Harvest To Holiday Festival

Look for Archipelago Photography at Wesley Knox's Harvest To Holiday Festival on Saturday November 5th from 10am-12pm.
We'll be selling photo cards and a few framed 8x10's. Also accepting commissions and event assignments as always.
Remember, if you ever want to purchase something you see on this blog, get in touch with me ASAP and we can work something out. Keep Smiling,
Archipelago

The RAW Deal

Today, I have for you a little bit of an information session. This was just recently really explained to me so I felt that it might be helpful for me to (try to) explain it to you.
The difference between RAW and JPEG.
JPEG is the format that nearly every camera uses for their photos. When you make a photo, the computer inside the camera processes the image and gives it certain pre-determined qualities that are either programmed by you or automatic. Qualities like White Balance, Saturation, Contrast, Colour Space and things like that. All those are given to your photo and all of the 'information' related to other white balances, etc. are discarded. That's why if you have a 10 megapixel camera your photos end up at 3 or 4 megapixels.
RAW is exactly what it sounds like. Completely raw. All of those qualities and adjustments are not made to the photo inside the camera. It leaves all of those options open for changing later. The files end up being just the size they were advertised at. Which makes RAW photos much larger than JPEG. It also does mean that they can't be previewed or used for things until they are processed in photoshop. It takes a lot longer but the difference is often quite astounding.
Above are two photos, the first a JPEG and the second a JPEG made from a RAW. The difference at first might not look like much but when examined closely it really is quite the improvement. So next time you're out and about, give RAW a try. It just may surprise you.
Archipelago Photography; islands of thought and image, connected with a name.

Skyway Fades

On this blog there is no shortage of posts related to music. It's because music is a large part of my life. It's something I am very passionate about. As is my brother. Most of my music related posts have had to do with one iteration of his band. The latest iteration, named Skyway Fades, is him (Trevor), his bassist (Matt), the singer (Josh) and the guitarist (Jose). The last shoot we did was especially challenging. It was dark and fast-moving (like all band shoots) but especially so. And also it was a very small space. So I couldn't just dial up my ISO and Shutter Speed. It wouldn't be enough. Next option is flash. I just got myself a new flash this summer which is excellent to be honest. I love it. So, I gave it a go. And it was awful. They were too shiny (due to the gleam of the instruments and the posters in the background). Not to mention that I was sending high powered flashes into the eyes of musicians as they play. Not the best idea. So I played around with bouncing my flash; a technique I learned about at a Henry's photo conference a few years ago. And man, did it work. The flash was being bounced off a white ceiling and it worked rather well for creating natural looking light. So, when your flash is giving you trouble, just bounce it around.
Archipelago Photography- insulae de cogitum lumenque, maritus cum nomen.

From Komoko to KeeMoKee

The weekend before last my Youth Group and a few others went camping at KeeMoKee. A lovely little camp. And one of the best parts for me was that I was partly in charge and I got to spend as much time as I wanted just taking pictures and running events. It was great. One of the events I got to run was a photo scavenger hunt. I found items around the camp that the kids would have to find and take a picture of. Then I gave them a clever hint to figure out what it actually was. It was a big hit at camp.
The first photo is a group shot, made possible by my tripod and a 10 second timer.
The second is a photo of our cabin, lit wonderfully, by mid morning sunlight through a very green tree-cover for this time of year.
The last one is a photo of three guys playing one of the kids favourite games, Zap.
Archipelago Photography- Islands of thought and image, connected with a name.

A Trip to The Market

A large part of being a photographer, and a first rate uncle, is being able to tell when to make a photo, and when not to (in relation to taking care of kids). For example, if something happens to the child, you don't sit around and make a photo. It doesn't matter if that would be the best photo you've ever made, you go help the kid if they're hurt. That's no question. But say the kid is angry, or a little upset, but not injured. If there's a photo opportunity there, take it. Don't sacrifice a photo fro something that may not even help at all. It's not really complex, it's just about good morality. Putting the well-being of the child above your photos. It's really pretty simple.
So that's my lesson of the day, with a series of photos from a trip myself, my mother and my wonderful two neices took to The Covent Garden Market this past weekend. The girls had a great time and I got a few good photos of them and some local architecture as well. Overall, a wonderful day. I'm getting better and better at balancing a camera with a life.
Archipelago Photography- islands of thought and image, connected with a name.

What a Wonderful Day For A Wedding

This summer, my second cousin got married. The bride was my Mom's cousins daughter, and yet she's just as close to me as my 1st cousins. Families are strange like that. So, anyway, she got married, and my whole family was invited. It was pretty great. The wedding was at a tiny little church and the reception was at a golf course. A good time, to be sure. The first photo is called With This Ring, the minister showing The Ring to everyone. The rest don't have names, but are good enough to show nonetheless. The second is of my Mom and her cousin in front of the little chapel. The third is the ceremonial throwing of the bouquet to determine who will get married next. See the girl on the left, holding her dress and booking it towards the bouquet? That's my sister. Looks like we may be doing this again sometime soon.
The last one is all three of my sisters (middle and right biological, left in-law) doing the macarena. Even funnier in person.
Archipelago Photography- islands of thought and image, connected with a name.

Summer Miscellaneous

This summer I made a bunch of photos. And by a bunch I mean about 1700. Which when you look at it, isn't all that many. For me at least. Considering I had a 3 day vacation up north, a job with unlimited photo opportunities and attended a wedding, it's pretty reasonable. (If you want to see some wedding photos, have some patience they'll be up right after this.)
These are just a few randoms of the summer. The first and third are from a trip my mother, sister, a few friends and I took to this quaint pioneer village. The first being of a barn hoist, and the third of a sketchy attic. The middle photo is one I made during the greatest of the summer storms. The 'fountain' in the street is actually the manhole cover popping off and the rainwater from below pouring up into the street. Pretty intense actually. If you are wondering about the ambient lighting, it is actually sheet lightning (in reality the sky was pitch black).
Archipelago Photography; insulae de cogitum lumenque, maritus cum nomen.