~ Edits for today ~

Here are some new edits from today....ok, I am not sure if anyone wants to know this, lol. I have a new editing song...it makes me laugh inside really hard. If you've watched Harold and Kumar Escape then you might know this song. It's the song they play when they are leaving the party and borrow the car of the guy with the Osama likeness. The scene where they are walking in slow motion, wearing the fancy clothes and getting in the sweet ride. It's my new editing song, lol.....I can't stop laughing when it plays. Best movie soundtrack for comedy.

New Edit

More Edits

Today I am going to be meeting with another photographer named Tara who lives close by. She just got the new digital Rebel and wants to learn some tricks of the trade. It will be nice to get to know a fellow photographer who lives quite close. Possibly have someone to go on shoots with and start doing more creative work. I first have to do some cleaning and I better get going and do that.
On a side note, I installed lightroom and am trying to figure it out. It's a a whole different beast from CS3 but I am VERY impressed with how it handles large amounts of RAW files and allows for quick edits and batch work. I will use it for sure but all the serious edits still will be done in CS3....adobe products are awesome!! :)

Okay I got to go eat and then clean....:)

~ Current Edits ~

Some recent edits from Shantelle and Josh's wedding. Tons of great pics yet to go....she is an awesome bride to photograph....but a nightmare for a photoshop editor, heheheh.

Drive Home

As I drove home from Edmonton I saw some rain in the sky above Edmonton. Then as I looked I saw a beautiful ray of light come from a cloud and had to stop. I captured this shot from between the 2 highways on my drive back to Vegreville. I don't know how people can witness moments like this and realize there is a God. This shot really felt like a spiritual moment for me. It gives me a lot of personal hope for my future. I've been trying very hard to do a lot of personal improvements and this picture just reminds me of hope.

Bill Cowen

I got to live the dream...and shoot with Bill Cowen and it was awesome. He has always impressed me with his captures and ability to just find those great moments. You can give anyone an awesome camera but it takes a special eye and creative person like Bill Cowen to get that moment worth hanging on your wall for the rest of your life. It was great just helping out and shooting with another photographer. Thanks to his group for being so welcoming and allowing me to get some nice shots. I had a lot of fun.

Here are a few edits....

New Photoshop Techniques Underway

I am VERY excited today. I can't divulge my sources here but I got access to some high level photoshop technique scrolls. Needless to say I have hit the jackpot and am pumped to download them to my brain and make them part of my photoshop Kung Fu.
I love when I find sweetness about photoshop and learn new techniques. I hope it makes my work have a new look and bring me to a new level. Lets just say a I got hands on a high level master of photoshop's tutorials.....actions and wisdom. (Drool) I feel like Neo on the Matrix downloading all that info....what a rush!!! :) hehehehhe

Here is a sample of some tricks I've learned.

Now have a good weekend peeps.

~ Cap Ex 2008 ~

~ Cap Ex 2008 ~, originally uploaded by Randy Pond.

Today I am shooting with Joanne, we have shot together in the past and she is a part of a modelling contest in Alberta called Alberta's next top model.
I need to get my Alien Bee wireless trigger system working so I'll just post this picture from Cap Ex a few nights ago and get to work. Nahla wanted to sleep in but I had to wake her up. I am a good procrastinator.....always putting things off that need getting done. :)

Samantha Schultz - Twilight Moment

A great singer, just a girl and her guitar. :) Beautiful song.

Exciting News

I am very happy to announce that music by Samantha Schultz is going to be featured very soon on my website. I highly recommend people to check out her website and listen to her music. My wife and I had the pleasure of hearing a bit of her performance on Canada in Spruce Grove.
www.myspace.com/samanthaschultz15
On the musical scene, I went to CapX with Tanya and Michelle. Michelle is a HUGE Joan Jett fan and was loving the concert. I can't say I am a massive fan but Joan Jett is one person I think of as a rock legend. She just seems very hard working and obviously still enjoys performing. The concert ended with a massive shower of rain that sent everyone running for the exits and shelter. My camera bag got soaked but the 40D stayed dry. I also got security coming to me before her show even started telling me I could take pictures with my lens. I found that funny, considering my lens doesn't take pictures....it definately helps for pictures but isn't what really takes them. Anyway, she told us that it was "a professional lens" and no "professional lenses were allowed"....however, small point and shoot cameras were allowed, cellphones and basically every other small recording device known to man was allowed.

Here is a shot of the sunset last night at CAPX.....it was a nice one, but a sign of the rain to come.

Hot Summer Day Finally

The temp hit 30 today and wow, I felt like all energy was sucked out of me. Nahla and I had a pretty tame day chillin with each other. My biggest event of the day was going to the bank to deposit money, always a good thing. The heat just kind of made me mushy.....I watched Cloverfield too, I was expecting a bad movie so I admit I was a bit surprised I didn't totally hate it. I didn't even want to do edits, as the office is upstairs and about a million degrees in it....I am doing a few edits as I type here. I might have some to post....
I am going to start messing with HDR images as I discovered some news about them and am excited to start playing with them.

-Randy

~ Shantelle and Joshua Tie the Knot!!! Congrats!!! ~

Congrats to Joshua and Shantelle!!!!

Joshua and Shantelle tied the knot and I was able to shoot their wedding. Shantelle is a natural in front of the camera so it was a LOT of fun working with her. I have done a lot of previous model shoots with Shantelle so she already knows a lot about my work and style. Joshua is just a great guy, so supportive of Shantelle. They are both awesome people and Jenn and I wish them nothing but the best. They had a massive wedding party, 7 girls standing up for Shantelle and with such a big group they were a LOT of fun to shoot. I'd like to thank Nathan, one of the groomsmen for bringing his humor and stepping up to be a big help throughout the day. If Nathan ever reads this he needs to watch youtube and see "I'm on your side" from this hour has 22 minutes.
It was a long day, very hot but was a lot of fun to do the photos. I broke a record I'll prob never break again, over 20gigs worth of images, well over 10 memory cards full (hugs laptop). I hope the shots will all work out....it was very fun though...even if a bit stressful. I always get a bit nervous with a wedding, considering the couple is trusting you to capture the day and not miss those once and a lifetime moments. I love the chance to do it but wow...it's a bit of pressure...heheheh.
Once again thanks to Shantelle and Joshua and your bridal party, family and everyone that welcomed us to join the day. We loved the food but admit that drive to Vegreville is kinda long and rough for old folks like us...hee hee.
Here are a few 1st edits to get a feel for the day.....

~ Brianna ~

~ Brianna ~, originally uploaded by pond73.

A recent edit of Brianna from her engagement shoot on Tuesday. :)
She loves the camera, hee hee. :)
-Randy

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

~ Brianna and Neil ~

I had the pleasure of meeting with Brianna and Neil tonight in Edmonton to do some engagement photos. They are a very cute couple very much in love and I am honored to be able to capture their journey in to marriage together. It was a lovely night, a few nice clouds to give me workable lighting and Brianna and Neil were very relaxed and easy to shoot with. I love the colours of the green trees and it was nice to shoot near some water. I had a good time...now here is my 1st edit. :) Now I am off to bed. Check pbase for more edits....

July Pictures

Some pics taken tonite.....

I noticed I had some dust on my sensor so I swabbed it and used my visible dust brushes and went out at sunset time to snap a few shots. Why can't they invent a camera without dust issues? hehehehe. :) I am sure Nikon will and I'll be forced to convert....(NOT)...hee hee.

Sunday in July

July is in full swing...Jenn has her pool set up and it's ready to rock. Now the weather has got a bit colder so that kind of ruins the pool fun. However I am sure there are a few more HOT days to come. I think we're going in to Edmonton today to visit O'Neill's kitten. We have some plans for Bernie that I think O'Neill's gonna be surprised at...hee hee....(evil laugh). I want to do some nature shots this week and hope to have some new stuff posted soon. Hope everyone has a great week. :)

Canada Day

On Canada Day Jenn and her friend Cory drove to Allan Beach west of Edmonton. We discovered to our disappointment it was closed for the season. We then drove to Spruce Grove to attend the Canada Day Celebrations there. Cory's hubby, Dale, was playing with his bluegrass band called WidowMaker. We had a fun time and enjoyed the HOT weather and outdoor concert. It was a fun day. :) We also heard a young girl named Samantha Schultz singing...Jenn liked her sound and bought one of her cd's. I included some shots I took of Samantha here as well. Also Jenn and Cory tried on some smoking hot hats, heheheh. :)