thursday, but it’s free on weekends, which totally makes sense — charge the government and corporate types who can afford it during the week, and keep it free for the little guys who are in town on a weekend getaway. Good job, Marriott!

Also, for declining housekeeping service, they gave us a $10 voucher (no strings attached) to spend at Starbucks. And conveniently, there was a Starbucks attached to the lobby. Winning all around.

I also had a super amazing view of downtown Ottawa and Parliament Hill from my room on the 25th floor. So thanks for being awesome, Marriott. I’ll be staying with you again.

Let’s Take A Trip Back To 2009

vtography — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 06:24:07 +0000

You remember Randall, don’t you? It might be difficult to remember her, actually, since I haven’t made any new photos with her in nearly two years! So what does one do when that happens? Why, go back and process old photos, that’s what! This is precisely the reason I never delete photos from old photoshoots — sometimes photos that were passed over the first time actually turn out to be pretty good. Back in 2009 when these were shot, these images didn’t make the cut during my initial selects. But add a few years of perspective, reflection, and better post-processing skills… and voila!

My fingers are crossed for more Randall + Ryan magic (RSQUARED!) in the near future.

Brittany On The Floor

vtography — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:57:46 +0000

Brittany fell on the floor… so I made her stay there.

The light here was tricky as the windows in the hotel room were small and the late afternoon winter sky was dim. I had to shoot at ISO 800 and f/2, which allowed me to eek by with a 1/60 shutter speed. My Nikon D300S was in for service, so I used my backup D200 for this shoot. Because it uses older sensor technology, it doesn’t do well at higher ISOs. If I had my D300S with me, I easily could have pushed the ISO up to 1600 to attain a higher shutter speed.

Brittany’s wearing a shirt I got on clearance at H&M. I’ve had it for years and was glad to finally put it to good use.

Brittany In The Bathtub

vtography — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 14:55:33 +0000

Brittany Visits Toronto

vtography — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 06:52:20 +0000

Brittany was down visiting Toronto from Halifax in January. This was our first time meeting, though I long admired her work with Halifax photographers. We didn’t get a chance to work together during my last visit out there, but we made it happen here. Brittany has the most ridiculously perfect skin I’ve ever seen on a human being. She’ll age well.

I’m also super excited that there’s a handful of other Halifax models coming to visit me this year. Lots to look forward to!

Stay tuned for more photos of Brittany this week.

Les Coquettes: Salvation

vtography — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:55:42 +0000

Just thought I’d share a few shots from the Les Coquettes performance of Salvation on February 12. They’ve just kicked off a dinner theatre run, which you can find more about here. Great tickets still available for the upcoming March 4 show!

Modeling Is A Great Job And A Shitty Career

vtography — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 22:11:20 +0000

Paulina Porizkova, former supermodel:

The combination of just the right amount of freakishness, youth and body control is rare indeed, a veritable chupacabra. That’s why shows like America’s Next Top Model have, after something like 500 seasons, yet to come up with a top model. Despite Tyra Banks’ insistence that a girl can somehow “deserve” a top model spot by “by learning, by improving, by wanting it most,” this is in fact complete bullshit. The only thing that truly matters is what the girl looks like and if she is in the right place at the right time.

If it truly were about merit, most top models would be drag queens.