Bengali Dyes

Something I really had fun creating last year were my collection of Bengali Dyes. These exotic colours injected into milk of magnesia ( due to density )consistently created something different every second of the shoots. The dyes are included in my feature in the newly released book "Talent Next Door." The book features artists from the K-W area and is available at Amazon.ca ( shameless plug ). I also have recently printed a limited run of 11 x 17 inch posters which I have for sale for $ 20. each. The pieces look incredible when framed and matted and have been very popular over the holidays. Have a look at the dyes in my flickr gallery and contact me for more information.

Silky Smooth

So now that you're putting your lens cap in your front left pocket something I always keep in that pocket as well is a silk lens cleaner. It's a "silky" soft and smooth patch of material that is perfect for cleaning the front of your lens. Cleaning the glass on the front of your image gatherer is another good habit to get into. It's another step in setting up your shot and after continual use will become a standard habit. To clean your lens use a circular motion when wiping to help from creating streaks. Hold the lens up to your eyes and then at different angles of light check to see if there's any visible gunk or dust. If you've got a filter on the lens then take it off and clean both the lens and both sides of the filter. Take this one step further and buy yourself a Giotto Rocket Air blower and squeeze some man made wind across the glass. Making sure your lens is clean will save you time in post production and help guarantee that everything in your shot is clean from spots.

Home Video Improvement

During the nineties ( remember them ?) I produced a series of over 50 instructional videos that aired on CKCO-TV in Kitchener for a couple of years.  "Home Video Improvement" was designed to help the novice videographer through simple tips become a better shooter.  I have started to upload these features to YouTube and thought that today would be a great time to introduce them to you. 

New Shooter First Tip

If you're one of the millions that received a DSLR camera for Xmas and are just starting your new hobby I have a tip for you. Like anything new you will pick up a few bad habits along the way. Well there's one simple habit you should get into when out shooting. One of the first things you'll always do when out is taking off your lens cap. Once that's done.... where do you put it ? I really hate those little strings that are sold that you stick to the cap and the lens where it dangles in the wind while you're shooting. Here's my tip and something I consistently do every time I take off my cap. Put it in my front left pocket. Always. You'll never lose it if you get into this very simple habit.

Best of 2010

Alright. New year , new beginning. Reflecting back on 2010 I was in a helluva lot of places shooting a helluva lot of different people , places and things. Choosing my best photograph was a toughie but one that didn't take long to figure out.

During my brief stint in London Ontario covering the Canadian Special Olympic Summer Games I'd rise early just before sunrise and head out into the city's down town core to shoot ...whatever. During one of my sun rising photo walks I noticed a man in a large parking lot checking the parking meters for change. As he walked closer I noticed that this was a man with incredible facial character and I stopped him and introduced myself to him. He replied...."My God ! My name is Danny too ! I live over the other side of the tracks at the shelter. " Well hearing that was the perfect way to break the ice and I told him what I was up to and asked if I could shoot a portrait of him. He agreed and I shot a series of four or five shots. As I finished I offered to buy him breakfast but he declined and as he walked away he said " I'm on my way to find my next hundred. " Little did he realize he was pure gold.

Out With The Old

Well Lissa and I finally bit the bullet and joined the countless others who upgraded their TV at Xmas. Can we still call them sets ( even if they're more than 32" wide ) ? It sure was nice getting rid of the old CRT boat anchor. Besides offering an extremely great image it's wonderful that televisions have become narrower and lighter. It certainly makes it a lot easier when changing up the order of the living room where it resides. Next up is finding a nice PVR and then a quick HD injection.

New Year's Resolution

Well... I'm back to blogging. And to tell you the truth it's one of my New Year's resolutions. Some of you may know that I blogged constantly for seven years on another url I own " tillsonburg.com ." It was there that I created a little community within a little community and posted events, news and crazy cultural happenings. Looking back now I believe at the time I was little bit ahead.... and my labour of love was only shared with a handful.

Now it's a new year and a new blog. Here I will create a place to share my adventures on the road as well as a place where if you're into photography or video production you may find resourceful.

So bookmark this place and check back frequently as I will try to inform and entertain you "at the lanes."