JAMES HODGINS PHOTOGRAPHY

If you kid doesn’t  sit still during the photography session, you have my permission to hold them upside down and shake shake shake.   This was her favorite game with dad.

When photographing families with children I will ALWAYS try to grab some candid shots of the kids playing, or if they are more cooperative, individuals of each of them (just like our Fathers Favorites Photos).  This way, if you can’t get that all looking, perfect smiling all the kids in one group shot photo, you can look at creating another form of art piece for the families home, like the below 6 image wall panel.  After the session is done, you as the client can start thinking out of the box when it comes to displaying your family photos.  There is no reason why you have to buy one LARGE photo, why not make a wall cluster, or a multi-image panel.  These are things that we can easily discuss when you come in for your viewing sessions.   If you can think it up, we can create it.

As I stated in my previous post we photographed my Jiu-Jitsu instructor George Murphy  (Now I just need to get the other instructors in the studio).  Since I have been up since 5:10 am this morning I am now starting to play around with the images.  We really didn’t know what we were going to do or what these images were going to be used for (Of course to promote Team Submission Factory) so I kept the lighting fairly simple yet effective and opted to shoot on a solid white background for easy extraction.  Lighting on this image was two softboxes 90 degrees to the left and right of me and 2 monolights lighting up the background behind me.  I then extracted George from that background and placed him on this one that I created using various textures I have from over the years.

Still going like gangbusters with our Sudbury Pin-Up Perfection.   Jacqueline (a fellow photographer) came into the studio today to create a variety of Pin-Up style images.  It is amazing what you might find in your closet that can be used to create these images. These types of images take a very long time to create but in the end it is worth it.  We are looking forward to creating more Pin-Ups especially for Frank’s Deli.  Jacqueline thanks again for making this session a blast.  I look forward to workflowing more images.

“Kibbles ‘N’ Bits, ‘N’ Bits, ‘N” bits”.

“Mizfit”

Well we had a great day yesterday with a little marketing, weddings, promotions, live shooting and rain followed up with a massive Prime Rib dinner and print critique.  I have said it before, I said it last night, and I’m posting it here.  The Professional Photographers of Ontario Thunder Bay branch is the best in the PPO.  They know what they are doing, they are VERY hospitable, and they are very organized.  Thanks again to Bill Davis for taking me fishing, Don Bergman for being my personal guide, Franky for being my big fish, Frank Baratta for the images of me below, Austin for being my light stand, Foster for pickup us up, Roy of Frost Imaging  for sponsoring me, and all the photographers that attended this photography workshop.  I’m back in the Suds later today if the weather does not go to the carp in the next few hours (like it did the last time I was here).

Well Rob and I headed back from T.O after hanging out with Sandy Puc and promoting NoBs.  It seems when Rob and I spend more than 15 minutes in the car together, our train of thought becomes a little obscured.  This happens  a lot.  On our way home today we stopped at the Timmies just before Nobel(everyone knows where that is) as Bruce Nicol my assistant for this weekend, was only 1/2 hr behind us.  So we stopped and decided to kill some time by doing what we do best. I noticed that the leaves have already begun to turn! AHHHHHHHHHHH!  That sucks doesn’t it?  Remember that commercial where the women sees the first fallen leaf and she screams?  Well that was the background thought process for this image.  So armed with some of my portable lights we setup these shots.

This was taken just behind the Tim Hortons on one of the dogwalk trails.  There was also this old beatup skidoo, so hey, why not use what is available.  Tomorrow it’s back to work, but not before I take a new image of my new assistant.

Joce and I  would also like to put a personal shout out to Amanda & Tyler.
Congratulations on your recent engagement & we look forward to documenting your wedding.
We are now down to 2 dates left for 2010.

Here is some video of how  I set it up.

Our good friend Joe from www.imagesbypaulo.com rode in late last night on his bike to stay with us for a few days.  Today we were going to work on his new website and blog, but looking outside we just couldn’t pass up a good day of riding.  So off we went to Manitoulin Island for a beautiful day of riding and shooting.  Fortunately Joe brought his camera (as I completely forgot mine) so we managed to get some images of Joce and me for a change.

Joce and I on Deisel

I set the camera on self timer with a slow shutter for the falls.

Of course, we couldn’t pass up a shot of the two of us.