Home-made Diffuser

I've always been turned off of pictuers taken with a flash. I think it might be because it creates really hard shadows, but who knows. Anyways, I was also looking at some different flashes to buy for my Canon camera that would fit the hot shoe, and amidst my searching I found diffusers. I learned how to use diffusion on lighting for movies in school, but never thought it would be useful in photography. So I got out my parchment paper, folded it together a few times, cut it down to the size of the onboard flash of my camera, and taped it on. Wow! I love what it does for the pictures! It gives enough light in those low-lit places, but not too much and its not really hard light. It makes the perfect fill light as well, say if you have really hard light on one side of the face and a big shadow on the other while taking portrait pictures outside. I suggest trying it out....

Photography Tips and Tricks

I have been looking around the internet for sites that have good tips and tricks, and by far this is my favorite site. I like it for more than the tips, but here is a link for some useful info on photography and using the camera to its full potential:

http://www.all-things-photography.com/advanced-photography-tips.html

Sophia at 2 months old

Millie and I have been pretty obsessed with taking pictures since Sophia was born. It also helps to finally have a camera able of taking good pictures!



It seems that every morning we wake up and want to do a small "photo sesh", as we call them (we're nerds), because she is always very happy and talkative. Even after a long night of crying and fussing, I usually forget how tired I am at 9:00 when she looks over at me and smiles when I say hello.

Hyperfocal Focusing

Another cool little discovery I made today! I had no idea about this type of focusing, but apparently its the best way to photograph landscapes to ensure everything you want is in focus with a high F-stop. There is a chart that you can print off of the internet and take around to make sure you get the right hyperfocal distance with the zoom and f-stop thats being used. I'm excited to try it out because up until this point I have been mainly using the autofocus. I haven't felt comfortable enough to use manual focus, but now I'm invincible!! Oh, I also discovered the Depth of Field preview button on my camera today and I love it. I'm excited to go take more pictures!

I've been doing a little bit of research on filters lately, and I've decided to buy a circular polarized filter. From what I've read, it makes sense to have one for outdoor shooting especially. I've also found Hoya filters on the Henry's Ebay store for half the price I have seen them anywhere else, so why not. Another cool little discovery I made for myself was a monopod. I've never heard of them, but I talked to a guy at a photo store who said he has one and loves it. Pretty cool contraption I might say! Plus its lighter, so I might look into that instead of a tripod. For anyone who is into photoshopping their pictures, I found this sight full of good tutorials for many different things. Let me know if you find any other good sites.

http://www.tutorialized.com/tutorials/Photoshop/Photography/1
.
.

COOL!

I'm getting a little frustrated with not having a tripod. I think that will be my next investment for camera equipment, seeing as I don't always have an absolute steady hand with slow shutter speeds.

Deep Cove, BC

This was just a random picture I took in my house but I actually quite like it, with no post adjustments.


The Yatch club in Deep Cove.


When I went down to Deep Cove there was a massive fog that looked great over the water

More photos

Sophia at around 5 weeks. She loves looking at people!


She makes some pretty funny faces when she is in a good mood


This is my niece Taylor just after Christmas 2008. Not sure what the leaf is all about but I like the picture


This is a pair of slippers that Sophia got after she was born.

Pictures from November to January

My first child is a baby girl and she was born on November 21, 2008. She was 7 lbs. 6 oz. and my wife (Millicent) and I named her Sophia June Strong. We both decided that June would be great as a middle name, and we had never discussed it or mentioned it to each other ever before. June is the name of my grandmother and she has been a huge part of my life, so this photo meant a lot to us!

Welcome!

Blogging. My sister-in-law told me about it. My sister told me about it. Everyone seems to be blogging these days. It took me a long time to get just used to the word, so obviously I never wanted to follow suit. But on account of a recent holiday purchase, I have discovered my passion for photography. Who knew that taking pictures, of all things, could be so fun and satisfying! I took a couple of photography classes in school near the beginning of the year, but never really fell in love with the idea. Throughout my year at Vancouver Film School I realized that my strange obsession for lines and symmetry (slightly obsessive compulsive?) proved useful in the composition and framing of my student work. And now that I have a camera capable of taking amazing photos (not just of a couple of friends pushing their faces together at a party, making a "funny" face) I feel ready to take my knowledge and find those stunning pictures!

Or try at least...

So this is the first official blog on my site. This blog is a place for me to post my photos of my family, friends, and anything else that inspires me.

For those who have creative criticism (be nice now!) I am open for comments and suggestions. I would also love to see any pictures people want to share, so feel free to send me links or even pictures you have captured that you find inspiring. I might even post some on my blog ;)

I'm signing off for now, but pictures are sure to follow soon.

Bradey Strong