JULY 13th SUMMER UPDATE

So summer's off and running and so far I have not done as much photography as I hoped. Gonna need to change that. I did go to Edmonton and was able to do x2 shoots in one day. What I discovered was I am REALLY out of shape and it was a challenge having to cope the next few days of pain after. The pandemic really took it's toll on my mental and physical health. I am in MUCH need of some exercise so I have been hitting the air bike more and trying to make plans to get out and walk, move and just keep busy physically. Finny doesn't love my new getting up more routines as he LOVES cuddling. 

Well, I am off to start moving as my BIG project is to organize our basement and purge some useless things I have been hoarding. Time to release some things I have not used in many many years. 

Here are some visuals from summer so far:

~ Memories of 2019 and ALEX SHOOT ~

 THINKING BACK TO 2019 and SHOOTING WITH ALEX

MEMORIES FROM 2019

So it was in the end of September 2019 I was hospitalized with what I knew was a football sized mass inside me. I soon was told that it was cancer. It was a life shattering and altering thing to face and it was a difficult road to follow. Thankfully I got so many prayers, people supporting me that I never expected. I am truly blessed and humbled by it all. My hope is to try and give back to others the love and kindness shown to me by so many. 

SHOOTING WITH ALEX

This week was a challenging week of work and I got home today with the plans to get into my studio and do some photography. Thankfully this model Alex came to shoot but things did NOT GO smooth. Due to covid I haven't used my studio gear and when she got to my place my trigger batteries all died and we had to zip out to get new batteries. Then the main trigger would not wanna work....which was frustrating and as I tried to get it working, Alex got my older backup trigger to work. We were short on time so we shot what we could. It was sure a blessing to do something I loved like photography again. The pandemic really shut things down for my photography as it did for mostly everyone. I am so rusty and made a lot of rookie mistakes but it was fun to shoot again. Here's a few shots from todays shoot. 

~ Sigma 150 - 600 C Shots in Elk Island National Park ~

 ELK ISLAND ADVENTURES

Got to go to the beautiful Elk Island Park with my new lens. There was TONS of humanity there and I think the animals and birds all went into hiding from all the people. I drove the Bison Loop and just saw other vehicles. Jen and I walked around a bit and I did manage to catch some photos. I am really excited how this lens opens up new doors for me in my photography. It's so much fun to be able to get ZOOMY with my camera!!!!Stay tuned for more images.

~ University of Alberta Botanical Garden Visit ~

On a spontaneous whim my wife and I went on a trip to the University of Alberta Botanical Gardens near Devon. We had a great time, it was a sunny and hot day. It was great to see a lot of the flowers in full bloom. We have gone before but later in the summer when flowers were not as healthy as they were in July. It's great to see these gardens and the updates they have been doing to the grounds since the last time we went. I love to photograph flowers so it was a lot of fun, by the end of the visit I was drenched from the heat. I still have a ways to go with my personal health. The exercise we got from walking around was much needed on my end.

Here are the photos from our visit:

~ iPad Pro Summer 2019 ~

Going into summer I was feeling pretty rough. My health hasn’t been good (mental or physical) and I know change is needed. Photography hasn’t been as fulfilling lately and I have been really wanting to do more art lately. Digital art has always been something I wanted to do but I could never really get used to the Wacom tablet as it just never felt right.  A few years ago I tried out an iPad Pro with the pencil and was SOLD at how comfortable it was to use to draw.

I got the nice big version of the iPad with the pencil 2 and a very cool case for it. So far I couldn’t be happier. It fits with my style of art and it’s so fun to sketch and doodle on it.  The power of the iPad Pro is amazing as well. I use the app Procreate and it is outstanding to have tons of layers open as I draw.

I used to always open sketchbooks and a big inhibitor of drawing was that I always wanted my art to look perfect. Many sketchbooks just sat blank due to my lack of knowing what to draw and my desire to make it look great. The iPad takes away my mental barriers and lets me just sketch or doodle away. Giving my the layers allows me to change things if they don’t work out and instead of ripping a page out of the sketchbook I can just delete it or just start fresh and get it to where I want it to be.

Definitely stoked to draw more and I love the portability of taking the iPad with me wherever I go. Excited to share some art here and also photos too. Here are some recent drawings and photos of my precious iPad Pro.

~ Alberta Election ~

With an Election Day comes my political rant. Hehe. (Disclaimer: if you disagree just move along, unfriend if you get that bent out of shape) 

Ok let’s get this started. The average Conservatives supporters in Alberta seem to connect really close to the average Trump lovers. They think that the UCP party will bring jobs and do great things for our economy. Forgetting that the reason the last election went NDP was out of anger at corruption and greed and we were “draining the swamp” and giving a new group of people a chance. 

The conservative supporters also seem to have this make Alberta strong and free idea. Why not just use MAGA and get it over with??? This Alberta hate against Ottawa is ridiculous. We are part of Canada. Just cuz you can’t jack your truck up another few inches due to lack of funds is not the fault of Justin. This whole mentality of “we got the oil and should separate from Canada” seems common among the conservative Alberta supporters. 

I hope people can see that education is a huge factor in this election. Strong schools and more access to education will result in jobs.  Better education = better humans. I can make my point quite easily. Go to any politician twitter or social media page and read some responses of conservative supporters. Engleesh does not seem to be their first language.  This is evident by reading their responses to anyone that has a different point of view. Strong education = better paying jobs and better future. 

Alberta is STRONG. Alberta is FREE. We don’t need to disconnect from such a great country. We should be questioning our leaders and staying informed. However in this election to me there’s only one strong choice and that is the NDP. The Conservative party has dominated this province for far too long. Giving them the keys back again so soon after they went on a joy ride and smashed up our car is stupid. Allow a new group of leaders the time they need to create a better place for us to live and work. Don’t get sucked into stupid catch phrases and wanna be Trumpland mentality.

~ Some new Black and White Shots for 2016 ~

Thursday - APRIL 28th, 2016 - Trying to Get Back To Blog Life

I have hardly been updating this blog....I need to refresh my photography blog and hopefully try and do an update once a week.  I really do love blogging.  I never really know who is reading what I write nor do I much care as it's just fun to share random thoughts and ideas and never know where they end up.  More important than my writing is being able to share the photography I do.  If it wasn't for people I would not have much fun doing photography.  People are interesting subjects and I find each portrait I shoot a new challenge to get images of a person that they appreciate and will value.  Life is so short, I want people to look back fondly at an image of themselves and remember that was them at a certain point in their life.....or even more special have my image be a lasting memory of that person for generations to come.  I just created a new black and white gallery on my FB photography page.  Black and white images are so timeless and really show the beautiful contrast of shadow and light.  I love to shoot in RAW format and then edit a shot to color or black and white.
-Randy

~ Mural Mosaic Vegreville ~

The town of Vegreville is going to be the first of 150 towns across Canada to get murals created by the talented minds of Mural Mosaic  and on May 20th, 2015 it was revealed.  The mural was made up of 1500 tiles that were painted by community members and many of the students attending schools in Vegreville.  The mural is located on the wall of ATB and will join together with the other 150 murals to create a larger image.  Recently elected MLA Jessica Littlewood was there to represent the Alberta Government.  It was a fun day and some very cool art.

I teach art at the High School and was able to paint a tile and have my students be a part of this amazing experience.  Of course I shot some images. Here are a few of my favorites from the day.

APRIL's Model of the Month is Jane

What is the most challenging thing about modelling?

Trusting yourself and your body. Sometimes you just have to “go with the flow”, with the music, with the weather or the mood of the shoot. The most awkward poses sometimes make the coolest shots.

What advice would you give a model that is just starting out?

Just go for it. If it feels a little scary, you should tackle it and put the trust in your abilities, whether you know what those are or not.

Color or Black and White?

Definitely Black and White. Color is beautiful for some shots, but black and white allows you to see the emotion in the shot by focusing on the face, the eyes, and the feeling.

How many shoots have you had with Randy Pond?

Is it possible to lose count? If not, then 6 or 7 maybe?

Do you prefer natural light or studio light?

Definitely natural light. Something about the challenge of capturing it and properly posing in it creates some fantastic shots!

Where would be your dream location to do a photo shoot?

Europe! So many fantastic locations and wonderful, old architecture. Bodies of water are pretty great too.

What kind of music do you like to listen to when you are at a shoot or getting ready for a shoot?

Something upbeat that allows me to pump myself up. It helps when conveying emotion later on.

What color is your favorite?

Blue. It’s a calming and cooling color.

What social media do you use?  Feel free to shamelessly plug yourself or stay secretive.

Just a regular ol’ Instagram model! (@zhenyaua). But really, I use the holy trinity of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

What would you say is your biggest strength?

Passion and dedication. While that’s two things, technically, they do go hand in hand.

~ 315/365 Remembrance Day 2013 ~

© Randy Pond Photography - www.randypond.ca
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One thing that stands out about Canada is that when the guest speaker from the Canadian Forces came to our school to speak to the students about Remembrance Day he was introduced and his military record was mentioned. He served overseas fighting for peace but he also served in many Canadian Disasters helping us here. Our forces are more than just soldiers fighting against an enemy, they help and that is what makes Canada such an awesome place to live. So proud of the Men and Women of the Armed Forces that help where ever they are needed. Nov.11 is a day to thank and remember those that paid the ultimate price for us. -Randy

~ 313/365 Family Photo Session in the Snow ~

© Randy Pond Photography - www.randypond.ca
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Got to do a photo shoot with a former teaching pal from my days at Lamont Elementary School.  Time sure goes by quick.  Their adorable daughter is turning two and I was there to shoot some winter pics, love the snow!!! :) -Randy

~ 308/365 Boba Fett ~

© Randy Pond Photography - www.randypond.ca
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Got a new macro extension tube from ebay.....pretty cool.  allowed me to get nice and close to some of my nerd toys....here is an example. :)  -Randy

~ 294/365 Sunrise ~

© Randy Pond Photography - www.randypond.ca
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This how my day started.....really positive day for a Monday.  My Media League team really stepped up and we're currently leading our first game of the year.  Now we just need to share like mad and hope we pull off a win!!! -Randy

~ 286/365 Family Photos ~

© Randy Pond Photography - www.randypond.ca
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Got to shoot a family session today that was a reminder how old I am getting.  I had the honor of shooting their wedding and now they have a 3 year old girl, that was so fun to take photos of.  So cool to see them all and take some new photo memories for them. -Randy

~ 279/365 Family Fall Photo Session ~

© Randy Pond Photography - www.randypond.ca
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This is Magnum, he is a well trained dog that was part of a family photo session I shot tonight.  He found this ball while exploring the area we were in.  I have 3 cats but definitely wanted a dog after meeting this dude. :) -Randy

~ 249/365 Friday ~

249/365
© www.randypond.ca
Wow this 365 is going fast.  Getting close to 300.....what a terrible finish to the week.  Hoping to recharge the battery for the coming week.  Nahla pretty much showing how I feel....tired. -Randy

~ 235/365 Leaving the Badlands ~

235/365
© www.randypond.ca
Packed up the camp and headed for home.  Stopped to take this shot at a lookout not far from where the campground was.  Great few days of adventuring around the badlands snapping photos. -Randy

~ 234/365 Badlands ~

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Went to the badlands, haven't been there in a LONG time.  Went down for a night and did some shooting with friends and had a good time.  Was fun to revisit this spot, last time I was here I didn't know much about photography.  I feel I did it more justice this time than my last visit. -Randy

~ 231/365 HDR Sunset ~

© www.randypond.ca
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Went out for some groceries and decided to try a landscape shot for my 365....considering I have been shooting so many cats and portraits....wanted to mix it up! :)
-Randy

~ 210/365 Janaya on Whyte Ave, Summer 2013 ~

© www.randypond.ca
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It was a LOT warmer today for my shoot on Whyte Ave with Janaya.  When I first met her it was winter and super COLD!!!!  It was great to have a chance to shoot with her again.  Enjoyed exploring Whyte and all the spots to shoot.  Had the usual creeper audience too while we shot....good times. -Randy