• THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2009 •

One Past, Another Here...

Here's Wishing 2009's A Good One For You, And For Us All!

"Happy New Year"
"Bonne Année"
"L'Shannah Tovah"
"Felice anno nuovo"
"Feliz Ano Novo"
"Kenourios Chornos"
"Feliz Año Nuevo"
"Hauoli Makahiki Hou"



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• WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2008 •

December Recap

Posts Not Coming Thick And Fast!

You might have noticed that posts to the blog were not coming thick and fast this past month. Well, it was a busy one, and I'm afraid updates had to take a backseat to shoots and clients photos!

As a way of ending 2008, December was an extraordinary month, and we couldn't have asked for better! Thank you to everyone for the good times, the happy and exciting shoots, and your fantastic feedback and comments!

2008 was a special year, for both myself and Serengeti. We started the ball rolling in establishing a reputation for Serengeti Studios as the place to go for an exclusive and un-paralleled shoot experience. And the ball is rolling well!

Below are a few samples from several shoots Serengeti had during December.

  

  

  








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• MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2008 •

A Love Story

Life And Our Dreams

Using stop-motion photography and 2-D animation, Carlos Lascano created this short video "A Short Love Story" showing the dream of a little girl playing out in her mind. It's beautiful and pointed, and worth a look-see.


A SHORT LOVE STORY IN STOP MOTION from Carlos Lascano on Vimeo.


The "making of" is fascinating, and shows the depth and quantity of work necessary to put even a short movie like this together. But what a lovely project!






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• SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2008 •

Holidays Photography

Christmas Lights and Christmas Morning

I found these two posts recently that might be just what some readers are looking for this time of year!

:: How to Photograph Christmas Lights ::
:: Christmas Morning Lighting Tips ::


Photo by Troy McCullough

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• MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2008 •

Stress Over Nikon

Nikon's New D3x Takes Flack

I don't track Nikon's offering of camera's very closely, but apparently some are unhappy with their newly released D3x. Ken Rockwell has the details. And Hitler isn't happy either!



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• SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2008 •

Lisa Anella Advanced Esthetics

A Personal Business Photo Shoot

Serengeti recently had a Business Photo Shoot for Lisa Annella Advanced Esthetics, the destination of choice for high-quality, personalized skin care here in Montréal.

The shoot went great, was a lot of fun (as always) and Lisa was in her usual bubbly and generous mood. We shot all aspects of her salon, from exterior street shots to the boutique and her exclusive treatments.






And then, to wrap up, I quickly set up one flash head, and took a few headshots of Lisa, and Cathy, just for fun!

        
        

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• FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2008 •

Christmas Rush

And Barely Time To Breath!

Yup, it's that time of year again. And for Serengeti, that means shoot on top of shoot, and mega print order on top of mega print order! Phew!

So, while I gather my wits together, and look at putting up a collection of posts that show a bit of what we've been up to these last few weeks, let me share something special.

Sadja, Enya and their Mom Isbel had a shoot with Serengeti way back in November 2007. I remember the shoot clearly, because of the girls amazing energy and humor, and the beautiful dynamic between them.



Well, Sadja just recorded a little music video with her Dad, Pavel, and they posted this on YouTube:



In addition, Sadja recently ran for and won the position of class president, and she used several photos from our shoot for her poster!



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• SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2008 •

Another Canon 5D Mark II Movie

One Night In Beijing

This video was filmed by Guardian photographer Dan Chung directly after picking his new camera up from a Beijing camera store and charging the battery.


Canon EOS5DmkII, One night in Beijing. from Dan Chung on Vimeo.

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• TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2008 •

The Marble Maestro

Taking Marble Polishing To An Art Form

It's not often I get to visit a home of the size and grandeur I did recently. And not often too with room after room of sweeping marble floors, polished to a sheen rivaling any mirror!

For Anthony Masecchia, owner and master stone consultant of Marble Maestro, it's part of the job. Although the mansion we shot in last weekend was one the most impressive he's worked on, Anthony regularly see's the best that Montréal has to offer!

For a half days shooting, done before the furniture arrived to show the best of the floors, Anthony and I came away with an impressive collection of images, showing the marble floors at their best. Looking to take his business to the next level, Anthony will use a collection of the photos for the new marketing push he is planning.



  




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• WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2008 •

Photos With A Cell Phone

And You Decide Where The Next Shot Is

Sometimes I'm a bit slow on the uptake! This little story has been going on for a while (since Oct 22), and I should have made this mention sooner. But you still have a chance!

British photographer Nick Turpin has ditched his big fancy camera and is shooting his current month-long campaign for Samsung using only a cell phone, the new Pixon camera phone. No DSLRs, no flashes, no assistants holding long poles and bouncing light. And he is not even in control of where he is shooting - you are.

Your clicks on each new photo in the the evolving website decide where he is going next. It is live now, at The Photographic Adventures of Nick Turpin. You can also follow Nick's cell-phone video diary of the trek via his YouTube Channel.

The website and Nick's photographic wonderings are really worth a look-see, and why not take an active role, click on the latest image, and perhaps have a hand in where he may go to next!



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• TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2008 •

The Making Of A Stop Motion Video

"Clap Your Brains Off"

This is the making of the "Clap Your Brains Off" videoclip (Mexican Droste Videoclip) from the group No Somos Machos. It's a low budget / sort of home-made video, done with the help of lots and lots of friends.

I found this recently on photographer Simon Duhamel's blog, and thought it fun to share. It might inspire some of you to get out a play!

This is a pretty impressive video, shot with Canon's 1D Mark III. The camera, which shoots at 10 fps, was donated by Canon for the project, and the video is compiled of still photographic shots, running quickly to create motion. These are converted with the Droste Effect mathematical formula, giving a modern example of the art made famous by dutch artist Escher.


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• FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2008 •

Our Passions

Sebastién And His Bandit

Continuing the series of images in the Passion Series, I went out with Sebastién and his Suzuki Bandit 1200 N motorcycle.


"I've always loved bikes," said Sebastién. "The feeling of freedom, of power, of speed that cruising on a bike gives you! Yes, you have to be careful, motorists don't always see you, but there's nothing like taking my bike for a Sunday ride out in the countryside with a group of friends. We're all bike enthusiasts! The comradery is great!"

I can relate to that. When I lived in Los Angeles (another life time, many moons ago!) I had a Honda CB 900, and very little compared to a weekend morning cruising up in the canyons just off CPH!

But hanging out the back of the car at 60kph taking photos of Seb on his bike: now that was fun!



This is the second set of images presented in a series with "people's passions" as the central theme.

"Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things."
~ Denis Diderot - French author, encyclopedist, & philosopher (1713 - 1784)

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• TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008 •

No Comment!

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• FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2008 •

Happy Halloween!

It's That Scary Time Of Year Again!

Witch, Hailey © Will Steacy

Come down in hard times recently, photographer Will Steacy has been offering several limited edition fine art prints of his for a real steal.

There are only a few left, including "Witch, Hailey" above.


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• FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2008 •

High Speed Photography

Cool Effects With A Kung Fu Master

Even if you're not a dedicated martial artist, or remotely excited about photography, you still might find this fascinating!




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• THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2008 •

The Aurora

Stunning Displays In Our Northern Skies

It's not often that the Aurora can be seen as far down south as Oklahoma, but photographer Dave Ewoldt caught the show a short while back.

Anticipating Aurora sightings, Ewoldt had spent the evening photographing nighttime views of small towns in the area while keeping an eye toward the north. He reports, "I was just about ready to call it a night when the show started. When it did, it was like someone turned on a lightswitch. I wish it would have lasted longer... [it] seemed like it was completely done in about 25 minutes."



Does the Aurora occur on other planets? Yes! The Earth is not the only planet in the solar system on which Auroras may be seen. The gas giants, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune all have their own.

An Aurora on Saturn. This image was taken on January 24, 2004, from the Hubble telescope.



For more reading:
UCL DEPARTMENT OF SPACE & CLIMATE PHYSICS
The Aurora Page
Auroras: Paintings in the Sky
Space Exploration


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• MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2008 •

Photographer Needed

Perhaps This Is For You? Or Someone You Know

Serengeti Studios is presently researching and developing a new idea.

We are looking for a young French/English-speaking photographer, or aspiring photographer, who is available on weekends, and enjoys and has the ability to work with children and role-play.

Full training and equipment will be provided. The important thing is having a good eye, and interacting well with kids!

If this job possibility interests you, or someone you know, please don't hesitate to contact us, or call 514 728 3597.

        


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• MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2008 •

Wisdom

An Inspiring Personal Project

The Wisdom project, by photographer Andrew Zuckerman, and produced with cooperation from South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu, interviews several of the world's famous cultural icons, and asks what wisdom is to them.

Encompassing their voices and presence in video, and their images and words in a book, this collection of interesting and landmark people is fascinating and inspiring stuff.

I really recommend all to take a look at the website here.




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• FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2008 •

Stills And Motion Combine

Does This Fit Your "Modern Media/Gadget Lifestyle"?

There's been a huge commotion amongst photographers recently around the soon to be available 5D MkII from Canon.

This new camera, which packs a 21.1 megapixels sensor and features sensitivity settings up to ISO 25,600, has caught the world's attention with something else: it's new full HD 1080 resolution movie recording!

Yup, a digital SLR (SLR = a camera with removable/interchangeable lenses) able to shoot movies! Providing incredible footage too! New York based photographer Vincent Laforet created a short movie called "Reverie" with a demo model of the new camera, and you can see the mind-blowing clip on his website here.

It hasn't taken the industry long to provide gadgets and accessories for these new cameras about to take the mid-to-high-end camera market by storm. Redrock Micro already have mounts able to "transform video DSLRs (like the Canon 5D mark II and Nikon's D90) into production-ready cinema solutions."

Where do we go from here?!






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• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2008 •

Our Passions

A Shoot With One Of Karate Tansei's Instructors

“Practice what you preach,” is something that Senseï Luciano lives by. In order to be an effective leader, you must lead by example. “Always be a white belt at heart, place your ego aside, open your mind, and grow as a true karateka.”

I recently had the opportunity of a shoot with Senseï Luciano, a Senseï, or "instructor" for Karate Tansei's Montréal dojo. A true gentleman and leader by example, Senseï Luciano has been a Kyokushin Karate practioner for 26 years, and now heads his own dojo, with a large and spirited group of students of all ages. When not giving classes, he trains with his own family. For the Senseï, karate is a way of life.

This shoot was the first in a series that I will be doing with "people's passions" as the central theme. Stay tuned!




"Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished:
  If you're alive, it isn't."
~ Richard Bach

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• FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2008 •

The Archives

A Different Kind Of Wedding

I was digging through my archives this week, searching for examples of business portraits I had done, when I came across images from a wedding I covered many years back.

This wasn't just any other wedding (not that there are many of those). Between two very dear friends of mine, Sean and Nicky, the ceremony was held in a cave down on the beach, which was absolutely stunning.




After that, the three of us (with the help of Nicky's brother with the light) went up to the local village for a series of photos out of the ordinary, as some of the examples show below! We had a lot of fun, running around looking for funky old houses to shoot in, whilst it threatened to rain, and the night swiftly swept in.


"I saw and loved"
~ Edward Gibbon


"Love doesn't make the world go 'round.
  Love is what makes the ride worthwhile"
~ Franklin P. Jones


"Love is a game that two can play and both win by loosing their heart"
~ Eva Gabor

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• MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2008 •

How Was This Image Made?

Photographer Monte Isom In Action

Monte Isom, a prominent US-based commercial photographer, took advantage of the Olympics recently held in China, where he created several Olympic-themed ads for Adidas. The one above is just one of several dramatic images, combining photography with considerable post-production work. See all those people in there? They're real people. Who needed to be cast and directed.

How long did all of this take? Isom was in China for six weeks, for pre-production, shoot days, and post-production. It was a huge project: "We shot the podium, every individual piece. We shot a scaffolding in the same way. We shot the crowd on a soccer pitch. We shot the athletes in two different cities in different takes. We shot three hundred people in the crowd and built the podium out of 60 people, and 28 extras on the podium."

Below are some behind the scenes images, and video.

Here are the actors on the scaffolding:




A video of the casting session:



Here's the soccer field where they assembled the actors.


And here's some of the shooting:




How did the finished ads appear in Beijing and Shanghai? Here's an example:


Another video of Isom at work:



Now if the Chinese could just put a little attention into the correct English translation for "Impossible Is Nothing."

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• FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2008 •

Googles GeoEye

New Google Satellite Imagery

New satellite images that will eventually show up in Google Earth and Google Maps are now arriving from the Google-sponsored GeoEye-1 satellite that launched a month ago.

GeoEye says this image below, of Kutztown University, Pennsylvania, is the first image taken by GeoEye-1. It was collected on October 7, 2008, from 423 miles in space as their satellite moved down the eastern seaboard of the United States.

Click on the image for a full-size view.


The Geo-Eye1 is described as the world’s highest-resolution commercial satellite. GeoEye spokesperson Mark Brender told Wired.com that the satellite can take photos at a resolution of up to 41 centimeters — close enough to zoom in on your extra-large pizza. Due to federal law, though, Google will “only” get images that have a 50-centimeter resolution. So that's the extra extra-large!

You can find more info on the (unofficial) Google Earth Blog.

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• MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2008 •

The Little Milk Route

Invitation For Parents

Businesses have taken the lead! Thanks to innovative grassroots programs in some neighbourhoods, coordinated by CLSC, breastfeeding mothers are finding support.

"La petite route de lait" is one such program - literally a mapped "milk route" of more than 40 local businesses in Petite Patrie where women can drop in and breastfeed when they need to. The initiative was spearheaded by Joanne Morin, a nurse with the CSSS du Coeur de l'Île, the local community health centre.

Participating businesses are displaying the "Au sein de la famille" sign in their windows.

6 to 10 October is International Breastfeeding Week, and in the Petite Patrie area of Montréal welcome activities are planned for each day of the week with several participating businesses. All parents are invited.

See details for "when" and "where" below!





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• MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2008 •

The Miracle Of A Child

Tomi Returns For His Second Shoot

"A child must know that he is a miracle,
that since the beginning of the world there hasn't been,
and until the end of the world there will not be,
another child like him."
~ Pablo Casals

Children grow so quickly. And one really notices how much they may have changed when you haven't seen them for a while. In the case of babies, that may be just a few weeks, or months.

Jérôme and Gaëlle brought little Tomi for a shoot when he was just a few months old, and they just returned for a second. Tomi is now 7 months, and what a little character he is! His eyes so full of expression, and a smile as cute as they come!

Their photo gallery will be up soon! In the meantime here are few sneak peeks!







Jérôme was kind enough to run around in the background with his camera during part of the shoot, and here are a few of his "background" shots, followed by the view through my camera
















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• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008 •

A Birthday Gift

Something Special For Someone Special

This doesn't happen very often. Guys don't usually see photo shoots this way! But Maxime is different. As a gift for her birthday, he offered his sweetheart Audrey a photo shoot with Serengeti. Audrey and Maxime brought several changes of wardrobe, taking the experience in their stride, and we shot for more than two hours!

Some of the images from their shoot will be up shortly in the photo gallery, so be sure to visit there soon!





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• MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2008 •

Oh, The Colors

Fall In All Her Glory

It's that time of year again! Breathless and bountiful in her own way, Fall is here.
And sometimes I get out with the camera!



"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower"
~ Albert Camus





"falling leaves
hide the path
so quietly"
~ John Bailey, "Autumn," a haiku year, 2001, as posted on oldgreypoet.com

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• TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2008 •

The Four Seasons

Friends All Due Soon!

This was a shoot with a difference! Four friends together. All beautiful, and all pregnant!

Looking for pregnant models for her planned shoot, Alissa, Bridgit, Irene, and Lysa were approached by Allyson of Bloom Maternité, and agreed to join Bloom and Serengeti for a unique shoot experience! Bloom, an exclusive maternity wear boutique, was looking for several strong images to use to help develop their brand and identity.

The image below shows each friend representing a season, and wearing an outfit from the boutique specifically chosen for each time of the year.



This surreal image shows Alissa, Bridgit, Irene, and Lysa each standing on a glowing sphere, backlight by the huge full moon and floating above a calm sea.



And the four friends together.



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• FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2008 •

Melissa On The Other Side Of The Lens

Lucky Draw With Bloom Maternité

Serengeti Photo Studios and Bloom Maternité recently ran a lucky draw competition, with a Maternity Session photo shoot as the winner's prize. From a huge full hat of hopeful entrants, Melissa Martel's name was drawn. She spent time with Allyson of Bloom Maternité to select several lovely changes of wardrobe, and her husband Farris joined her for a really great shoot!

Melissa is a gifted make-up artist by profession, and so she is familiar with the in's and out's of fashion shoots, but this was her first time on the other side of the lens! And she was a natural! Farris and her had a really good time, and came away with a super variety of images to choose from in their web gallery.

You can see several in our photo gallery.




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• MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2008 •

Dove - The true photo shoot

A Classic "How It's Done" Video

This video came out more than a year ago, and many of you may have seen it. Several times! But it's a classic, spurred many similar clips, and it's always worth taking a look at to remind us about the reality of the images we see every day.



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• WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2008 •

Shoot with Brigitte Denis

Baby Health and Wealth

Brigitte Denis joined Serengeti for a shoot last week, looking for several images for her soon-to-be-published book.

A baby-health consultant, Brigitte has a heart of gold, and a concept and approach to baby health and well-being that shows a sincere and deep passion and understanding for her little subjects.

We'll let you know as soon as her book is out.



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• THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2008 •

Going Green

Serengeti Website Hosting Powered By Wind Energy

Serengeti Photo Studios changed website hosting companies yesterday, choosing HostPapa not only for their customer service, but also because HostPapa has taken the initiative of going green, by purchasing 100% green renewable energy to power their business and data centre.

That means our website is powered by green energy. OK, some may say that that's not such a big deal. But it's a start. And it's a big deal for a business like HostPapa. Ultimately Serengeti will in entirety be powered by green energy, as HostPapa is.

Yes, I can hear some say "green this, green that, it's all marketing now." In many cases I'm afraid I agree, and some businesses are using "green words" and increasing consumer awareness to take advantage, but we have to start somewhere. What if every company could cut down on the carbon dioxide-producing (CO2) energy that they normally aquire from non-green energy sources, and increase consumption from renewable green sources. It might make a huge difference.

A bit here, a bit there... it all adds up, drip, drip, drip.

      

For those with enquiring minds, here are a few links for further reading:

• HowStuffWorks.com
• Got2BeGreen



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• WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2008 •

It's kinda like a blog!