This past week, Rebecca and Keira teamed up on some baking of all sorts of Christmas goodies. I got to enjoy the fruits of their labour all the while having my camera in tow.
Continue reading “Christmas baking”
Moving into the DSLR world
In light of my recent birthday, I got an upgrade on my camera as a slight early gift. I’ve had my eye on the Nikon D90[wiki] for a matter of months now, but the push of going into the DSLR side of photography is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. As I said to Rebecca the other day, I’m back in the remedial class in terms of what I know, what I think I know, and what I don’t know. The last statement is vast, but I’m already in good company.
(The wise) John Biehler told me that once I got the model of camera that I wanted, there would be a lot of opportunity to meet plenty of other like minded folks who were eager to share their knowledge and insight on gear, techniques, and everything else you get yourself into when you make this kind of upgrade.
So just a matter of days after my purchase (of which Rebecca was in near constant contact with John via SMS), we had a birthday gathering at our place last Friday night, inviting John, Peter[flickr], and their collection of lenses and flashes for me to try out and get a feel for.
Still being a newbie, I’ll post a few of my favorite shots from the night with no edits or crops. Going through my own sense of discovery with this amazing apparatus and what it can possibly do. Click any thumbnail to see the full image.
Really liking the camera so far. I’m not sure how long it will take for me to get into purchasing extra lenses for it, but these trials have me gunning for a 50mm f1.4 lens, which many of the shots above are with. My only other goal with lenses would be to shoot some more concerts with. It’ll also be great for many photos that I’m sure you’ll be seeing on miss604.com, starting with a recent post where I shot George Stroumboulopoulos chatting with Rebecca.
Just for kicks, this was my favorite shot I took from that interview.
Working from a true remote location
Hello from gorgeous, sunny, humid, and beautiful Punta Cana.
The opportunity came up to come down here for the day job and do some preparation for an upcoming, potential broadcast related matter. It’s a short jaunt, but the hard work is over for the most part. Rebecca made the trip with me, so we have about a day and a half to enjoy the Dominican Republic a little bit, starting with a small photowalk we did this morning.
It’ll be tough to leave this place, but we want to come back at some point. A few days can’t do this place justice, so it’s safe to say that we’re not sleeping a lot so we can enjoy as much time here as we can. The beaches are gorgeous, the water is warm, and I basically collapsed and feel asleep in a chair while listening to the waves come in. That’s the way everyday should be after a morning of being on the clock.
Fire Sky Over Vancouver
Going for a boat ride with Wantsa
Last week, I had the extreme pleasure of being invited on a boat cruise for the launch of a new start-up in Vancouver, Wantsa.
I have yet to actually use their service, but all that I have heard so far seems to be very interesting and promising as to what Wantsa is looking to accomplish.
The Wantsa Engine is an application found within social networks that lets you and your friends exchange recommendations on trusted businesses, services and organizations. In return, you enjoy exclusive discounts and incentives from a valuable network of recommended companies. Even better, every time you engage with a business or organization, we’ll make a donation to the cause of your choice. [wantsa.com]
What I think is the most important element to their overall mission is the goal of giving back to the world as much as they are looking to be successful. By using their engine, you get what you want while giving back to charities that you would like to support.
This event was quite the gathering of people in the new media community of Vancouver, and the event was an amazing success. While the food and drink was abundant, so was the opportunity to hear all about Wantsa from the entire crew that was spread around the boat.
This also means that it was a great opportunity to shoot some photos while out at sea.
Many thanks to the Wantsa crew for a smashing event and the best of luck with their endeavor. And of course, you can see all the photos from this event on Flickr.
Hitting the San Francisco ground
The original plan for today was to take part in the WordCampSF Developer Day down at the Automattic offices, but after a late night at the party and Dale having his return flight home later in the day, we thought it would be a shame to not get out to experience the city some more. Neither Dale or I have been to San Francisco, so it was a easy decision to make, even though I’m sure there was some really great things talked about at today’s developer sessions.
Needless to say, I took my camera along and gathered about 50 shots during our journey. We spent most of that time on foot, and when they say that this city is a tad on the hilly side, we experienced it wholeheartedly.
Tomorrow afternoon we leave this city, and it’s been a really great experience to visit and see as much as we have. San Francisco is an amazing place that could really grow on me if given the chance. I can’t say that I’m a fan of the way the temperature fluctuates almost minute to minute, but no place is perfect (especially if you visit Vancouver for a week during the nearly month long streak of rainy days).
If you would like to see more photos from today, view them here.
Wandering around downtown San Francisco
We just got in from a small journey around the downtown area of San Francisco, so I thought I would make a quick post with various photos from our venture with John Biehler after he got into town this morning. Rebecca has a pretty good group of photos you can check out as well.
You can see all of my photos from our trip to San Francisco in this flickr set.
Signs of spring
When making the post previous to this one, I forgot about the group of photos that I shot early last week as well. This was a photowalk during a very amazing, early spring day here in Vancouver.
See all the photos from this set on Flickr.
More adventures of a wannabe photographer on Granville Street
I went for a photowalk with John Biehler after catching the Canucks game with him last week. He always has a variety of fun gear that he’s trying out and experimenting with, so I tagged along to push my knowledge of my Canon S5 IS[wiki] a little bit further.
Night photography is always tricky for a camera like this due to having to hold very still in the low light (which is often the case for many photographers), so I constantly found myself leaning up against light posts or taking about five or six shots while hoping something reasonable came out. Since I can’t swap the lens on this, I’m stuck with trying out different settings and the exposures it gives me.
You can see all of the photos here.
Surrey Winterfest 2009
This past Saturday, Rebecca and I ventured out to Surrey to cover Winterfest 2009. I say “cover” because we were asked specifically by the city of Surrey to come out to not only enjoy the festivities but to also provide coverage of the day’s events as they happened.
Many of the folks that we met were excited to see coverage of Winterfest happening on Miss604.com, and there were a lot of praises coming from people who were very familiar with the exposure that Surrey gets from Rebecca’s posts about the city as well as everything else in the lower mainland. I think it’s safe to say that these people are getting what grassroots media coverage can do for a city on a hyper-local basis, even if it is strictly web based content. I think that says a lot.
Check out the various posts on Miss604.com for the full coverage:
- Thornley to Play Winterfest in Surrey 2009
- Winterfest 2009: Early Afternoon Events
- Winterfest 2009: Opening Ceremonies, March Forth, Eva Avila, Faber Drive and Thornley
- Winterfest Wrap Up and Good Times in Surrey
I wasn’t providing commentary as much as being a photographer on the grounds, trying to capture as much of Winterfest 2009 as I could with my camera. There were people everywhere, plenty of things to see and do, and the entertainment on stage kicked off with some great stuff for the families while wrapping up the night with rock show that was an amazing lineup for a concert that cost you nothing to attend.
That being said, here’s a collection of photos that I took, and you can see the entire set on Flickr as well.
Continue reading “Surrey Winterfest 2009”