~ End of Summer 2016 ~

I almost never got to shoot my END OF SUMMER 2016 edition.  Really busy getting back to work so I will share some of the quick shots I got of the model.  Thanks to Angela who met me in Sherwood Park after her work and on a cloudy and rainy evening.  Here are the shots, hoping to blog some summer work from summer including the Wil Yee wedding in BC!!!!

Thanks for stopping by to check out the BLOG!!!!
-Randy

~ 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

~ New Year 2016 and a blank canvas ahead ~

New Year is in full swing now and lots of people have already broke their resolutions which is why I don't like to make them.  I do enjoy thinking about the future and the creative opportunities that may come my way this year.  Every year is exciting to think what images I can capture from life.  I do love art and I am going to try and continue with my 52 week art challenge.  So here are some random things off the top of my head I am considering for 2016....

• working on putting together my art and photography to possibly have a showing of my work at a venue some where 
• PAINTING, I say it every year but I want to get the paints out and finish a few of these 
• This one is the same every year, but shoot some new faces and collaborate with some new creative people (photographers, artists)
• Game!!! I need breaks from the camera, I like to play some MTG (Magic) or course hop on the console (xbox one) for some fun.  My gamer tag is Phocus on xbox live if you wanna add me.
• Get stronger spiritually, doesn't have to be church all the time but I want to spend more time connecting to my God and building that one on one connection to Him

I have not really shot yet in 2016 so I'll post some recent edits from a shoot with the beautiful Russian Canadian Galina!!! :)

~ Fall 2015 ~

It's been a very long time since I've written anything on my blog.  The summer has ended and now fall and my teaching life is in full swing.  It's been a rough year, marked with the sadness of losing our newest cat Mulder at such a young age and right when the summer began.  I still find my happy place is behind a camera and being creative.  Without art, without imagination this world would be a very difficult place for me to exist in.  Social media to me is meaningless without images, I love photos and don't care if they are mine or belong to another photographer.  There are so many talented photographers out there.  I spend a LOT of time on 500px looking at works that humble me and inspire me.


Every year before I go back to school I attempt to do a photo shoot to mark summer ending and just get my last few pics in with warmish weather and natural light before hiding out in studio for the winter.  I will share here some photos taken of the stunning Vickie.  Hopefully I'll BLOG more as I have neglected this blog for a VERY long time.
-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.

~ Friends ~

I got to do some photos with two friends.  Using mostly the sigma 35 art and a bit of the 85 1.4 rokinon lens we went to Festival Place in Sherwood Park and walked around taking pictures.  It was a last minute photo shoot but sometimes those are the best kind. :)  Have a great Tuesday!!! :)

~ Destiny Spring 2015 ~

It's been a LONG time since I blogged so I am getting to it.  It's spring now and May long weekend is coming to a close this evening.  I got to see the new Mad Max movie with a good teacher friend, did some attacking weeds in the yard.  Didn't do much for photography so this blog post is about it for tonight.  Awhile back I shot with the lovely Destiny.  She met me in Edmonton and we explored the river valley on a warm spring day.  These are some of the shots we captured.

I was using the Sigma 35mm 1.4 art lens I added to my gear list.  I am loving this lens, it's ability to create mind blowing bokeh is something I adore.  I also love the sharpness and reliability it has.  Most photographers can admit that when shooting at apertures like 1.4 you're bound to get some soft shots as it is a VERY shallow DOF.  I have beyond happy with the results from the shoots I've done with this lens so far and I cannot wait to shoot more with it this summer.  I will try my best to keep more images flowing on the blog and excited to share my outdoor adventures this summer.
-Randy

~ 2015 Is Here ~

2014 Thoughts 

I have neglected my blog long enough.  I really need to start writing again on here.  2015 is here and well in to gear.  Looking back on 2014 I can say I am always going to view this year with sadness as I said goodbye to a precious friend, my cat Scully.  I got to spend about 15 years of my life with her as my cat and it broke my heart when she suddenly got sick and we knew her time had come.  2014 wasn't all bad, I had some really amazing memories doing photography and worked with some talented photographers and models doing creative work.  I also started shooting with a new camera, I picked up a Fuji Xpro1 and I really am loving this new type of non DSLR size camera.  A lot of photographers I know of use this camera line and their results are too awesome to ignore.  I admit I use this camera as an every day camera.  My canon still takes the workload of my shoots but the Fuji is just a fun and amazing little camera to pack every where I go.  I want to give a huge congrats to my friend Roxanne Lavallee, a talented photographer who just finished a 365 for 2014 and has decided she wants to continue it for another year.  I have done 2, one in 2010 and in 2013 and I know how much of a challenge it can be.  She is starting her 3rd I think and it is a joy to see her daily images.

2015 Thoughts 

Now there is a new year ahead of me and I am looking forward to new adventures and moments in creativity.  Just before Christmas I started shooting an Angel theme that I am doing in studio.  So far I have worked with two models on that project and excited to shoot more along this idea.  I said it last year that I wanted to do more visual art and I failed at doing the work I imagined myself doing.  Time goes so fast and I realize if I want to do more art that I need to force myself to get to it or it is never going to happen.  I guess this better be the time to start at is, so hoping the blog might be a place I can share my journey with my return to some art.

For now I'll end this blog with a few images of my last shoot of 2014 with Sean and Clarrisa.  It was inspired by the movie True Romance but with more of a classic gangster look.  I dig the Bonnie and Clyde vibe and these two were fun to work with.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!  Thanks for following my work and blog.
-Randy

~ Movember 2014 and some Wedding Images ~

I realize my blog has been quiet, so here is an update to what's been going on in my world.  This school year has been REALLY busy and I have not had a whole lot of time for photography.  I did shoot a wedding recently with a young couple at Fort Edmonton at the start of November. (pics below)

I have also started growing a MO for Movember.  I have not been promoting it as much as in previous years.  I would appreciate any support.  Go here to donate: RANDY'S MOVEMBER PAGE

Winter is here now and I am hoping to capture some lovely winter scenes to share on the blog.  I also have a plan for some studio work this winter.  The theme I want to do is angels. :)  I have always loved the game Magic The Gathering, there are some really cool cards with angels on them and the art is amazing.  I have always thought it would be cool to do something photography related of angels but I find it SUPREMELY cliche and cheesy to have a model wearing those fake wings.  I always told myself if I did an angel theme it would need to be something composite so the wings looked better than just fake strapped on wings.  So if you're a model interested in being part of my Angel theme then please contact me. :)
-Randy

~ Black and White, it's pretty fun!!!! ~

I was recently challenged by a photographer friend Todd Weider to do a black and white photography challenge.  The goal is to post 5 black and white pictures in 5 days.  I love black and white photography for a lot of reasons:

• it has that timeless look to it
• no colors to distract, it allows for the viewer to just enjoy the light and shadow
• so much fun contrast
• just has that artistic look to it

The other part of the challenge is to challenge other photographers each day.  It's fun and not for any real reason other than promoting the fun and beauty of black and white photography. :)

Here is my day 1 photo of the lovely Michelle:

Here is my day 2 photo of Sean:

~ Too much planning Spoils the Fun of Photography ~

When I am planning a creative photo shoot with a model they usually ask me what theme I have in mind.  I have to admit that themes can be fun and there are times when I do have an idea in my head for a shoot.  But the true fun for me comes from not planning shoots.  When the model comes up with looks on her own, does the hair and makeup it's fun and exciting to see what locations we can go discover that fit her look.  Some of my favorite shoots have been spontaneous in the outfits and locations.  I have discovered some really cool places to shoot just by going on an adventure and not knowing the destination.  Had I planned every last detail I would have missed out some great locations, light and images.

EXAMPLE #1(Model: Galina)

This is a shot of Galina taken in the country side north of St.Albert, Alberta.  We drove north and we just looked for some country roads and finally I saw this spot off the road we were on.  It was a farmers approach and it was grown with tall grass and lined with rows of bushes on either side.  The light looked great and we stopped to shoot a set of images here.  I could have gone out to scout locations in advance and driven right on by this spot.  Sometimes it's just about the light, light needs to be perfect and locations you scout do not always provide the best light due to weather, time of day, etc.  This spot was just perfect for the images we wanted.  I'll prob never go back to it, it was just a special photography adventure and the lack of planning made it exciting and fun.  It probably has a lot to do with my personality but I really dislike making detailed plans. :)  I am all about the unexpected and not knowing what is around the corner.  I love exploring the world with my camera and if I have a model or not, I think the same goes for nature photography.  Finding the light, the location and capturing a moment that is unexpected and impossible to plan for.  

EXAMPLE #2 (Model: Katelyn)

We drove around in the St.Albert area too, similar to the shoot I did with Galina.  We were near sunset (golden hour light) and found a construction area where residential buildings were being constructed.  This was mostly an empty field with some large concrete tubes (I have no clue what their technical names were) but they looked cool and Katelyn climbed on them and did some amazing poses.  The only things we had planned was where we would meet (A Tim Hortons) and from their we just drove around.  We had also briefly talked about the outfit but I didn't know her look until we met for the shoot.  It was just fun and I could never have expected we would find a place like this.  I know this is nothing new, many photographers/artists work like this but I just encourage people to sometimes step out of their comfort zones if you are a person that likes planning everything.  Try going out and being random....find something new and exciting and shoot there.  In Edmonton, I know the typical locations you can find photographers: Legislature grounds, many parks, Museum, Muttart, river valley, Fort Edm.....I've shot in these places lots too, but I have to say if I know I'm shooting there I kind of already know what to expect for light, for location.  

So basically go exploring with your camera!! :)  Make plans if you must but just be willing to go off the rails and find something new and be creative with it. :)