Adam Graham Photography Blog

Candace and Jacques - Monica and Jeremy 30 August 2010

A few weeks ago I had the chance to do a really unique session. Candace and Jacques wanted some engagement pictures done and Monica and Jeremy, their best man and maid of honour, wanted a couples session too. What made it really interesting is they wanted the sessions at the same time, on the Tusket Islands. Jacques and Jeremy are both lobster fishermen who fish in that area so it was a really good fit for the pictures.

This was my first trip out to the Tusket Islands and I really couldn’t have asked for a better day. This end of Nova Scotia is truly one of the most beautiful areas in the world.On top of being gorgeous, the islands have a really interesting history. They used to be populated with fishermen and their families, with the bigger islands each having their own cannery. Now the longest residents are the sheep that summer on a few of the islands. One of the locations we went to was an old stone lodge that had been build in the 1930s to host visiting tuna fishermen. It was great to get to know both couples a bit. It’s very clear that everyone involved in the upcoming wedding is really happy for Candace and Jacques and excited for their day. Monica and Jeremy seem like really true friends, both to Candace and Jacques and to each other. Thanks so much for a great day!

tusket-islands

tusket-islands-3

tusket-islands-27

tusket-islands-2

tusket-islands-4

tusket-islands-5

tusket-islands-8

tusket-islands-6

tusket-islands-7

tusket-islands-9

tusket-islands-11 tusket-islands-12

tusket-islands-14

tusket-islands-15

tusket-islands-13

tusket-islands-10

tusket-islands-28

tusket-islands-16

tusket-islands-18

tusket-islands-19

tusket-islands-20 tusket-islands-21

tusket-islands-23

tusket-islands-24

tusket-islands-29

tusket-islands-31

tusket-islands-30

tusket-islands-34

tusket-islands-33

Jasmine Star workshop on Creative Live 27 August 2010

I’ve been watching as much of the wedding workshop with Jasmine Star as I’ve been able to over the last couple of the days. I really like the Creative Live model. As the workshop is occurring they broadcast it live for free. Then they polish it up into a downloadable version you can purchase (for comparatively cheap too). The workshops are really ambitious. This wedding workshop spans 5 days and includes an actual wedding (not a staged pretend one).

The first two days have been fantastic. Jasmine Star is one of the celebrities in the wedding photography industry. From year one to year two of her business she went from 1 to 38 weddings. She’s only been in business for four years and American Photo named her one of the top ten wedding photographers worldwide. I try to be wary of hype like that and had only checked out her work once or twice. Watching the workshop, though, I’ve been totally won over. She’s motivated me to put things into practice I already knew, inspired me with new ideas, and most importantly (even though it sounds really cheesy) I feel like she’s given me permission to really let me be myself photographically. This first year of my being in business has been an incredible learning experience for me and I feel like I’m starting to get a handle on how to translate my vision into the work I’m doing for clients. I can’t wait for the next three days of the workshop.

jstar

Photo / Video 24 July 2010

My new camera has a list of features that I love that’s about a mile long. One of them is that I can do video with it with the same level of control that I have over my still images. These are a couple of quick experiments with it, capturing a little bit of the personality of my boys. With the one of T, I shot more stills along with the video and put them together. It’s something I can see myself doing more of in the future.

IMG_0001 - first with my new camera 30 June 2010

My new camera arrived today! It’s a Canon 5D Mark II, and it’s beautiful. I’ve known for a while that it was going to be the camera that I would move to but I wasn’t sure when I was going to get it. The timing worked out for me to order it last week and it arrived today. I try to buy things to fill a need rather than just to have them. I’ve had my 20D, now relegated to backup duty, for 4 years and am closing in on 30,000 frames shot with it. The step up to the 5D was really starting to be necessary. I’ve recently been noticing some of the technical limitations of the 20D more and am looking forward to finding out all the 5D can do.

P was excited to be my first subject so this is IMG_0001 shot with my new camera. The first of tens of thousands. I also grabbed a few shots of my gorgeous wife Sherrie. T didn’t get a session today because he was sleeping both of the times I had the camera out.

sherrie-big-smile

Saint John trip roundup 16 June 2010

I’ve already posted some pictures from my sessions from my recent trip to Saint John. This post is to share some of the other pictures I took while I was there. I was able to get out a couple of times to do some of my Through the Viewfinder shooting around the city. I’m used to shooting when it’s gray and foggy there but both evenings were bright and sunny. It almost transforms the old city into something cheerful. I almost wrote ‘old girl’ there but that’s probably just because I still think of the city as a wood and bricks extension of Elsie Wayne.

saint-john-38