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. :)

DIABLO III ANNOUNCED!!!!!!! WICKED!!!

I am loving Blizzard, Diablo 3 is announced!!!!!!!!!!!! So SWEET!!!! Witchdoctor is a new character class and now you can have male and female versions of characters, so I can roll with a female barbarian!! :) Sweetness!! :) I am so pumped for this game, Jenn however won't be. Hee Hee. I hope I'll have a new computer for when it's released. A 24 inch widescreen will be nice and a sweet graphics card would be pimp. :) Can I say I LOVE BLIZZARD GAMES!!! :) They make the most addictive games in the world!! I'm going to do my best to NOT get sucked in to playing games to the point where I lose my ability to function hehehe, no all nighters, but I definately love the Diablo games and want to experience the next version of it. :)

Also, I picked up Guitar Hero AeroSmith on the weekend....it's the kind of game made for a fan and I admit I am a BIG Aerosmith fan, I have the cordless Les Paul guitar with an Aerosmith faceplate now too, ROCK ON BABY!! :) But I am totally pumped for Diablo, best game announcement ever, needless to say I was on the net registaring my approval throughout the world. :)

Preg Teens and "Kids Today"

Okay up on my soapbox I go. These teen girls in the USA that are all preg are not a big surprise. There is the Spears sister that is preg and is a teenager. Then Hannah Montana posing in a "risky" set of pictures. Kids today are wanting more adult things and "sexual" things are starting to enter in to their lists of wants. I teach elementary and there are a LOT of kids with adult wants...they want iPODS and when it comes to video games it's not about Mario Bro. anymore for kids or Sonic. It's Grand Theft Auto and the more violent and risky the better. Kids in elementary school are sporting cell phones, wearing makeup and wearing more risky clothing.
I was at the Alberta legislature grounds a few weeks ago when all the Grads were happening in Edmonton. There were all these high school guys stripping down to their boxers and jumping in the pool. Then I saw 2 young girls looking about 17 years old that were pretending to make out and kiss each other to titillate the boys that were already stripped down to their undies and were posing in very inappropriate ways for the cameras of these boys. It was like these kids were acting like College kids on Spring Break somewhere but hadn't even got out of high school. These 2 young women lost all their self respect and were totally acting it up for the camera and attention from these guys.
I know I sound old but I just don't see youth today heading in a positive direction. A junior high teacher in Edmonton was venting on the radio a few days ago. She said a group of girls called the last day of school "whore day" and came dressed in "slutty" clothes. With role models like the Hiltons and Brittney, it's no wonder girls have issues. It's sad....especially when young girls are missing out on opportunities due to these other distractions.

George Carlin RIP

This weekend George Carlin passed away. I can't say I am a huge fan of his, but a guy that devoted his life to humor and making people laugh seems pretty cool in my books. I've always admired comedians for their ability to see humor in every day life. I can't tell a joke very well at all and I can totally see comedy as a skill. Much like photography, comedy requires a commitment to learning the craft.
I think Carlin was highly intelligent. Today on the radio he was talking about the difference between baseball and football. How in football they have downs, baseball it's about "who's up", football they play in the rain, snow and mud no matter what the weather, in baseball they won't play if it rains....he goes on and on and breaks it down in a way most people would never look at. People like that make our world a better place to live in.
I was also watching some of the muppet show on the weekend. There is another sad story, Jim Henson. I read about his death and how he believed in Christian Science. That is one sad set of beliefs to have. Henson avoided going to the doctor for help because of his beliefs. When he finally went to a doctor it was too late for him and his organs failed and he died. If he had gone only 2 hours earlier he would be alive today most likely. It's sad how a creative mind and person like that was lost to what I believe to be misguided beliefs. I can't see how God wouldn't want his people to have medical attention if they were sick. How can Christian Science call themselves Christian when even in the bible it tells how Jesus, aka Christ, healed people and tended to the sick and dying. It just goes to show how success, fame and money in this world are nothing in the end......

Dance in the Last 50 years, comedy!!!!

I wish I could dance like buddy here, hehehe.

Vegreville Idol

My Bday!! :) hehehhe Wolfie singing heheheheh

Cory Sings 1

Friends of ours from Calgary, Jenn and Cory are old roomies. :) She had a CD release party and Jenn was able to attend and capture some live concert footage. :)

shuffle practise IV

cool dance :)

Really Cool Photographer

I don't know much about this photographer but James Christianson is one very talented dude. He is a professional from the good old USA. My Mom sent me a link to his work and I was quite impressed. He has a really wonderful style and I think what I like most is the way he uses the dof in his work. Also he seems to have a GREAT variety in his lenses. It's always fun to see work at such a high level. It's definately not just good equipment that makes his work so good, I have seen work from photographers with amazing gear and yet it makes no difference to their "BAD" photos.

Take a look at his work and I'll be shocked if you don't find it impressive. :) Anyway, the weekend is here and the theme is REPORT CARDS.......(insert Darth Vaders Theme here)......
Looking forward to shooting some pictures of Chandra and her man Pat this weekend. She's a very cool staff member at my school.

Mouth Breathing Morons

Grrrrrrrr.....not sure why but I need to rant about some losers. I was walking my students downtown to buy groceries for our life skills program. One of my older students tripped on the sidewalk and a delivery truck with 2 biscuits in their early 20's driving with the windows rolled down, stared and laughed at this student. They acted like it was the funniest thing and really hurt the feelings of the student that tripped. I just think it was rude, considering I teach a class with special needs and these 2 morons should have considered they were laughing at a kid and didn't even think about how his feelings would be hurt. I wish I could of stopped them and laughed at how they are a couple of losers driving a delivery truck. I know stereotyping is wrong but they looked like the typical redneck that roars around in a truck, drinking beer all the time and just fitting that typical "I'm a loser" mentality that seems too common around Edmonton and area.

Shortly after the biscuits were laughing at my student, another GRADE A loser in his wanna be rig rocket truck, roars through the stop sign where we just crossed and guns his truck...through the school zone doing about 80 km/h!! I wish I was a cop so I could of pulled him over and given him the royal night stick to the cranium treatment. Grrrrrrrrrrrr........hehehhe, ok, that felt like a good rant.....have a happy Wednesday everyone.

Portraits

Monday "The End is In Sight"

Well, the weekend was FUN!!! :) Jenn pretty much surprised me for a party, she invited friends from Edmonton to visit. Tanya and Kelly, Steve and Trina, Lindsay O'Neill and Paxton(aka Lindsey) and Nestor! :) Then Kelly's friend J.R. came by as well. It was a LOT of fun playing Rockband with 4 people. I stuck with the base on medium difficulty, then watched as Kelly rocked the drums, man that guy can drum, hehehehe. It was VERY addictive and I won't mention how late we stayed up rocking. :)
The weather was wonderful on the weekend, it got a bit cold on Sunday but nothing too bad. I am going to be BUSY this week with TONS of wrap up for school so I NEED to work hard and finish hard. Have a great week everyone! :) Turning 35 tomorrow.....here comes the grey hair. :)

iTOUCH

I got an 8gig iTOUCH for my birthday today from Jenn. It's pretty sweet. I also got the RockBand Drums and an amazing collectable framed portrait of Grant Fuhr to go with my jersey. Jenn SPOILLED me!!! :) Anyway, must sleep. Thanks to everyone that came to my party I REALLY appreciated it and enjoyed it a lot...stay tuned for more info on that.

Birthday Weekend

These shots were taken last night with one of Jenn's top music students. Last year I took some portraits of her and I was honored she came back again this year for some photos as well. We got some great outdoor photos and I used my "ghetto" ring light to capture some amazing shots of her.
Well, the weekend is here!!!!!, we're going to try and have track and field today (hope it doesn't rain on us, crosses fingers and toes and eyes). We're celebrating my 35th bday this weekend and Jenn's invited pretty much everyone we know to come over, we'll have a rocking house if everyone shows...hehehhe. Should be fun! :)

Cruelity to Animals

I have to vent about this. I just read a CBC news report of the 2, 17 year old boys from the Camrose area that microwaved a family's cat. If you know me really well, you'll know I am VERY much against the death penalty and don't believe that there can ever be justice given for acts like murder. Killing someone is not going to make things any better after acts of murder. However, after reading what they did and what they pleaded guilty to, it makes my blood run cold. I realize that there can be just as violent acts carried out on people, but the problem I have when it's to animals is how helpless they are.

Our pets trust us, they give us love and depend on us for everything. Hearing how they carried out such a horrible act on a family's pet is to me an unforgivable act. I believe that God can forgive but wow, just reading about what they did has me so angry towards something like that. I just can't understand what kind of person is capable of doing something like that? I don't know if any punishment can replace the pain and suffering that cat endured or the pain the family felt from that loss. To me it's a sign that there is pure evil on this earth and reminds me how important it is to have faith and a connection to God. Without a faith in God an act like this is enough to drive anyone over the edge. I know if it had been one of my cats, I'd be broken down and unable to even function. The urge to go out and get revenge on these kids would be so strong. However they committed this crime and I do hope they have to live with themselves and are reminded of what losers they are every day. I can't see how 2 kids like this can come back from something like that. I know how angry people were when this story broke. I can't imagine them leading normal lives after something like this. It would be nice if they could live out there lives in a cell.
Anyway, there is my rant, I am so sickened by it...I won't even go in to details because what I read made me feel sick. What a sick world we live in.

Birthday Month

For many years now I have been a believer in Birthday Month...it's quite simple really. It's the month you have your birthday. So mine is June and as soon as June arrives it's birthday month. My rules for birthday month are pretty flexible, but it just means that you should get your way if it's birthday month. Example: Lets say you're going to watch a movie, if it's a person's birthday month they get to pick the movie, or place to eat, or have 1st choice for pretty much anything. So even after your birthday you still get to call birthday month...it's sweet because it extends the whole birthday mania beyond just the one day. I've tried extending it to birthday year but that hasn't been very welcomed by those who love me, even birthday month gets frowns from my dearly beloved wife. hehehehe.

Well, it's fun to have silly things like birthday month. Sadly birthday month is not going very well...I'm tired and feeling VERY ill this morning. My head hurts like I am getting sick and I feel like a zombie. It's going to be a VERY LONG day....Hope to get better for the weekend.

Indiana Jones Review

Well, I did see Indiana Jones on the weekend. Overall I enjoyed it and would recommend people to see it. If you're a fan of the character and previous movies then you won't be disappointed. My only issues with the movie were minor. I found the story moved REALLY fast and seemed to be just one over the top action sequence to the next. Harrison Ford seems ageless in this role. He puts the hat on and just becomes Indy, when he's not in the Indy clothes he looks his age.

The movie has amazing effects which is no shock considering Lucas pretty is the master at that. The story is pretty much a typical Indiana style story. On the big screen it's a fun movie and one with a lot of humor and action. It's a nice finish to the character and possibly a launch pad for the Indy junior to take on the role of Indy...which I kind of hope doesn't happen due to there only being one true Indy (Harrison Ford).

On a personal note, I am excited for the weekend....It's BIRTHDAY MONTH!!! June 10, 2008!!! Now the bad part, 35!! :( heheheh.......Tomorrow I'll explain birthday month!! :)

Weekend is Over

Finished the office laminate floor. Very tired but was a good weekend. Saw Indiana Jones, Lucas is the MAN! :)

Took pics of a few peeps and here are the edits....