flower child

My Lightroom library hit 25000 images the other day.

Obviously they aren't all gems. Hitting that arbitrarily important number actually spurred me on to clean out my photo library, and I ended up deleting about 4000 before getting bored with the task. The best part, however, was looking at all these old images I'd taken, with old gear, raw technique and an unsure shutter finger. It was an unabashed reminder of where I've come from on this photographic journey.

I've done one full wedding and two receptions now, a half dozen engagement sessions and a number of various other projects. I've bought some new gear, tried some new techniques, and I'm starting to feel like it's all coming together, and in fact, this session was really the tipping point for me.


It felt like everything worked. The clients were relaxed and having fun. They LIKED having their picture taken. They looked great together. They thought ahead and co-ordinated their outfits...yes, plural; they deliberately brought multiple outfits.


They were willing to do things, to try stuff. "Get in the lake? Sure!" They didn't mind taking direction and brought their own ideas.


The locations worked beautifully, and suited their personalities. The sun was bright yet slightly muted behind a hazy high cloud which made everything glow.


I'm often really paranoid when I shoot. I never feel like I've 'got' the shot while I'm shooting; a photo session always ends with slightly forced enthusiasm that I hope hides my insecurity in my abilities. It usually ends up totally fine, but the feeling has always still gnawed.

Until now. As I was shooting Sarah Jane and Ryan, knew it was going to be amazing. I just knew it.

And that, dear readers, was a tremendous milestone.

14.06.09. Slightly increased vibrance, added vignette, slight colour correction.
14.06.09. Desaturated, increased vibrance, adjusted white balance, increased contrast.
14.06.09. Increased vibrance, desaturaded, increased exposure, slightly increase clarity.
14.06.09. Slightly increased contrast and exposure.

the playboy mansion

Sunday night is Man Night.

It started when some co-workers got together at a gaming center to play COD4 against each other. Word quietly spread both in and out of the company, and a regular group formed. It got to the point where it is just understood that any given Sunday night, you can find a group there.

One recent addition to Man Night is Dice in the Alley*. It began as a diversion while some of the guys had a smoke break, and has now become a regular fixture. We used loonies at first, but decided that American singles looked better, so greenbacks are now required for entry**.

I had finished shooting my first wedding at about 8:30, 11 hours after I started. I still had my gear with me. The alley was buzzing.

These are my bros. This is why I'm always booked on a Sunday night.

*technically a non-banking varient of Cee-Lo.

**if this seems farcical, keep in mind how ridiculous it is for a bunch of white, solidly middle-class tech company employees to be shooting dice in the first place.